Sermons
Hosier
“Hosier” based on Jeremiah 17:5-10 and Luke 6:17-26
It is Black History Month, a wonderful month when all of us have opportunity and encouragement to learn about African Americans in this country – their experiences, their contributions, their lives! I appreciate the reminder that African American history is American history, despite the emphasis in any particular history book any of us may have read in schools.
Here at First UMC Schenectady, we’ve now in our second week of singing songs written and/or composed by African American authors and composers, and what a gift that is to this moment in history!
In the gospel today we hear Luke’s sermon the plain, the Lukan version of Matthew’s sermon on the mount. Matthew’s version is better known because it is more palatable. Which, contrarian as I can be, means I like Luke’s version better. Luke’s is more concrete. Matthew says “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Luke says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” Matthew says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Luke makes it concrete again, “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.” And while Matthew promises comfort to those who mourn, Luke promises laughter to those who weep.
And, of course, Luke includes “woes” that Matthew does not. Luke makes it clear we are not talking about keeping the status quo with a few more people included in the “haves” group from the “have nots.” Luke says we’re talking about a full reversal of fortunes.
OK, fine, I don’t love that. I get it, but I don’t love it. I don’t want those who are laughing now to weep, I just don’t want them cackling with glee at hurting people. And I don’t want ANYONE hungry. But, regardless of my preferences, here is the text, challenging as anything, pushing us past comfort zones to consider deeply that one should not assume good fortune is God’s will AT ALL.
Which is quite important, because all of us know people who are like Jeremiah’s trees planted by streams of water – people who soak up the goodness of God and have it to share in abundance – who don’t happen to have material wealth or social power.
And I want to tell you about another of those people. I mentioned in the Call to Worship that God likes to surprise us. If you were thinking about what opportunities presented themselves to African Americans born into slavery in North Carolina in 1750… what might you say?
Right, of course: one of the greatest preachers in the world, one of the most significant voices of the First Great Awakening. That’s what I thought you’d say.
from https://www.umc.org/en/content/harry-hosier-americas-first-black-methodist-preacher
Now, we aren’t sure of much about Harry Hoiser’s childhood. People think he was likely born on our about 1750 (his life overlapped with that of John Welsey), most likely in North Carolina, more likely than not into slavery. No one knows. At some point he became a Christian, and although he was not literate he could memorize a hymn on first hearing, and shared scriptures entirely from memory. He was a preacher, and he became Bishop Francis Asbury’s traveling companion.
You may know of Asbury, he along with Thomas Coke was commissioned by John Wesley to lead the Methodist Church in the burgeoning United States. He was the traveling companion of Asbury, meaning Coke said of him, “I really believe he is one of the best preachers in the world, There is such an amazing power attends his preaching, though he cannot read; and he is one of the humblest creatures I ever saw.”
Harry Hoiser was a PREACHER. His sermon, “The Barren Fig Tree,” preached at Adam’s Chapel, Fairfax County, Virginia, in May of 1781, was the first recorded Methodist sermon by a black person in America.1 He was also an organizer, and a man who worked for justice. He was also a known companion of Freeborn Garrison.
You may have heard of Freeborn Garrison, perhaps because he was the one charged with making a Schenectady Circuit and thus with organizing, oh, you know, our church in 1789…under the authority of and sent by Bishop Frances Asbury.
So, what I’m telling you, is that one of the, if not THE most famous Methodist preacher of the Great Awakening was Harry Hoiser, whose best known companions were responsible for forming this church, and that great preacher was an African American man. I will say that our history books do not mention him, so I am unable to say with any certainty if he was directly a part of the formation of this church, but he was so great a part of the Methodist movement, that he impacted this church even if he was never here.
Harry Hoiser, along with Richard Allen (who later broke off and formed the African Methodist Episcopal Church), were the only 2 African Americans at the formational Christmas Conference of 1784.
It was said of him, “His voice was musical, and his tongue as the pen of a ready writer. He was unboundedly popular, and many would rather hear him than the bishops.”2 Those Bishops, I might add, were Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury and the story has it that when he became Asbury’s traveling companion he would exhort the listeners after the sermon to enact what Asbury had preached. At some point he became the principal preacher.
Now, Freeborn Garrettson, “following his conversion, found himself dejected. Then one Sunday as he led family prayers, a thought penetrated his melancholy gloom: “It is not right for you to keep your fellow creatures in bondage.” Whereupon he told his slaves they were free. Later, Hosier, a former slave, and Garrettson, a former owner of slaves, ministered together.” (shivers)
In addition to being the first African American Methodist preacher in the newly formed United States in 1781, only 3 years later he became the first African American Preacher to preach to a white congregation.3 On at least one occasion, Hoiser preached to more than 1,000 people at once!
Booker T. Washington said Harry, “was the first black American Methodist preacher in the United States.. He traveled extensively through the New England and Southern States and shared the pulpits of the white ministers whom he accompanied. But he seems to have excelled them all in popularity as a preacher”.
Francis Asbury and Harry Hoosier baptized so many people that Asbury wrote in his journal that on any given day Asbury and Hoosier would baptize more people than a typical parish minister back in England would baptize during his entire ministry.4
One more interesting piece about Harry Hoiser – there is not scholarly consensus on why Indiana is the Hooiser state, but one of the solid theories is that the State of Indiana was unusually Methodist at the time of its founding, and they were Hooisers in remembrance of Harry Hoiser (sometimes spelled Hoosier.)
So, clearly, God was at work in Harry Hoiser, and despite the limitations attempted to be imposed on him by society and the challenge of being illiterate was widely renowned as a preacher. The United Methodist bookstore is Cokesbury (Get it? Thomas COKE and Francis AsBURY), whose symbol is of John Wesley riding on horseback while reading a book, a trick he was famous for. And yet, John Wesley’s movement in the United States was largely dependent on the preaching skills of someone whose life never afforded him the opportunity to read one.
We don’t have direct lines we can draw from our existence today to Harry Hoiser’s preaching, but it seems safe to say that Hoiser’s influence was so significant that both American Christianity and the Methodist movement would never be what they are without his work for God and God’s justice.
Blessed are you who are born in obscurity, the world will know your name.
Blessed are you who learn from others instead of from books, many will learn from you.
Blessed are you who break barriers, the world will be blessed through you.
Blessed are you who seek justice, you will be part of building it.
And, to be concrete like Luke, I suspect Harry Hoiser was hungry as a child, but the Methodists kept him well fed later in life. He was poor as a child and likely as an adult, but he lived the kindom of God. He was often excluded, but won people over. Whatever weeping happened early in his life, there was laughter in abundance as he connected and reconnected with friends the Methodist movement.
Harry Hoiser is one of many examples of what God has been up to. He reminds us that the limitations we see in life are ones God enjoys blowing away. He reminds us that what we think a person can do isn’t in any way related to what God thinks a person can do. He shows us that humble beginnings don’t need to define a life, at least not a life within God’s people.
Harry Hoiser reminds me of the basic Christian affirmation- the limits humans put on each other don’t limit God. Nothing, nothing, NOTHING can stop God’s work in the world. NOTHING.
Thank goodness. Amen
1https://aaregistry.org/story/black-harry-hosier-orator-of-spirit/
2https://www.umc.org/en/content/harry-hosier-americas-first-black-methodist-preacher
3ibid
4https://harryhoosierproject.org/the-story
Feburary 16, 2025
Rev. Sara E. Baron
First United Methodist Church of Schenectady
603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305
Pronouns: she/her/hers