Breakthrough: A Eulogy for Glenn Hand-Truitt

Eulogy for Glenn Hand-Truitt

Preached at Covenant United Church of Christ   November 16, 2013

Title:  Breakthrough

Texts: Revelation 21:1-4 and Micah 6:8

Glenn Hand-Truitt was an awesome nonviolent spiritual warrior who struggled against the abuses of the violent spirituality of a fear based patriarchal, oppressive, hate filled religion he referred to as the old red rooster, better known as Jim Crow; and that ain’t no Thanksgiving turkey!

In his struggle, the Creation Spirituality of the wisdom tradition of the prophets and Jesus, as interpreted by Teilhard De Chardin and Matthew Fox gave him his breakthrough.  This tradition of Creation Spirituality holds that there are two books of God, creation and revelation, science and religion.

This tradition holds that all creation began in the goodness of God, with the original blessing of God and that God is in all things, and that all things are in God;  and that the “omega point” of all creation is in the New Heaven and New Earth, with the complete fulfillment of all the loving purposes of God.

Glenn was very clear when J. R., Kevin and I met with him to plan his funeral service, that he wanted us to declare this breakthrough so that all of us would know the love and hope of God who is in all things, the God who is everywhere present; so that today and everyday we would be strengthened to do justice, love compassion and walk humbly with God.  Glenn wanted J.R., Kevin and I to do this, to share his breakthrough, with the two biblical texts we have already shared and with the folk song, “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain As She Comes”, the Lord’s Prayer with the Creation Spirituality definition of Heaven and with the affirmation that it is not God that leads us into temptation, but that it is God who leads us away from temptation.

Glenn was a very dear spiritual friend and teacher for me.  We would share lunch together frequently.  I will miss those table talks very much.  I had rather be doing that than doing his funeral today!  At one of those lunches, Glenn asked me about the sources of my spiritual nurture; if I had any spiritual friends?  “O yes,” I said. I started naming them, John Wesley, Martin Luther King, Jr., Howard Thurman, William Stringfellow.  I made the comment that they are all dead. I spend my time with them through their writings and my spiritual imagination.

Glenn looked at me and said, “Lawton, I think you ought to have at least one spiritual friend that is alive!”  He said, “I think it would be a good thing for you to get to know Matthew Fox as a spiritual friend.”  Matthew Fox is a prolific writer and a great theologian.  Now I have read all of Matthew Fox’s writings.

Glenn worked very hard with a group of people to bring Matthew Fox to Church of the Reconciler and Birmingham Southern College.  Matthew Fox got the opportunity to meet Fred Shuttlesworth and to be blessed by him.    Glenn and I went to Los Angeles and studied under Matthew Fox and participated in the production of a Cosmic Mass. Glenn and I produced a Cosmic Communion for Birmingham at Church of the Reconciler.

When I began reading Matthew Fox with Glenn’s guidance, I did not know original blessing as a starting point for theology or the terms via positiva, via negativa, via creativa, via transformativa.  Glenn led us in a study of Matthew Fox’s book Original Blessing at our Wednesday night program at Church of the Reconciler.  I had never heard of the term cosmology, the study of the universe. The only thing I could connect to the term at the time was cosmetology, the study of fixing hair.  I had never heard of panentheism, the creation spiritualty’s way of speaking that all things are in God and God is in all things, that God is not an old white man in the sky.  The only thing I could connect with the term when I first heard it was the heresy, pantheism, that all things are God.  Thank you Glenn for this gift!  For now creation spirituality is a deep part of my spirituality, of my thinking and talking about God. And I hope it is a part of your spirituality as well.

In closing I want to share what Glenn wanted us to know about his breakthrough with the folk song, as revised by him, “She’ll be Coming ‘Round the Mountain as She Comes”, and how he wanted us to pray the Lord’s Prayer.

She’ll be coming ‘round the mountain as she comes.

She’ll be driving 6 white horses as she comes.

We’ll all go out to meet her as she comes.

We’ll calm the old red rooster as she comes.

We’ll have plenty good eating as she comes.

We’ll all sing hallelujah as she comes.

1)   She’ll be coming ‘round the mountain as she comes.

She – divine wisdom is feminine in the Hebrew and Greek scriptures; God is Mother and Father, male and female.

‘Round the mountain- there are no mountains of fear, guilt, shame, hatred, or pain that can block the wisdom and love of God from coming into our lives.

As she comes, not when she comes- the wisdom and love of God are always and every present and eternally coming and breaking through into our lives.

2)   She’ll be driving 6 white horses, or 6 black horses, or 6 red horses, or any combination of the above as she comes.

There is no deficiency in the power of wisdom and love to fulfill the purpose of God.  The “omega point” of God will come!

3)   We’ll all go out to meet her as she comes.

All are included, every human creature and all creation will meet the wisdom and love of God and be fulfilled in her power as she comes.

4)   We’ll calm the old red rooster as she comes.

The means of the wisdom and love of God are to overcome evil with good, nonviolent spiritual work; to transform, not kill and destroy.

5)   We’ll all have plenty good eating as she comes.

At the banquet table of God we all are fed until we are satisfied. The abundance of the universe and its purpose is unlimited.

6)   We’ll all sing hallelujah as she comes.

Our goodness and worthfulness is an original blessing rooted in the creative goodness of God.  Everybody is somebody; there are no second-class human beings.

Can I get a hallelujah?

The creative intention of God for our life and all creation will be fulfilled by the power of the creative wisdom and love of God.  Hope unlimited!

Can I get a hallelujah?

The One who created us through free grace will by the same free grace present us faultless before the throne of God.  Jesus stood up for us!  Jesus was raised from the dead for us.  We will be raised from death by him!

Can I get a Hallelujah?

And when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, Our Mother/Father in Heaven.  What do we mean by Heaven?  One of the greatest breakthroughs of human spirituality is that we do not live in a split-level universe because heaven is in all things and all things are in heaven.  So Glenn wants us to pray the Lords Prayer this way today; our Father/Mother who is everywhere present.  And this God of love chose not to lead us into temptation, but does lead us away from temptation!

Glenn, I hope I have been faithful to the breakthrough you received from this divine wisdom and love of God.

May all of us today be filled with grace, hope and peace as we shout hallelujah, as she comes! As divine wisdom and love fills our lives!

R. Lawton Higgs, Sr.  12/26/13