Dispatches from the Tent of Meeting

Rev. Dr. DeWayne L. Davis

This Week at Plymouth, August 9, 2024

“The higher you build your barriers,
The taller I become.
The further you take my rights away,
The faster I will run.
No matter ‘cause there’s
Something inside so strong.”

—Labi Siffre, “Something Inside So Strong”

At the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries (TFAM) Leadership Conference, at a morning devotion, the devotion leader who led us in a ritual honoring the ancestors and the Indigenous people on whose land we gathered connected the conference theme, Something Inside So Strong, itself taken from a song with the same name, with the hopes, aspirations, and resilience of the people we had just honored. She talked about that undefinable yet inspiring “something else” power that gave our forebears the courage to face impossible odds to make our existence and success possible. It was a reminder that we all, especially the oppressed of every time and culture, possess an innate quality of hope and resilience that fuels inner strength to survive and thrive, furnishing the answer to the question, “How on earth did they do it?” How did they endure the obstacles and challenges arrayed against them so that their posterity would have a chance to live?

The organizers of the TFAM Leadership Conference set aside the first day of the conference for what they called the “tent of meeting.” It is an apparent reference to Moses and the people of Israel, who pitched a portable tent set aside to enter into the presence of God so the people may receive guidance and instruction as they move on to the next phase of their journey. The sense here is of a temporary location, a moment set aside to be fortified in anticipation of growth, movement, or progress to the next phase of a journey. Whatever is next for God’s beloved community of the faithful, the path to our what’s-next will be filled with challenges and setbacks. In the pursuit of justice, in our service to our neighbor, and in our embodiment of the kin-dom of God, we will need that “something else” power that helped our ancestors and spiritual forebears endure for us to see this day and achieve a better future for our children.

In moments of despair, when the prophetic oracles of judgment and destruction warn that present injustice cannot endure without a reckoning, my spirit is lifted by a stubborn hope. There is a powerful ember of a “something else” spirit on the verge of igniting a flame of service, action, and refusal to accept the status quo. Despite the challenges, something inside us is so strong that it won’t let us give up. I’ve witnessed this spirit in our church, communities, and nation. I am reminded of the psalmist’s words: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble” (Psalm 46:1). With this divinely gifted inner strength, we can accomplish great things against staggering odds. May it be so.