He Ascended...

Ephesians 4:1-16

Stanley Williams was an early leader of the Crips, a notorious American street gang rooted in South Central Los Angeles, founded in the early 70s. Williams, nicknamed “Tookie”, was implicated and convicted in 1979 of four murders and was imprisoned for the rest of his life. In 2005 Williams was executed for one of the murders that he was convicted for. But the story of Stanley “Tookie” Williams is a far more interesting one than a major crime-lord sitting and rotting in prison for 26 years waiting to be executed by the government of the State of California.

The Crips were formed in 1971 by Stanley Williams and Raymond Washington and began as an alliance between two autonomous gangs. Today the Crips is an association of gangs that has an estimated membership of 30-35,000 members across the United States and abroad, typically consisting of young African American men, but also including smaller demographics within the group of young white, Hispanic, and even Asian men.

As the influence of the Crips increased another network of gangs was formed in resistance to the them; they are known as the Bloods. These gangs have flourished within the penal systems of the United States, within the United States military, and especially in inner-city America where young, poor, African American men who live in isolation from the world, unable to find the resources to ditch poverty. These are the very places that most notorious drug dealers and rap stars come from.

Rap music’s greatest export to the world, Tupac Shakur, grew up in the East Harlem section of Manhattan just one month after his mother, Afeni, was acquitted of all 156 charges against her. The charges were for conspiracy – as court documents affirmed:

“Conspiracy against the United States government and New York landmarks”

Afeni had been a member of the Black Panther Party from the late 1960s to the early 1970s and the Black Panthers were an organization formed to promote the black power movement and developed an international reputation for what Austin Curtis called,

“Provocative rhetoric, militant posture, and cultural and political flourishes [that] permanently altered the contours of American identity.”

Just before the birth of her son Tupac, who was named after Tupac Amaru II “a Peruvian revolutionary who led an indigenous uprising against Spain and was subsequently executed”, Afeni’s charges were tossed – all 156 of them. Now, we would like to think that Afeni walked off into the sunset after that, but Tupac’s stepfather Mutulu, the man whose surname he carried, walked down the same path that Afeni had prior to the birth of her son. Mutulu spent 4 years on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list from 1982-1986, at the beginning of Tupac’s pre-teen years, for being an accomplice in his sister’s attempt to escape incarceration in New Jersey. She had been convicted of killing a state trooper in 1973. Mutulu was finally caught in 1986 after an attempted robbery of a Brinks truck that saw the killings of two police officers and a guard. Sadly, these are not uncommon circumstances that young inner-city kids find themselves in. Just as any other kid, Tupac wanted out of these circumstances.

Tupac Shakur went on to sell an estimated 75 million albums between 1990 and 1996 though he never was able to elude what he called “the thug life” and during his career as a recording artist lived through some spectacular events.

On November 30, 1994 Shakur was shot five times – twice in the head, twice in the groin, and one through the arm – and checked out 3 hours after surgery – of course, against doctor’s wishes. Intertwined in these events was a sexual assault charge that Shakur was found guilty of the day after he released himself from the hospital. In February of 1995 he was then sentenced to one-and-a-half to four-and-a-half years in prison and would ultimately end up serving 11 months. During his prison term Shakur became “the only artist ever to have an album at number one on the Billboard 200 while serving a prison sentence” for his record Me Against the World that featured smash hit “Dear Mama”. The album made its debut on the Billboard 200 and stayed at the top of the charts for five weeks.

Upon his discharge from prison Shakur released another album All Eyez On Me which featured one of his best-known tracks “California Love” with legendary rap producer Dr. Dre.

8 months later in September Shakur was at the Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon boxing match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. After Shakur left the match one of Marion “Suge” Knight’s

Associates spotted Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, a member of the Southside Crips, in the MGM Grand lobby and informed Shakur. Shakur then attacked Anderson. Shakur's entourage, as well as Suge and his followers assisted in assaulting Anderson. The fight was captured on the hotel's video surveillance. A few weeks earlier, Anderson and a group of Crips had robbed a member of Death Row's entourage in a Foot Locker store, precipitating Shakur's attack. After the brawl, Shakur went to rendezvous with Suge to go to Death Row-owned Club 662 He rode in Suge's 1996 black BMW 750iL sedan as part of a larger convoy including many in Shakur's entourage.

At 10:55 p.m., while paused at a red light, Shakur rolled down his window and a photographer took his photograph. At around 11:00-11:05 p.m., they were halted on Las Vegas Blvd. by Metro bicycle cops for playing the car stereo too loud and not having license plates. The plates were then found in the trunk of Suge's car; they were released without being fined a few minutes later. At about 11:10 p.m., while stopped at a red light at Flamingo Road near the intersection of Koval Lane in front of the Maxim Hotel, a vehicle occupied by two women pulled up on their right side. Shakur, who was standing up through the sunroof, exchanged words with the two women, and invited them to go to Club 662. At approximately 11:15 p.m., a white, four-door, late-model Cadillac with an unknown number of occupants pulled up to the sedan's right side, rolled down one of the windows, and rapidly fired twelve to thirteen shots at Shakur. He was struck by four rounds, with bullets hitting him in the chest, the pelvis, and his right hand and thigh. One of the rounds apparently ricocheted into Shakur's right lung. Suge was hit in the head by shrapnel, though it is thought that a bullet grazed him. According to Suge, a bullet from the gunfire had been lodged in his skull, but medical reports later contradicted this statement.

Shakur was in and out of consciousness while at the hospital and was heavily sedated, breathing through a ventilator and was on life support – eventually “put under a barbiturate-induced coma after repeatedly trying to get out of bed.”

Shakur eventually succumbed to his wounds on September 13, 1996 – the official cause was internal bleeding. Apparently the doctors had attempted to revive him but they could not encumber his hemmoraghing. It was Afeni, the former Black Panther, who made the decision for the doctors to stop working on the larger-than-life rap star. Tupac Shakur was pronounced dead at 4:03pm Pacific Time at the ridiculously young age of 25 – killed by a Crip. Stanley “Tookie” Williams was the founder of the Crips.

Paul wrote in the Letter to the Ephesians,

“When [Christ] ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.”

I find it rather interesting how this statement is so closely related to two other New Testament teachings. The first is the mission statement of Jesus found in the Gospel of Luke:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (Luke 4:18-19)

God, in Jesus Christ, releases prisoners unconditionally. This God doesn’t just resurrect the dead, but this God breaks open the iron gates of confinement.

The other piece of Scripture that I’m reminded of is one that echoes the Apostle’s Creed concerning prisoners. It says,

For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago... (1 Peter 3:18-20)

Or, perhaps today’s text actually illumines what I’m saying even better,

What does, “he ascended” mean except that [Christ] also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.

You see, folks, this God rises to majestic heights, and for Stanley “Tookie” Williams this meant finding a way to descend to the deep, dark depths of misery and despair. Listen to these accounts.

[Taken from Stanley Williams’ Prison Record]

As inmate CDC# C29300 at San Quentin State Prison Williams spent 6 1/2 years in solitary confinement in the late 1980s for multiple assaults on guards and fellow inmates. The following is taken from Stanley Williams' prison record through 1993. According to a classification report found on page 8 of filings by his lawyers during the clemency proceedings dated August 5, 2004, Williams had no violations since that time. The prison official had observed no gang activity and complimented Williams on his behavior for the last ten years.

On June 30, 1981, just two months after being sentenced, Williams was involved in a violent fight with another inmate. Williams was observed kneeling over the other inmate and striking him in the head with his closed fists. When Williams was ordered to cease fighting, he ignored the order. Only after repeated orders did Williams stop.

On January 26, 1982, Williams was ordered to lineup for his return to his cell. Williams refused the order and became hostile. The guard then explained the line-up procedure to Williams. Williams responded by saying, “You'll get yours boy, I can't do anything now because I know what the gunmen will do…one of these days I'll trick you boy.”

On January 28, 1982, Williams had two separate instances where he threw chemical substances at guards. In one of these instances, Williams threw a chemical substance in the eyes and on the face of a guard. As a result of that assault, the guard suffered from chemical burns to these areas and had to be taken to the hospital where he received emergency care.

On January 29, 1982, Williams again attacked a guard by throwing a chemical substance on him.

On February 16, 1984, a guard saw Williams bending over another inmate and striking him with his closed fists. In an effort to stop the attack, the guard blew his whistle and drew his weapon. Williams, however, continued to fight. Only after a guard fired a warning shot did Williams stop fighting.

On June 8, 1984, Williams was observed participating in inappropriate behaviour with a female visitor. When the guard advised the female of the prison policies, Williams became verbally hostile and stated, “You are looking around too much and that's not your job. I have dusted many officers on the street, one more would not make any difference.”

On July 4, 1986, Williams stepped between a guard and another inmate and began to beat up the inmate. The guard ordered Williams to stop, but Williams continued with the assault. Eventually, after gun officers responded, Williams stopped the attack.

On October 10, 1988, Williams was involved in a fight that led to him being stabbed by Tiequon Aundray Cox (aka Lil Fee), a Rolling 60s Crips member, and fellow Death Row inmate. Prison officials subsequently learned that this stabbing was done in retaliation for a September 22, 1988 stabbing of another inmate ordered by Williams.

On October 19, 1988, Williams was placed in Administrative Segregation based on his association with the Crips street gang.

On December 24, 1991, Williams was involved in another fight with an inmate. Once again, despite being ordered to stop, Williams continued with the assault. Eventually, gun officers responded by firing a round near Williams. After the shot was fired, guards gained control over Williams.

On July 6, 1993, a large fight broke out in the shower area. Williams was one of the combatants. A guard ordered the inmates to stop, but the fight continued. After a warning shot was fired, the fighting stopped. Subsequently, a stabbing instrument ("shank") made of sharpened plastic was recovered from where the fight had occurred.

The prison guards noted that he still remained a member of the Crips gang, "The violations are usually involving batteries on inmates, batteries on staff. But we have also received information that has identified him as an active member of the Crips."

It wasn’t long after these episodes, though, that Williams began to change. Just as Jesus Christ had appeared to the hate-filled Saul of Tarsus on that dusty road leading from Jerusalem to Damascus, the preaching Jesus appeared to “Tookie” in the middle of prison.

Here’s how Luke the Physician describes the arrest in the Book of Acts:

The crowd joined in attacking [Paul and Silas], and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. (Acts 16:22-24)

And in the middle of the night, after enjoying a wonderful day of flogging and torture Paul and Silas did what any Christian ought to do, they began “praying and singing hymns to God” and the other captives listened to their songs. Dr. Luke’s report goes on to say:

Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. (vv. 26-27)

And Paul, seeing what was about to happen, called out, “Yo man. STOP!!! Don’t fall on your sword. We’re still all here.” The jailer had the lights turned on and fell down before Paul and Silas and pleaded, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They answered him by preaching the Gospel to him – it’s always quite an odd thing when the prisoner becomes the preacher to the guard. But it is Jesus whom we’re dealing with.

As soon as Silas courageously summed up his 3-point sermon the prison guard took all the prisoners and washed their wounds, and then he urgently brought his entire family to be baptized.

This is Stanley “Tookie” Williams’ story too. Because it wasn’t long after his release from solitary confinement that the founder of the Crips began writing children’s books advocating non-violence and alternatives to gangs like the Bloods and the Crips. His books stirred so much surprise in our culture that a movie about his life called Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story was filmed and released in 2004 and starred well-known Hollywood actor Jamie Foxx – the very same Jamie Foxx who portrayed Ray Charles in 2004’s biographical film Ray.

The shock of Tookie’s turnaround comes from a culture that doesn’t believe in a God that shows up at a particular time, in a particular place, for a particular purpose, as a particular being. The shock of Tookie’s repentance comes from a culture that doesn’t believe that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. The shock of Tookie’s deliverance come from a culture that would rather believe in nebulous, amorphous, and unspecific accounts of the Greek philosopher’s God rather than the God of the nation of Israel – the God who chooses to reach into human history whenever God chooses to. Sadly, in the Church today, there are just as many people inside the Church that share that same hopelessness.

About 8 years before his execution we, the Church, realized that God can change hearts and God can change a leopard’s spots or a tiger’s stripes for we read this statement from Stanley Williams:

Twenty-five years ago when I created the Crips youth gang with Raymond Lee Washington in South Central Los Angeles, I never imagined Crips membership would one day spread throughout California, would spread to much of the rest of the nation and to cities in South Africa, where Crips copycat gangs have formed. I also didn't expect the Crips to end up ruining the lives of so many young people, especially young black men who have hurt other young black men.

Raymond was murdered in 1979. But if he were here, I believe he would be as troubled as I am by the Crips legacy.

So today I apologize to you all -- the children of America and South Africa -- who must cope every day with dangerous street gangs. I no longer participate in the so-called gangster lifestyle, and I deeply regret that I ever did.

As a contribution to the struggle to end child-on-child brutality and black-on-black brutality, I have written the Tookie Speaks Out Against Gang Violence children's book series. My goal is to reach as many young minds as possible to warn you about the perils of a gang lifestyle.

I am no longer "dys-educated" (disease educated). I am no longer part of the problem. Thanks to the Almighty, I am no longer sleepwalking through life.

I pray that one day my apology will be accepted. I also pray that your suffering, caused by gang violence, will soon come to an end as more gang members wake up and stop hurting themselves and others.

I vow to spend the rest of my life working toward solutions.

Amani (Peace),

Stanley "Tookie" Williams, Surviving Crips Co-Founder,

April 13, 1997

You see, when the Gospel tells us about the ascension of Jesus Christ into the heavens, Paul is reminding us that in Christian discipleship you can’t be dumb – words in the Church don’t always mean what they mean in the world. Paul articulates that Christ’s ascension isn’t just about reaching the glorious heights of heaven, but also liberating those in the bowels of the earth.

What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.

Christ has ascended to such heights that the Gospel might stir the heart of one like Stanley Williams. Christ has ascended to such heights that the Gospel might stir your heart. Amen.

Let’s pray together.

God I know that these people are wondering what is in today’s message for them. Stanley Williams’ story is our story. We are left imprisoned by many things – hatred, bigotry, joblessness, depression, war, financial ruin, and the list goes on.

God, you know that we need to be fed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ because we just don’t know Jesus at all. We don’t know that in the midst of suffering Jesus asks us to offer further surrender as an act of praise and as an act of resistance against the principalities and powers of this world. Jesus commands us to drop our swords and to hear the Gospel the way the prison guard did after the earthquake.

And so, Jesus, we ask you to send your Spirit to fill us with the wisdom of God and to open us to the hymnal of the saints that is filled with freedom songs. Amen.