Amen is an expression of approval or permission. It means “it is so” or “so it is" in Hebrew.
They say representation matters. It does! And it is good to see your story even in the midst of chaos. As an 80s kid, I liked the comedy, Amen. I could identify a few people I saw at church (even my sarcastic grandfather) on-screen Saturday nights. Even now when I watch reruns of the show, I still see more people and situations I can relate to my life. Decades later, I did the same with the drama, Greenleaf...Saw Me. Most people watch Greenleaf on OWN and saw a story about a mega-church family. I saw it as a love letter to church kids. A little note to say...We See You, Too. Because trust me when you grow up in church, people assume your story. They never take a full gaze at it, not even other church kids. And even as Adults, Grace, Jacob, & Charity Greenleaf still needed to be seen.
I've always thought of church assignments or positions as titled crowns. Some fit and some don't. Some are earned & some are taken. Some fight for them. Some can be taken away. Some are wanted & some are needed, even if just for a moment.
Poor Charity! She was assigned a singing crown, wanted a preaching crown(since the 1st episode), took the one she wanted, got it snatched, and eventually properly offered the crown she wanted. Charity's issue was how she presented what she wanted. But Charity had to grow up & grow into a mature emotional vocabulary. Just annoyed me that it took the whole show for her to do so.
The ministry crown fit Jacob, nicely. The issue was he didn't want to wear it as others wanted him to. Ministry is not all about preaching. And Jacob knew that and wanted to explore & work in a more benevolent position. It was that simple. But sometimes society's definition of success causes a fight with the meaning of the easiest things to understand.
Grace rightly had a pastor's crown given to her by the Bishop(her dad) and the church. She could preach the house down and pastor the church properly. But how long was she needed in that position? That's a problem everywhere. Needs can have time limits. And it's for us to hear the alarms going off.
And that's why I appreciate the show, Greenleaf. It could've relied on the rape & molestation, possible murder, IRS corruption, & infidelity in the church storylines. But it didn't. It gave the characters complex lives. More than the stuff that many think the church is about.
As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!!!
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