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God in the Movies: Loving

Loving
Given what happened in Charlottesville VA last week, it was timely to be reminded of the true story of a couple who lived in VA, Richard and Mildred, who fell in love and got married in 1958 and by doing so committed a crime worthy of 1-5 years in the penitentiary.
only because the color of their skins were different
As I watched I was struck by the length of their struggle, just to live together as husband and wife, mother and father of their 3 children— as well as live near their families– more than 7 years.
It starts out that they are blissfully happy and then someone turns them in
someone told, and they become suspicious of everyone… It’s God’s law, the sheriff tells Richard
God’s law? I don’t even know what scripture they used to say that God was against interracial marriage?
They are treated like criminals
forced to sneak around to see each other, live in fear
They are given the choice to dissolve their marriage or leave the state,
They are told they cannot come back together to Va. for 25 years…. and for this the sentence of 1 year in jail is suspended
They are forced to plead guilty to a felony
They move to DC
Mildred is terribly lonely, city life… no grass for her children to run on
broken hearted
civil rights— Mildred writes a letter to Attorney General Kennedy who refers it to ACLU
they will help with their case, no charge

Mildred wants to raise her family where she grew up, she wants to live near her sister… her family.

Rich doesn’t care much about legal precedent: He simply wants to live in peace with his wife, in Virginia if they can.
He’s absolutely devoted to her and will do anything to protect her.
He refuses the invitation to attend the Supreme Court hearing.
But when Bernie Cohen, a lawyer for the ACLU and the man who’s advancing the Lovings’ case, asks Richard if he’d like to relay any message to the court, Richard says simply, “Tell the judge I love my wife.”
I see God misrepresented in the 1924 law forbidding interracial marriage
“Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.”—Judge Leon M. Bazile, January 6, 1959
These words, so ridiculous in their own right, are made even more ludicrous when placed against the Lovings.
They are undeniably one flesh, united in every way in the sacredness of marriage.
They weather every storm, because “many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it.”
Even their name seems preordained.
There are several scriptures those who object to interracial marriage put forth— Moses’ wife was of another race and in Numbers 12:1-15
his siblings, Aaron and Miriam, were punished for criticizing this interracial marriage.
The book of Ruth tells a delightful story of a foreigner who became part of the lineage of Christ.
The lady of the evening, Rahab, also of another nation, is included in the lineage of Christ as recorded in Matthew 1.
Colossians 3:11 makes it clear that from God’s perspective all are one in Christ.

The Lovings are an incredible model for a healthy relationship.
Their roles are traditional, but they are clearly equals, ebbing and flowing around each other.
It’s a love of few words, but they consistently put the other first.
The audience can see this unspoken affection in the way that they look at each other across a room.
God is present in this real life story in the fidelity of Richard and Mildred to each other… it would have been easy to give up for either of them.
God was present in the ACLU lawyers Cohen and who put forth their case and in the decision of the Supreme Court in 1967

I believe God is and will be present in the peaceful demonstrations people of many different faiths are making
as they stand up for justice and inclusivity in the face of previously covert hate groups that once hid behind white hoods but now boldly and overtly espouse their rhetoric wearing polos and button down shirts.
Change is never easy. God help us. Amen

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2016/november-web-only/quiet-love-story-speaks-volumes-in-loving.html
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/secularcinephile/2016/12/simplicity-key-power-loving/Loving

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