Guest commentary by Alex W. Evans
By now, all of us are familiar with these phrases: “Black Lives Matter” … “Blue Lives Matter” … “All Lives Matter.”
Clearly, we have big problems in our society.
African-Americans have legitimate concerns and daily worries about equal treatment by police, the fairness of justice in our country and the continuing barriers that confront them. As much and as often as we want to say we are “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” increasing evidence indicates that this is not so.
Recent best-selling books by both black and white authors elaborate on growing divisions and injustice. Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book, “Between the World and Me,” which I felt compelled to read this past week, is a stern message of an African-American father writing to his son about the realities of life in America. Coates argues that ours is a nation so shaped by issues of race: through slavery and segregation, through mass incarceration of black men, through excessive murder rates among the black population. As much as we may want to deny it – and celebrate freedom and justice for all – we have a heavy heritage of exploiting and destroying black bodies. We, as a nation, have to deal with this bleak situation in order to forge a better future.
Jim Wallis’ book, “America’s Original Sin,” with the sub-title, “Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America,” challenges white America, and the faith community in particular, to come to grips with the issues of white privilege. Most of us in the white community are so shaped by white privilege that we do not even know how extensive and problematic it is. This is part of America’s original sin – and we have to come to grips with this as well.
As wonderful as America is, as much as we love our country, we have big problems.
These problems continue in the forefront of American life with more incidents between blacks and police. Violence, the lowest form of communication, seems to be the prevailing way. We continue to learn about – and see videos of – blacks being harassed and killed by police. Then, in recent weeks, we have seen retaliation from black individuals who have targeted police officers. In the midst of peaceful protests (in Dallas) or regular police work (Baton Rouge), police officers have been murdered.
Too much violence, too much animosity.
Acknowledging deep problems
To say “Black Lives Matter” is to affirm that America has deep problems and we need to pay special attention to the lives of black Americans. We need to see this as a calling by Jesus to love one another. We need to strive, as the prophets call us, to do justice, to love kindness, to walk humbly with God. Too many blacks are dying in the streets. Too many blacks are teaching us that life is not fair or just. Too many blacks are being murdered, or incarcerated, or filled with hopelessness. I think God is calling forth our faithful lives.
To say that “Blue Lives Matter” is to affirm that police are being targeted, or under extra suspicion, or need our special care – and they do – because they are underpaid, underappreciated. And they are the ones so often thrust into very complex and dangerous situations in our society that is so much on edge. I think God is calling forth our compassion, our energy, our hearts to stand up, to speak up against violence and injustice and the deterioration of our culture.
Understanding tumult
These issues have had my head spinning and my heart aching. And a particular word keeps coming to mind: tumult .
This word, tumult – a noun, is not a word that I speak very often. Tumult means “a disorderly agitation, an uproar.” Tumult means, “a turbulent uprising, a violent agitation of mind and feelings.” The violence and animosity in our nation create a tumult.
We might be more familiar with the adjective: tumultuous. Life can get tumultuous. But, the noun has been the word pushing on my mind and heart.
Then I realized why tumult became the word for all this agitation and fear and heartache of our culture: Psalm 46. “Tumult,” the noun, is in that psalm.
Psalm 46 affirms the following:
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
For ancient people, the most frightening things in life would be the idea of the earth changing, the mountains shaking in the heart of the sea, the waters roaring and foaming, and the mountains trembling. As modern people, we can understand these things – earthquakes, weather patterns, etc. We can even predict them. But, for ancient people, the earth changing and mountains shaking – that would be tremendous tumult – turbulent, violent, frightening agitation!
And what is the affirmation of the ancient psalm?
We look to God in those times.
Tumult and lament
As we think about looking to God in our tumult, that looking might well be in lament. Lament has always been one way of approaching God. We have much to lament in these days. Listen to these words from another psalm:
Long enough, God – you ignored me long enough. I have looked at the back of your head long enough. Long enough I’ve carried the ton of trouble, lived with a stomach full of pain. Long enough my arrogant enemies have looked down their noses at me. (Psalm 13)
The violence and divisions of our culture make this an appropriate season for lament.
Or, in the words of another psalm, we look to God with our questions: “How long, O Lord, how long?” How long do we have to deal with this violence and heartache, this injustice and oppression? Those are legitimate feelings that could easily emerge from our hearts in these days. Where are you God? When will you come and make this right?
Or, we might look to God for guidance, or clarity. Or we look to God for hope amidst the mess of the world.
But then there is Psalm 46, with those powerful and important words of faith: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble. Therefore, we will not fear.”
This is a psalm of fortitude, of rooting life in God – even in the storms, in the mess, and especially in the tumult. This is a clear affirmation – we seek to anchor our life in God’s life. God is the center. God’s presence guarantees that all will be well – even if the earth shakes, the mountains fall, the waters roar and foam, even if the nations are in an uproar, even if fighting and unrest are all around. “The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.” This is the refrain, likely repeated by the congregation. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear.”
This is what faithful people say – in the face of natural threats, in the face of personal injury, in particular, complex situations and especially in tumult.
God’s promise
The promise is clear: God is present; God is at work; our faith, our hope, our life are in God. Not in the tumult. Not in the agitation and unrest. Not in the fear. Our faith, our life, our hope are in God.
You may have seen Ann Lamont’s Facebook post recently:
Life has always been this scary here, and we have always been as vulnerable as kittens. Plagues and Visigoths, snakes and schizophrenia; Cain is still killing Abel; and nature means that everyone dies. I hate this. It’s too horrible for words. . . . And then in recent weeks, Orlando, police shooting innocent people, and innocent police officers being shot, and now Nice.
How on Earth do we respond, when we are stunned and scared and overwhelmed, to the point of almost disbelieving?
I wish there was an 800 number we could call to find out, so I could pass this along to my worried Sunday School kids. But no.
Yet Psalm 46 reminds us. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear.”
This is just what Jesus wanted to teach us as he calmed the waves and stilled the storm. The storms come. The waves are real. Fear is part of life. But we seek to root our lives in God’s life. In the midst of the tumult, we strive to deepen our trust and connection to God. God is in the midst. God will not leave us. God is active and at work. The Lord of hosts is with us.
God is our refuge and strength, a present help in trouble
We also find life as we seek to serve God.
When we know the presence and promises of God’s abiding care, we also know what to do. We join the struggle.
I love how the closing words of the Presbyterian document, “A Declaration of Faith,” puts it:
We know our efforts cannot bring in God’s Kingdom. But hope plunges us into the struggle for victories over evil that are possible now in the world, in the church, and our individual lives. Hope gives us courage and energy to contend against all opposition, however invincible it may seem, for the new world and the new humanity that are surely coming. Jesus is Lord.
“God is our refuge and strength, a present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear.” We will keep striving to love and serve God.
What if we each seek to embody the idea that “Black Lives Matter?” What if we keep working on our fears and our segregated lives and strive to see all people, especially our African-American sisters and brothers as fellow children of God – and open our hearts, and modify our ways, and reach out and build bridges to a new America? We can be part of the solution – each of us. Hope plunges us into the struggle. Where can you build bridges? What small and large acts can you do to move our culture toward justice and hope for all? How can you reach out? Who can you connect with to promote God’s reign?
What if we seek to embody the idea that “Blue Lives Matter?” When you see a police officer, tell her “thank you”– for being there, for going to work to make the city safer. These are real people who just want to make it home at the end of their shift. What if you bought him lunch or a cup of coffee? What if we let the police in our communities know we care and are so grateful for the good ways they serve and protect. We can be part of the solution and build bridges to a new America. Hope plunges us into the struggle. God calls us into the struggle.
God is our refuge and strength, a present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear.
And God calls us to do justice, to love kindness, to walk humbly. Then we will experience the coming reign of God.
This is good news. This is a good calling. May God bless us.
ALEX W. EVANS serves as pastor at Second Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia, an urban congregation engaged in the complexities of life in the city. He also serves as director of the Virginia Law Enforcement Assistance Program, a nonprofit ministry that seeks to care for police who have been in traumatic incidents, and as a volunteer chaplain with the FBI.
