Nipsey Hu$$le, The Weeknd, and a Bishop...
Nipsey Hu$$le, The Weeknd, and a bishop sounds like the beginning of a fancy-tickling joke. But, it's not. These are three men that I will find some way to weave together (as I am apt to do), in the face of their likely mostly compartmentalized fan bases. I have diverse interests and have always traversed cliques that would never talk without me as the middleman. In some shape, way or form, but not as a 100% endorsement, I have appreciated all three of these men.
The Bishop
The Bishop I am talking about is the Blessed Bishop Barnabas (ብፁዕ አቡነ በርናባስ) of the Virgin Mary's EOTC in Los Angeles, CA. Years ago, before he was ordained a bishop, whilst he was a hieromonk, he shocked the world by transfiguring a group of outsiders into a group of insiders – even if it was only for the twinkling of an eye.
He gathered men and women who were popular for singing about the works of the flesh (read Galatians 5:19-21), and were hypocritically shamed (in public) and glorified (in private) by their fellow Ethiopian Orthodox Christian brethren and sistren, and gave them the opportunity to have fellowship with the choirs and choirmasters of heaven and earth in praising God Almighty. When their oppressors wouldn't permit them church attendance without the imminent fear of judgment, Bishop Barnabas invited them to publicly sing hymns (mezmur) and spiritual songs and thus fulfill the good word that says
Let every breath praise the Lord (Psalm 150:6).*
This is the Lord's Work. Our Lord Jesus flipped Roman imperial ideology (a death cult if ever there was one) on its head. He did the same to the sycophantic Herodians and money-loving Saduccees – the other two heads of Cerberus. He did this by transfiguring a tool of death spreading and fear-of-death spreading into an instrument of life spreading and love-of-life spreading – by the grace of God and unto the glory of God. I speak, of course, of his pride-emptying and loving submission unto crucifixion.
Copts (Egyptians) worship the Most High God with these words
Pharaoh and his chariots, were drowned, and the children of Israel, crossed the sea.**
If that wasn't beautiful enough, they do so with Pharaonic chants! Do you see God's glory at work? Do you notice how he reclaims the nations? Do you know how hard it is for humankind to take their eyes off of earthly kings? Read 1 Samuel 8. Copts, having renounced their former king, acknowledge that God is the only king we have ever needed and will ever need.
Emulating the instruction of our Lord Jesus and the practical application of this instruction (which is a precious family heirloom to The Church) by the Copts, Bishop Barnabas transfigured earthly singers into heavenly singers.
So, let's see some good that fleshly singers can do, and imagine more for them!
The Weeknd
The Weeknd, aka አቤል መኮንን, is a singer of astronomical fame and a surprising philanthropist (lover of humankind). His songs need no introduction. They are a mere DuckDuckGo hop and skip away. If you haven't heard, he has given $50,000 to his mother's EOTC parish, and $50,000 to an Ethiopian Studies program (including Ge'ez) at the University of Toronto.*** If you have a negative thing to say about where the money came from, I would ask you, "where would you rather have this $100k spent?"
Whatever your view on the money, I ask that you pray that the Holy Spirit opens a door for The Weeknd to publicly sing a hymn and/or spiritual song by the grace of God and unto the glory of God.
Nipsey Hu$$le
Nipsey Hu$$le, aka ኤርምያስ አሥገዶም, is an emcee and an entrepreneur dedicated to aiding and abetting the denizens of Slauson & Crenshaw. In a documentary that focuses more on his entrepreneurship, Nipsey Hussle's Journey Of Opening A Store In The Middle Of His Hood In Crenshaw, we learn that he is employing multiple ex-felons. Like Father Greg Boyle (Roman Catholic owner of Homeboy Industries) Nipsey is unashamed to teach us the practical lesson that "nothing stops a bullet like a job."
I have an educated guess that legions of employers who are nominally Christian haven't done a tenth of this godly service for even
one of the least of these my brethren (Matthew 25:40 KJV).
In the documentary, Nipsey and his colleagues constantly thank God. I ask that you pray that the Holy Spirit opens a door for Nipsey to publicly sing a hymn and/or pen some spiritual bars by the grace of God and unto the glory of God.
tewahidobiblestudy.com
Post Scriptum:
*Donald Sheehan. The Psalms of David: translated from the Septuagint Greek.
**Sunday Midnight Praises
***The Weeknd's mother has the Spirit of Lois and Eunice (read 2 Timothy 1:5).
-Nipsey's father is Eritrean. It is safe to assume he has Orthodox Christian roots. You can find him and his other son Blacc Sam (ሳሙኤል አሥገዶም) in the documentary.
-Nipsey Hu$$le & Iddris Sandu on entrepreneurship during a cruise