Beulah Land Is So Far Away

 As I was ruminating over a Negro Spiritual we sang in church on Sunday, this piece came together in me.

Beulah Land Is So Far Away

Beulah Land seems so far away -
Oh, how I wish we could see her today!
Oh, how I wish we could see her today!

They dress so fine for Sunday mass -
But then when the Lord's day done pass'd
They change into their robes of white
To offer evening sacrifice.

Beulah Land seems so far away -
Oh, how I wish we could see her today!
Oh, how I wish we could see her today!

Their long robes gleam in the full moon light
A grim beacon in a dark southern night.
The dogs unleashed sniff well for their prey:
A man, a woman, a child along their way.

Beulah Land seems so far away -
Oh, how I wish we could see her today!
Oh, how I wish we could see her today!

"At last," they cry, "the ritual shall begin!"
The altar, a tree, in the woods now grown dim.
A running of feet to hail the oblation
As he's beaten and bludgeoned in gross humiliation.

Beulah Land seems so far away -
Oh, how I wish we could see her today!
Oh, how I wish we could see her today!

The altar is dressed with a rough twine rope.
The dark man's mind clings to Beulah's hope.
This night I will see her, I will be set free
He mused as they raised him up on the tree.

Beulah Land seems so far away -
Oh, how I wish we could see her today!
Oh, how I wish we could see her today!

Blood-thirsty men hoveled in the cool midnight air;
The dark man screamed as they castrated him there.
The cheering so loud muffled his cries--
The noose tightened quickly; blood ran down his thighs.

Beulah Land seems so far away -
Oh, how I wish we could see her today!
Oh, how I wish we could see her today!

Another black body offered to the god of hate,
Of murder and lust, of torture and rape.
They danced, drank, gathered the souvenirs
Of a Sunday service to be enjoyed for years.

Beulah Land seems so far away -
Oh, how I wish we could see her today!
Oh, how I wish we could see her today!

Sunday now Monday: they scramble to their houses.
To wash off the blood and make love to their spouses.
While Negroes mourned and wailed all the night
O'er what was considedered the white man's right.

Beulah Land seems so far away -
Oh, how I wish we could see her today!
Oh, how I wish we could see her today!

"Lord make a way north to escape this great horror,
For only You know what they might do tomorrow.
If Beulah land ain't our bulwark this hour,
Then, please Lord, give us the strength and power
To live outside Beulah's high pearly gates
And e'er get close to the peace that awaits."

O Lord, Beulah seems so far away
But I believe, I trust to see her one day.
I believe and I trust to see her one day.

Blessed Are The Peacemakers, For They Will Be Called Children of God

 

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. The Bible at Isaiah 9:6 tells us that Jesus is the “Prince of Peace.” He is Peace. He came to earth not only to bring His peace but to guide others into the peace of His light. (Luke 1:79) In His resurrected self, Jesus commands peace upon His followers. (John 20:19, 21, 26) The kind of peace Jesus wants of us and for us is not a superficial peace – one of quiet, pleasant moments. He wants us to have a “shalom peace”. Shalom, which is an English rendering of the Hebrew word for šālōm, means peace, plus harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility. The shalom peace of Jesus is all of those things: a peace that has the character of harmony – an absence of destructive conflict, a mind and heart set on unifying others; it is a radiating calmness of spirit that senses God’s presence (remember when Jesus used to seek out a place where He could be alone to pray to the Father?); it is a wholeness of a pure heart, having the mind of Christ, and a growing faith in Christ; it is a complete knowledge and confidence within our soul that we are children of the Most High, who lavishes us with the richness of His grace; it means to know that God will supply all our needs; it is a lack of worry because God is in control; it means that we find true completeness in God our Savior and Father; it is an assurance that God will not leave nor forsake us; it is true joy and gratitude that nothing can come to us without passing through the filter of God, who loves us beyond our imagination or dream. True peace is an outgrowth of obedience to Christ. This deep-seated shalom peace is characterized by patience and mercy, it is a shalom that cannot happen apart from Christ. (John 15:5) Peace emanates from a pure heart. We are to imitate the Lord and develop a spirit of peace as Christ followers – becoming peacemakers. Our influence must be one that gives off a “fragrance” of peace to whomever we encounter. Jesus’ Gospel of peace compels us to become persons who make peace and seek peaceful relationships with others in Godly agapé love. The Prince of Peace would have us choose our words and actions wisely; to “sprinkle them with salt” and to become “salt.” Salt on food and in food enhances the pleasing taste of the food, makes it a delight in our mouth. Thus, our words are to be so seasoned, to be agreeable, to encourage peace, not provoking anger or be insulting and dismissive. As peacemakers who are “salt” and “light” we are not to seek revenge but reconciliation.

  But know this because people sometimes get this confused:  There is “peace with God” and the “peace of God”, and they are two different things. Peace with God requires our confession and acknowledgement to God of our rejection of His Son, Jesus Christ, bowing before God in complete repentance from that sin and sins that derive from that rejection, in response to the Spirit’s call, and then receiving God’s forgiveness based on the sacrificial Blood of Christ; in so surrendering ourselves to God, He places within us, “indwells” us, with God the Holy Spirit (aka Spirit of God and Spirit of Christ). One of the hallmarks of the Holy Spirit is His character, of which peace is a perfect attribute; He strives (sometimes has to struggle so to speak) to impute that character attribute through the sanctifying work He performs. The fullness of Himself indwelling us seals us for salvation. We become the ”sons” or heirs – joint heirs with Christ; God adopts us into His eternal family, where we can then have the peace of God by virtue of His Spirit in us and working in us, and can enjoy, even hold most sacred, our full access to the Father. At our adoption into the eternal family, we become the “sons” of God whose brother is Peace. True children reflect their Father, our God of peace, by willingly choosing to be peaceful with others and sharing that peace. As peacemakers, we speak peace by the Holy Spirit, forgiving others freely, and touching the hearts of those who have yet to become a believer. (more scripture support: Colossians 1:20; 3:15; Matthew 5:23-24; Romans 5:1-2; John 16:33; 1 Corinthians 14:33) As adopted children of God, our brother is Peace.


Explore

 

·       At worship services, when we do the “peace”, do you know why that is a part of the service? (hint: it’s not just a greeting!)

·       Why do you think that “peace with God” must happen before we can have the “peace of God?”

·       Would you describe yourself as a peacemaker within your family, at church, within your circle of friends or classmates? Why or why not?

·       If your answer to the bullet above this one is “Yes”, how would you explain to someone what it means to be a peacemaker?

 

 Bonus: Let There Be Peace on Earth  -- featuring Boys Choir of Harlem; "I Speak Jesus" - Charity Gayle, Steve Musso