Who's That Comin' 'round That Mountain?
Stories
Contents
"Who's that Comin' 'Round that Mountain?" by Frank Ramirez
* * * * * * *
Who's that Comin' 'Round that Mountain?
by Frank Ramirez
Matthew 25:31-46
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
-- Matthew 25:31
(This story involves the history of a song and it wouldn't hurt to have someone sing it. The minister should trust her or his own voice and sing out, but if that person considers it unwise then get the choir or a soloist involved, or project the lyrics and get the whole congregation singing. They will anyway, once you get started.)
Happy New Year! According to the commercials that inundate our television and radio programs, it's a day for starting over -- that's why there are so many diet and exercise commercials being broadcast right now. But this scripture from Matthew, about the great judgment and the king who comes to judge the nations, also calls us to reflect on New Year's Day and to take stock of what we've being doing, so we can think clearly about what we're going to do.
It's a time for midcourse corrections. We're on a journey. How's the journey going? One of the most familiar folk songs about someone taking a journey, "She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes" is a great way for us to reflect on where we've been and where we're going, but like all folk songs, there's a history behind it and that history calls us to look back, look forward, and look out!
Did you know this song was originally known as "Jesus Chariot"? It was one of the old African-American spirituals and was a song about the second coming, the return of Jesus. Listen to the words!
O, who will drive the chariot when she comes?
O, who will drive the chariot when she comes?
O, who will drive the chariot,
O, who will drive the chariot,
O, who will drive the chariot when she comes?
King Jesus, he'll be driver when she comes, when she comes... etc.
She'll be loaded with bright Angels When she comes... etc.
She will neither rock nor totter, when she comes.... etc.
She will run so level and steady, when she comes.... etc.
She will take us to the portals, when she comes.... etc.
As is often the case with a good folk song, the story doesn't end there. The more familiar words to "she'll be comin' 'round the mountain when she comes," which were first recorded by Carl Sandburg as a popular children's song, actually have a social justice connection that ties in nicely with today's gospel passage from Matthew 25. You'll recall that Jesus frames the judgment in terms of social justice:
…for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.
Well, many believe the newer lyrics for "Jesus Chariot" refer to Mary Harris Jones (1837-1930), better known as Mother Jones. During some of the darkest days of worker abuse, when child labor was rampant, and all workers, adult and children, were badly treated and abused, Jones overcame personal tragedy to become the champion of the poor and downtrodden. Her arrival at a work camp, when she came around the mountain, so to speak, was a cause for joy. People would indeed run out to meet her, kill the old red rooster, and have chicken and dumplings when she came to help.
New Year's is a time to take seriously the challenge thrown out by Jesus in this passage. Are we waiting for that Jesus chariot to arrive? And while we wait for its arrival, are we making enough of a difference in the lives of the downtrodden that people indeed will celebrate and rush out to meet us when we come?
Frank Ramirez has served as a pastor for nearly 30 years in Church of the Brethren congregations in Los Angeles, California; Elkhart, Indiana; and Everett, Pennsylvania. A graduate of LaVerne College and Bethany Theological Seminary, Ramirez is the author of numerous books, articles, and short stories. His CSS titles include Partners in Healing, He Took a Towel, The Bee Attitudes, three volumes of Lectionary Worship Aids, and Breakdown on Bethlehem Street.
*****************************************
StoryShare, January 1, 2014, issue.
Copyright 2014 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
"Who's that Comin' 'Round that Mountain?" by Frank Ramirez
* * * * * * *
Who's that Comin' 'Round that Mountain?
by Frank Ramirez
Matthew 25:31-46
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
-- Matthew 25:31
(This story involves the history of a song and it wouldn't hurt to have someone sing it. The minister should trust her or his own voice and sing out, but if that person considers it unwise then get the choir or a soloist involved, or project the lyrics and get the whole congregation singing. They will anyway, once you get started.)
Happy New Year! According to the commercials that inundate our television and radio programs, it's a day for starting over -- that's why there are so many diet and exercise commercials being broadcast right now. But this scripture from Matthew, about the great judgment and the king who comes to judge the nations, also calls us to reflect on New Year's Day and to take stock of what we've being doing, so we can think clearly about what we're going to do.
It's a time for midcourse corrections. We're on a journey. How's the journey going? One of the most familiar folk songs about someone taking a journey, "She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes" is a great way for us to reflect on where we've been and where we're going, but like all folk songs, there's a history behind it and that history calls us to look back, look forward, and look out!
Did you know this song was originally known as "Jesus Chariot"? It was one of the old African-American spirituals and was a song about the second coming, the return of Jesus. Listen to the words!
O, who will drive the chariot when she comes?
O, who will drive the chariot when she comes?
O, who will drive the chariot,
O, who will drive the chariot,
O, who will drive the chariot when she comes?
King Jesus, he'll be driver when she comes, when she comes... etc.
She'll be loaded with bright Angels When she comes... etc.
She will neither rock nor totter, when she comes.... etc.
She will run so level and steady, when she comes.... etc.
She will take us to the portals, when she comes.... etc.
As is often the case with a good folk song, the story doesn't end there. The more familiar words to "she'll be comin' 'round the mountain when she comes," which were first recorded by Carl Sandburg as a popular children's song, actually have a social justice connection that ties in nicely with today's gospel passage from Matthew 25. You'll recall that Jesus frames the judgment in terms of social justice:
…for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.
Well, many believe the newer lyrics for "Jesus Chariot" refer to Mary Harris Jones (1837-1930), better known as Mother Jones. During some of the darkest days of worker abuse, when child labor was rampant, and all workers, adult and children, were badly treated and abused, Jones overcame personal tragedy to become the champion of the poor and downtrodden. Her arrival at a work camp, when she came around the mountain, so to speak, was a cause for joy. People would indeed run out to meet her, kill the old red rooster, and have chicken and dumplings when she came to help.
New Year's is a time to take seriously the challenge thrown out by Jesus in this passage. Are we waiting for that Jesus chariot to arrive? And while we wait for its arrival, are we making enough of a difference in the lives of the downtrodden that people indeed will celebrate and rush out to meet us when we come?
Frank Ramirez has served as a pastor for nearly 30 years in Church of the Brethren congregations in Los Angeles, California; Elkhart, Indiana; and Everett, Pennsylvania. A graduate of LaVerne College and Bethany Theological Seminary, Ramirez is the author of numerous books, articles, and short stories. His CSS titles include Partners in Healing, He Took a Towel, The Bee Attitudes, three volumes of Lectionary Worship Aids, and Breakdown on Bethlehem Street.
*****************************************
StoryShare, January 1, 2014, issue.
Copyright 2014 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
