Ephesians 3:20 Encouraging and Empowering Faith

Reflections Upon Isaiah 40:29 - Part One

2026-11-07T04:18:14.529-08:00

Reflections Upon Isaiah 40:29 – Part One

“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might,

he increaseth strength”(KJV)

Have you ever felt exhausted? Have you ever collapsed and felt unable to move? Have you suddenly lost consciousness? Have you ever lost the will to continue pursuing your dreams and goals? Have you ever simply given up, accepted defeat and decided to retreat to a meaningless and unchallenging space in life? I recall being in graduate school with an ordained Methodist clergyperson who had obtained the Master of Philosophy enroute to earning his doctoral degree in Christian Ethics. Suddenly, he disappeared from school and his studies. A search found him working at a gas station in Upstate New York. At that juncture, he found the language exams insurmountable and his best efforts to complete research, drafting, editing and finalizing his doctoral dissertation proved woefully inadequate. After eight years of full-time study, he abandoned the program and went into exile, professionally and personally.

He left the trappings of institutional and formal religion with rites, rituals, regulations and perennial celebrations. He fled the academy of ivy-covered walls and centuries of traditions and customs. He left before receiving a parchment diploma inscribed in Latin with Old English font that certified his study, intelligence, academic rank and social standing. His exhaustion created hopelessness and helplessness which led to his exile. His resulting disillusionment yielded his acceptance of a job pumping gas, rotating tires, replacing brakes and changing oil. Unable to fail at those rudimentary tasks, he chose them as an answer to the previous questions.

Consider the plight of a second formally educated, professional and published gentleman and burgeoning scholar who found himself selling cars and insurance in the middle of his career. Duplicitous, imbecilic, irrational and self-loathing lay leaders in the congregation of his second pastorate conspired with equally dishonest and contemptible clergy colleagues to dissolve his pastoral call and terminate his employment. After an extensive job search in which he saved more than four thousand emails between employers and himself, he took a job selling cars. That job did not require any of his previous training and education. In fact, a sales manager who was half his age relished the thought that this man reported to him. The sales manager exhibited absolute glee in telling this man that he did not care about any of his prior achievements. “What is their worth if you ended up here reporting to me?” A clergy colleague who encountered this man at a funeral barely concealed his laughter and sheer delight that this Ive League educated man who thought so highly of himself was now selling cars.

One Thursday afternoon, as this man sat at his desk in the car dealership, he experienced a silent panic attack. Between his ears and with sealed lips, he began to shout, “I’m selling cars! I’m selling cars! I can’t believe that I’m selling cars!” Those experiences and myriad others verified that this man was living in a professional and personal exile. Car sales require a minimum of seventy hours per week onsite. A successful sale and delivery of a car added five or more hours per vehicle. The sheer physical exhaustion on an off day relegated it being meaningless. There is not any energy to do anything edifying. There is minimal energy to watch television like a zombie and fall asleep intermittently.

The sorrowful predicament of the disillusioned doctoral candidate and the bewildered car salesperson mimicked Israel’s plight during her exile. Following the Babylonian destruction of Israel’s history, religion and literature, generally, and Solomon’s Temple, specifically, Israel’s captives took her people into exile and scattered her tribes abroad. She risked the loss of her culture, traditions and legacy. How would the exiles respond to this attempt to annihilate their nation and heritage? Imagine the exhaustion of God’s people as they scramble for housing, stability and normality in a foreign land. They had traveled through the arid, rough and desert terrain of the Ancient Near East. They were separated from everything they treasured and found familiar. How could they dream? What reasons would they have to look forward to any approaching dawn? Were they able to rest each night as a midnight pall of despair and disillusionment surrounded their lives? Possibly, any thought of the colossal loss they experienced could cause them to faint. Realizing the extent of their decimation and inability to counter their Babylonian oppressors, the Israelites were helpless, hopeless and powerless. Bewildered that the God of their forebears would permit their conquest, they had no might left to explain their predicament or progress beyond it.

How could they respond? Ironically, the prophet, Isaiah, encourages them to seek assistance, reassurance and comfort from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who may have grossly disappointed them. Writing amid their exile, he offers this verse. He addresses their emotional, mental, physical, psychological, spiritual and existential states. They do not feel as if they have any power in any of these dimensions of their lives. It is as if they have fainted and lost consciousness and possibly the will to live. They have little to cherish or hold valuable as they strive to endure each day in this damnable state of exile. They lack any cognitive ability to imagine a future yet alone find meaning in their daily living in a strange and unfamiliar place. Memories of past sabbath dinners and holiday celebrations undoubtedly torment them rather than comfort and sustain them.

Reflections Upon Isaiah 40:29 - Part Two

2026-11-07T04:16:47.105-08:00

Reflections Upon Isaiah 40:29 – Part Two

“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might,

he increaseth strength”(KJV)

Visualize an average Israelite completing daily tasks but being blindsided by the past. While feeding livestock, plowing, harvesting crops or attending to other seasonal projects, glimpses of past pleasurable and enjoyable times flash on the canvass of their minds. Those favorable flashes of good times at the dinner table, in the temple, strolling the marketplace and strolling on a Sabbath’s afternoon soon evaporated in the heat of hard daily reality of oppression, exploitation and isolation. Nonetheless, Isaiah insists that God will provide and sustain them during this time of exile. Isaiah assures the Israelites that their God bestows power to them when they feel that they have fainted. God graciously imparts and shares divine power with His weary, powerless and exhausted people. For those who lack any human strength, creativity and hope, God multiples His power.

The two previous gentlemen could personalize this verse. It practically means that God will endow them with resilience to surmount their challenges in professional, personal and educational exile. He graciously conveys ability, creativity, productivity and endurance to rebound from adversity. The attribute of resilience empowers a person to withstand hardship and recover from difficulties. This characteristic equates with elasticity. Rubber bands depict this personality trait. They possess the inherent ability to stretch to their maximum limit without snapping and breaking. During a personal exile, disciples ironically experience God’s mysterious handiwork as His sovereign will permits adversity to stretch the contours of their personality. Interestingly, God utilizes disciples’ challenges and hardships to cultivate their characters. Elasticity means an object can regain its shape with greater strength. Likewise, disciples can regain their genuine pursuit of self-realization and achievement of their destiny. Resilience for the disenchanted doctoral candidate and unjustly twice terminated pastor meant God would graciously grant a renewed determination to them to persevere toward their dreams and goals in accordance with His will.

Discernment is another gift of an exilic period. Warren Buffet, the wealthy and well-respected American financier, once posited, “Empty the backpack of your dreams.” The context of this quote is important. I do not recall it. I encourage you to research it online. I imagine this sage businessman encouraged aspirants to divest themselves of presuppositions that are no longer helpful. An open mind, willingness to work hard and readiness to be versatile given global market shifts are preferable to remaining steadfastly committed to ineffective ideas. By emptying themselves of those presumptions in the morning of their lives, disciples have an opportunity to ask God to reveal the desires of their hearts to them. A time of exile can be a period of fruitful discernment wherein disciples listen for God’s guidance which will lead them out of their exile.

The doctoral student and former pastor would gain significantly were they to withdraw and transform their exile into a time of discernment. Within his heart, did the doctoral student genuinely desire to complete the degree and embrace a scholarly and teaching vocation? Did he possess a love of research, writing, teaching, mentoring, and publishing above other career opportunities? Was the former pastor better suited in other professional positions? Was he an academic who was mismatched with a local congregation? Did he belong in the hallowed halls of academe? Possibly, he was an organic intellectual and social justice activist whose talents, abilities and work ethic were more compatible with the non-for-profit sector? A time of exile and discernment is ideal to allow answers to these questions to emerge.

This verse borne of the furnace of affliction in exile offers enduring hope to disciples as they grapple with considerable loss and strive mentally and psychologically for renewal and restoration. Centuries later, we cannot imagine the height and depth and breadth and width of Israel’s destruction, captivity and exile. It remains immeasurable even to archeologists and anthropologists. Historians, linguists and literary types of all genres continue to share this powerful and penetrating story with us. Unexpectedly, a confluence of circumstances can emerge in our lives and parallel Israel’s dastardly fate. Should you have that experience, you can receive immortal hope and encouragement from this verse which Isaiah offers to people experiencing bewilderment in exile. Almighty God will give you power and grace to endure, conceptualize a future, seek restoration and embrace renewal.

Leesons from the Wilderness - Matthew 4:1-11 - Part One

2026-10-31T05:14:03.017-07:00

Lessons from the Wilderness – Matthew 4:1-11

Part One

Opening Prayer

Humbly, we approach Thy presence and ask for Your favor. Open the eyes and ears of our hearts and reveal unto us Your “good, pleasing and perfect will” for our lives. O most gracious and benevolent Master, give us knowledge of Your will for us and the mental willingness and spiritual power to carry it out. May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our strength and redeemer. Amen.

Introduction

Historians characterize certain years in the lives of past prominent people as their “wilderness years.” This period of life is a time of loss, separation, reconsideration, reflection, preparation and renewal. These popular and powerful people fall from grace, suffer defeat, experience tragedy or otherwise face unimagined adversity. A confluence of unfortunate circumstances appears to extinguish their flames. The glee of opponents drowns out any positive thoughts or affirmative meditations. These years eclipse heretofore magnanimous ambitions and personalities.

A few obvious and potent historical examples come to mind. Winston S. Churchill lost his power in the British Parliament and politics after the “First World War.” His wilderness years occurred prior to the Second World War. During that time, he and his wife, Clementine, lost a daughter. He retreated to painting as a creative and productive means of recovering from bereavement. Former political colleagues did not call nor did they visit. It was as if his prior service were an enigma. Interestingly, amid the grief, isolation and disillusionment, Churchill discovered an intestinal fortitude, mental clarity and inner resolve that equipped him to lead Great Britain through the Second World War. His wilderness years prepared him to rebuff the rising tide of fascism and antisemitism within the aristocracy and upper echelon of the British government. Countering internal and external opponents, Churchill fiercely fought the dark forces of Nazism which sought to subjugate Great Britian and the European continent. Nevertheless, those wilderness years of preparation, self-realization and definition of destiny were vitally necessary.

The impressive, controversial, prosperous and socially progressive administration of the forty-second President of the United States, William J. “Bill” Clinton, was nearly aborted following his defeat for re-election as the Governor of Arkansas. Political commentators attribute Clinton’s loss to his perceived arrogance borne of his personal intensity, unbridled ambition and unquestioned intelligence which offended his supporters and opponents alike. He maintained a clear vision of changes in society that he sought. He was impatient with others who failed to see his vision with equal precision. Assuming a utilitarian stance, he inadvertently steamrolled other politicians and citizens whose grasp of his vision was glacial. They rebuffed his haughtiness by voting him out of office. Clinton was catapulted into his wilderness years. In that existential space, he reflected upon his purpose and methods. He realized his need to modify his approach and relationships. He had to modulate his intense ambition. He had to learn how to respect people and effectively communicate with them. He needed to acquire a team of loyalists who shared his vision for a progressive American political landscape. He refined the grand goals he would seek to achieve. Lest he permanently derail his political career and diminish his objectives for helping average Americans, he had to recalibrate his aspirations and the means he would utilize to realize them. Arguably, as Clinton plotted his return to the governor’s mansion in Arkansas, he simultaneously laid the foundation for his forthcoming successful run for the presidency. He prepared himself for the debate about the proper role and reach of government in the lives of common citizens, healthcare, possibility of Middle East peace accords, fair tax rates and juxtaposing the war on drugs and concomitant crime with a fundamentally fair criminal justice system during his wilderness years.

His seven years of imprisonment in a Massachusetts state facility equated with Malcolm X’s wilderness period. In that time of incarceration, he realized that he embodied one of the biggest threats to the people whom he loved and for whom he would defend during the balance of his life. He appreciated that his involvement in organized crime made him an instrument of the oppressive system that he would combat. Rather than skimming off Black, poor and oppressed people’s incomes and livelihoods by running numbers, gambling, prostitution and other unsavory enterprises, he would become a herald of the truth of Islam and global human rights. Malcolm X saw that he had become the biggest example of everything that he opposed. That epiphany enabled his conversion to Islam. He prepared himself for life after incarceration by reading the entire dictionary. His later eloquence, sharp and laser-like wit and fierce polemical debating skills developed from his self-study and preparation. His prison years laid the foundation for the pivotal contribution that he would make to the expansion of global human rights. Challenging residents of the African Diaspora to achieve decolonization of “the Black mind” and international governmental powers, generally, and the United States, specifically, to relent in oppressing, exploiting and subjugating poor and marginalized people, Malcolm X was one of the most formidable spokespersons for a just global community, system and market that offers dignity to all people.

In today’s text, Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Biblical scholars ask students of the scriptures to forego Hollywood’s conceptualization of the wilderness. The special features and effects of Universal studios do not equate with the natural setting of the Ancient Near East. A wilderness that Jesus might have entered would have been an arid, wild and undeveloped area where berries and other fruit grew, water flowed in limited amounts and wild animals roamed. The Hollywood images of refined shelter, oases and manicured lawns after a brief period of settlement simply did not occur. Its austerity made the wilderness an attractive retreat for several biblical characters as they discerned God’s will.

The opening verse contains a fascinating detail. The Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to face a tri-fold temptation of the devil. The Heavenly Father deems this test is necessary to qualify Jesus for His public ministry of preaching, teaching and healing. The translation of test in this instance means to probe or investigate. The Spirit utilizes Jesus’ time in the wilderness to conduct a thorough examination of His character. Does Jesus possess requisite attributes to enable Him to conduct His public ministry, travel to Jerusalem, face betrayal, humiliation, crucifixion and death? Does he have intrinsic qualities and abilities to endure despite any adversity he encounters? The devil’s temptations expose Jesus’ character. God uses the wilderness to separate disciples from their cushy and comforting settings. In this terrain of testing, He determines whether disciples have begun to rely genuinely upon Him for their provision. Unwavering faith and steadfast reliance upon God’s faithfulness are empowering gifts that disciples receive if they embrace time and space of withdrawal in the wilderness.

Reflections Upon Isaiah 50:7 – Part One

2026-10-26T02:03:17.692-07:00

Reflections Upon Isaiah 50:7 – Part One

“Because the Sovereign Lord helps me; I will not be disgraced. Therefore, have I set my face like flint; and I know I will not be put to shame.”

A scholarly consensus considers the book of Isaiah as a composite work spanning the years before, during and after the Babylonian exile. The work of prophecy captures Israel’s history, religion and literature in three major periods of her development. The book records the progression of the nation’s understanding and experience of Almighty God within these three historical settings. How did the people perceive God during the reigns of Saul, David, Solomon and other kings during the temple years? Solomon’s temple was one of the wonders of the ancient world. Visitors came from all regions to behold that magnificent edifice dedicated to the glory of God. How did the exilic period in which a foreign nation totally destroyed Solomon’s temple, subjugated the Israelite people and threatened their history and culture change their outlook upon God? Did they blame Him for the possible annihilation of their culture? How would they preserve their heritage and traditions? How would God empower them to rebuild? Would He encourage them as they dwelled in a strange land? What guidance would He practically impart to them as they strove to protect their history, literature and religion by committing it to writing among other methods? Upon their return to their homeland, how would they view and worship God? Would they harbor a quiet and secret anxiety that He would allow them to lapse into destitution again?

This verse, thought to belong to the post-exilic literature, answers the last question and its countless variations. Imagine the people’s anxiety and bewilderment as they departed an unknown land that would never be home to them and traveled back to their homeland. Would the God whom they served and worshiped previously but allowed their captivity and exile be gracious unto them as they returned and began to rebuild? Would He allow them to be put to shame? Would they suffer greater humiliation than before? Would He spare them any possible disgrace? The prophet offers this verse as divine assurance to the people as they pursue renewal and restoration.

In the life of any disciple, there are years that resemble Israel’s trajectory. Life’s mystery, irony and complexity combine to derail personal dreams and professional goals. Zigzagging through life can happen more quickly and easily than a disciple imagines. In your twenties and thirties, you steadfastly pursue your ideals and grand ambitions. You may fail periodically. Years of study for graduate and professional school exams may yield colossal failures. Yet, the pilot light in your heart and mind remains on like an eternal flame. The desire to open a business can equally command your existential energy. Starting a non-profit entity to accomplish social justice objectives is another purpose that some disciples hold dear. Decades can pass but these ideals and aspirations remain. However, as time passes, a paralyzing fear might emerge. It may appear easier to surrender your lifelong ambitions to the fallacious notions that time is no longer on your side. You may encounter people who relegate your persistent aspirations as being a joke. Some of them may even laugh in your face. Still, you refuse to yield and resolve to doggedly realize your potential and abilities by fulfilling your dreams and goals. You are determined to achieve your ambition notwithstanding the threat of humiliation and failure.

For the Israelites who returned to their homeland, the prophet shares an enduring verse of encouragement. I discovered this verse years ago when I recommitted myself to a lifelong dream. I prayed to seek the will of God and ascertain whether my heart’s desire cohered with it. Finding synchronicity, I reaffirmed my decision to pursue this career objective. I would not allow age, the passage of time, twisted perspective of other people, social misunderstandings, internal fears or any other adversity to impede my intention to fulfill what I believed to be my destiny. Since the day of that epiphany, I have recited this verse countless times to encourage myself. I recommend it to you as a source of spiritual empowerment.

“Because the Sovereign Lord helps me” – The verse begins with a characterization of Almighty God as the prophet experiences divine love, favor and faithfulness over the course of his life. In Hebrew, the prophet specifies that “Adonai Yahweh, the covenant Lord” empowers and sustains him. This designation of the divine is not just another name for God. It expresses the belief in a monotheistic, self-existent and supreme being who is the rightful Creator and Ruler of the universe. Moreover, He is the covenant God who makes and adheres to an eternal covenant with His people based on His self-existent and infinite nature. Revealing Himself to Moses as “I AM WHO I AM,” the “Lord God” adheres faithfully to this covenant with His people regardless of their response and behavior to His appeal of unfailing love and enduring grace. The prophet reminds the returning post exilic people that the sovereign, covenant God of their forbears who sustained them during the most horrific years of their history will continually affirm, support and provide for them as they rebuild. For the contemporary disciple, He equally will aid and nurture him as he returns from the exile of wilderness wandering, aimlessness and zigzagging through life. With the Sovereign Lord’s strength and purpose, any disciple can achieve any dream or goal.

“I will not be disgraced.” – Disciples need not fear disgrace when they pursue to will of God and obey His guidance. They can retreat to God’s presence as they obey Him. God preserves the dignity of His servants. The resurrection is the surest indication of God’s faithfulness in maintaining the respect and honor of His obedient and faithful servants. Beyond the seminal event of the first Easter Sunday morning, resurrection occurs in everyday life. In God’s mystery and mysticism, He graciously transforms adverse circumstances into more favorable ones that will accomplish His will in an obedient client’s life. God can redeem any situation. The resurrection reassures us that He recalls us to new possibilities within the most disadvantageous and unfortunate circumstances. Accordingly, no one who seeks Him will be disgraced.

“Therefore, have I set my face like flint” – Flint is a hard gray rock that consists of pure chert which is a hard fine grained sedimentary rock composed of quartz. Chert contains petrified remains of rocks found in the ocean floor. This rock formation which has survived for four and a half billion years of Earth’s existence depicts the resolve that disciples can have when steadfastly pursuing the will of God and their dreams and goals. Note that flint survives in the ocean and rebuffs erosion over many years. Whether exposed to earth, air, water or fire, flint maintains its intrinsic core. The threat of earthquakes, mudslides, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, raging wildfires or other natural disasters do not diminish, weaken or destroy this rock. It is symptomatic of Jesus character. As disciples emulate the mind, heart and character of Christ, they develop a parallel formidable character that enables them to withstand any challenge or adversity. Character, endurance, hope, achievement and success combine and form a flint disposition as disciples commit themselves to personal growth and spiritual development.

Reflections Upon Isaiah 50:7 – Part Two

2026-10-26T02:02:02.333-07:00

Reflections Upon Isaiah 50:7 – Part Two

“Because the Sovereign Lord helps me; I will not be disgraced. Therefore, have I set my face like flint; and I know I will not be put to shame.”

As Jesus passes through a Samaritan village, he and his disciples face unprovoked opposition. The longstanding disdain that Samaritans and Jews had for each other probably explains this confrontation. Jews held Samaritans in utter contempt because they intermarried with the Assyrians who sacked their kingdom in 722BCE. Condemned as “half breeds” and not genuine children of God and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Samaritans were thought to be beneath Jews. In reaction to the Samaritan disdain about the appearance of Jesus and His disciples in their village, James and John ask if they should call down fire from heaven on this village. (Luke 9:51-56) Jesus rebukes them as they allow themselves to yield to the distraction of their anger. Instead, the evangelist records that “Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” Practically speaking, he set His face like flint. Knowing that Jerusalem would be the place where He would fulfill the divine plan of salvation and establish a new covenant for humankind, Jesus unequivocally resolves to complete His destiny.

Notice how easily the disciples became distracted. Their anger derails their focus. They lose sight of Jesus’ teachings and mission. Their impulse reminds us of the necessity to guard against distractions particularly favorable ones. Jesus’ clarity about His mission and purpose protects Him against the tendency to yield to distractions. To accomplish one’s destiny, it is necessary to avoid distractions regardless of how pleasant and profitable. It is helpful to write down your destiny and use that index card as a prism through which you evaluate any opportunities that unfold in your personal and professional lives. If they do not cohere with what lies within the four corners of that card, then deny the invitation and discard the possibility. Otherwise, you risk wasting time and diverting energy on seemingly worthwhile projects that equate with zigzagging through life. Instead, you can apply the firmness, inflexibility and unrelenting characteristics of flint as you progress towards self-realization and attainment of your destiny.

“and I know I will not be put to shame”- In the latter quarter of this verse, the prophet expresses a flint-like certainty of his ultimate triumph borne of God’s all-powerful help, covenantal commitment and unfailing love. He does not fear failure or embarrassment. Apparently, he does not entertain those notions. He encourages the nation to rely genuinely, steadfastly and wholeheartedly upon Adonai Yahweh’s unerring providence, sovereign will, covenantal faithfulness and enduring fulfillment of His promises. Accordingly, as they align their pursuits with God’s will, they can be most certain of achievement, success and excellence in their undertakings. Humiliation and suffering will not define nor characterize their future. Disgrace and defeat will not be their legacy.

Should you have a lifelong dream or goal wherein its pilot light has never gone out, memorize and personalize this verse. Applaud yourself for refusing to allow myriad circumstances to extinguish your ambitions and hope. Reinforce a flint-like stamina and resilience within your mind, heart and character. As you still have this dream, perhaps decades beyond your youth and its aimless energy, you greatly desire to accomplish it. Whether writing a book, composing music, traveling, earning a degree, engineering a public works project, designing a grand edifice, becoming a physician, gaining admission to the legal profession, buying a house, transitioning to a new career or any numerous other possibilities, resolve to improve your quality of life through achieving your dreams and goals. Withdraw from daily busyness, embrace prayer and meditation as pragmatic and effective means of discerning God’s will and requesting His power to accomplish it.

The Psalter assures us that as we delight ourselves in the Lord, He gives us the desires of our hearts. (Psalm 37:4) Discard the prevalent erroneous interpretation of that verse wherein God grants all items of your lengthening grocery list of material possessions. In contrast, this verse states that the Lord will reveal your deepest and most meaningful desires to you. The dream or goal, which refuses to disintegrate though the forces of time constantly combat it like a thunderous ocean wave bombarding rocks on the shoreline, is undoubtedly a desire of your heart.

Conceivably, Almighty God gave that desire to you because it accords with His will and your unique personality. You will only succeed at a job, task or pursuit if your mind and heart are in sync thereby cultivating passion and purpose that yields dedication to training, education and willingness to work hard. Those intangible attributes fundamentally determine winners and losers in the game of life. “Hard work beats talent when talent is not willing to work hard.” Pause and consider momentarily a few past failures. Were your heart and mind committed to what you were doing? Did the job align with your knowledge, education, training and background? Was it consistent with your personality? Were you utilizing your talents, gifts and abilities? Were you meant to do that job? Are you surprised if you failed at something that you were not meant to do? Consider the incongruity of being an Ivy League educated used car salesperson or a physician selling new cars? Darwin, a scientist at heart, previously served as a pastor of a local congregation before writing On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. Jonathan Edwards, the first president of The College of New Jersey, later Princeton University, and a premiere colonial America theologian, beforehand served as the Pastor of First Congregational Church in Northampton, Massachusetts. Three adversaries in the congregation who resented Edwards’ intellectuality coerced the membership to dissolve his pastorate. A theologian, philosopher and religious educator, Edwards had an impressive academic career. Mahatma Ghandi began his career as an establishment lawyer. Martin Lukther King, Jr. originally planned to seek a teaching position at a seminary prior to returning to Atlanta, Georgia and assuming leadership within the Civil Rights Movement. Margaret Thatcher earned degrees in chemistry and considered teaching and research prior to entering British politics. These prominent historical personalities pursued the desires of their hearts in accordance with their understanding of God’s will for them. They are powerful examples to contemporary disciples who retain lifelong dreams and goals in their hearts and minds. They encourage us to remain true to these illimitable and indelible dreams.

If you are returning to the path of your destiny after having traveled for years on roads that diverted your time, talent and energy, you can find empowerment, intention and resolve to succeed and excel as you apply this verse to your life. More especially, if you have been a victim of age discrimination or indifference of professionals as you seek to transition into a career that furthers your destiny, recite this verse daily to cultivate perseverance as God works mysteriously in the background. Hold unrelentingly to the promises of this verse knowing that God will remain faithful in assisting you to accomplish His will and fulfill your destiny.

A Finished Work – John 20:1-7 – Part I

2026-10-18T07:33:33.846-07:00

A Finished Work – John 20:1-7 – Part I

(Easter Sermon 2004)

Opening Prayer

Humbly, I beseech the gracious bestowal of the anointing of the Holy Spirit who breaks every yoke that binds the people of God. With all due humility, I ask that I would decrease so that You may increase within me. Open the eyes and ears of our hearts and reveal unto us Your “good, pleasing and perfect will” for our lives. O most gracious and benevolent Master, give us knowledge of Your will for us and the mental willingness and spiritual power to carry it out. May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our strength and redeemer. Amen.

Introduction

The smallest details are usually the surest clues that a job has been finished. If you want to determine whether a table has been set for dinner, you look to see whether the napkins have been folded and put in their proper places. The clearest sign that the dishes have been done is a folded and wrung dishtowel left over the sink. What is the major indicator that the laundry has been finished? You open your chest of drawers and find clean, fresh and neatly folded undergarments. The fold in a bedspread means that the bed has been made. I recall visiting relatives in Miami. These folks are meticulously neat and clean. They can spot a bread crumb in the middle of dark carpeting. Each room and its furniture have cleanliness equal to a museum. The smallest detail tells whether someone cleaned the room on any given day. Seeking to be a good guest, I resolved to adhere to their unparalleled standards of cleanliness. Each morning, after my morning routine of shaving, bathing and dressing, I made the bed. On the third morning, I learned that I was not making the bed according to household standards. My failure to leave a well-defined crease in the bed spread just beneath the pillows which yields marked fold on the sides meant that I had not made the bed properly. The lack of that side fold clearly exposed my inadequacy in making the bed. That minute and simple yet significant detail of folding certifies that a job had been completely and meticulously finished.

I. Carpenters in the Ancient Near East

In his research for his latest novel, The Weeping Chamber, the Christian fiction writer, Sigmund Brouwer, discovers a minute but tremendously important detail which demonstrates that the work of salvation was accomplished thoroughly and irreversibly. Brouwer became intrigued and obsessed with a seemingly minor detail in John’s resurrection account. He focuses upon the evangelist’s specific care in mentioning the folded burial cloth. John carefully specifies that the cloth is folded neatly and set to the side. It is as if the Risen Lord or an attending angel seriously desired that anyone entering the Empty Tomb could not miss this detail. Brouwer asks, “Why? What is so important about the folded burial cloth? What does it mean? What did it mean to John’s original audience? What significance did this detail have for them? What did they think about the cloth? What did it mean to them? What lessons did they learn or gain when they considered this detail? What message did they think that John communicates with this detail?” Brouwer’s questions fueled his research. He began to rummage any documents, evidence and sources from biblical times that would contextualize the meaning of the folded cloth.

Brouwer discovered that carpenters of the first century had a distinct method of letting their employers know that the carpenters had completed a job. The average carpenter in the Ancient Near East was illiterate. He could not leave a note or an invoice. As a result, carpenters devised a system of communication to relay the message of a finished job and to request payment. The carpenter would leave a folded cloth in one of the corners of the job. Following the building and sanding of a table, carpenters would leave a folded cloth perhaps sandpaper in the right corner. This cloth indicates finality and completion.

II. John 20:1-7 – The Folded Burial Cloth

Most interestingly, the Johannine evangelist shares this detail of the folded cloth in his resurrection account. In John 20:6-7, he writes, “Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying to the side.”

On the first Easter Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and the other disciples find an empty tomb with the clearest sign that the work of salvation had been finished. Like the good, industrious and faithful carpenter that He was, Jesus took His burial cloth and folded it neatly and left it in a corner. Thereby, He indicates that He has totally defeated death and built an eternal home for all disciples and anyone who would believe. The folded burial cloth demonstrates that “It is finished!”

This detail is more than a literary and rhetorical device. It is also more than an obscure detail that would be a detective’s delight. It is more meaningful than anthropologist or archeologist’s missing piece of a cultural or societal puzzle. In recounting the ironic story of the resurrection in which the evangelist assures his audience of Christ’s destruction of death, John eloquently embeds this invaluable detail to depict the Lord’s mission and purpose. Detailing the presence, shape and position of the burial cloth reflects Christ’s complete salvific work in establishing the kingdom of God on Earth and laying the foundation of the Church through His three and half years of preaching, teaching and healing particularly to the apostles and the seventy followers.

In the eleventh chapter of the Gospel of John, the evangelist records the resurrection of Lazarus, a common man in historical era. Jesus miraculously recalls Lazarus to life within a graveyard, the setting of death’s irreversible finality. This scene of the empty tomb at the end of the Gospel in which Peter and John discover Jesus’ resurrection extends the blessing of this miracle to anyone who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Mentioning the burial cloth laying aside equates with the removal of Lazarus’ grave clothes. Existentially, the Lord removes any adherent’s grave clothes or possible death. The symbolism of the burial cloth makes this divine promise accessible to an average person in biblical times and even today.

Singularly and uniquely, the Johannine evangelist includes this detail of the folded cloth in his resurrection account. Most readers of the Fourth Gospel often overlook this small yet significant detail. It is a potent and penetrating literary device that reflects the evangelist’s theological perspective. John notes, “Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside.” It is a significant fact that each of the four gospel writers emphasize that the disciples discover an empty tomb. Their bewilderment creates questions about the whereabouts of Jesus’ body. Where was it? Its absence did not make sense as it was not naturally possible. Did these early witnesses to the empty tomb immediately recall Jesus’ prior teachings about the resurrection? “Destroy this temple and I will build it back in three days.” “The Son of Man will go with you to Jerusalem where He will be crucified but I will rise again on the third day.” John unlike his synoptic counterparts combines these two important details to remind his readers of Christ’s salvific purpose as evidenced in the incarnation, atonement, crucifixion and resurrection.

“He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying on the side.” On the first Easter Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and the other disciples find an empty tomb and the clearest sign that Jesus had accomplished the Father’s grand plan of salvation for humankind. The work of salvation had been finished. Customarily, in the Ancient Near East, carpenters left neatly folded cloths in the corner of table as a sign that they had completed the task for which they had been hired. Unlike today, carpenters did not return to a truck, write out an invoice and give it to the customer. Quite possibly, illiteracy contributed to the practice of folded cloths as the average person would not have had facility in language arts and an alphabet.

Parenthetically, “illiteracy” in that sense and historical period would differ significantly from any contemporary use of the word. During biblical times, people had substantial memories. They transmitted knowledge orally. Major classical books such as Beowulf, Odyssey and Iliad and even the Bible itself was transferred generationally and orally. Hence, the phrase, “knowing by heart,” became prevalent. Old Testament authors exhort their readers to recite scriptures throughout the day. Nonetheless, people who lived in the ancient world were “illiterate” but not necessarily uneducated.

A Finished Work – John 20:1-7 – Part II

2026-10-18T07:32:08.024-07:00

A Finished Work – John 20:1-7 – Part II

(Easter Sermon 2004)

Essentially, the folded cloth which legend holds of the sacred, “Shroud of Turin,” that covered Jesus’ face is found lying aside separate from the other burial clothes. Presumably in the wee hours of the morning during the fourth watch of the night when we believe the actual resurrection occurred; Jesus rose from the dead. Like the good, industrious and faithful carpenter that He was, Jesus took His burial, cloth and folded it neatly and left it in a corner. Thereby, He indicates that he totally defeated death and built an eternal home for all believers.

Rather than building a glorious and grand edifice, Jesus builds the church, ecclesia, the confessional community of disciples who devote their lives to studying and implementing Christ’s teachings. These persons proactively dedicate their lives to Christ and elect to live according to His teachings and principles regardless of the social mores and cultural norms of the dominant culture in which they live. The Fourth Evangelist uses the detail of the folded cloth to dramatically depict the purpose of Jesus’ incarnation. He builds the church upon the foundation of His sinless life as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” He spends three and a half years in a seminar with the disciples wherein He teaches them the principles of the kingdom of God. Succinctly, Jesus teaches the “new Law of God’s love” as an expansion of the Torah. The “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew and the “Sermon on the Plain” in Luke crystalize this teaching. Although he was a carpenter by trade, Jesus possesses an incredible insight into the laws and character of God. His three and half years of public ministry with an especial concentration upon the twelve disciples with an inner circle of Peter, James and John prioritized building a foundation for the church and expanding kingdom of God.

That folded burial cloth demonstrated the saying on the cross, “It is finished!” It signified the completion of Christ’s earthly mission and purpose. He conquers death which biblical authors describe as the final enemy. More importantly, Jesus liberates humankind to live freely, happily and joyously to the glory of Almighty God. The fear of death imprisons countless persons. Fundamentalist religion becomes a glorified penitentiary for many disciples as they misguidedly assume they must earn God’s approval and grace through strict adherence to rituals, rites and creeds. The elder brother in the “Parable of the Prodigal Son” remains the enduring archetype of the self-righteous religious person who lives as a slave to dogma, orthodoxy and religiosity rather than a son. Jesus personifies the necessity of seeking a vibrant relationship with God rather than utilizing religion to justify yourself before God.

You recall in the temple scene when Jesus overturns the money changers and accuses them of defiling the house of prayer and transforming it into a den of thieves. That provocative act demonstrates the fallacy of religion. Therein, Jesus condemns the longstanding practice of the hereditary priesthood of manipulating religious practices such as sacrifices to exploit the masses. Jesus in contrast encourages listeners to investigate the Law and Prophets and find God. He summarizes the Law in His reply to the rich young ruler by stating “The Great Commandment.” “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Jesus further states that the entire Law and teachings of the Prophets rest upon the foundation of the “New Law of Love.” The folded burial cloth represents the final act of completion and construction of the church.

Notwithstanding the seminars with Jesus over an extended period of years, His followers misinterpreted Jesus’ purpose and mission. They assumed that Jesus would use His divine and miraculous powers to overthrow Rome militarily and politically. They anticipated the restoration of Israel to the glory days of Kings David and Solomon. Members of the inner circle, Peter, James and John, asked for coveted positions in the kingdom of Christ. They asked to sit on His left and right hands. In today’s terms, they joined the presidential campaign expecting victory and prized Presidential Cabinet positions. It was as if one brother sought a guarantee of becoming the US Secretary of State and the other desired assurance of being the Secretary of Defense or Treasury. I suggest we extend some forgiveness and graciousness to those disciples instead of judging them for being selfish. For centuries, these people expected the return of a Davidic Messiah who would erase the longstanding degradation of Israel emerging from the Assyrian sacking in 722 BCE and the Babylonian captivity in 587 BCE. Those colossal destructive events permanently injured Israel’s collective psyche. The presence of Roman soldiers in their neighborhoods and the priesthood’s subjugation to the government were the latest iteration of Israel’s loss of standing. Tax collectors were reviled by the average Israelite as they disdained any brother who would assist the Romans in exacting tribute on behalf of the Roman oppressors.

Nevertheless, Jesus’ followers resolve that He would employ His divine abilities to achieve a seminal political victory that eluded them for centuries. Yet, they failed to understand that Jesus’ kingdom would not rely upon political, military and economic power. Instead, it would usher in an age in which God’s love would surpass human might. It would reorient society’s values and priorities. Humankind would begin to share God’s love with each and extend to each other the same consideration that they want. Ideally, they would codify these new spiritual principles into law and daily living. This renaissance of religion would fulfill the grandiloquent vision of the Old Testament prophets. Yet, Jesus’ followers fail to comprehend the vision of God’s kingdom. Though they did not see the kingdom which Jesus details, He takes the time to fold his burial cloth to verify His accomplishment of eternal salvation for all disciples by irrevocably destroying death.

The evangelist cautions against excessive spiritualizing of his Gospel. He desires that his readers personalize the message by applying it within their daily living and internalizing its principles. Henceforth, their choices in professional and personal relationships would redefine social structures, allocation of resources, coalitions in governance and redirect religious devotion toward a relationship with Almighty God. Biblical scholars and commentators divide the Gospel of John into main parts: “The Book of Signs – Chapters One to Eleven” which culminates in the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead and “The Book of Glory – Chapters Twelve to Twenty-two” which records Jesus’ ascendancy as the “Son of the Living God” who redeems humankind through His glorification through crucifixion, death and resurrection. Jesus’ final miraculous sign occurs in a quaint cemetery on the outskirts of Bethany. Surrounded by a small crowd of mourners, He fantastically raises Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, from the dead after four days of decomposition and entombment.

That final sign offers enduringly earthly hope to disciples and anyone who has faith that he or she can experience resurrection from existential death. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus assures the disciples that they possess the power to triumph over any adversity. Defeat and failure emerge in myriad ways from unprofitable and insolvent businesses to loss championship games to unjust termination of a job to bitter and inexplicable divorce. Wrongful conviction and unjust incarceration additionally contribute to death and destruction of the nearly 250,000 persons whom advocates for criminal justice reform posit are languishing in the nation’s prisons. This dastardly fact reflects the paralysis that a considerable number of people experience considering the possibility that they may not have committed the crimes for which they have been imprisoned. Alcoholism and other types of addictions are kinds of existential death as victims cease to live meaningfully while ensnared to mental, spiritual and physical obsessions to drinking, narcotics, eating, sex, gambling, debt and other compulsions. Such people disregard all other people and purposes in their lives. Loveless relationships and marriages can morph into types of relational and experiential death. The past hurt and pain that result create resentment, anger, bitterness and strife. Those toxic emotions kill creativity, happiness and joy. If people on that side of unrequited love do not progress toward forgiveness of the persons who rejected their affection, they die daily. Dickens’ indelible character, Miss Havisham, in Great Expectations remains the archetype of a scorned, unrepentant, exceedingly bitter and lifeless victim of unrequited love. Throughout life, disciples and others swing along the pendulum of these regrettable experiences. The resurrection of Lazarus, a common name in the Ancient Near East, in a nondescript graveyard on the outskirts of town promises resurrection to anyone who believes. The promise of Christianity and the assurance of resurrection is a gift for disciples.

A Finished Work – John 20:1-7 – Part III

2026-10-18T07:31:05.181-07:00

A Finished Work – John 20:1-7 – Part III

(Easter Sermon 2004)

Existential death can be extremely costly. Humankind lost the last poem that Paul Laurence Dunbar composed. The venerable African American poet whose brief life spanned the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the opening years of the twentieth century, 1872-1906. Legendarily, the first major African American poet born less than twenty years after the end of slavery, Dunbar succumbed to tuberculosis at an early age. Yet, he left an incalculable and enduring body of work and legacy with works consistently included in anthologies of American poetry. Following his untimely death, Dunbar’s mother turned his room into a shrine to memorialize her son’s poetic and literary contributions. She insisted that the furnishings and other items remain intact just as they were on the day of Dunbar’s death. She would not allow anything to be moved or altered in any way. Incidentally, Dunbar’s framed last poem was placed on his desk at an angle that eventually resulted in the sun bleaching it. Therein, his final composition was lost to posterity and us. Mrs. Dunbar’s grief over the loss of her beloved son led to an existential death which indirectly created an even greater loss to humankind.

Many people live in the graveyards of past sins, failures, defeats and mistakes. We essentially are existentially dead. The odor and stench of death surround us. We suffer from “stinking thinking” as doubt, cynicism, toxicity, negativity, gloom and doom permeate our minds and penetrate our hearts. We ask the pivotal question of faith in difficult and inexplicable times. “Where is God?”

I. Fulfillment of the Earthly and Eternal Destiny of the Lord Jesus Christ

In John 19:30. as he dies on the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ says, “It is finished.” The evangelist further records, “Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” With His atoning death which is the sacrifice of His life as the propitiatory “Lamb of God without blemish or defect,” Jesus finishes the work of salvation. He fills the chasm between Creator and creatures. He reverses the curses, condemnations and separation of Eden. He restores the relationship between God and humankind to its status before sin, infidelity and rebellion of the Fall of humankind.

In so doing, Jesus becomes the “Second Adam” who begins a new life for any who believes in His salvific work (1 Corinthians 15:21-23). He inaugurates a totally new creation. Thereby, Jesus offers a fresh start to everyone who believes in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). Essentially, Jesus cries, “It is finished!” to assure us that every detail of both His earthly and eternal destiny is now complete.

II. Rejoice Over the Folded Burial Cloth

Today, we rejoice over the folded burial cloth. It assures us that death does not possess any lasting power over us. We share the hope of the resurrection from the dead. Hallelujah! The Lord Jesus is “the first fruits” of those raised from the dead. As the “Second Adam” of a new creation, Jesus finishes building an eternal home for all believers (John 14:2-3). We have a reserved place in the heavenly realms. Death cannot prevent us from arriving there safely. There is enough space for everyone. In a sense, Jesus builds and completes a new ark on which all of God’s children can board enroute to the New Jerusalem.

Practically speaking, this revelation of the folded burial cloth liberates us to pursue any dream or goal that accords with God’s “good, pleasing and perfect” will. In the end, failure, disappointment, defeat and even death itself cannot conquer us. The folded burial cloth reminds us that we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us eternally (Romans 8:28-29). We need not live in fear or loss. We will win no matter what happens! The folded burial cloth is the surest sign that victory is always embedded in effort. Therefore, we freely pursue our visions and ambitions with the blessed assurance of God’s gracious bestowal of triumph in all things.

I hope that the revelation of this embedded detail in the resurrection account gives you a new appreciation for Easter. I hope that we cease and desist with the perennial fashion parade in the Church. Also, I trust that we will forsake the tradition of ritual, repetition and religion this Sunday. Instead, I pray that we will realize that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us. Accordingly, the folded cloth enables us to live to the fullest. It empowers us to realize the potential of our talents, abilities, natural endowments and personal application. Easter is more than a religious celebration that follows a weekend of sales and pagan customs. It is the annual reminder to the believer that God in Christ conquers death. Thereby, He eliminates the fear that so easily entangles and the sin that so easily burdens us. This Easter let us worship in this blessed assurance.

Grace for Us

Personalize the resurrection. The Lord Jesus Christ calls all of us forth from the dead as He called Lazarus from the grave. He calls us to a process of growth. Christian discipleship is journey that begins with personal transformation. A person sheds self-seeking and self-centered living and progresses toward a life of Christian integrity wherein the Lord’s teachings and principles cohere with your daily actions and practical choices. Resurrection unfolds in everyday life as disciples commit to personal development and spiritual growth.

The resurrection is the supreme act of divine redemption and renewal. Almighty God raises Jesus from the dead and redeems His life. In the crucifixion, the Roman government discarded Jesus of Nazareth as a common insurrectionist whose life held no intrinsic value. They deemed him to be a gadfly of political irritation without whom the world would be a better place. They exchange him for a known insurrectionist, Barabbas. Nonetheless, God, the Father Almighty, resurrects Jesus from the dead. This foundational theme of Christianity translates into cumulative and complex challenges that disciples face daily. Regardless of how formidable any personal adversity may be, Almighty God can redeem any situation. In the idiom of the Black Church in which I was reared and taught the Christian faith, “God will make a way.” The resurrection reminds us that God can redeem and renew any human situation.

Fortuitously, the resurrection is the answer to human fear which plagues and paralyzes disciples. Grounded in irrationality and ignorance, fear corrodes any possibility of enjoying a happy, joyous and free life that God offers. Penetrating and paralyzing fear robs countless people of enjoying the unique gift of life that God gives to everyone. Each person receives the incalculable gift of a unique and unparalleled life from the Creator. The dawn of each day begins another twenty-four cycle of an unfolding miracle wherein each person participates in experiences, mysteries and joys of being alive. However, fear especially the fear of death prevents people from discerning their destiny and attaining self-realization in which they unconditionally accept themselves as God does and willingly strive to live authentically. The foundational belief in the resurrection of Christ liberates disciples from the fear of physical death and fear of existential death. Resurrection means redemption, reframing, reimaging and renewal are always possible. These are effective responses to chaos, disorganization and lack of equilibrium in daily challenges.

Resurrection empowers disciples to surmount any baggage of the past. Retention of unconfessed sins, accompanying guilt and regret, failure to repent and an inability to persevere despite past experiences whether misguided decisions or unfortunate circumstances culminate in a herculean weight impedes personal and spiritual growth. Toxic emotions and cumulative formative trauma combine to entomb anyone who harbors or nurtures these emotions and relive these experiences. Fortunately, resurrection empowers disciples and recalls them to new life. As the Lord instructs the observers of Lazarus’ resurrection, “take off the grave clothes and let him go.” (John 11:44) Jesus issues that directive after telling them to take away the stone that held Lazarus in the tomb. Applying the Christian concept of resurrection equips disciples to distill these emotions and experiences thereby utilizing them as a means of character development and spiritual maturity. This empowering concept necessitates acceptance of any past or present circumstances. Coupled with humility, gratitude and genuine reliance upon God’s faithfulness, acceptance allows disciples to receive wisdom, discernment and revelation from the Holy Spirit and mentoring from elder disciples as practical means of redeeming challenging experiences. This affirmation and support greatly assist disciples as they commit to further growth and new life.

A Finished Work – John 20:1-7 – Part IV

2026-10-18T07:30:12.042-07:00

A Finished Work – John 20:1-7 – Part IV

(Easter Sermon 2004)

Conclusion

As we celebrate Easter this year, I hope we will truly celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior from the dead. Let’s dispense with an annual withdrawal from work and normal routines to participate in a brief period of piety and reflection. Let’s rejoice over the bedrock doctrine of our faith. Let’s realize that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us.

Discovery of the folded burial cloth liberates us to live to the fullest. It empowers us to realize the potential of our God given talents and fully actualize our natural abilities through disciplined personal application. It is a perennial reminder to each disciple that God in Christ conquers death. Accordingly, Almighty God’s love ands power eradicates fear that paralyzes us and cancels sin that burdens us. The folded burial cloth remains the surest sign of Christ’s finished work of salvation.

Historians record the legendary battle at Waterloo in which the famed British general, Wellington, and his inexperienced soldiers fought fiercely against Napoleon’s formidable troops. On a particular day of combat, the fight lingered well into the night. The hovering darkness and raging conflict made it difficult to determine whether one held an advantage. The will to fight and win sustained both sides; neither would relent despite their adversary’s resolve and nature’s harsh conditions. It became apparent that sunlight would remove the veil and reveal the victor. Still, a dense and penetrating fog accompanied the dawn of a mid-June Sunday in 1815. As it yielded to the ever-present sun, anxious observers of the conflict who had stayed up during the night looked across the water for indication of who won the struggle. Some held telescopes which they positioned adequately to read a banner that provided an official communique. To their horror and dismay, they squinted and read the lamentable words, “Wellington defeated.”

Imagine the grief and agony of the British people and other allies. They failed to rebuff Napoleon and his campaign to commandeer their history, religion and literature. Assuredly, he would subjugate them thereby imposing French culture, customs and traditions upon them. Conceivably, they stood amazed that the fierce fighting of their forces proved inadequate to protect and preserve their way of life. They would not only lose a military conflict, but they would surrender their distinct and unparalleled English way of life. Wellington’s defeat would equal a decimation of their history and civilization.

Let’s also imagine the grief and horror of the disciples and women who attended to Jesus of Nazareth on Good Friday as they watched His cruel and unjust crucifixion. With a savage indifference to the Person on the cross, Pontius Pilate acquiesced the death sentence for a man who healed countless people, taught them the ways of God and preached the emergence of the kingdom of God on Earth. Despite Jesus’ innumerable good deeds and the lack of any evidence that He was an insurrectionist, He was still put to death utilizing the most debasing and harsh method. The people who participated in His three-and-a-half-year public ministry and witnessed His divine love and grace toward countless marginalized people were forced to watch this indignity. Powerless to stop it, they stood paralyzed and flabbergasted that the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth would end in such a horrific way. Essentially, Christ has been defeated by the Roman government and death.

As the sun appeared on center stage and drove the remaining fog away on that fateful June Sunday in 1815, the despondent viewers of the war looked again. They understandably hoped against all odds that their previous observation was incorrect. To their delight, when the fog lifted and they again peered through their telescopes, they saw the full banner which read, “Wellington defeated the enemy!” They won rather than yielded to Napoleon’s tyranny. It was as if the lifting of the fog resurrected their dreams and hopes for the future of their way of life.

In the Ancient Near East on the first Easter morning just after sunrise, the disciples and followers of Jesus learned when the fog of grief and despair yielded to the dawn of the resurrection that Christ defeated death. Accordingly, disciples can personalize the resurrection. Know that you are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus who unconditionally love you. Say to the existential death in which you may linger, “Christ defeated death and therefore I win.” The Lord recalls you to life. He recalls you to new life as He redeems any adversity or challenge you may encounter.

On this Easter Sunday morning, rejoice in the finished work He accomplishes! Rejoice in the folded burial cloth which signifies the defeat of death.

This sermon originated in the pulpit of First Baptist Church Capitol Hill in Nashville, Tennessee where I served as Pastor from October 2000 to May 2008. I first preached this message on Easter Sunday 2004.

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part One

2026-10-11T16:00:20.931-07:00

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part One

Overjoyed to learn of the burgeoning Christian community in Ephesus, Paul writes and prays for this gathering of new disciples. He is also elated that the light of Gospel of Jesus Christ continues to spread throughout the Roman Empire. It is amazing that Christ’s message of love, grace, mercy, forgiveness and redemption reaches Ephesus, a major city. The Temple of Artemis stood in the city as an imposing religious structure. It ran three hundred columns on the side; possibly the length of three football fields. The cult of Diana remained unchallenged in the city of Ephesus until Christian disciples arrived. Following his apostolic mission to the city, Paul swells with enthusiasm when he learns of a burgeoning church community in a major Roman metropolis. He rejoices that the Gospel of Christ is reaching further into the Roman Empire. Beyond competing with emperor worship and myriad religions in the empire, the message of Christ is now available to average people, specifically the Gentiles. They have an eternal and earthly alternative to daily debauchery and licentiousness. Moreover, they can rightly relate themselves to the Risen Lord of the universe who imparts unfailing love, redemption and personal transformation to them. He writes to the Ephesian disciples to encourage and empower them as well as express his unbridled excitement.

In this powerful first chapter of the book of Ephesians, Paul prays for the church. He starts a prayer that extends to the end of the third chapter. Typical of this learned man who wishes to impart the breadth and width of his knowledge and passion for Christ and His teachings, the apostle interrupts himself. He makes a few pastoral and theological detours within this prayer designed to empower his readers and hearers with a toolbox of spiritual disciplines. Each distraction affords the Ephesian disciples with practical tools for personal growth and spiritual development.

Central to this passionate pastoral prayer is the eighteenth verse. Paul intercedes on behalf of the Ephesians and asks the Heavenly Father to open the eyes of their hearts. He also asks Him to enlighten them as it relates to the hope in which they have been called and the glorious inheritance of God’s people. It is important to dissect that verse and its compound phrases. What are the eyes of the heart? How do you open them? Who opens them? Does God exclusively open them? How do disciples know when they are open? Paul’s statement evidently references a dimension of sight that exceeds natural eyes. Conceivably, it is possible to embrace daily life while simultaneously being blind to certain realities. Amid a very bleak experience, disciples can stumble in darkness because they fail to see any hope. Paul insists that Almighty God imparts eternal hope to disciples. In the Ancient Near East and specifically in the dynamism of the Roman Empire with its licentiousness, myriad temptations and threat to the lives of Christian people, Paul encourages Ephesian believers to remain hopeful. Despite their sufferings and persecution because the civic religion of emperor worship fiercely opposed their wholehearted and unequivocal devotion to Christ, Paul recommends that they steadfastly put their hope and trust in Christ.

Paul then addresses the glorious inheritance of holy people. Anyone or anything that is holy has been set apart exclusively and distinctly for God’s purposes. Anyone or anything claiming to be holy cannot be contaminated by the vicissitudes of the world. They are clean vessels internally and externally. All residues of worldliness have been removed. For the people who have chosen proactively to devote themselves to the expansion of Christ’s teachings, reign and kingdom, they receive a glorious inheritance. As the generation of Israelites, who were born in the wilderness wandering years, unquestionably believed the promises of God inherited the Promised Land (Joshua 17); contemporary disciples who believe and trust God will inherit His covenantal promises. There are rewards to faithfulness in obeying God’s commands and promises.

Paul prays that the Ephesian believer will receive this revelation. He encourages them to resist the temptation to lapse into the quicksand of self-reliance. Oftentimes, we seek access to God’s power to realize our self-centered desires. We pay lip service to the concepts of discerning and obeying God’s will. Realistically, we do not want to know it. We really want His power to realize our will. In contrast, Paul prays that the church at Ephesus will abandon this ingrained self-centered fear. Paul rather hopes that they will allow Almighty God to show them the extravagance of knowing and living in His will. Hence, the apostle prays that God opens the eyes of their hearts to enlighten them.

You recall the childhood story of Pandora’s Box. Yielding to temptation though he had been warned straightforwardly and duly, someone opens the box. All types of critters, creatures and circumstances come out of the box. Unimaginable disastrous consequences appear. If only the person had listened to the dire warnings. Fearing destruction, the disobedient person finds solace and deliverance in the final thing that emerges from the box, the enduring attribute of hope. With the mercy of God and resilience, the errant person can seize hope and transform his life.

Similarly, Paul assures the Ephesians that they acquire hope as they genuinely rely upon God. He can redeem any situation no matter how adverse, misguided or erroneous. In opening the eyes of our hearts, the Holy Spirit reveals God’s presence. The fog of fear, depression, guilt, bitterness, cynicism, strife and other toxic emotions eclipse God’s presence. These penetrating emotions obscure hope. We cannot see anything positive. Paul says persevere within hardship believing in God’s unfailing love and unquestioned faithfulness. A personal Promised Land awaits if you seize hope.

Recently, the chief executive officer and director of human resources decided to terminate the employment of a staff member. In the three years and two months that I worked at this nonprofit organization, this team member had been given multiple opportunities to improve his performance, attendance and work relationships. They allowed two leaves for drug treatment. They mediated four or more verbally harsh confrontations with fellow employees whom he threatened. They allowed numerous occasions in which he disappeared for days and returned later without any explanation or doctor’s notes. He missed mandatory special days of work. His personnel file became thicker with disciplinary memoranda. A final outburst in the hallway of headquarters in which he berated his supervisor with profane and threatening words was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Upon reading the lengthy and detailed description of the incident, these senior officers resolved that this situation was untenable and warranted termination.

This fellow is still active in drug addiction and alcoholism. His personal hygiene suffers considerably because he devotes his money to servicing his habit. He lives in an apartment that the organization owns. A payroll deduction is the method by which he pays his monthly rent. He takes clothes from the donation bin that the organization uses to serve the community. Primarily, he utilizes food donation places in the surrounding neighborhoods to eat. Essentially, he has imprisoned himself to his addiction by establishing guard rails of food, clothing and shelter. He does not see his incarceration. He falsely believes that he is free. He fallaciously thinks that he is in control of his life because he guards against homelessness, hunger and nakedness. He did not realize that he was not free to lose his job or consider working somewhere else. He did not accept that he did not have financial resources for entertainment, travel, clothing, transportation or other activities. His enslavement to his addiction does not allow him to experience anything other than work and perpetual pursuit of a mood-altering substance. The termination equates with an earthquake in his life. The foundation has been shattered into countless pieces. What will he do?

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part Two

2026-10-11T15:59:04.282-07:00

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part Two

Having written the final disciplinary memorandum that yielded the decision to terminate his employment, I felt absolutely no regret or guilt. He should have been fired some time ago. The delay which created considerable legal liability for the organization baffled me. On the night following the decision, I spent time interceding on behalf of this man. I prayed Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians. I asked God to open the eyes of his heart to see that he had been given a chance to liberate himself from the bondage of addiction and imprisonment to reliance on an organization to manage his life. I hope he will see that he has become a ward of the organization. Someone else determined his care for his basic needs. He lacked self-reliance. At nearly forty-five years of age, he depended on them to provide for him as if he were their underage son. Still, he has an opportunity to regain his life and progress toward self-realization. I prayed well into the evening and early morning that he would turn to Almighty God instead of running toward yet another drug binge. Finally, he arrived at an existential state in which he could be free if he would put his hope and trust in Almighty God.

At the end of the book of Ephesians, Paul admonishes the church. “Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.” I prayed that my former colleague would ask God for the strength and courage to resist the obvious and immediate impulse to use drugs. Would he look to God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth? Would he humble himself and say the words of the Serenity Prayer or a very simple an personal petition. “God, I don’t know what to do. I need your help. I do not want to buy and use drugs. Help me to see You in this process.” That genuine prayer would suffice to glean divine wisdom and assistance. Throughout the night and well into the next morning, I prayed fervently that this man would appeal to God for strength, willingness and mindset to see an open door to a new life. Finally, he could relinquish his imprisonment and belittling dependency upon other people. I hoped that he could imagine a life of genuine reliance upon God. That he could begin to envision a life of self-determination. He could embrace a way of life in which he is free to grasp the unique life that God created him to enjoy. I prayed that God would open the eyes of his heart to enable him to see abundant life which allows disciples to create and contribute to the betterment of humankind to the glory of God. Until I fell asleep, I asked God to dispatch angelic presence to this man to accompany him through the fourth watch of the night with the hope that he would rebuff the temptation to pursue drugs and alcohol. I sincerely hoped that he would ask God to help him.

Within a day of that man’s termination, another gentleman was fired. This second man had twenty years of experience at the organization. Mild mannered and gentlemanly in every sense of the word, he had near perfect attendance and no complaints. Periodically, this man expressed his displeasure with the lack of a promotion or any definitive expressions of gratitude. Unsurprisingly, he did not say anything being the gentleman that he is. It is regrettable that the people to whom he reported failed to value this man and his longstanding contributions to the organization. His termination is the surest indication of their contempt and indifference. Unjustly, they terminated his lengthy employment with a frivolous justification. He was on vacation. The director of human resources called him to advise him to read his email which contained official correspondence detailing his immediate termination. The incivility of their actions is simply astounding. Undeservedly, he accepted their decision. He came to the office to collect his belongings and wish the people with whom he worked well.

For him, I prayed that God would open the eyes of his heart and reveal the new beginnings embedded within this cruel injustice. Perhaps his previous words about ingratitude were an indication that he should move forward professionally and personally. Though he was not ensnared in the throes of addiction, he was imprisoned equally to a job that held no advancement financially or vocationally for him. He could have remained in that position for the balance of his working years without ever receiving just compensation or recognition for his contributions. Ironically, termination is the best outcome for some people. Its finality compels people to examine themselves and their lives. Otherwise, they remain comfortably on the merry go round of daily routines. Losing a job forces you to evaluate your skills, abilities, interests and allocation of time and energy. Introspection causes you to ask whether you are doing what you want to be doing? Are you living your best life? Are you earning enough money to enjoy life? Are you living the life you imagined? For this former colleague, I suspect that he was not. I never sensed any happiness or joy within him. He can appeal to God for guidance and assistance in rewriting the script of his life.

Steadfastly and genuinely, I hope both men progress to relying unconditionally and wholeheartedly upon God’s love, grace and faithfulness. The Bible describes the Lord’s will as “good, pleasing and perfect.” Living within His will results in a joyous and unimaginable life. We can release the bondage of addiction or imprisonment to paralyzing fear. Notwithstanding the stark contrast between these men and their lifestyle choices, both are existentially incarcerated. However, their terminations within a day of each other open the doors of their respective lives to new and exciting possibilities. Will they be able to see them? If they withdraw and humbly and sincerely ask for God’s help, He will open the eyes of their hearts.

Learning of the burgeoning faith in the Christian community in Ephesus, Paul writes to express his exuberance. Possibly, he sees this growing group of disciples in one of the most secular cities in the Ancient Near East as a major advancement in the cause of Christ. Even in ruins today, Ephesus reveals the vibrancy, brilliance, commerce, cosmopolitanism and diverse social and religious offerings of her heyday. Were you to travel to Turkey and stand on main street, as you view Ephesus’ impressive ruins, you can feel the energy, drama and vitality of the city. Archeologists have unearthed multistory apartments of the wealthy who had the equivalent of penthouses to take advantage of Ephesus’ commerce and culture. As you walk, you pass bath houses which were places of questionable activities. There are a few temples dedicated to Hadrian, a Roman emperor. The remaining façade preserves ornate and ostentatious Corinthians columns. At the end of main street, the remains of the Library of Celsus stand. The repository of tens of thousands of scrolls, this ancient library was one of the most impressive buildings in the Roman Empire. It gave Ephesus the distinction of being a major learning center. Interestingly, there were underground tunnels in the library that led to brothels. Men deceitfully told their wives that they were going to the library to read and study. A short distance from main street, the Temple of Artemis, one of the most imposing and impressive religious buildings in the Ancient Near East, extended the length of three football fields. More than three hundred Corinthian, Ionic, Doric and Composite columns adorned and upheld this formidable structure. Paul rejoices that the cause of Christ has gained an expanding foothold in this urban center of learning, commerce, culture, religion and governmental activity. He commends Ephesian disciples for their faith and love of God’s people. Primarily, he expresses his gratitude for them by consistently remembering them in his prayers.

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part Three

2026-10-11T15:58:02.192-07:00

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part Three

Presumably, Paul prays for strength and perseverance for these new Christians in Ephesus. Beyond his excitement about their conversion to Christ, he realizes that they will face continual challenges to their development as disciples. Ephesus offers myriad temptations and possibilities to abandon their newfound faith and allegiance to Christ. Would they be able to endure and remain faithful to the Lord’s teachings and principles? Would they misguidedly try to blend Roman secularism and paganism with Christianity? Would they fallaciously compartmentalize their devotion to Christ while tolerating and participating in the licentiousness, hedonism and unbridled liberty of Ephesian society? Would Roman culture always win when it clashes with Christ’s Gospel? Paul prays for these recent converts as they develop spiritually during the embryonic years of the Christian faith. His example reminds mature Christians to pray for new believers. The twenty-first century global village and marketplace offer as many distractions, impediments and chances to backslide as the young believers in Ephesus faced. The internet can facilitate the worst impulses, especially selfish tendencies to indulge physical instincts. Vociferous claims that further secular humanism, moral relativism and religious pluralism drown out appeals to traditional Judeo-Christian values and approaches to family composition and social structures.

Social media is a double-edged sword. It instantaneously exposes governmental, legal, political and social scandals wherein leaders harm marginalized and vulnerable people, waste public resources and violate oaths of office. It is a means for average people to advocate for themselves and counterbalance the excesses of leaders. However, the internet regrettably gives voice to countless uninformed people who wax eloquent and authoritatively about public policy issues about which they know very little. Some independent journalists and influencers reinforce some of the worst impulses of society. They encourage worship of celebrity, self-aggrandizement and myriad hedonistic proclivities. Idolatry unfolds in many forms. Acquisition of millions and hundreds of millions of views, clicks and subscribers uncritically yields approval and endorsements. Hardly anyone will argue with commercial success. This incredible and incalculable resource and equally formidable and substantial obstacle could easily undermine any recent convert’s personal growth and spiritual development. Nonetheless, prayer remains one of the most reliable means of encouraging and empowering new disciples.

Paul asks God to empower his new brothers and sisters in Ephesus with the power of the Holy Spirit. He asks that they receive God’s power to sustain them as they obtain deep roots in the Christian faith. Amazingly, a magnificent oak tree that gives shade in summertime, offers leaves as fertilizer and maintains ecological balance between humankind and nature begins as an acorn. Just as remarkable are the invaluable contributions of countless Christians in the lives of people whom they encounter that begin with a sincere confession in the redemptive and sacrificial work of Christ. Each of these natural and social, relational and human interactions occur because of the growth of deep, wide, long and tremendous roots. Interestingly, it takes eight years to fully dig up an oak tree. The roots are so immeasurable that the search for them requires nearly a decade to extricate them. It is the hope of elders in the Christian faith that new disciples will grow roots in their love, commitment and faithfulness to the Lord that parallel the growth of an oak tree. Prayer for their perseverance in the Christian faith is necessary. In the testimony services of my childhood, many congregants would end their sharing by asking the gathering to “pray my strength in the Lord.” Embedded in this request is the desire to remain faithful to the Lord in heart, mind, soul and strength. There is also a desire to attain and maintain Christian integrity wherein a disciple’s cardinal principles and daily practices cohere. There is the practical and personal plea that the disciple will not yield to temptation and “fall away” from the Christian faith. Concern for the maturity of new believers (second and third generation Christians) was a colossal concern for Paul and other first-generation disciples. The early Christian and New Testament church utilized four main spiritual disciplines: (1) learning the apostles’ teachings, (2) reliance upon the Holy Spirit, (3) fellowship and (4) prayer. Paul emphasizes the nonnegotiable practice of prayer in any disciple’s life. He prays for safety, growth and endurance of Ephesian disciples.

Parenthetically, the Lord in the “High Priestly Prayer” which the Fourth Evangelist records in the seventeenth chapter of his gospel prays for “those who will believe in me through this message.” Fascinatingly, during His earthly ministry and on the eve of His death and resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ prays for all future believers. His prayer extends to twenty-first century disciples. More than twenty centuries ago, the Lord anticipates the spiritual assistance that neophyte believers would need to remain committed to Him and His Gospel. Moreover, He knows all disciples within their sociopolitical, economic and cultural context would need the Holy Spirit to strengthen and encourage them. Additionally, the evangelist, in the second chapter of his First Letter (1 John 2:19), speaks regrettably of some disciples who departed from the fold because they were not truly committed to Christ. Perhaps, they never truly submitted their hearts and minds to the Lord. Maybe, they never developed genuine and dedicated roots in the Gospel. Conceivably, no one prayed for their growth in the faith. You will also recall in Luke’s account of “The Last Supper,” (Luke 22:7-38), the Lord tells Peter that the devil seeks to sift him and the other apostles like wheat but that He, the Lord, prayed for them. Christ knew that they would face overwhelming obstacles and opposition as they sought to expand the church. Contemporary disciples contend with relative adversities as they strive to maintain intellectual respectability and existential integrity of the Christian gospel in the global village and marketplace.

Paul says he continually asks, “the Glorious Father,” “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ” to impart wisdom and revelation of the Holy Spirit to enable the Ephesian disciples to know Him better. Were they to grow persistently in a meaningful and deepening relationship with the Lord, their love, devotion and faithfulness commensurately grow. In this intercessory prayer, Paul specifically asks that God cultivates the spiritual gift of discernment in these new believers. He hopes they acquire spiritual tools and practical skills to differentiate between the fleeting delights of the world and the eternal and enduring promises of the new covenant that the Lord establishes. Wisdom in the biblical sense is the growing ability to reasonably apply spiritual, moral and ethical insight in appropriate ways to daily choices. Christian discipleship requires these spiritual gifts to mature and remain faithful. Plausibly, Paul recalls this stage of his Christian development and remembers the necessity of these spiritual gifts and abilities to perseverance in discipleship and ministry. More significantly, these components of discipleship empower disciples to more comprehensively know the Lord. That knowledge of Him practically yields greater acquisition of the heart, mind and character of Christ. Beyond intellectual assent, religious commitment, congregational fellowship and adherence to theological creeds and moral principles, Christian discipleship culminates in allegiance to the Lord and dedication to expanding His kingdom on Earth. Practically, it results in applying Exodus 20, Micah 6:8, Isaiah 61:1-10, Matthew, 6-7, Matthew 25, Luke 4:18, John 1-21, James 1:26-27 and 2:14-26 among countless other scriptures to all dimensions of professional and personal life. Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church applies to contemporary disciples whose quest to develop parallels the challenges of these early Christians.

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part Four

2026-10-11T15:57:00.758-07:00

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part Four

Paul specifies his petitions for the Ephesians. He asks God “to open the eyes of their heart” and “enlighten” them to comprehend the hope which He offers in Christ. He yearns for them to realize “the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” The “eyes of the heart” look twice and with intention upon spiritual and personal circumstances with gaining greater comprehension. They yield mental insight wherein understanding takes shape in the mind. Beyond the logical conclusions that a person derives from natural observation, the eyes of the mind attain epiphany. The “eyes of the heart” is a type of sight that yields clarity of mind, heart and will. Decision making is no longer done in a myopic, one-dimensional way. The ego and rational mind no longer predominate. Spiritually, the Holy Spirit speaks through intuition thereby allowing the inner voice to articulate God’s will, the inner eye to see His purposes and the inner ear to hear Him. The “eyes of the heart” opens a new realm of living and existence through intelligence, intuition, integrity and intention. This insight empowers disciples to understand God’s mysterious and ironic ways. This enlightenment increasingly yields divine wisdom and spiritual revelation that practically empowers disciples with the capacity to recognize God’s presence, grace and truth in daily life. It enables them to progress beyond rational concepts and grasp faith in God and hope as He selectively orchestrates human affairs to fulfill His promises and will. Faith and hope emerge from an interdependent relationship with Almighty God in which disciples experience God’s unfailing love and unimpeachable faithfulness. Paul’s prayer for enlightenment is a petition that the ability to consistently comprehend God’s purposes and spiritual realities will equip these new believers to mature as adherents to Christ’s teachings and building His kingdom.

The eyes of the heart enable Joseph to forgive his brothers, renounce punishment and revenge and spare their lives. Had Joseph remained angry, bitter and resentful, his thirst for retaliation would have thwarted God’s plan for establishing Israel as His chosen people through whom the nations of the earth would be blessed. The story of Joseph in Genesis chapters 37 to 50 is one of remarkable mysteries, ironies and forgiveness. His brothers cruelly sell him into slavery. His master’s wife, to whom he has been most respectful and obedient, becomes furious because Joseph does not yield to her seduction. Duplicitously, she levels false accusations of attempted rape and maneuvers his unjust imprisonment. Wrongfully convicted and unjustly incarcerated, Joseph spends a seemingly endless time in prison where his fellow inmates benefit from his spiritual gifts and kindness but are indifferent toward him. Freed before and because of Joseph, a few of them forget their pledge to remember him on the other side. More time passes and a famine strikes Egypt. Desperate for guidance, Pharaoh is open to assistance from any reliable source. God orchestrates the revelation of Joseph as His chosen instrument to resolve the famine and utilize it as the means of furthering His plan of salvation for humankind.

In Genesis 45, Joseph serves as the prime minister of Egypt as his abilities and gifts won Pharoah’s unqualified endorsement. His management of the famine as he averts starvation in the nation furthers God’s will. Jospeh’s magnanimous heart compels him to share food with surrounding nations as the expanse of the famine threatens their populations. His sharing extends to his family who travel to Egypt for food lest they starve. Their trips reunite Joseph and his brothers. The ensuing twenty years transform Joseph’s heart. His compassion for people motivates him to prevent starvation of countless people. Moreover, he learns the necessity of forgiving his brothers. Joseph retrospectively sees through the eyes of his heart that their dastardly deed was a component in God’s sovereign and gracious plan.

In revealing himself to his brothers, Joseph declares that God redeemed their evil action and utilized it as a means of saving the lives of many people. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20) Supernaturally, Joseph sees how God’s sovereign will redeems the years of his pain and suffering by transforming them into His providential purpose. This insight allows Joseph to forgive his brothers. He realizes that God transform their evil deed into a campaign to prevent countless people from starving. Joseph’s gifts, character and personality qualify him to become God’s instrument to save many people from starvation and launch Israel as God’s light to the nations. Had Joseph harbored and nurtured his thirst for revenge, he would have missed his divine destiny. I do not trivialize the depth of Joseph’s pain and disillusionment over the twenty years between being sold into slavery and reuniting with his brothers. It takes considerable time to heal from childhood and formative trauma. Those wounds are deep and thoroughgoing. Years of talk therapy may be necessary to achieve holistic healing and peace.

Forgiveness usually is paramount in the personal journey toward self-acceptance and self-realization. In time, it is possible to relinquish vengeance and righteous indignation. Looking through the eyes of the heart enables disciples to forgive as the Lord commands. Paul asks God to impart wisdom and revelation of the Holy Spirit to the Ephesian church. Joseph obtains wisdom as he yields his life to Almighty God and unwaveringly trusts Him though he may not understand any contradictions in which he lives. Undoubtedly, Joseph questions his cruel enslavement and unjust imprisonment. Why did God allow these evil deeds to occur? Though Joseph remains righteous, one adversity follows another one. Meanwhile, the author of Genesis says throughout the Joseph discourse, “the Lord was with Joseph.” As the seasons revolve for twenty years, Joseph receives divine wisdom and revelation. God opens the eyes of Joseph’s heart and enlightens him to see God’s will and purpose in Joseph’s life. God reveals to Joseph His plan and how He imparts His favor to Joseph to accomplish it. Through the eyes of the heart, Joseph realizes God’s use of mystery, irony and inconsistencies through human pain and inequities to manifest divine love and grace. As with Joseph, Paul hopes the embryonic community of Christian disciples in Ephesus will receive proportionate insight to empower them to endure as believers and purveyors of the Lord’s Gospel. He prays that God will equip them with spiritual gifts to realize that He will utilize their personal adversity to accomplish His purposes as He did in Joseph’s life.

Pause and consider any experience you have had in retrospectively seeing God’s divine purposes in your life. A wrongful termination may have catapulted you onto the path of your destiny. You could have remained on a lifelong detour and missed the very purpose for which you were born. A denial of admission to a graduate school degree program may have served a similar purpose. You may have acted hastily and applied to the wrong program. Your ego may have been seduced by a monetary option that did not cohere with your heart’s true desires. I recall interviewing a former banker when I worked previously as a graduate admission administrator. She made an appointment with me to formalize her application to a teaching program in English Education and teaching. On the previous Friday, she learned that she would lose her job because of right sizing in her department following a merger. For several years, she avoided termination after other bank mergers. On that morning, she felt God’s presence and comforting grace. She accepted a boilerplate severance package. To their great chagrin, the human resources professionals marveled at her calm response and sincere gratitude. She left the meeting and immediately made the call that yielded our appointment. This former banker confessed, “I feel as if God did for me what I simply could not do for myself. I have known for more than a decade that I only want to teach literature to high school students. I want to share my passion for good writing and reading with them. I want to turn on the light bulb in their minds. But I could not pull myself away from the money.” After her successful entry and completion of the masters degree program, she began her career as a high school teacher.

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part Five

2026-10-11T15:55:55.647-07:00

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part Five

With the eyes of the heart, she saw God’s handiwork in her life. Heretofore, money blinded her to seeing the mysterious ways in which God sowed the seeds of providence in her life. On the day of her epiphany, her humility and willingness to consider that God had mysteriously intervened in her affairs removed those lucrative scales. The Holy Spirit entered that bank conference room and enlightened her inner perception thereby enabling her to comprehend God’s favor upon her desire to teach. Perhaps, you have an experience similar to the banker turned English literature teacher. Whether work, education, love or a heartfelt dream, the “eyes of the heart” allows you to look beyond physical realities to see spiritual dimensions. Idea and activities that have eternal value are more meaningful than things with earthly worth. Paul begins this prayer for the Ephesians with a heartfelt hope that they will receive wisdom and revelation to enable them to see and understand the spiritual dimensions of living in the realm of Christ’s kingdom.

It is important to read the entire eighteenth verse. In the first half, Paul prays for the Ephesian church’s enlightenment. What is the objective of this prayer? He asks God to enhance their spiritual abilities in order that they may know the hope into which they have been called. For these people who lived in the Ancient Near East, hope was not a fleeting emotion in which people cross their fingers and wish all circumstances interconnect favorably. Hope extends beyond the heartfelt desires of a precocious and articulate grade school child who recites prayers that he had been taught. Hope is a well-reasoned commitment to a cause greater than personal ambitions and desires. It is a determined effort to realize grand ideals, cardinal principles and achievable goals. Hope requires knowledge, reason, mathematics, science and social science. Campaign staffers exercise their hope as they work tirelessly to gain an election victory for their candidate. For a year or more, they commit practically every waking hour to the overarching goal of electing a candidate whose platform, ideas and promises they believe are best for the electorate. Beyond their positive feelings for their candidate, they live their hope through the practical commitment of their hard work. As new converts to Christianity, Ephesian disciples can begin living a life of hope in the Lord’s teachings, building His kingdom and fulfilling The Great Commandment and The Great Commission. As they continually experience the infinite blessings of transformation, renewal and hope in Christ, they understand their dedication to Him by sharing this hope with others. Within the complexity of living in the Roman Empire’s social licentiousness, emperor worship, religious pluralisms and competing marketplace of ideas, recent disciples need practical hope to empower them to persevere in the Christian faith. They will employ the same intellectual tools and pragmatic methods as campaign workers. The Ephesian church begins its campaign for Christ’s teachings and kingdom. Expanding the church a disciple at a time is the hope to which the Lord calls them.

Additionally, Paul hopes the Ephesians understand “the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” Once in beginning a sermon, I asked all wealthy people in the audience to stand. Initially, a few people stood. After a few minutes, more people stood. Then, people began to stand until most people were standing. Some people did not stand. I asked, “For those of you who hesitated, does this exercise reveal your concept of wealth? I suspect that most of you initially gauged your wealth in terms of money. However, money is not the sole determinant of wealth.” Paul’s use of “riches” in this verse refers to a greater conceptualization of wealth than examining a financial balance sheet. Biblical linguists in translating this verse understand wealth to be cumulative. There is the increasing wealth of knowledge that emerges from continual scientific experimentation, social science research, composition in the fine and performing arts and evolving ideas in the marketplace of human need, desires and interactions. The total volumes of libraries in the world equate with the wealth of human discovery, knowledge and development. Museums arguably are more valuable than any bank as they are repositories of collective wealth of human ideas and imagination about God, nature, love, life, death and existence. The international space station represents future wealth for humankind as we learn whether space is inhabitable for mass populations. Essentially, science, technology, art and cultural expression are mechanisms of appreciating wealth. Still, there is wealth that people only obtain in relationship and experience. Marriage, family, work and friendships are examples of human interactions that impart wealth from the ancestors, history, traditions, culture and community. It is these cumulative and relational riches to which Paul refers in this verse.

The Ephesian disciples are poised to become recipients of incalculable wealth. They are the recipients of the Lord’s “glorious inheritance in his holy people.” The Wesleyan and Methodist quadrilateral views the Christian faith from four dimensions: Experience, History/Tradition, Reason and Scripture. First century Ephesian disciples inherit the faith of their forebears, specifically the original apostles and adherents to the Jesus movement. The first generation of disciples were faithful adherents to the teachings of Christ. They through the prevalent saying source imparted His authentic principles and lessons as they primarily witnessed them through their direct experience of Him. The “Beloved Disciple” and “Fourth Evangelist” testifies to his personal experience. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” (1 John 1:1) Second and third generation disciples listened to John’s discourse and teachings of his immediate experience of Christ during the three and a half years of Jesus’ public ministry. Chances are John also shared lessons from the seminars that the Lord held with the twelve apostles in private after public preaching, teaching and healing. As the Ephesians listened and internalized these teachings, they inherited the riches of the original and authentic faith wherein they became disciples. Paul expresses his excitement for them that they have received such an invaluable gift in the collective Christian witness of their forbears. The apostles’ experience forms the historical foundation of Christianity. In sharing the Lord’s teachings, the apostles discard false teachings, myths and superstitions.

The church offers disciples the cumulative wealth of Christian experience which empowers contemporary believers to endure in faithfulness to Christ regardless of personal and societal challenges. In tough times, disciples know they can triumph over adversity because their forebears successfully persevered during hardships. Paul encourages Ephesians congregants to embrace this eternal wealth instead of falling prey to erroneous teachings and questionable practices. He assures them that they will mature and contribute to the developing community of Christian faith. He points them toward eternal riches which can enrich a disciple’s earthly journey.

Reflections Upon Paul's Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer - Part Six

2026-10-11T15:54:16.582-07:00

Reflections Upon Paul’s Ephesians 1:15-23 Prayer – Part Six

In addition, this component of Paul’s prayer reminds us that the collectivity of disciples is “the Church.” For its first four and a half centuries, the church existed without ostentatious buildings containing stained glass, iconography, artwork, impressive pews and other material indicators of organized Christianity. Yet, the church grew exponentially. Trade routes and emerging organic relationships explain this growth. Wherever disciples went, they shared the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ironically, Rome’s persecution of Christians compounded the growth of the Church. As disciples scattered to the outer regions of the empire, they founded additional house churches and Christian communities. Without the trappings of institutionalization, a professional and ordained clergy or social approval, the Church through the individual witness of committed disciples who lived in all corridors of the empire grew considerably. Whereas elaborate and impressive buildings designed with remarkable architecture symbolize the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, they are merely bricks and mortar. The Church remains that grand existential and ontological gathering of disciples throughout the world who have committed their minds, hearts and souls to Christ’s teachings, example and kingdom.

In the nineteenth verse, Paul submits that the Lord imparts “his incomparably great power to us who believe.” The Greek adjectives to describe Christ’s power in their etymological foundation translate into three primary adjectives: great, majestic and glorious. That combination alludes to the power that the Heavenly Father employs in resurrecting Jesus from the dead. Paul assures Ephesian disciples that the Lord makes available to them the same power that liberated Him from the pangs of death. Biblical commentators contemporize the translation of power and equate it with an arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Disciples do not live in fear, anxiety or trepidation. They rebuff emotions that emerge from such defeatist and toxic experiences. Regardless of what circumstances unfold daily living, Christians unquestionably believe that they can triumph over any adversity. They rely genuinely upon the Lord’s graciousness in sharing His power. In fact, one Bible scholar interprets the word, power, in this verse as “limitless potential.” Practically speaking, disciples have access to supernatural resources to defeat any enemy, resist any confrontation, answer any charge and surmount any situation. Because the Lord is gracious and liberally shares His power with disciples, they will become “more than conquerors” through His unfailing love. The latter part of the first clause of this verse reminds disciples of the necessity of belief in Christ. He shares incomparable power with anyone who believes in Him. Paul clarifies this nonnegotiable requirement of discipleship for the Ephesians.

The Lord shares His power with disciples to accomplish His purposes and actualize His principles. It is regrettable that some contemporary disciples seek this power to fulfill self-seeking desires or to neutralize self-centered fears. In the last half-century, the dominance of the “Gospel of Wealth and Health” in the United States corroded the biblical and discipleship imperative of fulfilling “The Great Commandment” (Matthew 22:34-40) and “The Great Commission” (Matthew 28:16-20). Compounded by the proliferation of the megachurch movement and the ascendancy of celebrity clergy persons whose success was most definitively measured by church budgets, membership and social media presence, this questionable theology distorted the purpose and principles of the Gospel. The Church exists to fulfill the cause of Christ, make disciples, adhere to baptism in obedience to His example and teach His principles to new converts. Therein, disciples expand the kingdom of Christ on Earth. From the period of apostolic gifts during the embryonic years of the church to the Holy Spirit’s guidance of disciples within the global village, the Lord shares His “mighty power” with believers to equip them to be the body of Christ within their communities. They practice self-care for congregants and provide direct services and social justice advocacy for their brothers and sisters in the human family.

The twentieth verse specifies that the same power of resurrection and ascension is available to disciples. Disciples can experience resurrection in everyday living. Difficult experiences such as termination, divorce, severe health challenges, natural disasters, accidents and myriad unforeseen circumstances can coalesce into an existential death. Working mysteriously within our challenges, the Lord imparts His power to enable us to withstand adversity. Each hardships presents means of personal development and spiritual growth. To conform to the heart, mind and character of Christ, we emulate His example and apply His principles in all affairs. Contrary to popular assumptions, we mature as disciples through practical and personal challenges. Growth requires more than memorization of Bible verses and attendance at corporate Christian education events. As we embrace daily challenges, we can experience resurrection countless times. In the eleventeenth chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. The evangelist notes that Lazarus has been entombed for four days which means he was undeniably and unquestionably dead. Translated into the life of a contemporary disciple, Lazarus’ plight symbolizes hopelessness. However, the Lord appears and invokes new life as He recalls Lazarus from the dead. Similarly, the Lord recalls twenty-first century disciples to new purposes within their daily hardships. The Christian pastor and author, Eugene H. Peterson, explores pragmatic ways in which disciples apply Lazarus’ story and the concept of experiencing resurrection daily in his compelling book, Living the Resurrection: The Risen Christ in Everyday Life.

Paul in the twenty-first verse reminds Ephesian disciples of Christ’s supremacy. Jesus is Lord of all. During His earthly and public ministry, Jesus preached, taught and healed countless people. According to the apostle, John, enough books could never be written to minimally record Jesus’ incredible and miraculous deeds. (John 21:25) After such an indescribable and incredible ministry, Jesus is handed over to the Roman government and crucified as a common criminal for inciting insurrection against the Empire. The government crucifies Him. He dies and is buried. On the third day, Almighty God raises Jesus from the dead and exalts Him as the Lord of all. After appearing to His disciples and others who were especially chosen, Jesus ascends to heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. Christ’ exaltation and ascension permanently and irrevocably elevates Him “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” Therefore, disciples in Ephesus, a major metropolis in the Roman Empire, do not need to fear any threats borne of emperor worship, Roman military might, demand for allegiance to the Empire and passage of laws. The name of Caesar or any Roman political official is not supreme to the Name of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord retains unequaled preeminence in the first decades of first century and in any age to emerge. Beyond indicting prevalent emperor worship and reassuring Ephesians disciples despite daily threats to their lives, Paul encourages them that they now serve the most powerful Being in the world and universe, now and always.

Next, Paul designates the Church as the primary beneficiary of Christ’s exaltation. Why would disciples pledge their love, loyalty and allegiance to anyone or anything else other than the Person teachings and cause of Jesus Christ? The Lord’s power is available to the church to accomplish His purpose and build His kingdom. On Earth, the Church is the collectivity of Christ’s agents and ambassadors whose vocation is the emergence of Christ’s reign. Disciples pursue and esteem the kingdom of Christ above and beyond any government in which they live. To accomplish this task, Christ graciously imparts His power to the Church which “is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.” In essence, the Lord completes His ministry and mission through the Church as He designates it as His body on Earth. Christ is daily completing “The Great Commandment” and “The Great Commission” through them. The latter two verses of this prayer and passage indicate the purpose for which the Church exists. The body of Christ seeks and implements the will of Christ.

Realizing the challenge that these neophyte believers will face, the apostle includes a prayer in this letter. First, Paul asks the Holy Spirit to instruct his fellow disciples with wisdom and revelation to bolster their relationship with Christ. He then asks that the Spirit open the eyes of their hearts to reveal to them the essence of the hope to which they have been called in Christ. Paul fears that the surrounding threats of Roman law and distractions of an illicit society will undermine their personal growth and spiritual development. He hopes they realize the great and magnanimous hope they share with the continuing generations and legacy of believers. Practically, the Ephesian disciples should glean faithfulness and fortitude from their forbears in the Christian faith. Additionally, they should rebuff any defeatist attitude as their community expands. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to them to complete Christ’s mission and build His kingdom. Personally, they will triumph over any daily adversity. Collectively, they can rest upon the Lordship and power of Christ which far exceeds the reaches of Rome or any other authority. The Risen Lord is the ultimate power and ruler. As head of the Church, He endows His body to be His representative on Earth. As Christ “fills everything in every way,” He invokes unfailing love, grace, mercy and mystery in disciples’ daily living thereby enabling them to enjoy an abundant life on Earth and eternal life in the age to come. Paul wholeheartedly desires that the burgeoning Ephesian community of believers understand these great, glorious and incalculable riches await them as they persevere in Christian discipleship.

Book Review: Jonathan L. Walton Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World - Part One

2026-10-02T09:54:01.914-07:00

Book Review – Part One

Jonathan L. Walton, Lens of Love:

Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World

(Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018)

Do you find expressions of contemporary American Christianity intellectually inadequate, personally distasteful, socially irrelevant, contradictory of your values and principles relating to social justice? Is it a manipulative tool of hypocritical persons to further longstanding oppression of vulnerable and marginalized people? More frankly, do you despise the bastardization of the Christian faith? Do you refuse to attend weekly services at local churches because you fear The Reverend Doctor Charles Goodwill Cliché weekly erodes the Gospel of Jesus Christ with motivational speaking? Do you forego affiliating with a local congregation because you fear that it is not a resource to your local community? Do you find it reprehensible that clergypersons, political operatives, journalists and governmental leaders equate the Gospel and Christian faith with conservative ideology?

Do you respect clergypersons who defend a felon convicted of thirty-fours counts, an adulterer who exploits porn stars, declares bankruptcy six times, constantly ignores and violates the rule of law and never resists an opportunity to debase women and people of color as Christ’s contemporarily chosen instrument to establish the kingdom of God in the United States? Interestingly, this person’s foibles, incapacities and character defects contradict and nullify every principle that these clergypersons claim to hold dear. In exchange for a majority of ideologically aligned justices on the US Supreme Court, these clergypersons, their followers and allies were willing to compromise, if not discard, every single principle and value that they championed for decades. They ironically insist that their desecration of Christianity was done to preserve it. These questions combine to create a fundamental question, “What is the Gospel of Christ?” Practically speaking, how does one recognize an authentic, reasonable and pragmatically applicable articulation of it?

Do you lament the state of Christianity in contemporary America? Are you exhausted by daily revelations of sexual assault and abuse scandals by celebrity clergy people, megachurch pastors and denominational leaders? Does the systemic and collective refusal of organized religious leaders to demand accountability of these perpetrators disappoint if not disgust you? One of the largest Protestant denominations in the United States, under fierce compulsion from its female members, issued a multi-year report detailing sexual offenses by pastors and leaders against women but concluded its polity did not allow the organization any practical and effective means of accountability. In the same report, denominational leaders violently excoriate local congregations for allowing women pastors and they excommunicate churches that no longer characterize homosexual, lesbian and other sexual preferences as “sinful” and inherently contradictory to the Bible and a legitimate and acceptable lifestyle. Incredulously, these Christian leaders look away from sexual abuse and in some instances choose to blame the victims but forthrightly and unapologetically criticize and condemn the personal choices of consenting adults. Have you tired of homophobic and judgmental church teachings and tradition that assaults LGBTQIAPAS disciples with the assurance that God will only love them if they hate themselves and commit to a lifetime of self-condemnation and inauthenticity? Walton answers these questions, employing the tools of higher biblical criticism inclusive of historical, source, rhetorical and textual criticisms, by stating that divine love when shared genuinely, justly and truthfully within the human family resolves the foregoing challenges.

Recently, I acquired answers to these questions in reading Professor Jonathan L. Walton’s engaging, scholarly but not pedantic, accessible and provocative but not polemical book, Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018). An unexpected gift from a longtime friend, this book arrived serendipitously via the US Postal Service. Being an avid reader, I left it on the shelf for a few weeks as I plowed through my ever-growing and changing list of books to read. One day, I read the cover and thoroughly skimmed the chapters. Next day, I put it in my work bag and began a journey into a new and refreshing perspective for reading the Bible and understanding the Christian religion in the twenty-first century. In this volume of only 216 pages, Walton addresses the above questions from several dimensions. He does not grind an axe; nor does he offer a polemic wherein he condemns a grocery list of people with whom he disagrees. He forsakes the quicksand of self-assured categorical statements that he proffers as “the Truth.”

Instead, he asks readers to examine their prisms of experience with their concomitant ideological and existential myopia as they read the Bible and resist the temptation to impose a twenty-first century outlook upon the people, history, literature and religion of the Ancient Near East. He more straightforwardly asks readers to allow the Bible to speak for itself. Adhering fiercely to the integrity of higher biblical criticism and exegesis, Walton suggests that readers step away from their formative assumptions, religious superstitions and political persuasions. He posits that they will gain immeasurably from reading the Bible if they first seek to understand the scriptures in their historical, sociological, literary and anthropological context. Emerging within the Eastern tradition and culture of oral transmission of stories, the Bible records the sacred sayings, poems, narratives and discourses that people of the first century heard from their religious leaders. What did they hear? What did they understand? How did they allow these words to determine or influence their daily living?

To receive biblical wisdom in an intellectually respectable way, twenty-first century readers must respect the culture, people and history of their first century counterparts. Reading with integrity and allowing biblical texts to speak historically, contextually and authentically erases distortions that emerge from formative views that contemporary disciples uncritically accepted from grandparents, parents, teachers, pastors and other people whom they respect. Whether a conservative evangelical, liberal progressive or centrist moderate, American disciples can benefit immensely from Walton’s cardinal answer to the dilemmas that plague Christian expression. Employing the profundity of simplicity, Walton straightforwardly recommends that they read the Bible through the lens of love. Interestingly, Walton’s book encapsulates one of the most quoted verses in the Bible, John 3:16. The Fourth Evangelist contends that God’s faithful and unquestionable love for humankind is the essence of the Christian message. As disciples read the Bible, develop personally and progress spiritually, they should make love a foremost priority in their interpretation and choices in interpersonal relationships. Should one be confused or err as it relates to taking biblical and theological position, one should err on the side of love. Undoubtedly, the approach of emphasizing and relying upon Christ’s example of love translates to a disciple’s positions upon public policy and social affairs.

If you love the Bible, “the Word of God,” your admiration for this sacred literature will expand exponentially after reading Lens of Love. Whether you read the Bible for religious purposes, academic study or personal pleasure, this book will open your eyes to myriad dimensions which you may have missed previously. Walton’s writing and perspective will help you to adjust your personal lens in reading scripture. Pleasantly, the Bible contains countless other examples of spiritually significant and existentially empowering myths and symbolism. Walton reminds us that “Truth,” if even determinative and definitive, is not limited to material verification and proof. He warns against an uncritical acceptance of the scientific method as the most reliable means of defining truth. Doing so results in a rank reductionism thereby imprisoning “Truth” and revelation to petri dishes, microscopic slabs, DNA samples other items in a laboratory. Walton demonstrates the power of the Bible to delineate truth for daily human living beyond the methods of science and math. It is neither a scientific nor mathematical textbook. It deals with other questions of human existence and offers pragmatic answers within any human context or historical era. Walton’s prose, methods, historical analysis and emphasis upon reading the Bible through the lens of love reintroduces disciples to the Bible’s multidimensional majesty and magnificence.

Walton’s framework additionally yields a new appreciation for the debt that English and Russian literature owe to the Bible. Arguably, the pious, humble and faithful character, Levin, overshadows the protagonist in Anna Karenina as he struggles with faith and religion. He does not understand the necessity to yield to orthodoxy, doctrines and religious institutions. Levin posits that a genuine and progressive search to encounter and relate to the divine suffices. In The Brothers Karamazov, two of the brothers, one a monk and the other a businessman, have a frank and provocative conversation about God’s existence, the human invention of religion and juxtaposing the prevalence of evil with popular religious observance. The latter brother asks the monk why the invention of a divine being and religion were necessary to human existence. What is its worth given the treatment of children and other vulnerable people. Essentially, is there any worth to any religion as it has been historically incapable of resolving human evil. More significantly, people use religion to sanction their evil. In addition, the main plot of Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge mimics the strife that unfolds between King Saul and David in the book of 1 Samuel, chapters 15 to 19. Michael Henchard and Donald Farfrae as jealous rivals and potent antagonists in the novel appropriate the biblical story. Shakespeare, Twain, Douglass and countless other authors resort to biblical stories as foundations for stories. In redirecting our attention to the importance of love when reading the Bible, Walton empowers us to find divine truth and wisdom in unexpected places.

The book contains four intellectually sweet delights. First, Walton supports his main points with allusions to the vast evidence of ancient and recent religious history. Avoiding the professorial tendency of slipping into the quicksand of being needlessly pedantic, Walton succinctly references five very respected scholars of American Religious History. Raboteau classically crystallizes the religious world of American slaves. They saw that “peculiar institution” as irrefutably contradictory with the Bibe and God’s will for humankind, generally, and them, especially. Per Leon Litwack, author of Been In the Storm So Long: The Aftermath of Slavery, and other secular historians, the slaves prayed fervently and faithfully for abolition of the institution and personal freedom. Both books possess funny stories like the myths of John Henry Bunyan, Br’er Rabbit and other components of African American folklore that reflect the oral tradition in combatting oppression. Walton additionally cites George Marsden whose books examine the idea of American evangelical intellectuality, The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship and The Soul of the American University Revisited: From Protestant to Postsecular. Professor Nathan O. Hatch’s compelling book, The Democratization of American Christianity, details an inverse relationship between burgeoning democratic ideals and an American iteration of Christianity which tolerated the annihilation of Native Americans, chattel slavery and subjugation of women. Lastly, he includes Jon Butler, author of several considerable works on American religious life, within his bibliography embedded within his prose. For students of History and more specifically American Religious History, Walton offers a short list of good books for further consideration.

A second delight that Walton offers is a short list of reliable biblical scholars whose books are widely read and used by academics, clergy and laity alike in research, sermon preparation and weekly Bible studies. Professor Raymond E. Brown was one of the world’s foremost authorities on the Gospel of John. Walton recommends Brown prevailing commentaries as sources to understand the “Sitz im Leben” (setting in life) of the Fourth Evangelist’s definition and use of divine love.

Book Review: Jonathan L. Walton Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World - Part Two

2026-10-02T09:48:51.528-07:00

Book Review - Part Two

Jonathan L. Walton, Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018)

Walton masterfully and graciously writes a book about the Bible which billions of people still revere in an accessible, engaging and informative way. Clergy who have graduated from seminary will be reminded of their days and late nights of poring over religious monographs. He entices them to revisit some of their settled beliefs and opinions about scripture. Personally, I wish this book had been available when I was completing my Master of Divinity courses. I am happy for current students who have this piece of treasure as an introduction to formal historical, critical and analytical study of the Bible. Walton insists that students of the Bible grapple with irony, incongruity, ambiguity and longstanding contradictions. He does not allow an easy escape through emotions, facile verbal recitation and memorization. Respectfully, he asks readers to appreciate the Bible and the process of studying the Bible with intellectual integrity and genuine curiosity. This approach requires the suspension of predetermined knowledge and conclusions. Readers, like a forensic scientist, pathologist or crime scene investigator, should come to study the Bible with an open mind; thereby they allow the Bible to speak on its own and reveal the Divine as its authors, audience and historical context understood their experiences of God and religion. Beyond the expanse of scholarly criticism, academics in all disciplines who are curious minimally about the study of religion within the Ancient Near Eastern world will find unimagined riches from Walton’s research, writing and insightful perspective. Reading the Bible within the lens of love is the most preferable and fulfilling methodology. LinkedIn professionals who crunch numbers, edit films, write screenplays, write legal briefs, prepare lesson plans, coordinate food pantries, prepare for surgery, draft blueprints, measure safety of bridges and tunnels or perform myriad other functions will find themselves similarly satisfied.

One of the delights of Walton’s book is its humor and recitation of funny African American Church idioms. He references the powerful testimony services of various denominations. In those worship experiences, average believers stand and offer personal statements of their individual experiences of God’s faithfulness. Their statements parallel the oral evidence of court witnesses. These disciples assure the congregation that the Bible and its promises about God’s unfailing love and unquestioned faithfulness are undeniably true because of their direct experience. We who have attended and participated in these services recall the warmth, affirmation and encouragement of those services. Walton’s summary places many readers on memory lane. Others travel mystically and anthropologically to a new venue and milieu of Christian worship and discipleship.

Regarding God’s power to heal and transform, testimony service traditionally contains vivid accounts of personal miracles. These stories closely parallel biblical accounts of theophanies like Moses’ discovery of a burning bush that is not being consumed by its flames, record a supernatural event. The suspension of natural law confirms God’s presence as He retains the right to do so to accomplish His purpose. Hints of the miraculous seems necessary to validate an account. Walton specifically notes that a believer who struggles with alcoholism attributes his delivery from addiction to God’s graciousness in “taking the taste out of his mouth.”

Walton allows that the rich and empowering traditions and experiences of local church membership can intersect with twenty-first century modalities of faith, religion and spirituality. Reading the Bible through the lens of love opens disciples to new vistas of reading Jung’s teachings on individuation while studying the Psalms. It permits disciples to embark upon the inward journey of inner healing and wholeness through the process of self-discovery and self-acceptance in counseling and psychoanalysis. It grasps the hard realities of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder borne of childhood anxiety and other causes. It expands the horizon of the ways in which Almighty God assists disciples and their families in resolving these significant conflicts. It seeks extra biblical and ecclesiastical guidance. It collaborates with neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, psychobiology and other disciplines to harness all resources within our global village.

Yet another delight of Walton’s equally delightful book is his rhetorical seasonings of literature and allusions to the rich traditions and cultural mores of the Black Church. African American literature, generally, and Black Women’s literature, specifically, contain myriad motifs that wrestle with religion and theodicy. Bearing the triple burden of gender, race and class, Black women fight to discover God’s presence and favor within their daily existence. Seemingly, they are amongst the most devout disciples who fervently and faithfully pray for deliverance and a better life. They regrettably remain in the same existential quicksand. How can a Jesus whom they love so much, to whom they faithfully appeal and for whom they defend against any other expression of deity be so cruel indifferent? Celie has frank conversation with God in the opening letter of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. The protagonist in Anne Perry’s classic and early twentieth century novel, The Street, under the burden of her life walks away from it thereby abandoning her beloved son. Sula Mae Peace, whose unbridled courage and self-determination challenges fellow characters and readers alike to dare to live freely. Sula, the title character of Toni Morrison’s enduring and provocative novel, brazenly lives her life as she chooses notwithstanding any social compulsion to believe and obey God. So many other works of literature grapple with the worth of religion when embroiled in daily hardships. Walton suggests an interpretation of the Bible that accommodates these ironies and incongruities. He affirms God’s love for humankind on the individual level but demands that disciples develop the capacity and character to demonstrate Christian love on a societal basis. Black women and other vulnerable people do not non impactful charity but direct service consistent with Matthew 25 and social justice advocacy that actualizes Isaiah 61:1-10 and Luke 4:18.

For disciples who simply love the Bible and study of the world that fostered its composition and compilation, Walton explores the beauty and bounty of biblical scholarship. He cites the enduring scholars and commentators such Raymond Brown, one of the leading authorities on the Gospel of John, and Joseph Fitzmeyer’s work on the book of Romans. Delightfully, Walton references the compelling scholarship of Jennifer Glancy and other next generation biblical scholars whose intriguing and refreshing insights are very helpful to contemporary disciples. I highly recommend that you read the notes and consult these books. The Bible is a mysterious, fascinating and mystical book that minimally requires a lifetime of study to scratch the surface of its history, meaning and significance. It is pitiful that countless misguided disciples attempt to reduce its complexity, profundity and infinite lessons to rote memorization in their primary language. These well intentioned and similarly uninformed people do not realize that the Bible which they pound was delivered divinely in five different languages within the historical context of the Ancient Near East. Some of them esteem the King James translation above the meaning of the original languages of Greek, Hebrew, Ugaritic, Aramaic and historical pidgins in which the texts were transmitted orally and composed on papyri. Nevertheless, Walton overlooks those academic shortcomings. He posits that if readers and students of the Bible will read the book through the lens of love, that methodology triumphs over the failings of any technical academic approaches. The scholars whom Walton references provides a plethora of insights, examples and tools to assist lifetime Bible students in accomplishing their goals of learning the Word of God as fruitfully as possible.

Walton however depicts Christ’s love as equal to a collective consciousness and expression of justice and equality. Christian love is more than a warm and fuzzy feeling in one’s mind and heart. It extends beyond rote recitation of religiously and socially acceptable statements. Like the Good Samaritan, it asks individual disciples to share the resources of time, treasure, talent and temperament to expand Christ’s reign and kingdom by demonstrating His love in interpersonal relationships and within society. Love on a collective level means that disciples allow each person the freedom and latitude to experience God as he uniquely understands Him. We do not have to agree with other people or condone their lifestyle choices. Still, Christ’s love commands us to graciously embrace their rights to live freely and openly.

Reading through the lens of love opens disciples’ eyes to interpret familiar passages with a new perspective. This angle removes any condemnation and judgement of the woman caught in adultery. The lens of love demand that we ask the silent question, “Where is the man?” This type of reading leads to amazement when disciples consider that God sends the Israelite spies to Rehab who operates a brothel. Readers join Mary and Martha in the village of Bethany at the tomb of Lazarus where Jesus cries for His friend. Consider the immeasurable love that Esau extends to Jacob upon the occasion of their reunion after twenty years following the latter’s ill treatment of his elder brother. Countless other texts equally reveal God’s unfailing love in human relationships.

Walton’s compelling book challenges readers to reexamine their theology which is rational thought about the existence of a divine being and whether His existence bears any significance on anyone’s life. Regarding God’s attributes and holy character, love is the most simplistic and profound definition and description. In the sacrifice of Christ, Almighty God establishes the new covenant of love (John 3:16). He rewrites the Law and implements the new law of love which is a much higher standard than the rules, regulations and requirements of black letter restrictions. (Matthew chapters 5, 6and 7). Through love, God obliterates the penetrating and persistent fear that believers have of His righteousness and judgment. His perfect love annihilates fears and liberates anyone who believes in Him to live abundantly and eternally (1 John 4:18). Irrespective of any Christian denomination’s catechism, love is the primary prerequisite of Christian discipleship. The Fourth Evangelist unequivocally rejects any notion that someone can profess undying and unwavering love for God without having and sharing love with his brothers and sisters in the human family and global village. A disciple cannot say that he loves God whom he has never seen while failing to love his brothers and sisters whom he sees daily. (1 John 5:12).

It is necessary to reiterate that love as the biblical writers and Walton utilizes demands truth, justice, mercy, human rights and fundamental fairness of process and result. Love is personal and collective. Admittedly, disciples have daily priestly duties and obligations to their spouses, families and friends. Seeking to improve their neighborhoods and adjacent communities, they engage important altruistic and civic work. However, they have a parallel responsibility to creating a more sustainable and equitable global village. All of humankind deserves a fundamentally fair world that imparts each individual and nation a chair to actualize their unique lives. Christian love in the context of environmental inequalities, nuclear threats, shrinking resources, geopolitical tensions and rising populations insists upon policies and solutions that preserve the human dignity of all nations.

Are you disheartened by the current state of the Christian religion in the United States? Do you fear the blasphemy and cacophony in contemporary discourse about Christianity will further erode commitment of younger disciples who are rightly distrustful of prevalent inconsistencies and incongruities of the Church’s beliefs and actions? Does the anti-intellectualism of American preaching offend you? Does it appear that the pervasive darkness that surrounds the faith of our forebears will persist and not yield to a brighter day? Amid this bleak moment, as move into the second quarter of the twenty-first century which also holds immeasurable promise for human advancement, Professor Jonathan Walton offers a marvelous light to anyone who stumbles in darkness. He graciously and fortuitously offers Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World with reason and reassurance for weary disciples, genuine seekers and suspicious participants in the discussion. Enthusiastically, I encourage you to eat this manna and drink this living water.

Meditations Upon Mark 11:24 - Part Three

2026-09-26T20:59:53.147-07:00

Meditations Upon Mark 11:24 – Part Three

Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

The context of this verse is significant. It lies between verses that illuminate the power of faith in God and two verses that connect faith and its blessings with forgiveness and honest relationships. This contextual view exposes the fallacy in the “Gospel of Wealth and Health” abuse of this verse. The objective of a right relationship with Almighty God is not a reductionistic, narcissistic and individualistic quest for financial gain that permits conspicuous consumption and unbridled material acquisition. Instead, faith in God unleashes His miraculous power that accomplishes His will and purpose. In addition, disciples pray, in accordance with “the Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-13) and Jesus’ petition in the Garden of Gethsemane at the base of the Mount of Olives (Matthew 26:39 and Luke 22:42), for revelation of the will of God and the power of the Holy Spirit to seek and fulfill it. In response to His disciples’ plea for instruction in prayer, the Lord teaches them to seek the will of God on Earth as it is in heaven. On the night of His betrayal and eve of His crucifixion, the Lord follows His very human plea that the cup of death passes Him by with a confession of faith. “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” (KJV) The evangelist reminds disciples of the importance of prioritizing God’s will in all personal matters.

Jesus’ directive, “Have faith in God,” empowers disciples to speak to any mountain and tell it to cast itself into a sea of oblivion never to rise again. However, a disciple cannot harbor doubt in his heart. Storing suspicions resembles dust that forms in the crevices of a windowsill or corners of a room. Some doubts parallel large pieces of broken furniture in the garage or clothing that no longer fit in the closet. To doubt means to have a divided mind. One moment everything seems clear and straightforward. The next, questions begin to sow seeds of uncertainty. Weeds of disbelief begin to grow thereby forcing disciples to sift through their thoughts to glean faith. The process of growing in faith is one of settling any doubt. Recollections of God’s unwavering faithfulness and consistent practice of other spiritual disciplines are practical means of removing doubt. Like weekly house cleaning that removes dirt, dust, cobwebs, stains, odors and overlooked messes, disciples embrace recitation of scriptures, prayer, fasting, worship, fellowship, Bible study, reading, journaling and meditation as pragmatic means of eliminating doubt. Nonetheless, it is important to specify that the disciple needs to mature in faith to remove any doubt that Almighty God can favorably impart His grace and power to remove the mountains in the disciple’s life. With an unwavering faith in God’s ability to act miraculously in accordance with His will, any disciple can experience divine favor.

To doubt means to have a divided mind. It is hard to have faith when a disciple’s mind and heart oppose each other. Mental assent to the idea that God can perform miracles or supernaturally impart grace to accomplish His purposes is not sufficient. Faith is more than strong and fierce emotions. Prayer requires more than loud, vociferous and sincere verbal petitions. These spiritual superstitions do not equate with faith. Belief in God requires reason and faith. Disciples consider their intellect by scanning a protocol of logical, scientific and practical factors for reasonableness. Satisfying these rational tests, disciples appropriately turn to their faith. Realizing that the facts of any situation may not yield a favorable outcome, disciples employ their faith and ask God for His favorable intervention. Their prayer petition may include a direct request that Almighty God suspend natural law and perform a miracle. However, disciples should clarify their motives and objectives when making such a request. Does the disciple ask because he think it is a good idea that God fulfill a personal preference. Does the disciple ask for the miracle to honor and glorify God? Does the disciple ask for the miracle to accomplish God’s will? Does the plea for a miracle further the Gospel or expand Christ’s kingdom? Yet, if disciples retain uncertainty in their minds and hearts, then they corrode any faith they allege.

Uncertainty indicts God’s ability, promises and Word. It means harboring mental and experiential reservations. Doubt is a very human and understandable emotion and stance. The Bible records myriad instances of doubt. Several of the people who are in the “Hall of Fame and Faith” (Hebrews 11) harbored legitimate doubts as they sought divine and miraculous intervention. Sarah laughs when the angel informs Abraham and her that she will bear a child in her old age. Gideon rebuffs an angelic proclamation of God’s presence, consideration and care. Thomas initially refuses to believe the resurrection occurred when his fellow disciples told him that the Risen Lord Jesus Christ had appeared to them. You recall Thomas’ immortal words. “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25) After Thomas encounters the Risen Lord, Thomas ceases doubting and believes wholeheartedly. Faith surmounts doubt when disciples rely unwaveringly upon God’s faithfulness, unfailing love and grace. Disciples believe in God and His sovereign and gracious will to intervene favorably on a believing disciple’s behalf.

Faith empowers disciples to speak to the mountains in their lives. They can order the mountains to cast themselves into the sea. If they do not doubt in their hearts, disciples can trust that God will consider their prayers and answer in accordance with His prerogatives and will. Interestingly, the evangelist adds a requirement. The disciple must believe what he says! If the disciple does not really believe what he says, why would he expect God to respond favorably? Unconditional belief is a nonnegotiable prerequisite for miraculous action. This verse, Mark 11:23, reads as if it were an “If-Then” algebra equation. The prerequisites must be solved to complete the equation. Necessitating that disciples believe what they say in turn requires them to clarify their desires and intentions. A person of a divided mind and heart cannot legitimately ask anything of God. (James 1:6-8) Faith includes an unequivocal belief in Almighty God respecting His sovereign prerogatives and unerring will. It also demands clarity of desire and intention. Accordingly, disciples must believe what they say. As disciples combine these two dimensions, they will witness the removal of mountains in their lives.

The evangelist links prayer, faith and forgiveness in Mark 11:25-26. It appears the failure to forgive someone against whom you hold resentment and other negativity cancels the possibility of miracles. The evangelist instructs disciples to pause when praying for a miracle and consider whether they harbor anything against anyone. The Psalter encourages believers to have “clean hands and a pure heart.” (Psalm 24:4) It stands to reason that holding toxic emotions in your heart interferes and undermines any desire for God’s grace. The evangelist insists that God demands forgiveness as disciples state personal petitions, intercede for other people, offer confessions, express adoration and enumerate their thanksgiving in prayer and other spiritual disciplines. Further, God demands that disciples forgive others as a condition to receive unconditional divine forgiveness. The degree to which a disciple desires God’s forgiveness is the exact same degree to which he must extend forgiveness to other people who have harmed him. In the “Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus teaches His disciples to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses we forgive those who trespass against us.” (Mathhew 6:12 KJV) Two verses later, He adds, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Prayer with a clean heart and conscious, genuine faith in God and unreserved forgiveness of other people are necessary to honor God’s holy character. It is irrational to ask for divine grace, mercy and assistance while simultaneously harboring bitterness, resentment, vexation and other toxic emotions against other people. A disciple with such a burdened and soiled heart is not a vessel through whom God’s will can occur. Anyone retaining doubt in the crevices of his mind and closets of his heart is also an ineligible instrument through whom God can accomplish His will. As “God is love” and love is the basis of forgiveness, it is unreasonable to assume that a disciple can taint divine love and forgiveness with a refusal to share Christ’s love and forgiveness. Disciples demonstrate their gratitude as recipients of love, grace and mercy by freely and liberally sharing these divine gifts with others.

Meditations Upon Mark 11:24 - Part Four

2026-09-26T20:58:30.772-07:00

Meditations Upon Mark 11:24 – Part Four

Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

These final two verses of the eleventh chapter of the Gospel of Mark address a few important components of Christian discipleship: prayer, forgiveness and reciprocity in forgiveness. First, what is prayer and why is it important for discipleship development? In the Roman Empire, which is the context in which this book is written, pagans prayed to the courts and powerful authorities to grant their wishes and thereby strengthen their lives. Weak people articulate their heartfelt desires to powerful people. Vulnerable and marginalized people hoped that the judicial and political lords would be gracious in hearing their pleas and granting their wishes. In contrast, rebuffing emperor worship and unbridled allegiance to the Roman government, Christians believe that all power lies in the hands of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ. Primarily, they appealed to Him to hasten the emergence of His kingdom on Earth. They posited that the reign of Christ would result in a fundamentally just and equitable society. A certain level of human dignity would provide for all people, extend legal rights, and offer freedom to them to actualize their abilities in accordance with the Lord’s will. Christian disciples prayed to Christ for revelation and manifestation of His law, the Word of God. The Christian idea of power, law and authority transcended the fierce power of Rome. Disciples shunned emperor worship in exchange for appealing to Christ to utilize His divine power to accomplish His will. Contemporarily, disciples appeal to the Lord of the universe to glorify Himself through their daily mysteries, experiences, challenges and joys.

Please note the implication that prayer transforms disciples’ desires, wishes and petitions into means and mechanisms of honoring and glorifying God and seeking His will. “The Lord’s Prayer” centers upon this spiritual objective. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus offers a very human and understandable request that the Heavenly Father spare Jesus the bitter, agonizing and reprehensible cup of crucifixion. Yet, Jesus accepts that the Father’s will is best. “Nevertheless, not my will but Thy will be done.” Prayer is a transformative process in which disciples receive discernment, revelation and empowerment from the Holy Spirit to mature to the point of saying “Nevertheless” and seeking only to fulfill God’s will.

Before formally defining forgiveness in biblical terms, I would like to cite three incredible examples of forgiveness. Twenty years ago in October 2006, a mentally deranged man entered an Amish one-room school in Lancaster Pennsylvania and killed ten girls. The international press corps descended like vultures upon this community to observe the breadth and depth of this immeasurable tragedy. People of faith internationally recoiled in shock and disgust. To their chagrin, the Amish community did not react with anger, disgust, bitterness and blood lust. Through the power of their faith, they communally forgave the man who inexplicably slaughtered their daughters. Incredulously, they visited the family of the murderer who committed suicide following his dastardly deed. They prayed with his family and shared condolences. One of the victims’ family invited the man’s family to her funeral. Most incredibly, the Amish community attended his funeral and grieved with his family. Modeling the Lord’s teachings on forgiveness, the Amish community extended an unconditional pardon to the perpetrator whose mental illness and unresolve intrapsychic challenges possibly explain his actions on that fateful fall day two decades ago. Truly, they believed and demonstrated to the global village that vengeance belongs to the Lord. (Amish Grace and Forgiveness - LancasterPA.com – link active as of 23 September 2026)

Second, a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving Day in 2004, four teenagers utilizing a stolen credit card bought several items among them being a twenty-pound stolen turkey. Carousing in a car afterwards, their collective adolescent mentality agreed to take the frozen turkey and hurl it out of one of the backdoors. The object struck and shattered a woman’s windshield. It demolished the steering wheel causing her to lose control of the vehicle. Surprisingly, she survived this horrific incident which would necessitate multiple surgeries, some facial reconstruction and extensive rehabilitation. The major effects were brain damage and paralysis. Within miles of her home, this woman was returning from attending a concert. The unbridled immaturity and unconscionable indifference of four teenagers radically and suddenly changed her life. Their criminal behavior and incivility were obvious causes for righteous indignation and thirst for legal retribution which the local district attorney originally sought. Astoundingly, the victim asked for leniency for the perpetrators who faced potentially lengthy prison sentences. She attended the court proceedings and publicly forgave the oldest culprit for whom a twenty-five-year sentence lurked. Various news outlets reported this act of pardon, redemption and possible transformation. The victim told the young man that she hoped he would take advantage of the judicial mercy that he would receive and “make something of his life.” She did not wish to discard him to the human rock quarry of incarceration. Instead, she hopes that he would demonstrate his gratitude through his lifestyle choices. Some news reports detailed a very emotional moment of embrace between the two of them as he apologized through loud and penetrating sobs and she tearfully reiterated her genuine forgiveness. One account said that there was not a dry eye in the courtroom. Regrettably, the victim of that accident died fifteen years later. Notwithstanding her neurological and physical limitations, she became a motivational speaker who addressed prison, religious and general audiences about the necessity and transformative power of forgiveness. In death as in life, she leaves an immeasurable legacy and lesson about compassion and pardon. (A Woman Who Famously Forgave A Teen For A Violent Frozen Turkey Prank Has Died – link active as of 23 September 2026)

Esau’s forgiveness of Jacob is the third example. (Genesis 32 and 33) Recall Jacob twice deceives his brother. He cheats him out of his birthright for the cost of a bowl of lentil soup and then Jacob tricks their father, Isaac, and steals Esau’s blessing. When the latter appears before the father, only verbal crumbs are left to impart to him. The riches of the land and the Lord’s blessings have been bequeathed to the younger son. Rebekah assists Jacob in executing his deception of Isaac and duplicity toward Esau. Taken for a fool a second time, Esau becomes murderously angry. He would have committed fratricide had not his parents intervened to save Jacob’s life by instructing a servant to send him away to their relatives. Twenty years later, a confluence of circumstances causes a reunion between these brothers.

Jacob, frightened of Esau’ volcanic anger which he assumes is as potent as it was two decades ago, plans a strategic approach to this unavoidable reunion. Jacob fears his brother’s wholesale retaliation. More specifically, Jacob fears that Esau will annihilate Jacob and his entire household. He remains alert and anxious throughout their meeting. As deceit lies intrinsically in Jacob’s character, he is unable to fully trust Esau’s genuine forgiveness of Jacob. Still, in Genesis 33:10, utterly moved by his brother’s compassion, consideration and graciousness, Jacob describes the reunion with his brother as equating with seeing the face of God given Esau’s genuine kindness and favor. Jacob’s humility reflects the power of genuine forgiveness. As its recipient, he marvels that God could transform his brother’s heart. In two decades, Esau’s murderous rage dissipates. Upon seeing his brother, Esau dramatically and exuberantly embraces Jacob and weeps joyously. For Jacob, their reunion was probably a surreal experience as he could not imagine its converse. I suspect that Esau during the interim period of two decades reflected extensively about his brother’s transgressions. Chances are he considered his immaturity, aimlessness and divided mind which prevented him from fulfilling his rightful place as the elder brother and primary heir. How could he have willingly consented to exchanging his birthright for a bowl of lentil soup? If not Jacob, then someone else would have exploited Esau’s incapacity to appreciate God’s gifts more so than his family’s culture and traditions. Nonetheless, having established his own meaningful relationship with Almighty God, Esau experiences an incredible transformation of mind, heart and character. That internal change enables Esau to forgive his brother.

Meditations Upon Mark 11:24 - Part Five

2026-09-26T20:57:10.999-07:00

Meditations Upon Mark 11:24 – Part Five

Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

The three preceding examples define forgiveness. In legal terms, society forgives any criminal when he receives pardon, which is a binding and irreversible act whereby the legal system relinquishes its right to retribution. It is as if the offense never occurred. Biblically, forgiveness releases offenders from the debt of sinful and hurtful actions. Forgiveness follows the Heavenly Father’s example in extending pardon and mercy to humankind through the atoning sacrifice of Christ. God’s covenantal love for us is the basis of His forgiveness. Accordingly, the Lord requires disciples to extend forgiveness to receive it. This nonnegotiable command is poignantly evident in “The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.” (Matthew 18:21-35) This man mercifully evades a considerable debt of ten thousand talents; currently equating with thousands, tens or hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of dollars depending upon calculation for inflation and exchange rates. Incredulously, this same servant refuses to forgive a miniscule debt of hundreds of dollars owed to him from another servant who faced hardships. Furious at this act of ingratitude, the master of the unforgiving servant reestablishes the debt and orders the imprisonment of this ungrateful man until he can remit the debt. This story teaches the divine imperative of reciprocity in giving and receiving forgiveness. Summarily, to forgive means to renounce righteous indignation, surrender rights to punishment and retribution and release of revenge and similar ideas and emotions to God for His perfect judgment and adjudication. More significantly, forgiveness requires disciples to permanently and irrevocably forgive anyone who harms them.

A few pragmatic matters relating to forgiveness are noticeable. First, it may take a long time to fully forgive someone. Jesus tells Peter that he is to forgive someone as many times as necessary to complete the process of grace, mercy, resolution and possibly reconciliation. A process of twenty years unfolds within Esau’s mind and heart to yield his forgiveness to Jacob. In that time, Esau obtained discernment, grace, wisdom and renewal of love through a vibrant relationship with Almighty God. His immeasurable wealth and blessings indicate that he processed his anger and resentment. Eventually Esau acknowledges his role in Jacob’s deceitful schemes, and he realizes that his is not lacking anything given God’s bountiful blessings and provision. Even without the birthright and Isaac’s blessings, Esau enjoys an abundance of riches and quality of life. God mysteriously and majestically redeems Esau’s loss.

Second, disciples forgive people for their incapacities of character inclusive of lacking morals, ethics and ability to make just choices. “Bad” and dysfunctional parents probably were incapable of being “good” and responsible parents. An infinite amount of pain and injury lingers in the hearts and minds of countless people who live with unresolved childhood trauma and unhealed disappointments. Hurtful words said by busy, indifferent and misguided parents were determinative as some people believed them and allowed those words to impede their progress in life. Irresponsible and immature parents failed to provide adequately, tolerated poverty and allowed hunger, cold, extreme need and public humiliation. They did not exemplify the love, faithfulness and provision that we expect of loving and dutiful parents. Incapacities of character derail ambitions to attend college, disrupt entrepreneurial plans or otherwise negatively affect a person’s quest to seek a higher quality of life. To liberate themselves from the just and understandable anger and bitterness that a person would feel, disciples genuinely rely upon God’s presence and empowerment to learn how to forgive their parents and their parents’ incapacities.

Forgiveness may or may not achieve reconciliation. Your forgiveness of a perpetrator does not necessitate that you maintain a relationship with that person. Practically, you do not have to adhere to religious traditions and superstitions that suggest resolving painful relational experiences always end with each side saying “Sorry” as if they were children on a grade school playground. We live in an adult world. There are experiences that are so hurtful, disillusioning, disappointing and disrespectful that victims always fear that they will suffer repeated injuries and abuse if they maintain communication. I am aware of a woman who divorced her husband whom she deeply and unquestionably loved. She did so after years of contending with domestic violence inclusive of physical, emotional and psychological abuse. She ceased to count and recall the myriad hurtful, insulting and damaging words he said. In time, he matured having healed from his childhood pain and trauma that fueled his internal volcanic anger that spewed lava all over their relationship. He admirably and humbly asked for her forgiveness. She graciously and sincerely forgave him. However, she was unable to accede to his deeply emotional and solicitous requests for reconciliation and remarriage. He had simply hurt her heart so thoroughly that she could not entrust her heart to him again. She feared, notwithstanding his claims to the contrary, that he would hurt again. She would not enjoy any peace or security in their relationship. Silently and assuredly, she would wait for the inevitable next barrage of hurtful words.

In the twenty-sixth verse, the evangelist emphasizes the conjunction, neither. He reiterates God’s firm demand that disciples give forgiveness if they wish to receive it from Him. The conjunction negates what precedes and succeeds it. Interestingly, it facilitates both sides of the sentence. It reveals the larger requirements of “The Great Commandment” (Matthew 22:34-40) Love of God in turn necessitates love of others. “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Applying the principles of this two-fold commandment practically means forgiving in others the shortcomings that a disciple can so easily forgive within himself. God’s love demands that disciples share with each other the compassion that they harbor for themselves. Growing understanding of God’s love for each disciple equips them to forgive each other.

This often-quoted passage teaches us that faith in God encompasses more than a sincere request for God’s favor to increase financial gain, acquire material possession or receive miraculous healing. Having faith in God entails removing doubt, believing wholeheartedly in whatever you ask of Him, willingness to speak your desires aloud and unconditional belief in God’s ability to do whatever you ask in accordance with His sovereign will. It is important to remember that you offer your requests to a holy God who is the perfect manifestation of love. As He loves humankind and gave His “One and Only Begotten Son” as a sacrifice to demonstrate His covenantal, faithful and unfailing love, He requires anyone who knows His love to share it with everyone else. Practically, disciples as recipients of God’s loving forgiveness in turn logically and liberally extend the same compassion and consideration to all members of the human family. This verse and its context instructs us about the comprehensive nature of faith in God which includes relational dimensions of a disciple’s fellowship with God and connection with his brothers and sisters in the global village.

Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18 - Part Three

2026-09-19T06:20:38.561-07:00

Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18 – Part Three

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

“But perfect love drives out fear.” The use of the English word, perfect, connotes a love that is errorless, exactingly correct and without a scintilla of deficiency. Intriguingly, John’s community understood “perfect love” as a love that is “fully complete” and thus trustworthy, reliable and faithful in all seasons and situations. An agricultural people who lived fiercely dependent upon the land, they thought in terms of word pictures. They equate John’s teachings with their perennial and life-sustaining process of tilling and fertilizing land, planting, nurturing crops, weeding and irrigating, praying for rain if necessary, dealing with a drought, protecting the crop from wildlife, harvesting, reaping a crop and turning a profit. The value of any harvest exceeded its monetary yield. Investment of time, labor, energy, discipline and commitment could not be adequately factored into market negotiations and price determination. A realistic price would consider all seasons not just harvest. The evangelist speaks of love in this holistic and cyclic nature. A “fully complete” love turns with each annual cycle of life. It is a life-giving and life-sustaining force in each season. This type of love, intrinsically formidable and inherently faithful like the Heavenly Father, does not shift like sand or shadows. It does not equivocate, compromise, faint or yield to challenge or adversity. Please note that a “fully complete” love grows stronger and more formidable with each complete turn of the seasons. The intertwining roots of sequoia trees offer a splendid contemporary natural example. Running possibly twelve feet deep, these roots extend two to three hundred feet wide. Their interlocking nature allows each tree stability and access to shared resources. Moreover, they support each other when confronted by any natural threat. Year after year, these roots strengthen each other. A “fully complete” love serves a similar purpose as it eliminates fear.

Love parallels a bouncer in a night club. He throws out anyone who is unruly, disruptive or a potential threat to the safety and tranquility of other people. To drive out fear is to cast it out into utter oblivion and darkness where it will not be seen again. Perfect love also diffuses, deters and dissolves fear. It possesses a farmer’s versatility to prevent any seasonal crisis from threatening or diminishing crops and the harvest that they will produce. Love throws out fear in whatever form it emerges. The evangelist accordingly reassures disciples in the beloved community that the Lord’s perfect love eradicates fear of eternal damnation or any earthly punishment.

“Because fear has to do with punishment.” It is impossible to enjoy God’s loving ad comforting presence if disciples constantly fear His wrath and judgment. The risk of spending eternity in “the lake of fire” impedes any enjoyment of grace, peace and joy. Corporal punishment was a primary means of discipline during my childhood. The risk of “getting a beating” was a permanent fixture in daily life. An internal compass directed personal behavior to avoid any discipline or punishment. This looming threat made it difficult to enjoy family times inclusive of movies, games, cards or outdoor activities. Unquestionably, this dilemma limited relationships. It is not easy to transcend this lingering fear. I suspect there are disciples who recoil in response to “hellfire and brimstone” sermons. They further pharisaical attitudes toward God and religion. Well-intentioned but misguided disciples engage religion to avoid God’s wrath and punishment. Their adherence to religious ordinances and congregational dictates is an effort to quantifiably earn entry to heaven. This distorted outlook upon Christianity robs them of “unspeakable joy” and “glorious riches” of personally knowing the Lord’s unfailing love for them.

Many disciples fail to forgive themselves for sins of omission and commission because fear imprisons them with a lifelong guilt complex. They believe that they should suffer. They punish themselves with harsh words and perpetual condemnation. They deprive themselves of seeing beauty in the daily miracle of life. Their foreboding outlook deprives them of knowing Christ’s unquestioned and immediate forgiveness. Recall the Lord’s graciousness, mercy and forgiveness toward the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). Jesus repels her accusers who stand holding stones. Moreover, they held unconfessed sins in their minds and hearts. As no one is left to condemn her, the Lord refuses to do so. Equally, Christ extends a pardon to disciples for their sins to enable transformation of their character. His redemptive love motivates His forgiveness. Additionally, in a seminal verse, Romans 8:1, Paul encourages the church that Christ’s unfailing love annihilates any condemnation that they may feel or anyone seeks to levy. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Most regrettably, countless disciples are unable to receive and live within that covenantal promise because they fear punishment.

Imagine being in the presence of unconditional love. Would you be able to trust it? I have a sneaky suspicion and a very funny feeling that many relationships suffer because one of the partners fails to trust the love and consideration of his or her significant other. Fear creates this inability to rely upon daily declarations and actions of love, grace and consideration. Some people retain a constant comparison chart to measure the extent of each other’s love. Presumably, your mate will prove his or her love with enough mathematically verifiable deeds of love. The need to quantify love naturally emerges from a pervasive fear that a relational disaster (financial struggles, conflicts in parenting, sexual incompatibility and challenges or infidelity) will unfold and irreparably damage or sever the relationship. As long as that palatable fear persists, it remains impossible to dwell peacefully and steadfastly in love with another person. Lingering fear corrodes words and deeds of love. In contrast, the evangelist hopes members of his community grow in their understanding and experience of Christ’s unfailing love for them.

He primarily writes this letter to share with them his enduring recollection of his experience of divine love as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” (1 John 1:1) The beloved disciple directly experienced the Heavenly Father’s unfailing, loyal and covenantal love as embodied in the Lord Jesus Christ. He testifies to what he heard, saw, touched and witnessed. He posits that anyone who encounters the Risen Lord can have a similar experience. An encounter with the Lord exceeds the traditionally religious, obligatory and dramatic conversion experience that defies natural law. Recall Moses’ discovery of a burning bush whose flames does not consume it. Encountering Christ is the beginning of an earthly and eternal pilgrimage that culminates in the New Jerusalem. Discipleship is a daily and lifetime commitment to learning the Lord’s teachings; and internalizing and practicing these principles in all personal and professional affairs. Disciples emulate the Lord’s love for humankind in marriage, family, community and society. Living in an interdependent relationship with the Lord and being a recipient of His love compels disciples to share His love.

Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18 - Part Four

2026-09-19T06:19:13.428-07:00

Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18 – Part Four

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

However, “the one who fears is not made perfect in love.” Fugitives live in constant and formidable fear. They strive diligently to mesh with their surroundings and live proverbially below the radar. Still, the persistent threat of arrest, arraignment, extradition, indictment, trial, conviction and sentencing prevent them from experiencing any peace. The dawn of each day brings freshly grown fears that developed overnight. Any encounter with law enforcement reignites those fears. Fugitives must avoid government buildings or any places that require identification. The presence of a police patrol vehicle at a stop light could potentially cause a full-blown panic attack. Retrieval of postal mail and voicemail messages inevitably include some fear and trepidation. They use the internet sparingly and guardedly. Any flashing or bright lights during nighttime immediately disrupts sleep. Chances are every creak, sound or bit of noise exacerbates a fugitive’s uneasiness. In an episode of the crime reality show, “ I Almost Got Away with It, a former fugitive and newly incarcerated inmate shares his story of being on the lam for eighteen years. Fearing the possible prison sentence he would receive at a hearing, this man skipped a court appearance. For nearly two decades, the US Marshals hunted this man. After fleeing the jurisdiction, the fugitive settled into a normal life in Southern Florida. He faithfully went to work, paid his taxes and silently and anonymously contributed to his local community. However, he did not enjoy a moment’s peace as he feared every minute that the marshals would discover and arrest him. Each night, sleep and peaceful rest eluded him.

On an average Friday morning, he arrived at work and opened the office to enable the public to enter at 9:00AM. Within fifteen minutes of the workday, he sat at his desk to enjoy a cup of coffee and a bagel. The door opened and a marshal approached and addressed the man by his full legal name. Absolutely exhausted after nearly two decades of fearing arrest and punishment, the fugitive did not possess any further ability to resist or run. He responded to the marshal’s question in the affirmative. Further, he said to him, “I have been waiting for this day for eighteen years. In that time, I have not had one good night’s rest. Actually, I am relieved to have this nightmare end.” That night in the county jail where he stayed awaiting extradition, he slept like a baby. He recalled that it was the first night of sleep he had enjoyed since his decision to flee. Just as this fugitive did not have one moment of peace and calm for eighteen years, disciples who fear God’s wrath and punishment, instead of maturing in their understanding and experience of the Lord’s love, cannot be made perfect in it.

Any disciples who live perpetually in fear of eternal punishment cannot be made perfect in the Lord’s love. Like the foregoing fugitive who did not enjoy a scintilla of peace, rest, relaxation, or joy in eighteen years, disciples who fear God’s wrath are not able to embrace His unconditional and unfailing love for them. It is sad to think that people spend a lifetime in church but never embrace a loving relationship with the Lord. Decades of attending Sunday School and weekly worship services did not yield any greater revelation of the Lord’s teachings and kingdom. Possibly, these limited disciples settled for a minimalist theology and experience of the Gospel’s potential to transform lives. Rote adherence robs them of greater comprehension and experience of Christ. As they read Christian education materials, listen to music and sermons over the years, the silent fears that flood their minds and hearts corrode the wealth of this knowledge. As they sit in pews week after week, they dwell in an existential fog that obscures the brilliance of Christ’s love for His disciples.

The evangelist whom biblical scholars refer to as “the beloved disciple” writes to share love is the essence of the Gospel. He hopes disciples will forsake formal, institutional, traditional, corporate and socially respectable religion and religiosity as a substitute for embracing a vibrant and loving relationship with the Lord. Simply stated, Christianity furthers a relationship with the Risen Lord Jesus Christ rather than rugged adherence to religious rites and regulations. Flowing organically and dynamically from an intimate fellowship with Christ is an internal compulsion of gratitude, to share the Lord’s love with fellow disciples and humankind. Having experienced divine love in its purest form as embodied in the Risen Lord Christ, disciples deeply desire to share this love with everyone else. However, fulfilling the Great Commandment and the Great Commission become virtually impossible if disciples remain imprisoned to fear and dread. The desire and willingness to freely share the Lord’s love is the clearest indication that a disciple is being perfected by His love. This lifelong mission includes sharing the Gospel and supporting fellow believers and congregants in discipleship development. It also involves social justice advocacy on behalf of marginalized and vulnerable people as well as delivering direct services to people in need as Matthew 25 details. Humankind suffers tremendously when disciples are incapable of being ambassadors for Christ because fear impedes them.

The evangelist appeals to all disciples with a fervent hope that they relinquish their fears and liberate themselves to internalize the Lord’s superabundant and perfect love. He regrets that they possibly confuse religion and a quest for self-righteousness with being in relationship with Christ. He reiterates the inverse relationship between fear and faith. Any disciples who surrender to fears the Lord’s condemnation will inevitably engage in lifelong “works righteousness.” They hope to prove themselves worthy of admission to eternal bliss in the presence of perfect, infinite and timeless love. Their fears incarcerate them to persistent evaluation of whether they have done enough to surmount those trepidations. In a twisted manner of thinking, they genuinely hope an angel meticulously records every favorable thought and deed. Ultimately, a celestial printout will prove their worthiness. This lifetime of terror robs them of knowing, understanding and experiencing Christ’s love in this life and the one to come. Any disciples who languish in fear cannot be made “fully complete” in divine love. Regrettably, fear and religiosity override God’s appeal in Christ.

More specifically, the evangelist utilizes the Greek word, agape, to define and clarify his understanding of Christ’s affection for His disciples; past, present and future. The highest form of love in the universe, agape is selfless, sacrificial, redemptive and transformative. The components of the Lord’s love equate with His divine attributes. These characteristics become dimensions of a disciple’s life. Emulating the Lord’s selflessness, a disciple devotes himself to the Lord’s service thereby honoring Christ in ministry to other people. Giving is sacrificial. Disciples dedicate the use talent, treasure, time and temperament to expanding the Gospel and building Christ’s kingdom on Earth. Regardless of a disciple’s most painful, difficult and challenging experiences, the Lord can redeem those circumstances to empower a disciple to endure suffering, cultivate perseverance, strengthen character and acquire hope. Moreover, the Lord’s unfailing and loyal love transforms disciples from self-seeking choices and self-aggrandizing motives to a daily desire to acquire and emulate His heart, mind and character. As disciples incorporate the Lord’s love and attributes into their lives, they can experience a holistically fulfilling pilgrimage toward self-realization and personal destiny in accordance with the Lord’s will. Nevertheless, any disciples who live in fear cannot be made fully complete in His love.

Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18 - Part One

2026-09-13T07:35:44.068-07:00

Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18- Part One

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

This seminal verse reminds disciples that God’s unfailing love in Christ is the foundation of the Gospel. In the fourth Gospel, the evangelist makes the often-quoted declaration, “For God so loved the world, He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The first half of this verse alludes to God’s irreversible and irrevocable covenant with humankind that He makes with Abraham in Genesis. In Christ, God’s establishes a new covenant through the gift of the Lord’s sacrificial life. At the Last Supper, Jesus foreshadows His betrayal, crucifixion, death and resurrection as He institutes this ordinance of remembrance. Christ’s broken body and shed blood are supernatural gifts that establish the new covenant. Through faith in Christ, anyone graciously receives admission to the “New Israel,” the church or beloved community of the eternally redeemed through Christ. They are heirs of all promises that God makes through Christ. The ultimate promise is the gift of eternal life to anyone who believes in Christ and His atoning and salvific work. Implied in this promise is exoneration from perishing in eternity. Because of the Father’s covenant pledge premised upon His unfailing love for humankind through the gift of Christ, anyone who believes need not fear “going to hell” and being timelessly separated from God.

In the seventeenth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel, John further explains God’s purposes in the gift of Christ. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through Him.” The objective of the Gospel is sharing God’s unfailing, redemptive, gracious and transformative love with humankind. Condemning people to hell is not its cardinal purpose. Commenting to the beloved community, conceivably filled with second and third generation disciples, with wisdom borne of his old age and longevity, the beloved apostle reaffirms love as God’s character and essence. Simply stated, “God is love.” God demonstrates the pricelessness of His love in Christ. Accordingly, the enduring and eternal gift of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and propitiation satisfies the collectivity of human sin, offense and transgression against God’s holy character. Implementing a new covenant that appeases Himself, the Holy and Heavenly Father through love liberates all disciples from the eternal threat of hell and daily fear of punishment.

I grew up in the African American Southern Christian context and community. I attended New Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church located in Wisacky, South Carolina. The church was nestled between soybean, corn and cotton fields. This rural hamlet was a microcosm of the pervasive conservative, evangelical, regional and cultural expression of American Christianity that acquiesces biblical inerrancy and literalism and conservative sociopolitical and economic ideology. My childhood years witnessed the ascendancy of the “Gospel of Wealth and Health.” Still, a fundamentalist canopy hovered above regional religion, social interactions and relationships and public policy decision making. Removal of prayers in the public schools was met with utter disdain. Allusions to the Bible permeated public discourse. Political speeches faithfully invoked the name and will of God. Interestingly, a former Governor, Richard W. Riley, during an unrelenting drought punctuated with no rain and a daily heat index exceeding one hundred and five degrees Fahrenheit in the first two weeks of July 1986, asked the clergy of South Carolina to pray for rain. The citizens of the state favorably received that overtly religious appeal from their chief executive. Some of them, when interviewed, pledged to incorporate a petition for rain into their own prayers. Religion infused all dimensions of daily living whether socially or personally.

I recall reading numerous articles in The Sumter Daily Item about law enforcement seizures, arrests and prosecutions of makers of moonshine. This underground and alternative market liquor was also known as “Joy Juice,” “White Lightning,” “Corn Liquor” and “White Whiskey.” Made in the moonlight to avoid law enforcement raids, this type of alcohol competed significantly with “legal” and taxed alcoholic beverages sold in grocery, ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control) and liquor stores. Retrospectively, I realize that the State of South Carolina prosecuted moonshine makers because their underground market yielded a considerable loss of tax revenue. One of her main tactics was to condemn moonshine makers for corroding the moral social fabric. Preachers and elected officials were vociferous in their contempt about the moral dangers of allowing moonshine to remain unchecked. Newspaper articles cited myriad potential dangers to people’s health and quality of life. Sermons characterized moonshine as “the devil’s brew.” Without question, distilling, packaging, selling, distributing, sharing, buying and consuming moonshine was sinful beyond being illegal. On a morally reductionistic level, some preachers opined, “You can’t get to heaven by drinking moonshine. People who do so will go to the other place.” Leaders of state government, law enforcement officials, journalists and clergy cohered in their moral condemnation of consuming moonshine. Conveniently, they ignored obvious contradictions about tax collections and “blue laws” prohibiting the sale of alcohol from midnight on Saturdays until six o’clock in the morning on Mondays in all venues except ABC stores. Parenthetically, it would be interesting to see if the state collected data on traffic fatalities and accidents during that thirty-hour period over the weekend to ascertain whether the “blue laws” reduced those unfortunate events. Chances were people simply stocked up on Saturdays in anticipation of Sundays prohibitions. Nonetheless, religion and moralizing heavily influenced the denunciation of the underground sale and use of moonshine.

On an individual level, the threat of hell was used widely as a discipline strategy. Children who engaged in common, unruly and disruptive behavior, relative to their developmental stage, were told sternly and humorously, “Boy, you keep acting like that and you’re going to burn in that fire. People who act the way that you do end up in that fire. Do you want to be in that fire?” I vividly recall hearing those questions on multiple occasions during my childhood. They conditioned me and other children and youth to uncritically accept “hellfire and brimstone” sermons. That motif flowed through Southern preaching like the Amazon, Nile, Mississippi or Yukon rivers run through their terrain as a life-giving force. Probably, countless conversions to Christianity occurred pejoratively as “eternal life insurance.” Instead of coming to the Lord in response to His incredible love, grace, mercy and redemption, church goers and adherents to Christianity sought to avoid eternal damnation and punishment. In church services, annual revival meetings and radio, television and multimedia preaching, clergy emphasized the need “to get right with God,” renounce a sinful life and pledge to live a righteous life worthy of admission to heaven upon physical expiration.

Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18 - Part Two

2026-09-13T07:33:25.120-07:00

Meditations Upon 1 John 4:18 – Part Two

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

As I reflect upon these childhood and formative experiences, I regret that I heard so little about the love of God in Christ Jesus. I cannot recall hearing any preaching or teaching on this verse. How marvelous it is to know the Lord’s perfect love annihilates fear. “There is no fear in love.” I suspect fears borne of myopic, misguided and distorted views of the Christian religion compounded longstanding unconscious fears. Insecurity and instability emerge within tenuous relationships and conditional circumstances. Primary relationships with parents, siblings, extended family and others within a person’s formative community are often catalysts for internal and lifelong fears. An existential cauldron of fear, pain, trauma and pervasive threat of eternal punishment erodes faith, hope and peace. That predicament creates a lifelong foreboding that erodes dreams, paralyzes ambitions, undermines progress, disintegrates relationships and restricts a person’s ability to enjoy daily life. Instead of embracing the miracle of each day, a disciple can experience life as a prison sentence to be endured with a minimal and fleeting hope that a heavenly reward lay just beyond the threshold of death. However, the evangelist reminds his audience that Christ’s love triumphs over fear.

The Old Testament contains numerous usages of fear relating to respecting God’s holy character and sovereign will. Proverbs 9:10 exhorts, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Israel was taught to live in the fear and admonition of Almighty God. Fear, in this sense, equates with reverence, obedience and admiration. The Law and Prophets admonished the people to follow God’s holy commands. The threat of punishment looms large in their wilderness wandering years and those of settling into the Promised Land. Disciples recall stories like Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:1-7 and 1 Chronicles 13:9-12) who experiences God’s wrath and judgment with immediate death. Chances are many people struggled with contrasting claims of God’s unfailing love and unquestioned provision with His anger and inclination to punish anyone who transgresses His holy nature. Understandably, it would be difficult for them to think of reciprocating God’s love. They probably would concentrate upon ensuring their strict adherence to the Law. Fear of a fate like Uzzah’s impedes reliance upon love and grace. A wholehearted desire for mercy predominates.

Contemporary Christians in South Carolina and elsewhere in the global village suffer a similar fate. Manipulated as a means of sociopolitical and economic control, corporate, institutional and orthodox religion emphasizes compliance to the Law, biblical and secular, as the surest means of demonstrating righteousness. Some disciples mistakenly pursue observance of rituals, loyalty to regulations in books of church discipline and order, celebration of rites and conformity with traditions and rules to quantify and prove their righteousness. Incredulously, some of them may silently hope that an angelic registrar is recording their church attendance, giving history, direct service to marginalized people, social justice activism and efforts to demonstrate that they are indeed Christian disciples. Theologians refer to this approach to discipleship as “works righteousness” wherein disciples mathematically prove that they deserve to enter the pearly gates in heaven. The elder brother in the “Parable of the Prodigal Son” is the ideal prototype of a disciple who believes he deserves to spend eternity in heaven. You will recall his words of righteous indignation when discovering his father’s celebration of his sinful brother’s return to their home. Moreover, Paul’s letter to Galatian disciples opposes the Judaizers and others who demand adherence to the Law and Jewish ordinances and customs as a prerequisite to Christian discipleship. The apostle condemns this alternative gospel message. Conversely, confession of faith in Christ, believer’s baptism and dedication to lifelong study and practice of the Lord’s teachings comprise the start of a new life in Christ.

The fourth evangelist in this verse offers an enduring solution to this theological and spiritual problem for the Christian community. He proclaims love as the essence of the Gospel and the new covenant that God makes with humankind through the gift of Christ. That love removes any fear of God and in living in a right relationship with Him. Rather than obeying His holy requitements to avoid His wrath and punishment, disciples keep God’s commands as an act of love and gratitude. The Lord tells His disciples to demonstrate their love for Him by obeying His commands. (John 14:15) He proposes a relationship based upon sacrificial, redemptive and transformative love that compels obedience, reciprocity, fidelity and dedication. The Law cannot coerce disciples to cultivate these attributes. The Law lends itself to self-aggrandizement and self-justification as disciples misguidedly manipulate the Law to achieve self-congratulatory ends. The evangelist depicts the Last Supper as an inauguration of a new covenant which establishes a “new Law of Love.” The Gospel through grace converts the human heart; thereby enabling disciples to relate rightly to a holy and immutable deity. Despite numbering more than six thousand verses, the Law could not accomplish a similar feat. Beyond gleaning obedience from disciples, Christ’s love liberates disciples to progress toward self-determination, self-realization and fulfillment of personal destiny as they accord with God’s will.

Simply stated, “there is no fear in love.” Consider being in a supposed love relationship with someone whom you fear is unreliable and untrustworthy. Your fears turn you into a detective. You check your significant other’s devices for errant email messages, unacceptable phone calls, injudicious text messages and inappropriate photos among other trespasses upon the boundaries of your relationship. Imagine being in a relationship that does not allow you any confidence regarding reciprocity, accountability and fidelity. You simply do not enjoy any peace of mind. In a marriage, a legally binding agreement presumably prevents violations of the contract that couples make with each other. Many couples prefer a religious ceremony rather than a civil one primarily sanctioned by local and state governments. The former ceremony mirrors God’s covenant with Abraham wherein husband and wife proactively bind themselves in a holy and divinely authorized covenant. They restrict themselves to each other in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better, for worse, to love, to cherish, etc. More significant than the demands of black letter law, a developing understanding of Christ’s selfless, sacrificial, redemptive and transformative love compels fidelity within Christian marriage. Love yields loyalty, affirmation, support and commitment. Additionally, love increasingly eradicates fear of infidelity or other transgressions. The evangelist encourages his audience to cultivate Christ’s love as the surest antidote to fear.

To be continued

Meditations Upon Mark 11:24 - Part One

2026-09-04T18:54:07.633-07:00

Meditations Upon Mark 11:24

Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

This verse is one of the most abused passages in the Bible. Televangelists treat it as if it were their “Magna Carta” for supernatural healing and extraordinary spiritual events. Misguidedly seeking material acquisition and financial gain, many disciples allow them to scratch their itching ears with a vile reductionism of this verse and its context. They eagerly listen to the concept of “Ask it, name it and claim it.”

What did those words mean to the people who originally heard them? How did they respond? What did the evangelist intend using those words? Has anything been lost in the translation from Greek to English? Biblical authors wrote in word pictures. What mental image did the evangelist intend for his hearers and readers to formulate in response to his directive? What exactly does it mean to have faith in God?

Let’s deconstruct the verses. Does “Have” mean to possess? How does a disciple acquire faith? What is faith? Does referring to synonyms such as belief, trust and reliance suffice to define faith? Admittedly, “in God” presumes God’s existence and acceptance of this concept. How does a disciple ask anything of God? What does it mean to “believe?” How would a disciple prove his or her belief? How would you receive something intangible? The evangelist instructs his readers to affirm that they have already acquired the object of their heartfelt desire without being able to physically hold it. The passage alludes to a forthcoming time when the objects of a disciple’s prayer will manifest before him or her. What difference will answers to these questions make?

The author of Hebrews defines faith as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen. Faith demands an unwavering belief that your investment of time, talent, treasure and temperament toward a dream, goal or ambition will yield success. Faith enables you to see success before you practically achieve it. Your belief in your abilities, capabilities, capacities and endowments sustain you as you painstakingly pursue fulfillment of your goals and aspirations. With the inner eye, you can see success before it happens. The spiritual disciplines of prayer, meditation and affirmation are like oil in the lamp to guide your path during darkness, doubt and fear.

The evangelist specifies that disciples are to have faith in Almighty God. I posit that he does not disdain belief in one’s own self. Self-esteem is a nonnegotiable attribute for anyone who seeks to achieve anything meaningful. If you do not believe in yourself, then you cannot expect anyone else to do so. Nevertheless, the evangelist specifies that we put our faith in Almighty God. Therein, we assert an unequivocal belief and trust in God’s ability and grace to impart the objects of our petitions. We trust God to answer our prayers in accordance with His sovereign will and divine plan for our individual lives and humankind. A belief in Almighty God requires an assertion of His four immutable characteristics. He is infinite and limitless in knowledge, power, presence and kindness. He possesses the power and prerogative to grant our prayers. Also, He has the sovereignty to deny them for whatever reason He chooses.

As it relates to any measure of faith necessary to achieve a favorable outcome, the evangelist in Matthew’s gospel depicts the minimally requisite amount. He says that faith the size of a mustard seed is powerful enough to move a mountain. With a mustard seed’s size of faith, disciples can command mountains to cast themselves into the sea. Practically, this means that disciples can merely entertain an idea that their circumstances can be different. Are you willing to believe that God indeed can heal your major health challenges? We are twenty-first century, global and pluralistic disciples. Many of us uncritically accept the scientific method as the most reliable means of determining truth and reality. However, do we like our first century counterparts genuinely rely upon our Heavenly Father to intervene favorably in our affairs? Notwithstanding science, technology, social science, psychology and reason, is there any merit to petitioning God to intervene within our circumstances? Are we willing to entertain the idea? A mustard seed of faith equates with a humble willingness to believe God will suspend natural law and readjust your situation? Certainly, He will should He elect to utilize you and your predicament to glorify Himself. Like the experientially and existentially exhausted father in Mark 9:23, you may cry aloud, “Lord, I believe but help Thou my unbelief!” A mustard seed of faith is incomplete, but it is not insincere or inadequate.