Remembering the Emanuel Nine

The following litany was written by ELCA Worship staff for the commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the deaths of the "Emanuel Nine" murdered by a self-professed white supremacist during Bible study at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17, 2015.

Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash

The Witness of the Emanuel Nine: A Litany of Remembrance for Their Vocations

The “Emanuel Nine,” of blessed and eternal memory, were nine gifted, loving, and faithful people who spent their lives striving for excellence, connection, and the presence of God, and spent their last moments in study of the word. They leave a legacy of grace, resistance, family, and faith.

Gracious God, in remembering their lives and witness, we are called to a wider understanding of the Spirit’s work in the world.

They were preachers: Open us to receive the good news of Jesus Christ.

They were students: Kindle in us a desire to learn and grow in your ways.

They were teachers: Instill in us a passion to share the wisdom of Christ.

They were coaches: Accompany us as we strive to run the race set before us.

They were mentors: Inspire us through the wise counsel offered by others.

They were leaders: Embolden us to seek out the best in others.

They were musicians: Attune us to the sounds of your creation.

They were poets: Reveal your truth in language we have yet to discover.

They were barbers: Shape us as attentive caregivers to those around us.

They were custodians: Protect those whose work ensures our safety.

They were bus drivers: Carry us as companions in life’s unexpected journeys.

They were veterans: Remember those who risk harm for the sake of others.

They were librarians: Write on our hearts and minds the wisdom of the generations.

They were advocates: Call us to speak and act on behalf of those who are silenced.

They were public servants: Show us how to love our neighbors as ourselves.

They were legislators: Inscribe your laws of love and justice on our hearts.

In lives of faithful dedication, your servants Clementa, Cynthia, Daniel, DePayne, Ethel, Myra, Sharonda, Susie, and Tywanza lived by your promises, sharing their gifts with those in their families and communities. May we not forget their lives, taken too soon. In the years to come, let us share their names and their witness, so that the world comes to know of your spirit at work in and through them. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Copyright © 2020 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

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Of all the resources provided by the ELCA and other church bodies for this commemoration, I found this litany especially powerful for two reasons.

First, it is easy to feel disconnected from tragedies such as this one. We read a list of unfamiliar names and perhaps add them to a mental tally of another mass shooting, the occurrence of which has become horrifyingly frequent in our country. With little common ground to anchor this in our hearts and minds, we quickly move on to the next, more immediate thing. There is simply too much tragedy - a constant stream on 24 hour news networks and social media - and our capacity to hold it is so small.

This, though - we know teachers. We know musicians, and coaches, and veterans. To learn their vocations is to find an anchor, a link, a commonality that reminds us that this is not just another list of names, but beloved, God-breathed people, rooted in their community just like our own beloved teachers, musicians, coaches, and veterans. Perhaps it becomes a bit easier to imagine, and feel empathy for, the gaping holes left in families, congregation, community five years ago. 

Just as we are connected through shared vocations, how much more are we connected through baptism, each of us claimed as a beloved child of God in those waters. It is baptism which unites us with God and with one another. It is these waters which cleanse and forgive us as we die every day to sin, including the sins of racism and white supremacy, and rise to new life with Christ. 

Second, I am inspired by the hopeful vision these words cast. In this litany, we ask God to move us through grief and remembrance into newness of life, thanksgiving, and action. In finding these points of connection, we are reminded again of the gifts of the teachers, musicians, coaches, veterans, and more who are in our midst. 

As we remember Clementa, Cynthia, Daniel, DePayne, Ethel, Myra, Sharonda, Susie, and Tywanza, these preachers, students, teachers, coaches, mentors, leaders, musicians, poets, barbers, custodians, bus drivers, veterans, librarians, advocates, public servants, and legislators, we give thanks for their witness, and pray that we might live out our own vocations to the glory of God and in service of our neighbors.

Bonus resources: 

• The documentary Emanuel is currently available to watch for free on Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Starz. 
• These conversations, hosted by Rev. Lamont Wells, National President of the African Descent Lutheran Association (ADLA).
• Friday, June 19 is Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day! It commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union general Gordon Granger read federal orders in Galveston, Texas, that all previously enslaved people in Texas were free (two and a half years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation). This holiday is often unknown in predominantly white spaces; I didn't learn about until seminary, when Daniel was taking a course in Black Preaching at Wesley Seminary.