Wade In The Water

Scripture: Psalm 27

Song: “Wade in the Water” by Sweet Honey In The Rock

Meditation: It was common for enslaved Africans to encounter runaways at night in the brush arbors where they would gather to worship and organize away from the plantation. With the white patrol and their dogs on the trail, often an elder would counsel the runaway to go “wade in the water” until morning then continue on their journey to freedom. By waiting in the water, the dogs would lose the scent of the runaway. Waiting is often seen as passive. The kind of waiting in which the runaway slave engaged required facing one’s terror. Because to not wait meant immediate death. The elders knew that this waiting was as much emotional and spiritual as it was physical. To wait or “wade” required courage, to refuse fear, to accept wisdom, to outsmart the trouble chasing them.

Reflection:

1. What fears do you need to face and overcome?

2. How can you practice wading (or being courageous) in facing those fears?

About the Author:

Rev. Brandon Wrencher (he/him) is a senior strategist and organizer, trainer, and consultant at the intersections of decolonizing church, contemplative activism, and community-building. Brandon is the author of: Liberating Church: A 21st Century Hush Harbor Manifesto (Wipf & Stock and The Voices Publishing, 2022), Buried Seeds: Learning from the Vibrant Resilience of Marginalized Christian Communities (Baker Academic, 2022), and “Our Cries for Equity” in The Other Journal: Authority (Cascade Books, 2021).

Stay connected to Brandon:

FB: Brandon Wrencher

These Black Lent devotionals were originally curated by IG: goodneighbormovement.