Massa Robert & the Former Slave

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      The War was over.
 

      The worshippers filed into the large church, and as usual, the white congregation sat downstairs, while blacks filled the balcony above.

      The service proceeded, as services do, and the minister offered communion to those seated on the ground floor. For whatever reason, the crowd was slow to step to the altar rail. Suddenly, there was a stir in the balcony, and hushed voices urged one particular man to sit down, for a black man had stood up, and moved to the staircase. His friends attempted to deter him, but he seemed oblivious to their pleas.

     The white congregation turned, as if in unison, to see this lone black man walking down the wide aisle. You could have “heard a pin drop.”  Heads shook, and there was a dull murmur. But the black man continued his long walk, and arrived, finally, at the altar. The pastor was dumbfounded. This simply did not happen. This was unacceptable.

     The black man kneeled in supplication, and bowed his head. Not a soul stirred. The entire congregation was dumbfounded. What to do next?

      Now a gray-haired old white man stood up. He walked to the same altar, and kneeled next to his black brother in the faith. The crowd could not mistake him. His signature hair and beard were familiar here. General Robert E. Lee! He was well-loved by white soldiers, and black servants, alike.

     “Massa Robert” was showing the way. Together, the white man and black man received communion that day. This spirited old general set the standard for millions to follow.

     It’s not uncommon to see black politicians, nor black poets, nor black generals today. It’s not uncommon to see blacks supervising whites. It’s not at all strange to see whites and blacks worshipping on the ground floor of the same church.

      And as incongruous as it may seem, I think that General Lee showed the way. I believe that he set a standard that remains with us to this day.

By William McDonald, PhD. "Unconventional Devotions" Copyright 2005

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