The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

Sunday, February 22, 2026 —

First Sunday in Lent Scripture of the Day •

Reference: Romans 5:12–19; Matthew 4:1–11 • Read Here: Romans 5:12–19 (NRSVue) • Matthew 4:1–11 (NRSVue) The Text Below come form a translation from Hooker, Amiri B. Sanctified Bars & Freedom Songs: 29-Day Prophetic Devotional for Black History Month 2026 (p. 76). (Function). Kindle Edition.

🎤 Hip-Hop Flow — Romans 5:12–19

Sin slid in when Adam fell down,

Death hit the block, spread all around.

One man’s slip, whole crew got stained,

Now everybody caught in the death chain.

Law showed up, but sin was there first,

From Adam to Moses, curse on curse.

But Adam was a shadow, Christ the real deal,

Grace overflowing, life that heals.

One man’s failure brought judgment tight,

But one Man’s gift made many right.

Through Jesus’ obedience, grace multiplies,

Sin dethroned, righteousness rise.

So just like one move got us trapped in wrong,

One righteous act makes the fam strong.

Death came heavy, but Christ brings life,

God’s free gift cuts sharper than a knife.

🎤 Hip-Hop Flow — Matthew 4:1–11

Spirit led Jesus to the desert zone,

Fasting forty days, hungry to the bone.

Devil pulled up: “Turn rocks to bread,

If You the Son of God, keep Yourself fed.”

Jesus clapped back: “Man don’t live by food,

But every word of God, that’s the real fuel.”

Enemy shifted, temple in sight,

“Jump off the edge, angels got you, right?

Scripture says they’ll catch you, no fall, no shame.”

Jesus shot back: “Don’t test God’s name.”

Next move, high mountain, kingdoms on blast,

“All this I’ll give You, just bow real fast.”

Jesus said, “Nah, Satan, bounce from My face,

Only worship the Lord, only Him you embrace.”

Devil dipped quick, angels drew near,

Served the Son of God, no doubt, no fear.

Theological Quote of the Day

Quote: “I don’t know what the future may hold, but I know who holds the future.”

Attribution: Rev. Dr. Ralph D. Abernathy: Bio Note: SCLC co-founder, pastor, and civil-rights general who carried the movement’s torch after Dr. King’s assassination.

There is a song by Walter Hawkins that goes

A change, A change has come over me

He changed my life and now I’m free

He washed away all my sins and he made me whole

He washed me white as snow

He changed my life complete and now I sit, I sit at his feet

To do what must be done I’ll work and work until he comes

A wonderful change has come over me

A wonderful change has come over me

Yes he changed (changed)

My life complete (changed)

And now I sit (changed)

I sit at my savior’s feet (I’m so glad he changed me)

To do (changed)

What must be done (changed)

I’m gonna work and work

Until my savior comes (I’m so glad he changed me)

I’m not what I want to be

Oh I’m not what I use to be

I’m not the same way thank God

Thank God (I’m so glad he changed me)

He changed my walk, (CHANGE)

He changed my talk, (CHANGED)

He changed my life he even changed (CHANGED)

Changed my soul, I’ve come along way, in Jesus, I’ve come along way, in Christ, I’ve come along way, Thank God Thank God

In Lent’s wilderness, Jesus refuses spectacle and shortcuts; real revolution is obedience. Paul contrasts Adam’s fall with Christ’s gift—grace that dethrones death.

Rev. Dr. Ralph D. Abernathy steadies the future in God’s hands, Walter Hawkins sings transformation, and Scott-Heron warns against passive consumption. The kingdom breaks in off-camera—through fasting, fidelity, and freedom work.

Big Idea: God’s revolution isn’t spectacle—it’s Jesus’ obedient love that overturns Adam’s fall and forms our quiet, faithful resistance.

Opening Intro

Church, today we gather in the memory of a people who learned how to survive what was meant to destroy them…

a people who learned how to sing when the night was long…

a people who learned how to organize when hope was scarce…

a people who learned that God often moves off-camera before God ever moves on the stage.

Black history is not merely what was televised.

Black history is what was whispered in kitchens, organized in basements, prayed over in sanctuaries, and carried in weary bodies walking dusty roads toward justice.

And if we tell the truth today, we must tell the whole truth:

While Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood as the visible face of the Poor People’s Campaign — a moral movement that cost him his life — it was Coretta Scott King and Marian Wright Edelman who helped carry the work forward when the cameras left…

when the nation turned away…

when poverty still stalked the doorsteps of Black and poor communities. I really wish I had the time to tell how much of our LaFem history has been overlooked and hidden.