How I Got Over

What I love about this song is that it glories in "not knowing." I don't know how I got over, in fact I look back and wonder. But the orientation of the song is instructive. You see the singer is on the other side of the problem. The singer is not in the midst of the mess, but she is on the other side looking back.

Another thing that is interesting is that the singer was there before "getting over" and yet can't figure out the process of "getting over." This reminds us that we may be in the midst of overriding conditions and yet if God has the last word, we don't have to see our way out. God will take us out even if it is in such a way that we can't even see the "taking out" happen. We may not even be able to see God's doing it.

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Will Righteous Children Beg For Bread?

I must admit that this is one of our "shout" texts, but does it say what we want it to say? Psalm 37:25 says "I was young and now I am old, and I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging bread." On the face of it is simply a statement of fact for the Psalmist. He has never seen it happen. OK, but then we read it and see it as a promise that our children, if we are true to God, if we pay our tithe, and if we go to church, etc, will never have to worry about food.

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The Importance of Now

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Sinner Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass
Sinner Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass
And Die and Lose Your Soul At Last
Sinner Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass

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There is a strong "evangelistic" mode to many of the spirituals. We do know that some of them were "coded" having a dual message of current realities and the apocalyptic ending. So they would be singing about the end and at the same time singing about the underground railroad that would lead to freedom.

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The Vision Can See Through Death

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made excellent use of the story of Moses being prohibited from entering the promised land. God gave Moses that view of the land (Deuteronomy 34:1-12). This is a very interesting use of this text. King speaks of his desire for a long life, but he also faces the reality that he would not see his dreams fully accomplished.

This might be seen as a tragic story, but it is certainly not that different. It is the same story as the ancient people of faith who did not see the promise fully realized, but had to embrace them from afar off. (Hebrews 11:13).

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I Want To Cross Over

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Deep River
My Home Is Over Jordan
Deep River, Lord
I Want To Cross Over Into Camp Ground

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Not too long ago we saw a spiritual where we simply uttered our despair. This spiritual is close to that, but it goes a little further and simply states what the singer wants. There is a gulf standing between the singer and "camp ground" and "peace." The singer states that she wants to go to there. It is an important step to groan over the pain, but it is also important to be able to articulate what you want and where you wish to go.

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No Weapon Shall Prosper - Really?

The Bible says in Isaiah 54:17 "No weapon that is formed against you will prosper." Many preachers, gospel singers and Bible teachers have emphasized this text to us who have their enemies come against them. We sing this in our songs. We rejoice at what seems to be a guarantee that weapons will not assail us.

What Does This Mean?

However in the midst of our shouting, some of us must ask the simple question, "what does this mean?" Some of us make a simple statement that if our enemies weapons cannot hurt the true child of God. In that world the righteous are a bit like Superman. The wicked shoot guns at the righteous but the bullets simply fall down. Knives don't cut the child of God and the weapons of evil doers are rendered useless in their presence. Such a world does not seem real to our minds. It doesn't seem to make sense when we look at the history of the martyrs and it doesn't make sense in light of the Bible which lets us know that we will suffer persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12)

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Look To That Great Day

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Great Day,
Great Day, The Righteous Marching
Great Day, God's Gonna Build Up
Zion's Walls

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It is absolutely amazing that those who found themselves in the midst of slavery could still muster up hope. This hope served as a death sentence to hopelessness. This spiritual reminds us that the hope is based in God's future action. God is going to do something in the future that will turn around this situation we are in now. This something in the future is that "Great Day" we look forward to.

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A Long Way From Home

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Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
A Long Way From Home

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I love the spirituals because they speak truth even when it that truth is not popular or pious. The singer here is not afraid to state that sometimes she feels like an orphan in a strange land. Certainly this is not the only theme we find in the spirituals. There are times to celebrate the "Great Day." There are times to strengthen our resolve to "follow Jesus, no turning back." And yes there are even times to contemplate our Lord and his sacrifice by solemnly singing "were you there when they crucified my lord?"

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Jesus Is Knocking

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Sounds Like Jesus
Somebody's Knocking at Yo Door
Ohhh, Why Don't You Answer
Somebody's Knocking at Yo Door

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I like this spiritual because like many other spirituals it is tied closely to scriptural imagery. In this case it is the knocking of Jesus at the door in Revelation 3:20. But secondly I like it because the singer has an idea who is the one knocking. The singer thinks that the sound of the knocking is like Jesus.

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Gimme Dat Old Time Religion

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Gimme Dat Old Time Religion
Gimme Dat Old Time Religion
Gimme Dat Old Time Religion
It's Good Enough For Me

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Someone said "honor your roots." This is not to say be totally controlled by them. Neither is it to say that we uncritically accept everything that our past has taught us. However, it does mean to say that our past deserves to be listened to. We go to the Bible expecting to hear a word from God because it is here that we have heard God in the past and it is here that our ancestors went to hear God.

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Soon-Ah Will Be Done With The Trouble Of This World

There is something about Mahalia Jackson singing. Here she takes on a spiritual that has words of hope as well as reality at the same time. We are in this world of pain. Yes there is pain. Yes we will acknowledge it, but at the same time we say that soon it will be done.

No more weeping and a wailing. I will see those who have gone on. Ultimately I will see God. Yes soon this will be over. There is something powerful about those words. In addition, there can be no denial. Soon we will be done with the trouble in this world.

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Be Ready For The Opportunity

I, like everyone else, have been fixated on the magnificent story of "Second Chances" that Ted Williams gives us. Williams, to those few who do not know, was a homeless man who fell on hard times after succumbing to drugs and acohol abuse. He found himself living on the street after he destroyed a promising career through personal vices. But Williams, a trained radio announcer, thought that he would use his voice on the side of the street. Unlike other panhandlers, he would "speak" for the dollar that you give him. He would use his career even on the side of the road.

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You Can't Hide

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There's No Hiding Place Down Here
I Went To The Rock To Hide My Face
And The Rock Cried Out No Hiding Place
There's No Hiding Place Down Here

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During my life it seemed there has always been something to worry about. When I was younger the Soviet Union was seen as the great menace with multiple nuclear Warheads pointed straight at us. But the Soviet Union disintegrated and instead of worry free living, we moved into an era of terrorism. If it isn't terrorism, it is weather patterns. There is climate change and hurricanes that seem to get stronger while earthquakes proliferate.

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Are You Empowering Your "Haters?"

There is a term that is often used amongst many called "haters." Haters are those who don't like your progress and will talk about you as you ascend and may even attempt to derail your upward movement. The concept is not a new one in that in the book of Psalms the term that is often used is "enemy."

One thing that is interesting about the term is that we speak so tough against these "haters" and yet the large amount of time we give them demonstrate our great fear of them. Why is it that so many songs are talking about how we ain't scared of the "haters" or "later for the haters?"

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Using Others To Get What God Has Promised

When we read the story of Abraham, and Sarah, and Hagar we usually only look at it from the side of Abraham and secondarily Sarah. But the story really opens up when we look at it from the perspective of the female slave Hagar. Hagar's body was used by Abraham and Sarah for the sole purpose of producing a son. The outcome, according to the scriptures, was that Hagar mocked Sarah (Gen 21:9).

When we normally look at this scripture, we emphasize that the problem of disbelief can cause many problems for humanity. And that is true. This story demonstrates that a wrong decision can cause much strife for many years. Sometimes we do even worse and put down Hagar for "mocking Sarah."

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