By Jordann McMahan
Have you ever heard the Parable of the Choir? It is attributed to Celeste Bembry and goes like this: “A choir can sing a beautiful note impossibly long because singers can individually drop out to breathe as necessary and the note goes on. Social justice activism should be like that.”
Over the last several years, I have found myself drawing back to this idea frequently. We cannot do life alone, and we cannot do activism alone. Especially when we are reminded of how bad the bad is, it is important to acknowledge the truth of both our personal limitations and our collective power.
“We Shall Overcome” certainly ties to the idea of collective power. With its roots in the 1700s, the words and melody have shifted over time. The first occurrence of “We Shall Overcome” being sung as an official protest song happened during a labor strike in South Carolina in 1945. One of the strikers, Lucille Simmons, changed the words from “I Will Overcome” to the collective “We.” As the Civil Rights Movement gained momentum, “We Shall Overcome” was established in the soundtrack of resistance.
As we prepare to join in worship this morning, how is your spirit? What has it looked like for you to take in the challenges of the world and your life these days? Do you find yourself holding great responsibility? Particularly limited? Somewhere in the middle? Take inventory of the emotions you carry in with you today.
After you sit in this for a breath or two, turn your attention to those around you. Lift up your eyes and notice the others on your pew or in the sections in front of or behind you. If you are worshipping elsewhere today, take note of the faces that come across the screen.
We gather for worship, and the collective “we” is sacred for Wilshire today just as it was sacred in 1945. Togetherness matters. In our hymns for today, you’ll notice the Triune God present in the various titles: God’s faithfulness, Christ the Solid Rock, and the Sweet, Sweet Spirit. God existed in community first and continues to do so, and the gift we receive each time we tune in to worship or walk through the doors is the reminder that we do not do this alone. We walk with God, and we walk with one another.