Psalm 22:1-11; James 3:13-18
Anger to Action?
James Sledge June
21, 2015
I
had a sermon all prepared for today. It continued our series connected to Brian
McLaren’s book and talked about becoming spiritually mature, moving beyond
juvenile versions of faith that get overly focused on rules or doctrines meant
to guide us to maturity, and moving toward maturity, toward the spiritual
wisdom James talks about in his letter. But then the shooting in Charleston
happened.
When
I heard the first new reports, it wasn’t clear exactly what had happened. But
as more information came in, I first hoped it wasn’t as bad as it sounded, that
it wasn’t as evil as it sounded. But as the reality of it kicked in, I just
felt numb.
But
that began to shift toward anger. The first anger was petty and selfish. “Now I
have to write a new sermon.” But that was quickly replace by anger that this
had happened again. Another mass shooting. Another example of America’s horrible
culture of guns and violence.
And
then there was the racial component. Race, the issue we wish would just go
away. The issue we think will somehow just fade away eventually. But here it is
again, in all its ugliness, from a young man who grew up in what was supposed
to be post racial America.
I
felt anger toward the culture that nurtures such racism. I grew up in North and
South Carolina. There is much I love about both states, and there have been
real changes from the segregated days of my childhood. But there is still much
deeply ingrained racism.. The N-word is common speech in many areas, and resentment
toward blacks is deep for some.
Proper
southern culture that disdains this racism nonetheless supports it. The
governor of South Carolina in one breath condemned the shooting, offering
heartfelt condolences and prayers for the victims and families and church, and
in the next breath defended the Confederate flag flying on the grounds of the
SC Statehouse.
I’ve
heard all the arguments about how the flag is not about hate, but about
southern heritage and pride. But a heritage of what? Pride in what? In a war
the South started that cost more Americans their lives than World War II did.
In a war fought to keep some human in the chains of slavery. I’m angry at a
culture that imagines it can venerate those who fought such a war, can send
black children to schools named for people who thought they were sub human, and
it not have any hate connected to it.
And
speaking of politicians, I’m angry that another mass shooting has happened, and
the politicians will wring their hands and over condolences and prayers and
then do absolutely nothing about an America awash in guns.
As
I stewed in my anger, I even felt anger toward the Church, not Emmanuel AME
Church but the church at large, because it too will wring its hands and offer
its prayers and then do nothing. I’ve been in the church business now for over
20 years, and I’ve learned that I’ll get calls and emails if we sing a song
people don’t like, if we change something about the worship service or the
children’s programs. But no one ever calls or emails after a shooting or some
other huge tragedy and says, “We have to do something.” Maybe it just seems
impossible. Maybe we’ve just become cynical and think we can’t change anything
other than the hymns or the children’s programs, but that alone is enough to
make me angry.
And
truth be told, I am angry at God, angry that God allowed this to happen, angry
that God doesn’t stir up the church or the world to make things better.
But
of course I knew I could not stand here today with nothing more than, “I am
grieving. I am angry.” True there is a long tradition of lament in the Bible,
by some counts psalms of lament are the most common sort of psalm. But even
they usually have an element of hope, and I am a minister of the gospel, one
called to proclaim good news.
