God's Trombones

In 1927 James Weldon Johnson published GOD'S TROMBONES - SEVEN NEGRO SERMONS IN VERSE. As Johnson said in the book's famous Preface, these sermons are meant to honor the American Negro folk sermon and the trombone-like voices of the great preachers who created, preserved, advanced and immortalized the sermons. *** Some scholars call this genre "the song sermon." Many agree that the song sermon is one of the very greatest contributions of American Negro Culture. *** Some excerpts from the unnumbered seven sermons: "THE CREATION": And God stepped out on space,/And he looked around and said:/ I'm lonely --/ I'll make me a world." ***** and from "THE PRODIGAL SON": Young man --/ Young man --/ Your arm's too short to box with God." ***** Also justly praised are the black and white drawings by Negro artist Aaron Douglas. His Prodigal Son wastes his substance in what looks like a Harlem "jook" or night spot. Douglas's Joseph of Arimathea is as black as the poet Johnson portrays him: in "THE CRUCIFIXION": "Up Golgotha's rugged road/ I see my Jesus go./ I see him sink beneath the load,/ I see my drooping Jesus sink./ And then they laid hold on Simon,/ Black Simon, yes, black Simon;/ They put the cross on SImon,/And Simon bore the cross." ***** A grand, very short little book. It inspired a short movie starring James Earl Jones. It makes for prayerful, meditative reading. -OOO-