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Easter Sunday is the black church’s highest
and most holy day. Frilly-dressed little girls and dapper
young boys along with their fashion-forward parents, friends
and relatives pack into overflowing church auditoriums and
sanctuaries that buzz with excitement and anticipation. The
visible pomp and pageantry of the day exposes the
community’s unslakable need to hear the old, old story – “He
is risen.”
WHO is risen?
A young, ethnic minority, barely 33 years
old, and who didn’t “stay in his place,” was executed
purportedly for disturbing the peace. He died on Friday but
arose early Sunday morning, claiming victory over death and
the grave.
Perhaps Easter Sunday’s expectant crowds
inherently recognized that what the black community needs
more than anything else is a resurrection.
The forces of death certainly appear to have
the last word as the number of funerals for young, black,
male victims of violence continues to spiral and is at
epidemic levels. In addition, persistent drug abuse and
domestic violence wreak devastation upon families and leave
children scarred or emotionally destroyed.
The community needs a resurrection,
definitely.
Perhaps, the resurrection that we need most,
however, is not merely an eschatological or end of the world
phenomenon but a resurrection that is a “right now”
experience.
The resurrection story of the biblical figure
Lazarus is relevant for today’s less than perfect
individuals who don’t fit society’s traditional molds and
have had the books closed on their lives or told that they
are too far gone to have a meaningful existence.
I offer a methodology to those interested in
reversing this plague of young, black death and who hope to
make the joy of Easter Sunday sustainable.
First, the church operates under the firm
conviction that the miracle of new life is possible, even
for society’s most marginalized.
In the biblical account, Lazarus’ name is
called and he is told to come forth. When Lazarus responds
to the command he transitions from death to life. The
transformation of the one “who died before his/her time”
requires divine, rather than human, intervention and does
not happen without Lazarus’ willingness to exit the
environment of death.
Secondly, in the biblical miracle, the
surrounding community members are all active actors and
agents in the young man’s resurrection. After Lazarus
departs from the culture of his burial cave, the others
present were instructed to participate in his resurrection
by loosing and removing his restrictive burial clothing. It
is, therefore, the responsibility of the community to
facilitate successful reintegration into society those who
have emerged from a “terminal situation.” We are also called
upon to repair the damage inflicted by the process of social
and economic death to the identity and sense of self of the
newly liberated.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, before
even beginning the process to empower Lazarus to stand on
his own feet and return to life, the stone had to be rolled
away.
Often “stones” are placed in the way of
society’s “disinherited” that block the necessary voices
that lead to revival. These inhibiting factors include
social and economic policies and surprisingly, the black
church itself.
While stellar in carrying out its internal
programmatic function and taking care of its parishioners,
the African-American church has been less diligent in
addressing its constituencies and the relevant issues that
lie beyond its church walls. Less than 15 percent of black
churches are systematically involved in public life or
issues such as public policy formation and advocacy.
Not coincidentally, there has been a rapid
increase in the number of un-churched African Americans at
the same time that there has been a distancing between the
black church and the poor due to a cultural and generational
disconnect. Neither group feels comfortable because of a
conflict of the norms/protocol between the regular church
members, with their “poor people phobia,” and the poor, who
have no prior socialization in church life.
The cloud of death, sorrow and grief that
covers the landscape of the community can be transcended.
But only when those who are written off by society are
empowered to enter into a new existence.
That takes a collaboration of the Divine and
community participation.
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, D.Min, at
drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org |
