The First Hillbilly Hymn
Last Sunday we were honored to welcome Nathan Evans Fox to Edgehill—first in worship with his hauntingly beautiful song “Hillbilly Hymn,” and later that evening for a backyard concert benefiting Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition.
One of the reasons I find Fox’s song so moving is that it brings God’s vision of justice to life with color and texture in way that makes me pause and reflect more deeply.
But there is another, much older hillbilly hymn in scripture.
Live performance of “Hillbilly Hymn” at Edgehill UMC by Nathan Evans Fox.
The Bible is full of hillbillies; in both testaments. There’s this one little holler called Nazareth. It was surrounded by the Hills of Nazareth. And there’s this one big mountain just south of town called Mount Precipice. Jesus knew it well—too well.
Fresh out of seminary, he preached his first sermon back home at First Church of Nazareth. He read from the Book of Isaiah:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
Then he preached. It was a short sermon. Only nine words: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” The church folk were incensed. They literally chased him out of town and tried to throw him off of Mount Precipice. He narrowly escaped (That’s not an uncommon response to a seminary preacher’s first sermon).
Nazareth was the backwoods. People asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Jesus was a hillbilly. His momma and daddy were hillbillies. Good people. Salt of the earth. And when Jesus’ momma got pregnant she sang that first hillbilly hymn. She broke out spontaneously, she couldn’t contain it--hope and joy just erupted from her:
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for God has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant. Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is God’s name; indeed, God’s mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
God has shown strength with his arm; God has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts; God has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the aid of his child Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise God made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.
Mary sang of God’s faithfulness; of what God did and of what God was doing. And about that day to come--when the Lord comes back--and every holler shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low and the crooked made straight.
When justice and peace shall kiss.
When our swords will be turned into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks and we’ll study war no more.
When God breathes life into these dry bones and makes them dance.
Mary sang that song with all her heart. And we hear echoes of Mary’s hymn practiced and preached throughout the life and ministry of Jesus. Jesus’ momma taught him how to speak truth to power.
We find ourselves in a difficult season. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by injustice; by division and hatred and violence and war. It just keeps coming and coming. It feels like we’re playing whack-a-mole with disaster and we can’t keep up.
And sometimes….sometimes… it feels as if the darkness has snuffed out the light.
We find ourselves desperately trying to cling to the good news Jesus preached in Nazareth fully aware that we might get run out of town too.
We wearily grasp for the good news of Mary’s song—that first hillbilly hymn—desperate, joyful, and defiant.
Sunday night’s concert was a light in the darkness. We gathered together in solidarity with our immigrant neighbors and glimpsed the vision Mary’s song casts: bringing down the powerful from their thrones and lifting up the lowly. In the words of Fox’s Hillbilly hymn, “praying for the mighty to fall or else there ain’t no use in prayer at all.”
Nathan Evan Fox’s “Hillbilly Hymn” Single Release Backyard Pickin’ Party at Edgehill UMC
We sang—and we sing—wearily, but defiant and even joyful, because our joy is resistance. Connection is resistance.
Rev. Eric Mayle is the pastor at Edgehill UMC