Introduction to “The New Snake” This sermon was born out of a burden. I could not stay silent while serpents slither freely through our nation, poisoning our faith, our politics, and our common life. Violence stalks us—mass shootings, assassinations, wars abroad and wars at home. But beneath the bullets and the blood lies a deeper venom: the rise of White Christian nationalism, the glorification of guns, and the corrosion of truth. I preach this message as part of the Black church’s long tradition of prophetic witness. Our ancestors taught us that silence in the face of lies is complicity, and that the pulpit is not for comfort only but for courage. This sermon is an attempt to name the poison clearly, so God’s people will not mistake the serpent for a savior. But “The New Snake” is not just a warning—it is also a word of healing. Like Israel in the wilderness, we do not deny the snakes, nor do we pretend their bite is harmless. Yet God has given us a way to live: by lifting our eyes to Christ, the One lifted up for our salvation. In a season of venom, the only vaccine is love. I offer this sermon because I believe the world needs to hear it. Our communities cannot survive on hatred disguised as holiness or nationalism masquerading as gospel. We need a faith that heals rather than harms, a church that resists poison and spreads love. My prayer is that these words help us become God’s factory of peace, justice, and new life in the wilderness of our times. Here is some of the text: Sermon Title: “The New Snake” Text: Numbers 21:4–9 Introduction: Church,every day we are besieged with acts of violence across the globe. From Gaza toGoma, from Orem to Evergreen, we watch families, communities, and nationsbuckle under the unbearable weight of grief. Violence leaves behind an emptychair at the table, a silenced voice in the choir, and a wound in the body ofhumanity that will not heal easily. This past week, the assassination of Charlie Kirkshocked the nation. And whether we agreed with him or not, we must be clear: the taking of a life is never justified. Violence dehumanizes both victim andperpetrator. It eats away at our souls and corrodes the very fabric of our common life. As Bishop Fairley has reminded us, “We must and we canbe better than this.” Yet even as we face death, we must not close our eyesto the deeper sickness beneath the violence — the poisonous rhetoric of WhiteChristian nationalism, the normalization of gun culture, and the toxic divisions that are making serpents rise among us. Like Israel in the wilderness, our discouragement hasbred snakes. And the question before us is: will we keep feeding the snakes, or will we lift our eyes to the One who heals? This is where we turn to Numbers 21:4–9. The peoplecomplained. The snakes bit. And God provided a strange but powerful remedy: a bronze serpent lifted up, so that all who looked upon it would live. Today, God is calling us again — not to deny thesnakes, not to pretend the venom isn’t real — but to lift our eyes to Christ, to resist the poison of nationalism and hate, and to take the only vaccine thatheals: the vaccine of love. “Snakes still bite, but God still heals.” Three pointsand I’m out of your way I. The Snakes We Invite The children of Israel were on their way from slaveryto freedom, but in the in-between — the wilderness — they grew discouraged. Thetext says they spoke against God and against Moses. They let their complaintsovertake their calling. And in their discouragement, serpents appeared.
