Remembering a Moses at Mt. Nebo

Below is an excerpt from my Holy Land travelogue. Though Second Page articles are usually not publications of thoughts I have shared in sermons, I thought many former Second Ber’s across the country who knew Everette Abernathie would appreciate reading it. Everette was truly a giant in our church. He is already missed dearly.

We got word last night that Everette Abernathie had passed away. Everette was the first person to sign the charter on our church and the man behind the Sick Children's Clinic for all these years. A true pillar.

I once listened to the tape of the memorial service Second B had for Bob Hearn, our first pastor. Charlie Johnson read from a letter Bob had written to Charlie upon his arrival as Second B's third pastor in 1990. "Trust the spirit of Anita and trust the Spirit of Everette," Bob told Charlie. Now both Anita and Everette are gone.

I hate it that I am missing Everette's funeral tomorrow. But if there were any other place around the world I might wish to be it would be right where we were today at Mt. Nebo. The Moses on Mt. Nebo story is the story of the great leader whose time has come. He goes up Mt. Nebo, sees all of the Promised Land, but cannot go over Jordan with the rest of the Israelites. Instead, he goes to be with the LORD.

On Mt. Nebo today the Catholic priest indulged our group by giving us a few minutes in the chapel "for a Mass." We began with Becky Corley reading a call to worship from the Book of Common Prayer's preface for All Saints Day based on Hebrews 11: "Who, in the multitude of thy saints, hast compassed us about with so great cloud of witnesses. . . ."

I then told the group about going to see Everette in his room at Crown Point Rehabilitation for what would be the last time. He was asleep in his room and so I sat down at his bedside and held his hand and began to sing all the hymns I could remember. I sang Amazing Grace, and Sweet, Sweet Spirit. Everette was only semi-conscious. I didn't know if he could hear me. But when I sang the old Negro Spiritual Swing Lo, Sweet Chariot, Everette's mouth opened and his tongue began to move with the rhythms of the song:

I looked over Jordan,
And what did I see,
comin' for to carry me home?
‘Twas a band of angels comin’ after me,
Comin’ for to carry me home.
Swing Lo, Sweet Chariot, comin’ for to carry me home.
Swing Lo, Sweet Chariot, comin’ for to carry me home.

There in that little chapel, we sang that spiritual and then I read from Deuteronomy 34:8: "The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, then the period of mourning for Moses was ended." And then I added the first word of verse 9, "Joshua." I talked about how this last chapter of the book of Deuteronomy is a hinge. It serves not only as the final chapter of the whole Exodus story, it also serves as a segue into the first chapter of next book and next generation: the Joshua generation. Deuteronomy describes how before Moses went up Mt. Nebo, he first sang a song. Then he gathered all the Israelite tribes before him and he blessed them — he blessed the next generation.

At the conclusion of the service I invited everyone to come forward and receive an anointing with oil upon their forehead. "Moses gave his blessing to the Joshua generation," I said. "Now Everette gives his blessing to us. The chariot has swung lo; we wear the mantle now."

After the service we went out to the western edge of Mt. Nebo, just above Mt. Pisgah. The day was hazy and so we could not see all that Moses saw. In fact, we could see very little really. Yet, we could see enough; the rest we took on faith. In other words, we trusted the Spirit.

And now we move forward. We are the Joshua generation, moving from the wilderness over Jordan into the Promised Land. And we are blessed to carry Everette's song with us:

If you get there, before I do, Comin’ for to carry me home
Tell all God's children, I'm comin’ too
Comin’ for to carry me home.