John
the Baptist had zero patience for people who used their history as a crutch,
especially when those people were his own people.
In
Luke 3, John was at the Jordan River preaching hard on the theme of
repentance. He called the riverside
congregation out for their culturally excused sinfulness.
Brood of vipers!
He mocked
their public endorsement of his ministry when they weren’t actually applying his teaching. “What
have I been telling you, people?” John asked.
Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
John
demanded that the people, his people, stop making excuses and start making
their lives better by living like he and all the prophets before him had
taught.
Therefore bear fruits worthy
of repentance
And
John, cousin and prophetic predecessor of Jesus, said something that crossed
the line. John invoked the named of
their most revered historical figure---- in a negative sense.
John
the Baptist said, do not begin to say to
yourselves, “We have Abraham as our
father.” For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from
these stones.
Stop
using history as excuse for your sin and stupidity today. Yes, you are from a line of kings and
queens. You are the historic progeny of
great men and great women. You are the descendants of oppressed people whom God
delivered from bondage by miraculous intervention.
O.K. Now what?
That’s
what they did back then. You do
something now.
Therefore bear fruits worthy
of repentance
And
by the way, your history isn’t all that unique.
God could have chosen any enslaved culture at any point in history and
worked the same miracle for them. That God chose your people is more about God
than it is about you. Cause if God
wanted to, He could emancipate the rocks under your feet and make one of them
president one day.
Our
history is important and relevant. John
didn’t discount the reality of Abraham’s contribution to Jewish history. The Bible itself is a book of history (and
much more) that reiterates the importance of learning the lessons of the past.
Now all these things
happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition (1 Corinthians 10:11)
But
we’ve gotta do more with history than keep walking around in circles talking
about what Moses and Martin and them did way back in the day.
The
great cloud of historic witnesses are given so we can learn solutions, not just
so we can collect reasons for our problems. Properly learned history supplies methods to confront
injustice against our community while simultaneously confronting the sin within
our community.
Therefore we also, since we
are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay
aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us... (Hebrews 12:
1a)
History
is meant to provoke action. .. and let us run with endurance the race that
is set before us (Hebrews 12:1b)
History
is supposed to lead us to God… looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith (Hebrews 12:2)
For
all of his passion, John the Baptist never claimed to have all the solutions
for his people in himself. But John knew
where to look for those solutions.
I indeed baptize you with
water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to
loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Luke 3:16)
I,
Anderson T. Graves II, don’t have all the solutions for my people in myself,
but I know where to look for those solutions.
Right
now, at this moment in African-American history, we need to sit down with our
history books open next to our open Bibles.
Right
now we need learn how God organized and mobilized His people to solve the same
problems we face now. We take Scriptural
answers and translate them into the contemporary language of history and social
action. Compare Scripture to history
and you’ll see how Moses and Martin and them lifted so many so far so quickly. With both Biblically and historically sound
plans before us, we can look at what we have and ask what John’s people asked.
What shall we do then? (Luke 3:8)
Do
that now, right now, at this very moment in Black history.
---Anderson T. Graves
II is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry,
and rural leadership development.
Rev.
Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in Fairfield,
Alabama; executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking
Organization (SAYNO); and director of
rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).
Subscribe
to my personal blog www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com .
Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
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can help support Rev. Graves’ work by visiting his personal blog and clicking the DONATE button
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Support
by check or money order may be mailed to
Miles
Chapel CME Church
P O
Box 132
Fairfield,
Al 35064
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