Saturday, March 29, 2014

Roll Jordan Roll

I cannot sing, that is a fact.

Ask anyone in my life and they will tell you that they would prefer to never here my singing voice again! It's not like I haven't tried, I just sing too flat or too sharp, or just simply too poorly. My wife encourages me to sing in the shower and the shower alone. My dog cocks his head from side to side as if he is confused to what wailing noise is coming from my mouth. And my mother tells me that I get it from my grandfather. He was a pastor of a small Latvian immigrant congregation in Minneapolis. One Sunday he forgot to turn off his microphone and the congregation heard him singing. At the end of the service one of the congregants informed him what happened and told him to make sure it is always turned off so they wouldn't have to hear his singing voice again. 

Singing is clearly not my gift, but it is hard not to be inspired by music. Throughout my life I have listened to and loved all types of music. Country, classical, blues, folk, rock, I love it all. However, some music goes beyond simple toe-tapping and dancing. Some music speaks to your soul and could be the soundtrack of your life. That is the music that lives within you, that empowers you, that voices your experience. The ancient philosopher Plato said, "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything." Such is that music that transcends all others and moves you into the world as an inspired being.

Lately I have found such music to be calling to me from the simplistic and soulful Delta Blues, the peaceful plucking of an acoustic guitar in Folk music, and the can't help but dance Jump Blues. However, more than most I have found myself clinging to and embracing slave songs from the American south. The passionate and profoundly truthful expressions of their experience moves me. It helps me appreciate their lives, it forces me to see God as a slave with them, it makes me want to be a better person, it makes me want to give these people the justice they so richly deserved. And through all of this, inspired by these songs, God is calling me to be a pastor. Though I cannot sing, that is something I want to be in tune with.

Perhaps the most poignant example from recent culture is the incredible film 12 Years a Slave. This movie is based on the life of Solomon Northup (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man living in New York state who was abducted and sold into slavery. Against all odds, insidious cruelty, hate, and oppression he held onto his dignity and hope that one day he would be free. During the film one of his fellow slaves died in the field and the slave community gathered for his funeral. During this ceremony we witness Solomon's transformation from defeat to hope through a song titled "Roll Jordan Roll." While this rendition is only partially original, it speaks volumes to Solomon's character. At first he hesitates and resists joining in, but soon he sings. And as he does, he adds a specific blues style voice that gives further texture and emotion to the song.


So where is God in all of this? Everywhere, for better or for worse. We see the slave owners preaching their version of the Christian message throughout this film, all the while the slaves have taken that same message and interpreted it differently. The slaves have taken the Christian faith and subverted it against the slave owners in order to express their needs and messages that are most relevant for them. In "Roll Jordan Roll" we hear about the river Jordan, John the Baptist, and the hopes of getting into heaven. All of these can be interpreted in a faithful manner, but also in a coded fashion. In terms of faith the song speaks to enduring the persecution that Jesus and the disciples faced everyday during Jesus' time on earth, it speaks to being claimed as a child of God, and it speaks to equality before God. As a code the song gives endurance in the face of despair as well as hinting at the Mississippi River serving as a guide north.

I cannot sing, this is a fact. 

But what I can do is preach, teach, and share the good news of a God who sings in solidarity with the oppressed. A God who weeps at the whipping of slaves. A God who works with abolitionists to make freedom a legal reality for all of humanity. A God who works through unexpected means to bring about redemption for the world. A God who dies for us on the cross of Good Friday. That is the God I know. That is the God I believe in, who is active throughout the world working for justice, peace, mercy, and salvation. Roll...Jordan.. roll.

-Tom

1 comment:

  1. My goodness Tom. Reading your blog is such an enjoyment. Your stories and examples really express your feelings and beliefs in God and your calling. Like I have always said and always will Opa, Memme, and Oma are certainly smiling down on you. You had a calling and you've truly found it. I love you "Tommy." ♡♡♡♡

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