Y’all Come

I've decided to quit trying to swim against the current on this one. I’ve decided to listen to the wisdom of that felicitous King James translation of Acts 26:14, “It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” I’ve decided to throw in the towel and quit suppressing that which lies deep within. Rather than fight it, I’m embracing it.

I'm embracing the word “Y'all.” I have now for several years. But even more defiantly and more recently, I'm embracing the phrase “Y'all come.” 

At the risk of sounding like Gomer Pyle, I think the word “Y'all” is as acceptable as any other contraction. I don't tend to use the phrase “All Y'all” except for a very rare point of emphasis, particularly when someone has been previously excluded. But, I'm all about the “Y'all” and accidentally used the phrase “Y'all come” this weekend. 

That’s when I knew I was doomed to say it. So now I’m embracing it. 

My grandmother used to say, “Y'all come see us” or the reductionistic, “Y'all come!” all the time. It drove me crazy because she'd say it repeatedly as people were leaving her house. At the time my thought was, "We just came to see you! It's your turn to come see us!" But, still she'd say it without hesitation, “Y’all come.” I would think to myself, “That’s something I’m never going to say.” 

Then, it happened. In St. Louis. Last weekend. We were saying goodbye to folks whom we had not seen for years, the end of the kind of joyful reunion that weddings can be on occasion. We really did want people from our past lives to come see our current lives and all of us were hoping to see them again. That’s when I realized I was saying, “Y’all come see us” or at times “Y’all come.” 

I was becoming my grandmother. 

In retrospect, I can see that she had a gift for hosting people. That would explain why so many family Thanksgiving celebrations were populated by a sailor from the Naval base or an airman from the Air Force base or a soldier from the Army base who was stationed nearby, far away from their home, and she had met them at church and offered them a family for the holiday. Most of them ended up getting free room and board for a year or so. 

When Margaret Adams said, “Y'all come,” she meant it. And now, despite the protestations of my youth, I'm embracing the “Y'all” and even the “Ya'll Come.”

This weekend, we begin our new season of what functions for St. Mark as “ordinary time.” On Saturday we will worship and our Youth Group will begin worshiping with us as they move their weekly meetings to Saturday evenings. On Sunday, our choir will be back in the loft, our children will be back in their Sunday School classrooms, and one hopes that our Summer activity travelers will be back in their seats. During worship on Sunday we will distribute Bibles to various ages of children and after worship we will have an All Church Picnic filled with good fun and good food.  

So, “Y’all Come!” 

Y’all come, just as you are. Y’all come, even more casual than you are. Y’all come ready for worship and a picnic. 

Bring a friend and make it “All Y’all.” 

And if that's not enough of an invitation for you, give this a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWn0HmvDexQ  

Mark of St. Mark