Saturday of te Second Week of Advent

Lectionary: 186

In those days, like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah whose words were as a flaming furnace. Their staff of bread he shattered, in his zeal he reduced them to straits; By the Lord's word he shut up the heavens and three times brought down fire. 
How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!


I have been reading a new biography of Frederick Douglass, subtitled "Prophet of Freedom," by David W. Blight. Published in October of this year, it is hard to read of this prophet without comparing the pre-Civil War stresses of his time to those of ours. During the 1850's not many saw the inevitability of the war. Even when it began both sides supposed the other would immediately capitulate. The incident at Fort Sumter, though an insult to the Union, was hardly a major battle; the only fatal casualty was a horse. Why can't we all just get along?
But the tensions that had not been resolved by the American Constitution in 1788 had only grown as the Enlightenment ideals of equality, liberty and fraternity met the entrenched institutions of capitalism. They could not abide chattel slavery. Douglass, born in slavery, realized as a teenager that he was more intelligent than any of his "owners," and had as much to right to own them as they to own him. 
Attaining his freedom by escape, he joined an abolitionist movement that, at that time, favored dissolution of the United States. The Constitution, because it accepted slavery, was itself rotten at its core.
Although the Civil War was inevitable and it seemed to give birth to a new nation baptized in blood, nothing was resolved. Slavery became racism, Jim Crow, lynch mobs and the KKK. Terror became a way of life for a huge part of our population, even as secure white folks bowed their heads in grateful prayer. This racism persists in our penal systems, educational systems and -- most disappointing -- our churches.   
In many ways the United States, as one nation, is still confronted by its ideals and many citizens are still comfortable with an untenable compromise. 
Inevitably, there appears the prophet whose words are as a flaming furnace. 
We kid ourselves if we think that Christmas is good news for comfortable merchants, churchgoers and home owners. It is however an invitation to study the violence of racism and discover Our Savior in a desolate hovel.