Area sermons focus on inauguration

Luke Torian, pastor of First Mount Zion Baptist Church in Dumfries, says he remembers a time when, as a child, he had to sit in the balcony of segregated movie theaters.

Because of that, he said, the upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama is important to him.

Addressing the children and young adults in his church Sunday morning, Torian said that they may not understand the significance of America electing its first black president, but, he said, the adults in the church do understand.

“I’m going to tell you that this weekend is very special to me,” Torian said in his sermon Sunday at the church on Dumfries Road. “Because I know that there are those among us who have seen a lot of things, who have come from a mighty long way, who never thought they would see what we are seeing now and experience what we are about to experience.”

During Sunday’s service at First Mount Zion, images of Martin Luther King Jr. were projected on large screens, beside images of Obama.

People raised their hands in praise as images of both men flashed on the screens and a recording of King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech played.

For many who lived through segregation and experienced racial discrimination in their lives, Obama’s election and inauguration is the realization of that dream, and the answer to their prayers, Torian said Sunday.

“There are those among us who understand because they have prayed for a long time,” he said. “Sometimes you pray for a long time and you think that God is not hearing. But oh, God is hearing. And whether we know it or not, God will answer. It may not come when we want it to come ... but he will answer.”

The inauguration was the topic at sermons across the area, and across the country, Sunday.

The American Folklife Center in the Library of Congress is collecting audio and video recordings of sermons from this weekend to serve as an oral history of the occasion.

Officials from the American Folklife Center said they expect that sermons at churches, synagogues, mosques and other places of worship throughout the country will focus on Barack Obama and the inauguration this weekend and next.

At First Mount Zion Sunday, members of the congregation joined hands and prayed for the Obama family and administration.

“Let us pray also because something new has been done in our midst,” Torian said.

In Woodbridge, at the Harvest Life Changers Church on Telegraph Road, worshippers also prayed for Obama.

Pastor Deborah Dukes led the church in a prayer for the Obama family.

Bishop-elect Lyle Dukes offered a prayer for the Obama administration and Congress.

“This is a terrific moment because it’s a dream realized,” Bishop-elect Lyle Dukes said.

In his sermon, Dukes spoke of Martin Luther King Jr. and his dreams for the country.

“Tomorrow is the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. and if you could remember many of his speeches, he spoke of things such as this coming to pass,” Dukes said. “This is our inauguration Sunday we want to celebrate not only the dream, but the dream that has come to pass.”

At First Mount Zion, Torian expressed similar sentiments.

“I know, for me, how important what we are seeing now is,” he said. “There are prayers that have been answered. There is a hope that has been restored.”

Staff writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-878-8014.