Before going to church today, I happened to
watch part of a recorded show of country singer Willie Nelson. One
of the songs he sang – which he called “gospel,” but which I
would say is more blues – has the repeated refrain: “Satan, your
kingdom must come down. I heard the voice of Jesus say: 'Satan, your
kingdom must come down.'”
“I'm gonna pray,” it continues, “until
they tear your kingdom down. . .
“Gonna shout until they tear your kingdom
down. . .
“Satan, your kingdom must com down. I heard
the voice of Jesus say: 'Satan, your kingdom must come down.'”
Satan is, of course, the mythical personifying
of evil and his kingdom is the reality and impact of evil as it is
expressed and manifested in our world. Listening to Nelson, I was
reminded of our call as people of faith, to confront the evil of
division and war, of poverty and discrimination, of violence between
human beings and violence against the earth. And I identified with
the call to the outward journey, the call to act in ways that
contribute to tearing that kingdom down.
At church, this Sunday before Easter, the
congregation heard and shared once again readings known as “The
Passion.” The story moves from Jesus' last supper with his
disciples, to his withdrawal and prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane,
to his arrest, trial, death and burial. But what especially caught
my attention this Sunday was Jesus' response when Judas and the
temple guards came to arrest him. “Have you come out as against a
robber, with swords and clubs?” he asks. “Day after day I was
with you in the temple area, and you did not seize me!”
But then came the critical phrase: “But this
is your hour,” he continued, “the
time for the power of darkness.” And
I remembered Willie Nelson's song. And it struck me that there are
times when it seems that Satan and his kingdom are winning the game.
I sometimes feel this way when I hear some of the absurd arguments given
as reasons to own guns; or when I reflect on the costs financially
and in lives of the last decade-plus of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq,
and as if that were not enough, the madness of our politicians' sable
rattling about conflict with Iran or North Korea; or when I hear the
proposals of the super wealthy to further consolidate their place of
absolute power and wealth, regardless of the cost to society and the
rest of humanity; or when I think of mothers and fathers and children
suffering the abuse and pain of desperate poverty with apparently little hope of escape. Jesus was about
to die. And in these ways and in so many other ways in our world
today, he continues to be put to death and to die. And it appears
that it is indeed Satan's hour, the time for the power of darkness to
reign.
But even in
the darkest hour, we must not give in or give up. Through the journey inward we discover the foundation and promise for something better. Faith demands that we act, that we give of ourselves in
the confidence that a more just world is possible - a hope that is beautifully expressed in the Canticle of the Turning. Its chorus goes like this:
“My heart
shall sing of the day you bring,
Let the
fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away
all tears for the dawn draws near,
and the
world is about to turn!”
Great ending song, David, and thanks for tying the decadence of our day to the hour of darkness, which will in time turn, with the dawn of a new day! Donna
ReplyDeleteThank you Donna. Even when things seem the darkest, there is hope!
ReplyDeleteI recognize the melody, "Star of the County Down." :o)
ReplyDeleteDave, to really hook in to the things you write takes more fortitude than I have. But lately, I wonder what my life would be like if I truly lived as Jesus encourages me to do. I wouldn't recognize myself ! I think it would take an overwhelming act of grace.
The last time I experienced something overwhelming was during Passion week, about four years ago, at the church I used to attend. I have a pretty good microphone voice, so they asked me to read the part of Jesus on the night before his crucifixion. I took the job seriously, since it was a serious event. Maybe I take MYSELF too seriously, but the experience un-nerved me ! When the readings were finished, I couldn't stay in the sanctuary; I left to sit in the side chapel while the priest spoke. "My god, my god, why have you forsaken me ?" I still feel frightened when I think about reading those words. I came too close to something too great and wonderful for me. I vowed that I would never do it again, partly because it was so frightening, partly because I don't want to dishonor that experience of the divine by attempting to repeat it. It may have been frightening, but it underscored my belief that the Risen Christ is real -- even if I can't explain what kind of reality I believe it is.
If I allowed such an event to motivate me to truly live the gospel . . . I can't imagine myself doing it. To tell the truth, I'm afraid to. Maybe you or one/some of your respondents has some feedback to offer.
Wow Bill! What an amazing experience, and what a powerful written sharing of your experience! Thank you!! You said what I was trying to say, only more profoundly, more existentially. And perhaps more humbly as well, as what I wrote tends to point a finger at "those out there" and contrast them with "us."
DeleteNelson's cry is as much about the world within as it is about the world around us (thus one aspect of the need for the ongoing dialectic of the journey inward-journey outward-journey inward-journey outward). While resonating with the song that Satan's kingdom must come down, how often are my own actions or lack of actions contributing to fortifying and keeping that kingdom in place?
Do any of us come even close to truly living the gospel? Probably not. But that's the beauty of grace. We are embraced and loved not because who we are or who are not, but because love is who God is. And those momentary glimpses of mystery, and those brief occasions when we really do approximate living the gospel - those too are moments of grace. They are signs that in the midst of all the darkness we must not give up, because against all odds - within and without - the world is about to turn!