Miscellaneous Monday: Living in the Oppression of the South - Stephen

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) on Tuesday night suggested that the United States can only heal once “oppressed” states in the south are “liberated.”

“Which means the only way that our country’s going to heal is through the actual liberation of southern states,” she said. “The actual liberation of the poor, the actual liberation of working people from economic, social, and racial oppression. That’s the only way.”

(https://news.yahoo.com/aoc-nation-only-heal-once- / January 13, 2021)

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I have no intention of answering Rep. Cortez head-on in her description of those within the South. For what it’s worth I’d like to describe to you what it has been for me to be born and raised in the region known for country music, sweet tea, and a love that leans heavily towards obsession for college football. Or as I like to refer to the South—home. 

In a lot of ways, the stereotypes of the South are true…at least in my experience. Born and raised in NE Florida, just south of the Georgia line, was to be inundated with the sounds of country music. I learned quickly from some neighborhood friends that this music is best enjoyed in a rusty truck going down the road while spitting out the window. I also learned shortly thereafter to make sure the window was down or the enjoyment was dramatically lessened and a bit more wet. 

Sweet tea was not just a drink of choice but a must-have if the restaurant was to stay in business. To not have it available was to be labeled a “Yankee establishment” and one dared not enter such a place ever again. For even in the pre-social media times, this type of news would spread quickly and was consequential to all involved. (May those “Yankee-establishments” forever rest in peace.)

And just alongside that obsession for college football (or as I like to call it—Saturday religion) was Mayberry. You know the town from the show of shows in the South, The Andy Griffith Show. As a kid, the black-and-white episodes my dad had us watch confused me to believe that people during those glorious days of the past could not see in color. Boy, was I relieved when season 6 was placed into the VCR and Andy, Barney, and the rest of the town could now see in vibrant technicolor just like me. 

This quaint group of people included the sheriff and deputy who were more than partners but friends sitting on the porch singing songs after Sunday dinner. You had the town drunk, the one-chair barber, the funny-named mechanic, and the revolving cast of characters from girlfriends to visitors from the mountains. 

These mountain folk were always recognized as a little different and maybe even a little backwards. The Darlings were one such family where the musical ability was high, but the IQ of social norms was not. In one such episode, Mr. Darling tries to win over Andy’s Aunt Bee with the strength of his shoulders followed by a quick proposal. Yet he seems shocked to find out that Aunt Bee had to love him in return for them to get hitched. 

Another one of these visitors was Ernest T. Bass. As I’ve watched these reruns with my own children, Ernest T. has become their favorite. A mixture of mountain man who likes to throw rocks through windows and a tender-hearted soul who desires people to accept him, Mr. Bass was a cocktail of both completely different and somewhat familiar. 

Come to think of it when you spend 8 seasons with the characters of a TV show it’s funny how familiar even those deemed “different” seem to become. Where once the city folks of Mayberry saw Ernest T. like the man who once lived under a rock with a possum, they begin to see him as a man who just wants to win the heart of a woman and be married. The same storyline that Andy, Barney, and seemingly every other man in Mayberry was also living and seeking. 

As I consider my time living in the South that AOC deems “oppressed” and in need of “liberation,” I’ll have to admit I don’t see it that way. It may be because I have lived among the characters of the South my entire life that even those I once deemed a bit different have now become familiar. Certainly, some things are still true of the region—manners are taught, religion is at least given lip-service by most, and Waffle House is still considered fine dining. But when all is said and done, I don’t see oppression. I see a culturally loving people who are greatly misunderstood.

Some, like AOC, misunderstand them to be the “mountain folk” of backwards politics and lifestyles. Others consider everyone in the South as “good ol’ boys” and “Daisy Dukes” wrapped up in the hypocrisy of honky-tonk life on Saturday before dragging into church on Sunday. Yet, in spite of both of these sweeping generalizations from those who live elsewhere, I see them a different way.

I see the majority of people where I live as those who have a religious heritage yet are seeking a way to straddle the fence of where they come from and where they want to be in this sinful, fallen world. Struggling to find their place in life between what they consider God’s country and their possible mansion over the hilltop. 

In other words, I don’t see them much different than myself at times in my own life. 

And, to be honest, they aren’t much different than you either no matter where you live—if only you took the time to spend a few seasons with them as well. 

Or, in my case, almost 34 years and, Lord willing, a few more to go.

 

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

Romans 3:23

Redefining Sorrow & Lament - Ron

In the Bible, sorrow is introduced to us straightaway in Genesis 3:16. If you know Scripture, you know this is immediately on the heels of the world’s first no-no. It is fitting that the word is first used here, for the story of sin is the story of sorrow. In fact, sorrow is one of those things that really only makes sense from a biblical perspective.

God had created a universe and called it very good. His human creations, the ones made in His own likeness, had broken His law and all of creation broke with it. Sin stepped into perfection and sorrow seeped into joy. This is the broken world in which we live and it rightly grieves us because it is broken. 

From the evolutionary perspective, however, death and suffering are not only normal, they are necessary! It was Richard Dawkins who said that the universe is “red in tooth and claw” when he described the story of existence. This is an acknowledgement that the entire history of the universe is soaked with blood and tears. But if death, sickness, and destruction are truly part of normal existence, why do they so bother us? After all, the end of the evolutionary worldview is a universe void of light, life, and heat.

Still, sickness ravages us and we weep. Disease devours us and we mourn. Time kills us and we sorrow. We sorrow because deep within us we recognize that these things are not good. Things are not the way that they should be. And they aren’t, for they were broken long ago. The moment they were broken, sorrow entered into the world. 

The wonder of broken things is that they can be fixed. That’s the story of the Bible though, broken things getting fixed. Revelation 21:4 says it like this, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” This is a beautiful picture of broken things being fixed, of invaders into joyful perfection being purged for the last time. This is why a Christian’s sorrow must always be mixed with hope.

I honestly cannot think of better words than Andy Mineo rapped in Death Has Died, so just read this:

“One day my God gon' crack the sky

He gon' bottle up every tear that we ever cried

Bring truth to every lie, justice for ever crime

All our shame will be gone and we'll never have to hide

No more broken hearts, no more broken homes

No more lockin' doors, no more cops patrollin'

No abusive words, or abusive touches

No more cancerous cells that'll take our loved ones

No more hungry kids, no more natural disaster

No child will ever have to ask where his dad is

No funerals where we wear all black

And death will be dead and we'll lock the casket

Yes!”

So the Christian correctly views sin and death as intrusions into God’s perfection. Sorrow is as well. And God’s perfection will be restored, so Christians correctly view sorrow as both temporary and fixable. Both made possible through Jesus Christ. 

In the meantime, though, sorrow is all too real and at times we don’t know what to do. There may come circumstances that cause us to despair of life itself! I am reminded of Jehoshaphat’s prayer in 2 Chronicles 20. In verse 12, he says, “O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.” 

There may be times in your life when sorrow is so great, and the injustice of it all so strong, that you echo this prayer: “God, will you not fix this? Are you aware of what is going on? I cannot fight this great sorrow! I cannot battle this depression and I do not know what to do, but I will keep my eyes on You!”

Jehoshaphat and the people went from prayer to praise, and verse 22, says, “...when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.” Did you notice that they began to sing and praise before the victory? I am not trying to imply that God will snap your sorrow away when you start to sing. But I will suggest that if you shift your focus to Christ, you’ll find reasons to sing.

And if you are going to sing, you might as well learn Death Has Died so you can rap your way from pain to praise. Find hope in your sorrow and let it lead you to Christ. See Christ on His throne and hear Him say, “Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5). Sorrow is a defeated thing.

Redefining Sorrow & Lament - Ben

The greatest prayer of lament in all of Scripture comes in Daniel 9. We'll not read the whole thing, but I encourage you to read it in its entirety. But for our purposes, just the first few sentences will suffice to give us a glimpse at what genuine sorrow looks like.

I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants, the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

Daniel 9:4-6

Daniel had been in exile in Babylon for over seventy years at this point. He had been taken as an adolescent, conscripted into serving his enemy, and now he was an old man who lived the majority of his life away from the land he loved most. Now, one would be tempted to think that Daniel rebelled, lost his faith, or something like that. But he never did.

Despite a long string of unfortunate events, Daniel remained faithful. In fact, as was his habit, he regularly prayed and read his bible. This very thing even got him in trouble once (cf. Dan. 6). And, this time, as he was reading Jeremiah the prophet, he realized that the time to return to Israel was at hand (cf. Jer. 29:10). This realization is what precipitated this prayer of confession in Daniel 9.

Now, there are several things we can glean from this passage. What's striking is how Daniel takes responsibility for the sins of an entire nation and his ancestors. Even though it would've been unlikely that Daniel was culpable in any way personally, he still used personal plural pronouns like "we," "us," and "our” in his prayer. What's more, Daniel goes to extraordinary lengths to contrast his people's guilt with God’s impeccability. Jehovah had not failed the Jews; the Jews had failed Jehovah. Yet, despite Daniel thoroughly making the case that he and Israel did not deserve forgiveness, we find Daniel ending his prayer by asking for that very thing.

As we so often forget, Daniel knew that though we are in the wrong in almost every way, God is still loving, patient, and forgiving. The scene then ends with an angel visiting Daniel before he even ends his prayer. The angel even said that before Daniel began to pray, he was sent to give Daniel word that he was "greatly loved." Daniel’s rueful lament was answered with a passionate declaration of love.

Lament, sorrow, confession…these are things that are unpleasant but are nevertheless essential for a follower of God. This is why Jesus says, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Physical mourning facilitates spiritual renewal. Before we can ever be remade, we must repent.

Even king David, though he had slept with a married woman, abused his kingly powers, and even had a man killed, said that "God is near to the broken hearted.” If he, of all people, could claim such a thing, then we all have hope. Should we feel like our heavenly Father is far away, may we remember that the more broken we are over our own sins, the nearer God is to us.

Our memories are short, and our passions are strong. We are wayward souls who need to be reminded of our waywardness. We are like ships with broken rudders in constant need of repair. Mourning, lament, and repentance…these are the ways we correct our course and remember God’s goodness. Mourning in this world is unavoidable. But for those who mourn in Christ, rejoicing is likewise inevitable.

This is why John the revelator tells us that at the advent of that new eternal age, “[Jesus] will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Someday all pain will be utterly forgotten. Eventually, you will cry your last tear. And just as Jesus wipes away our sins today, He will also, someday, wipe away even our own sorrow in the end.

May we mourn today so that we will rejoice in that endless tomorrow.

Redefining Sorrow & Lament: Man of Sorrows - Stephen

 -      Sorrow - a feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others.

-      Lament - a passionate expression of grief or sorrow.

(Definitions from Oxford Languages)

 

Let’s get right to the point—a lot of us Christians aren’t very good at sorrowing and lamenting. Having grown up in church singing “I’ve got joy like a fountain” only to find that same joy in another song “deep, deep down in my heart,” we’ve left very little room for those negative emotions (which, ironically enough, are also God-given).

The good news is that, as Christians get older, our emotions and those we deem acceptable grow as well, right? Unfortunately, not. Here’s a song written for Christians that might not be very well-known but exists just the same (and not in children’s church): 

God's people are happy people
Happy all of the time
Joy higher than the tallest steeple
love of the unstoppable kind
More than 10 million reasons
flooding through my soul and my mind
God's people are happy people
Happy people shine.

This song reminds me of a rebuttal many people outside of the faith throw at us Christians. It’s called escapism. This word is defined as the ignoring of reality to keep a desired state of mind—in this case, joy and happiness. 

Our Christian films, generally speaking, are Exhibit A to this accusation. Problems exist in these movies for sure but before the 2-hour movie concludes every single one of them is resolved. Sometimes they work out so well that they even receive a new truck tied off with a giant bow upon the hood (i.e., Facing the Giants). It’s as if within every actor’s contract in one of these films some version of Christmas Day is promised always to arrive. 

The problem with this Christian form of escapism is that it doesn’t fit reality. As we have been reminded through this pandemic--Christians have problems that we don’t always see resolved this side of eternity. Christians get sick, Christians go on ventilators, and Christians die. That’s the unfortunate reality we see Monday through Saturday only for some to walk into their churches on Sunday and be told to be happy and joyful while striking the latest fountain pose. (Pardon my children’s church flashback.)

If you have ever experienced this dichotomy and find yourself disillusioned by this “Disney-like magical happiness” hear me out. The Bible does not condone or promote this kind of mentality. It actually reminds us that sorrow and lament are a part of real life for all who live in this fallen world. 

There will come a day when believers live in a place of no more pain, no more death, and no more tears but it doesn’t take long to realize that we aren’t there yet. 

There will come a day when “all things work together for good to them that love God” but Romans 8:28 doesn’t promise that will happen today, tomorrow, or any time pre-eternity. 

There will come a day when sorrow is not a part of our lives, but 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 doesn’t say we shouldn’t sorrow but that our sorrow should be less than those who have no hope in the life to come: 

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.”

Christians need room to sorrow like David when his son Absalom was trying to take his life and kingship (Psalm 3). We need room for lamenting like Hannah who was being emotionally tormented day and night because she couldn’t conceive and have a child (1 Samuel 1). And it is good to be reminded that not once did God rebuke these people of faith as they poured out their sorrow and lament before Him.

The darkness of our sorrow can never remove the presence of the Son within us but there are times our hope may seem more like the waning dusk than the rising dawn. It might truly be well with your soul, yet it could take some time for the rest of you to get to that same place. 

“Jesus wept” (John 11:35) is the shortest verse in the Bible but for many Christians our theology doesn’t seem quite big enough to handle it. 

Jesus cried that day because He loved Lazarus who had just died. 

Jesus cried because He loved Martha whose brother just passed away.

Jesus cried because He loved Mary who believed that if Jesus had been there, her brother would still be alive. 

Jesus cried because He felt the sorrow and lament that comes with living on this very earth that we all find ourselves on today. 

As we celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior may we not forget the importance of His life. Those 33 years were not only to bring Him to a cross or reveal to us the Father but that He might also feel first-hand that sorrow and lament we all experience. And when we take those cares to Him like David and Hannah we can know--

He's felt that pain.

He's borne that grief. 

He's experienced those tears. 

From His life to His death, there’s more than one reason why the Bible refers to Jesus as the “Man of Sorrows.”  And I am just thankful no one ever told Jesus “God’s people are happy people, happy all the time.”

“Man of Sorrows,” what a name
For the Son of God who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim!
  Hallelujah! what a Savior!

 (Philip P. Bliss, 1875)