EVERYBODY SHOULD BE OUTRAGED ABOUT PASTOR LEE HARMON'S DEATH- EVERYBODY!

"And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;" (Hebrews 11:36-37)

On Tuesday evening, August 20, 2013, in a parking lot off Clinton Street in Brockton, Massachusetts, the Rev. Lee Harmon, age 74, an Associate Pastor at the Church of God in Christ in Boston's Roxbury section, was beaten to death with a hammer!

Please read that last sentence again!

Can you imagine what the reaction would be if an elderly white minister of Anglo-Saxon heritage was riding his bicycle in affluent, suburban Wellesley, Massachusetts and was accosted by a young man who beat him to death with a hammer?! I would expect "wall to wall" media coverage- certainly so in the Boston area, and likely by the national news media. It's likely all we'd hear about for at least several days. President Obama might at least mention it in a speech. I would certainly expect Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to talk about it. People would be shocked and outraged.

I must confess that I haven't always "bought" the argument that crimes which happen in the affluent suburbs get all the attention while crimes that happen in poor and lower middle class "minority" neighborhoods are marginalized, usually bringing a "ho hum" attitude. I now definitely "buy" that argument! It may be because I'm an Ordained Assemblies of God (Pentecostal) minister, too, and because I'm getting older that this story really touched my heart. The Church of God in Christ is a predominantly African-American Pentecostal denomination, and this dear man was one of its ministers. He was out riding his bicycle when the attack happened. Family friends said he often collected cans and used the money he got for turning the cans in to help the homeless. Pastor Harmon's wife, briefly interviewed on a Boston area news program, said her husband did not get into confrontations with people. "All he did is talk about Jesus and say 'we must be born again'," she stated.

What a tragedy! What a travesty! I have been very moved by this story. I'm not currently serving in a pastoral position at any church, but I did serve in pastoral positions for almost thirty years- and I hope to do so again at some point in the future. When I took the pastorate at First Assembly of God of Framingham in 1987, the Rev. Hugh Corey who was my District Superintendent (like a Bishop in most denominations) told me, "You're not going there to pastor a church, you're going there to pastor a city!" Yes, I may not hold a formal church pastor position right now, but I want to speak to my fellow Believers in New England, and even to the non-believers of New England. This murder should not be trivialized! The Rev. Lee Harmon must not be forgotten- his death must not be in vain. The person or persons who committed this horrific act must be brought to justice. Nevertheless, if that person or persons truly repents, God will forgive them; though they must pay a debt to society by being incarcerated. Pastor Harmon was a humble man with a heart for the homeless. He did not pastor a megachurch. He was not famous. He was known and loved by God, however! He is in Heaven now. WHO will pick up his mantle? WHO will roll up his or her sleeves and fight the good fight as he did? WHO will be there to support and encourage his family? WHO will make sure that Pastor Lee Harmon is not forgotten?

What will YOU do in response to my questions TODAY?