Transcription
**Grace and Dignity**
We're gonna try this afternoon to accomplish a mission, and that's to get this family to the repass on time so they can get some rest and fellowship with each other.
Those of you who are on programming, I ask that you be sensitive to that this afternoon and do what you've been called to do so we can honor this family and let them get some rest.
At this time, we're gonna have our invocation by Pastor Johnson, and immediately following Pastor Johnson, we have a selection by Andrew Brown Jr. Memorial Ensemble, led none other than by Abel Sutton, who happens to be my brother-in-law.
Come on, Reverend Johnson!
**Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!**
The Lord's still good! Come on, let's give the Lord a praise! God is still good! Amen! Hallelujah!
Come on, Reverend!
**[Music]**
Father, in Jesus' name, God, we ask you now to come by and see about us right now, God, in the name of Jesus. God, touch us on today. Look on this family on today, oh God.
Oh yeah, in the name of Jesus, God, we need you now. God, come in and comfort our spirit. Shift the weight of your glory, oh God. Shift the weight of your glory. Shift the weight of your glory down.
Come in the room now, God! Wow! Somebody needs a touch! Somebody needs a thought! Oh God, somebody needs to lift thee! Oh God, be the lifter of our hand! Oh God, in the name of Jesus, we're calling upon you now!
**[Music]**
**[Applause]**
Yes!
**[Music]**
Thank you, Jesus!
**[Music]**
Come on!
**[Applause]**
My strength! Jesus, you're the only one that can see me through! For you're a great God today!
**[Music]**
You put me back together!
**[Applause]**
I can still give you praise!
**[Music]**
Yes!
**[Applause]**
Make some crazy noise in this place! Good morning! Amen!
We are about to put this train in express! Come on, Reverend George Moden and Dr. Ricky Banks, they will come with the Old and New Testament. Immediately following them, we have the prayer of comfort by Bishop Arthur Clark, and then we will hear immediately following from Benjamin Crump, who will bring the family remarks.
Today, I have chosen to do the 23rd Psalm. A lot of psalms ran through my mind, but this one seemed to stick close to my heart.
The 23rd Psalm reads thusly:
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside still waters. He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me. Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
23rd Psalm for the people of God.
**[Music]**
The lesson from the sacred text has revealed to us from the first epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians, that is, First Thessalonians, chapter 4, beginning at verse 13.
**[Music]**
You'll find these words:
"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
This is the written word, and now it shall become the living word.
**[Music]**
Junior to Reverend Al Sharpton, Bishop Barber, Reverend Aubrey Holmes, Reverend Tune, and all of this other assembled clergy, saints, and friends, I'm Attorney Ben Crump, and I will have my great co-counsels who are united with me in representing the family of Andrew Brown Jr. here in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, come and join me as we make the plea for justice.
I will call a great attorney from Atlanta, Georgia, who is both passionate and engaging, Attorney Harry Daniels. I will also call the equally talented, intelligent, and brilliant attorney who hails from South Carolina, the statesman, Attorney Bakari Sellers, to join me.
We are united, and it's always better that Khalil and Gerard and the family stay united because we are stronger united than divided. Amen!
You know, it was literally hours after the landmark historic verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial regarding the unjustified killing of George Floyd and his family members, his sister and brother here, and they will be more formally introduced to you by my mentor, Reverend Al.
But it was literally hours after that verdict was announced that we could barely celebrate. I mean, within two days before, Maya and Arthur and Kirsten started calling me and saying that they killed this brother in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
I mean, within hours, we thought that George Floyd represented that we were going to stop these unnecessary and unjustifiable killings of Black men. But we got the call here that hearkened us to Elizabeth City.
And so, Andrew Brown's family, we are here to make this plea for justice because Andrew was killed unjustifiably, as many Black men in America have been killed—shot in the back, shot going