Thinking of a well-loved hymn, “Blest be the Tie That Binds”,…

 I wonder if that would have been a favorite of African-Americans in the early 1800’s,…

Having just marked Presidents Day yesterday, and still commemorating Black History Month, my thinking also includes our fully human, sometimes flawed American experiment. As a clergyman living in those times, would I have had the courage to stand up with the abolitionists, even at the possible cost of my life? The Presbyterian minister Elijah P. Lovejoy did, in 1837. Would I have stood with Frederick Douglass? Or with Daniel Payne, the first black Lutheran ordained in our country?  

I love reading about the Presidents and the Civil War. Lincoln is my favorite President. He was too devout of a Christian to have to lead our country through the horrific nightmare he inherited. He did not, as might be popularly assumed, run on a platform of anti-slavery. He “only” wanted to heal the union. It is astonishing to read quotes of his opponents, the vitriol and venom they spewed out against him. “Honest Abe languished for months over the wording and timing of the Emancipation Proclamation. He was in a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation. He remained tenacious and stalwart in his faith, believing that all transpired according to God’s will.  

I realize this may not be the most inspirational or relevant blog, but I hope it gives anyone who is still in a leadership role the confidence to put their trust in the one who understands our checkered past, our failures, and the perseverance that is made possible with the knowledge that we are unconditionally loved. I close with a portion of another well-loved hymn:

“Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come
‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”

Pastor Art