Good Friday beneath the lynching tree

Worshiping in a new way

For the first time in over twenty years, I participated in a Good Friday service that I did not plan. It was one of the most meaningful experiences I have had in a long while.

The Disciples of Rock Bridge Christian Church gathered in front of the Boone County Courthouse to retell the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and death at the hands of the civil and religious authorities of his world. We made several stops throughout downtown Columbia looking at the various ways that our society continues to unjustly crucify those made in the image of God through racism, imperialism, and other forms of injustice. At each location we heard scripture, sang the hymns of our faith, and prayed for those who continue to be affected by sin in the world. 

The location could not be more appropriately chosen. As Lily and  walked up to the courthouse we passed a historical plaque placed by the Equal Justice Initiative commemorating the 6,5000 Black people known to have been lynched in the United States between 1868 and 1950. At least 68 of those occurred in Missouri, including two documented cases right here in Columbia. One of those was the September 7, 1889, death of 17 or 18 year old George Bush. He had been arrested on charges of “mistreating” a White woman and was dragged from the jail by an armed mob, brutalized, and hung by the “good citizens of Boone County.”

Hearing Cone’s words come to life

This reality is precisely the premise of Rev. Dr. James Cone‘s groundbreaking book The Cross and the Lynching Tree. Dr. Cone was one of the founding voices of the Black liberation theological tradition and reading his work has greatly impacted my faith. He draws a direct connection between innocent death on a cross and the way that lynching and other terror tactics were used against African Americans to enforce racial supremacy, segregation, and slavery throughout American history. His work also provides a critical reminder that many of the White mobs were doing so in the name of the Christian faith. 

Most importantly, he reminds his readers that Jesus’ unjust torture and death at the hands of the state demonstrates that God is on the side of the oppressed, not of the oppressor. With Cone’s work in the back of my mind, it was impossible to not be affected by tonight’s liturgy. We don’t want to hear it and don’t want to be reminded of it, but so many of the same forces that led Jesus to the cross are still at work in today’s world.  

It is true that much of the injustice in the world is unintentional, but Good Friday reminds us that sometimes even our well-meaning actions have unintended side effects. Jesus addressed this when he asked his Father to forgive the Romans who had nailed him to the cross. They were simple soldiers trying to do their best in a complicated world and did not know what they were doing. This is true for me as well. I want to do my best in this unprecedented moment in history, but I know that I am not as smart as I would like and am going to inevitably mess things up along the way.

Sometimes I am simply too weak to carry out the things I know to be right. Jesus’ disciples betrayed him and fled. Tonight’s worship service in the shadow of the courthouse where people like me were too weak to stand up to a violent mob reminded me that none of us are as brave, capable, or steadfast as we think we are. Betrayal, fear, and selfishness can catch up with us all.

Finally, both the cross and the lynching tree are sad reminders that even as the instruments of oppression evolve over time; hate, anger, and violence are constants that reverberate throughout the centuries.

Not the end of the story

We closed our time of worship with a prayer for those affected by the injustice of the world. We acknowledged the tragic reality of sin in our world and asked for the courage to join with Jesus in solidarity with the oppressed. Most importantly, we heard words of assurance that the light of Christ will not be overcome by the darkness of the world.

To quote a famous sermon by Cone’s contemporary in the civil rights movement, Rev. Dr. S.M. Lockridge, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego, “it is Friday, but Sunday’s coming.”