Lee Daniel’s The Butler giving new meaning to
servitude!
Recently I was invited to speak some words of
inspiration at my family reunion. I had
learned prior to the reunion that my great grandfather Doc Patterson was a
butler for a family in Cherokee County, AL.
Because I love to use movies in my sermons I had to incorporate Lee
Daniels’s The Butler into my speech!
After my words of inspiration a
family friend approached me about slavery, the Lord and how slavery could
not be a good thing for Black people. First off I never said it was a good
thing. Slavery is nothing to be glorified! Slavery was an evil event in the
history of the U.S. and Black America. I said that my great grandparents Doc
and Lula Patterson worked hard to give their children opportunities and they
did it as servants.
Humbling yourself to service in any
capacity is discipline. It’s challenging
and should never be taken for granted.
One of my favorite scenes in the film is when Dr. King tells Louis that
maids, butlers, nannies and other domestics have defied racist stereotypes by
being trustworthy, hardworking and loyal.
They maintain other people’s household and raise other people’s
children. They have gradually broken
down hardened and hateful attitudes.
Their apparent subservience is also quietly subversive. Being a servant you appear to have no voice
but in reality your actions speaks volumes to your service!
Through the film we saw examples of
servitude to different things for example, the master’s mother Vanessa Redgrave
taught Cecile how to serve her family in the big house and Clarence Williams
III taught Cecile how to serve in the world as a free Black Man. Louis trying
to serve his people by fighting against his country while is younger brother
Charlie was serving and fighting for his country.
Like Cecile Gains my great
grandfather wanted a better life for his children and he did what he had to do
to obtain it and so on and so forth. When you dedicate yourself to service it’s
a great sacrifice! You put yourself last to make someone else first!
Isaiah 53:4-5 speaks of the greatest
sacrifice and service to us, "Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him and afflicted. But he
was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the
punishment that brought us peace was on him and by his wounds we are
healed."
Isaiah 53:7 goes on to say, "He was
oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb
to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not
open his mouth." Cecile saw and heard so
much during his service in the White House but he never open his mouth to speak
against it! Cecile Gains affected change in the White House by speaking up for
the well-deserved raises for the Black staff.
Serving and service looks different
for people. Sometimes its quiet and
sometimes its loud. Sometimes it’s dangerous and sometimes it’s humbling. But
no matter how it is presented it still produces the same outcome…Change!
