The Thirty-First Epistle
Scattered
And Reunited.
DATELINE: Sunday, June 10, 2001.
By Rev. James R. Bingham
Special to corndancer.com
Posted from Memphis, Tennessee
Deuteronomy 28:64
And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.
Deuteronomy 30:3
That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
Jeremiah 31:10
Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.
Ezekiel 11:17
Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
John 11:52
And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
Summer seems to be the perfect time for Family Reunions. We chance to meet aunts we didn't know we had, uncles and cousins we thought might have been related but couldn't quite put our fingers on the connection.
Family Reunions make me think of days gone by, childhood days. I think about that shadowy figure of a person who was around and — suddenly — was gone.
Today, Family Reunions must include exhaustive genealogical explorations. My family historian is good for this. He has uncovered a very interesting story that links my ancestors to slave disputes, a rebellion, and mixed family lineage. To his credit, he has also linked my family to a very famous Baywatch actress.
Family Reunions have a deep-rooted Biblical, historical, and emotional significance. To say the least, it is just darn good to see someone you haven't seen for a while. Unlike class reunions, the bond and coming together of an extended family is of a different nature.
In class reunions I look to see how everybody has changed. Quite vainly, I wait to hear them say to me, "Why, you haven't changed a bit since twelfth grade!"
The Truly Uplifting
And the Heart-Wrenching.
At Family Reunions, you tend to reflect on just how did this man or that woman get into my family. Then the dark secrets and untold stories begin to unfold. Some are truly uplifting; others are heart-wrenching tales of tragedy and despair.
Then, there are those very special stories that just make you proud to be a part of your family. As I said, they can bear great emotional significance.
Biblically, Family Reunions bear a tremendous prophetic significance. The Motherland, or Fatherland is always a focal point for different races of people.
Before we go into this, I want to recall the lyrics of an old song. It goes a little something like this:
I want to be in the meeting,
I want to be in the meeting,
I want to be in the meeting,
When all the saints come home,
No more separating right from the wrong,
Church, I want to be in the meeting,
Around the throne.
It sounds a lot better than it reads. Yet the meaning is there. We all yearn to be connected.
Who Wants to Be Alone?
Sociologists say man has a gregarious nature, meaning we gravitate toward being together. That sheds light on why hermits are set apart for isolating themselves. Loners are seen as the best to be trusted with certain secrets. Who wants to be alone? God said it is not good for man to be alone. So, you know what he did in the week of Creation — and the rest is history.
Woman was given to man as a help meet. Genesis 2:18: And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. It says help meet, not mate. Mate is a companion. That's good, too. But God said help "meet," which in this instance denotes "coming together." Woman was given to man to help him "come together." So brothers, the next time your spouse says, "You better git yo' self together!" you can reply, "You are to help me come together." Give God some praise!!
That's what it's all about. We must all come full circle.
Let's put it this way. God has always worked a plan to bring us together physically and spiritually. Paul speaks of coming together in the mind. He says we must be of one mind and be of one accord. Philippians 2:2: Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
First, we must go through some learning experiences.
Deuteronomy 28:64: And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.
To Be Led Astray....
Or to Find
Peace, Love, Happiness.
We learn what the world is like. It's not all pleasant. We find that friends can be your worst enemies, and some people are just downright evil. Then we find all kinds of doctrines and philosophies that sound like what we want and need, but lead us astray.
On the other hand, we find people who are there when we need them. Sometimes they show up just when we think all hope is gone. It's a wonderful thing to realize there are people who care about the same things you care about; peace, love, happiness, excellence.
It's all a learning experience. Each episode brings about maturity and wisdom. Wisdom that leads us to understand that we must, somehow, put all the pieces together.
Together, that's the word.
Deuteronomy 30:3: That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
That's the reunion we're all looking for: A day when God will bring all families from all nations together. Uhm-m-m. If God has laid a plan for us all to come together in the end, should we make concerted efforts to come together now? It seems pretty elementary to me.
John: 11:52: And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
That should put a damper on separatism. That should make us think again on what direction this whole humankind-living-in-harmony-thing is going.
Why Seek Separatism
And Its Inherent Battles
When God Wants Unity?
I know we have differences. I know we have built defensive walls to protect what we think is inherently of greater value than all other concerns. Even so, we must consider, has all this knowledge been placed before us so we can continue to fight each other over that which will eventually pass away?
I give God the praise for Aunt Lillie, and Uncle Isaiah, Uncle Fred, and Son. That's right, I've got a cousin called Son. They are all part of the Family Bingham. Some live on different levels. A few might be movie stars, famous writers, and artists. However, and with all things considered, we are all family.
We are all family, neither bond nor free, nor Jew, nor Gentile. We are all one in Christ Jesus!! Isn't that what matters?
Give God Some Praise!!!
EDITOR'S NOTE: Rev. Bingham
can be reached by E-mail at
jamesrbingham@juno.com.
His phone number in Memphis is
901.785.5691.