"Somehow I haven't, with my scheming, screwed things up beyond redeeming and we're finally on our way.
And no, this isn't over. Hell, it's just begun! Hail the resurrection of the South's least favorite son.
It means I made a vow for better; two is better than one.
It means the journey ahead might get shorter, I might reach the end of my rope.
But suddenly, loud as a mortar, there is Hope.
Finally, Hope!"
Hope /hōp/
[verb] : to desire something with confident expectation of its fulfillment
What I would consider my 'favorite musical' is one that I have not actually seen in person, but I Hope to one day. Jason Robert Brown's Parade is based on true events in Marietta, Georgia, set in the high racial tension of the early 20th century. The Story opens on Memorial Day 1913 and follows the 2-year trial of a man named Leo Frank, a Jewish New Yorker who moved to Georgia to work as a pencil factory manager, who was falsely accused of raping and murdering 13-year old factory worker, Mary Phagan.
The score was initially turned down by Stephen Sondheim, but not for its lack of dark thematics. After celebrating with his wife, Lucille, about a death sentence commuted to imprisonment for life, Leo was kidnapped from the detention center by a lynching party and hanged in "that dear old Oak in Georgia"; the only antisemitic lynching in the history of the U.S.
His death sentence was commuted because, with the help of Lucille, he chose to appeal his case rather than accept his fate. He believed that his life, and the Truth, was worth fighting Hoping for. The lyrics above open the curtain on the moment that Leo received word that the governor decided to re-open his case.
In the end, Lucille understands that, though it did not happen as she had Hoped, Leo got what he was truly fighting Hoping for: his Freedom.
It brings to mind Stephen's (King, not Sondheim) words from his memoir, On Writing:
"...stopping [a piece of work] just because it's hard, either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea. Sometimes you have to go on when you don't feel like it, and sometimes you're doing Good work when it feels like all you're managing is to shovel shit from a sitting position."
Another favorite author of mine, Mary Oliver, asks what barbed wire Hope feels like in her poem, Rain:
Last night, in the rain, some of the men climbed over the barbed-wire fence of the detention center.
In the darkness they wondered if they could do it, and knew they had to do it.
In the darkness they climbed the wire, handful after handful of barbed wire.
Even in the darkness most of them were caught and sent back to the camp inside.
But a few are still climbing on the barbed wire, or wading through the blue swamp on the other side.
What does barbed wire feel like when you grip it, as though it were a loaf of bread, or a pair of shoes?
What does barbed wire feel like when you grip it, as though it were a plate and a fork, or a handful of flowers?
What does barbed wire feel like when you grip it, as though it were the handle of a door, working papers, a clean sheet you want to draw over your body?
Hope nudges us to keep going, even when it feels like we are sitting in a pile of shit.
But what are we Hoping for?
A Better Story, I think.
Leo died by hanging in a tree, a fate brought on no matter which way the Story went, but because of his adamant fight Hope for Freedom, partnered with the authors' incredible Storytelling, we are left with a much Better Story - a Story that didn't end with his death.
I've always been fond of the word Liberty. It has been a golden thread tying the events of my life together for the last 14 years.
Liberty /ˈlibərdē/
[noun] : the state of being Free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views.
Unlike the war veterans that were celebrated on that fateful Memorial Day in 1913, and unlike the men with their handfuls of barbed wire, the Liberty that I've been fighting Hoping for is not one of a physical nature:
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12, NIV)
Another translation puts it this way:
God is strong, and He wants you to be strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no weekend war that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. (Ephesians 6:12, The Message Translation)
How do I reconcile this verse with my God, Jesus, who would rather die than brandish a sword? And doesn't a life-long war with no respite seem...exhausting?
I think there is a Better Story here.
As I enter a season of exploring Truth, I am reminded of the words I penned about another war:
"It seems to be in line with this Upside-Down Kingdom idea, then, that Truth is not so much the state of things as they actually are, which seems pretty dark at times, but rather - Truth is held in 'the state of things as they could exist'. In other words, Truth is held in the opportunities to bring Light."
So let's flip this Upside-Down: not to be hopelessly dragged down by the raging wars of this life, physical or otherwise, but to search and Hope for the places where their opposites are not.
The opposite of war is Peace. And the opposite of fighting is Surrender, is it not? How are these tied together?
Okay, hear me out: It seems counter-intuitive to Hope for Surrender in the middle of a war, but such is the way of His Kingdom. Instead of fighting all the things that you aren't Free from (see: our sinful nature) what if we look for the places in our lives where we haven't Surrendered? The rest seems to fall into place, I've discovered.
I used to think that Freedom, especially in the context of addiction, meant 'being okay with not having what you desire'. I think there is a little truth there. But I also think there is an Invitation for a Better Story here...
The Old Testament Law (see: religion) is filled with oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, and political views. But Jesus stepped in to write a Better Story. It's a Story about Hope and Freedom. Rather than just 'being okay' with not having what you desire, what if we partner with Jesus to change our desires; to Surrender our desires in exchange for His?
So, what do you desire?
It's all too easy to desire things that are out of line with Jesus' desires for us. Jesus defines Himself as The Way, The Truth, and The Life: Goodness, Truth, and Beauty. Do you desire these things? An Upside-Down Kingdom where we love our enemies and do Good to those who persecute us? A Kingdom where the Truth has set us Free? A Kingdom where Peace is exchanged for a fear-filled, ugly war?
Leo's words above in the song This Is Not Over Yet, are filled with energy, not exhaustion. That's what trading fighting for Hope feels like.
A final thought:
Leo couldn't have done all the work himself sitting behind bars. He had a partner who advocated for him, his sweet Lucille. We also have an Advocate:
"The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; My Peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:26-27, NIV)
Jesus has appealed our case. The trial has been re-opened. And the war has already been won! Though a physical death sentence is inevitable for all of us, the Story isn't over. Hell, it's just begun!
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