Image above: Full-page ad encouraging membership in the White Citizens’ Council, from The Selma Times-Journal, June 9,1963.
******************************
Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon, in Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony, 1989, pages 110-111.
———————————–
An old pastor was serving in a small Southern town in the throes of the 1950’s school desegregation racial hostilities. A white citizens’ group had been formed to fight the court’s desegregation order. It was a tense and frightening situation. A meeting was called at the high school to discuss tactics for fighting the racial integration of the schools.
In a packed auditorium, speaker after speaker condemned the court’s order and urged people to resist. Then, sometime well into the tension-filled evening, this elderly, much loved pastor of the local Baptist church came in. With great dignity and presence, he walked to the front of the auditorium and took a seat. He listened for a while. Then he rose to speak. When the presider saw him rise, he immediately yielded the microphone and invited him to speak.
The pastor, who had served in that congregation, in that community, for decades, spoke in deliberate, grave tones. He said, “I am ashamed. I am ashamed. I have labored here for many years. I have baptized, preach to, and counseled with many in this room. I might have thought that my preaching of the gospel had done some good. But tonight, I think differently. I cannot speak to those who are not of my congregation. But to those who are, I can only say that I am hurt, and I am ashamed of you, and I expected more from you.”
He then left the podium and walked out of the auditorium. The meeting resumed awkwardly. But one by one, most of the members of the Baptist church quietly left the room until the auditorium was half empty. Eventually, the meeting dribbled off into adjournment with no action taken.
The schools integrated the next month without incident.
Here was a pastor, an ordinary person, who had labored for decades doing ordinary things like baptisms and marriages, among a lot of ordinary people. And then, on one hot and tense August night, something extraordinary happened, and that faithful ministry made a powerful difference in that whole community.
******************************
Matthew 5:9 — Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
James 3:13-18 — Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Colossians 3:8-15 — You must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
*****************************
Heavenly Father, open our eyes to see the woes of our land, the despair in the lives of many, and the deep and shameful wrongs that cry to be put right. Give us a vision of our land as it ought to be; as you would want it to be. Help us, as your obedient people, to do what we can to make it so, in order that generations yet unborn may praise your name. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
–Lutheran Service Book and Hymnal, 1958, Augsburg Publishing House (#70) (adapted).
Related Posts
