Closing Blessing – Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Scotland AME Zion Church, Montgomery County

When King Hezekiah fell gravely ill, the prophet Isaiah came to him and said, “Put your house in order, for you are going to die; you will not recover.” Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed: “Remember me, Lord—my faithfulness, my devotion, and what I have accomplished for your sake.” He wept bitterly. Before Isaiah even left the courtyard, God spoke to Isaiah: “Go back and tell Hezekiah—I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.”

After the flood in July 2019, this church, Scotland AME Zion, stood at the edge of its ill-fated end. Like Hezekiah, the prediction was grim. Many, like Isaiah, might have said, “You will not recover.”

But like Hezekiah, you cried out—not in resignation but prayer and purpose. You turned outward. You raised a sign and called on your neighbors: “Remember us. Remember our faithfulness, our devotion, and what we have built for God’s sake.” That sign did not speak of despair; it spoke of hope.

Some of us—neighbors, friends, members of other faiths—heard your call. We responded and joined with the Scotland community because we believed not merely that this church could be saved, but that it must be saved.

The Jewish tradition teaches: “Even if a sharp sword rests upon your neck, do not cease to pray.” In other words: we do not reconcile ourselves to a bad fate. We act. We believe. We persist. Those outside of Scotland followed your lead.

Rebuilding this church that we dedicate today proves that the future is not sealed. We are not predestined to fail. Nor are we guaranteed success. But we are blessed with the ability to shape the future through our choices, our willpower, our faith, and our solidarity.

Just as the founders of this church—children of slavery and survivors of hardship—claimed this land and built a house of worship, so too have their descendants claimed their future and rebuilt it again. You defied the odds, you answered the flood not with surrender, but with resurrection.

Rebuilding this church required more than hope.

Rebuilding required responsibility—the willingness to act and not wait. As if God were saying to all of us, “What are you waiting for? Step into the water and find dry land!”

Rebuilding required vision— the belief that what was once flooded and broken would be made whole, and even better.

Rebuilding required community— the understanding that isolation too often brings failure, but success is found when we work together. Hand reached out to hand, and stranger became friend.

And finally, it required faith in one another—faith that our neighbors, regardless of background, would rise to the moment. That we are all created in the image of God. That we are all deserving of grace.

So today, to the leaders of Montgomery County, to the generous donors who supported this Church, to my friends and neighbors gathered here, and most especially to the members of the Scotland community— I offer this blessing. If you cry out in need, may your calls indeed be answered. If the waters flood, may dry land soon reemerge. In the darkest of nights, may you be assured that what follows is the brightest of days. And may you bless others with your strength, your skills, your hopefulness, and your power to build this world from love. Amen.