In 1964 (in the good old days when I was an only child) my parents drove on a holiday from Orillia, Ontario, to Washington, D.C. I was seven years old. It was one of the best holidays of my childhood ... we had a great time! We visited the Ford Theatre where President Lincoln was shot and then we went across the street to the little house that they took him to and where he died. We visited the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Memorial. We went over to the White House and walked around it; the lineup was long so we didn't go on the tour. We spent a great deal of time in the Smithsonian Institute.
On Sunday we went to one of the corps in Washington, DC. I don't remember which one, but I remember this: we drove by the "black corps" on the way to the "white corps." Why I remember this so clearly is that as we passed the "black corps" there was a discussion between my Mom, Dad and me. I could see folks on the sidewalk and heading towards the building in uniform.
These were the days of the Civil Rights movement, and there had been quite a bit of violence reported on the news. I think my parents were a bit nervous.
It was the year after Martin Luther King Jr. had delivered his "I have a dream" speech, not that I was aware of that. I do remember thinking that the service at the "black corps" would likely be a bit more lively than the "white corps." I'm not sure if I voiced this, but I remember thinking it!
So as I watched Barack Obama deliver a stirring, if not historic, address to the huge crowd in Chicago following his election as President of the United States, I reflected on the hatred that has so long entrapped millions of people in that country and in ours. I remembered that Sunday so long ago and wondered how we might have been received had we decided to attend the “black corps.”
I thought about these words from the Bible: “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: ‘Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen’ ” (Revelation 7:9-12)!
One day there will be a great meeting of all ... from every tribe and nation. I’m quite certain that it will be a very lively meeting!
Major Fred Waters is an Area Commander in the Prairie & Northern Territories Division. Edmonton and the north is his perspective presently on family, friends and ministry. Fred enjoys outdoor activities such as camping, hiking and gardening. Together with his wife, Wendy, he has shared in the experiences of youth ministry, corps officership and administration.