The drums are calling
Photograph by Sean Nufer via Unsplash
Rev. Sandra Dorsainvil
There are some sounds that one never forgets when they fall on our ears. A few come to mind for me. The beautiful musical symphony made by raindrops on tin roofs or against glass bottles is one of those sounds. These sounds invite dancing.
The deep boom of drumbeats, especially when I hear them coming from a distance, is a call for and to attention. Each beat has its meaning, whether it is a call to gather or a call to take cover or a call that a new life has made its entry.
The prayer call heard around mosques reminds me that some of God’s beloved are called to pause and offer prayers. Whenever I have found myself visiting a city where that call to prayer has been heard, I join in a moment of contemplative pause. Some of you might ask why a Christ follower even pays attention to these calls. It is part of the complexities of my DNA and lived experiences. Our body and soul have a deep memory bank.
The ultimate sound that pushes me to stop, freeze, and temporarily suspend all activities is the sound of footsteps. They have their own rhythms on hardwood floor, marble, tiles, cement, and gravel. Footsteps bring to mind the image of small drums being gathered for a drumline. I lived that image when I visited the city of Montgomery, Alabama a few years ago, and saw the painted footprints on the crosswalk in front of Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church. My heart was flooded with images of faces of historical elders and colleagues who marched along the streets in Montgomery, Selma, Washington, DC, Boston, Los Angeles, Paris, and many other cities. I found myself pausing at several of the outlines on the crosswalk on Dexter Avenue, remembering and offering gratitude prayers. Each outline represents a person, a village, a sacrifice.
The deep boom of drumbeats, especially when I hear them coming from a distance, is a call for and to attention. Each beat has its meaning, whether it is a call to gather or a call to take cover or a call that a new life has made its entry.
The location of those painted footprints made me wonder if Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s footprints were outlined in that crosswalk. These footprints are our drumline. Dr. King’s handprints on the pulpit of the historical Ebenezer Baptist Church on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, GA are the gavel we hold.
The prophet Micah gives us a foghorn or djembe beat call: “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously – take God seriously. Attention! God calls out to the city! If you know what’s good for you, you’ll listen. So, listen, all of you! This is serious business” (Micah 6:8-9 MSG). How shall we respond to these drums?
As Christ followers, we have been called to share our testimonies and God’s good news locally and globally. In the Gospel of Matthew, we read Jesus’s charge to the disciples then, and to us today: “So you must go and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19 NIRV). Two thousand years ago, the drums were calling. How we choose to respond today is up to us. The ultimate question before us is: Where shall our footprints, handprints, heart prints be outlined for justice?
An ordained minister with ABC-USA, Rev. Sandra Dorsainvil serves as a Ministry Coach and Women’s Group Retreat Facilitator with the Center for Career Development & Ministry. Fluent in English and French, she has had cross-cultural lived experiences in several countries in Africa, Europe and North America. Rev. Sandra is a published author of three devotionals, “Walk with Generosity,” “Beacons of Hope” and “Luces de Esperanza,” as well as co-author of a leader’s guide for leaders of short-term mission teams of volunteers, “Short-Term Mission Team Essentials – Together on The Journey.”
The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of American Baptist Home Mission Societies.
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