Next Thursday, September 3rd, 2020, on Election Day, Jamaicans will either vote in the same government, or vote them out, and put in place in a new one. As in the case with many other democratic countries across the world, national debates, involving, in our context, the two main parties, precede the holding of elections. We have had two so far; Social Issues and Finance and The Economy. And a third one, on leadership, featuring the heads of the two parties, is scheduled for tonight. Even now, the discussions about who won the first two, held earlier this week, continue. And also which party is poised, according to the polls, and people’s perceptions, to become the next government of the Jamaica.

But as for me, “ and hopefully my people in the church”, the issue of leadership is uppermost in my mind. What does it look like in this Corona Pandemic – the worse crisis that not just Jamaica, but the “ entire human race’, has faced since World War 11, almost 80 years ago, and the “Spanish Flu”, in 1918?

What does it look like in a country, which over the past 50 years, since the 1970’s, on account of murder, and murder most foul, seems to be at war with itself?

What does leadership look like in nation where the level of indiscipline is best described by a hashtag #unruly, associated with the dancehall artiste, Popcaan, whose music has “arrived” on President Barack Obama’s playlist for the summer?

Last night this phenomenon was in full view on the highway, when loads of cars and bikes, bearing party colors, entered from a slip road. Promptly blocked the entire road for a minute before good sense prevailed; and then they “occupied” one lane, apparently awaiting additional “troops”. Then, the madness went to another level. For coming towards me, in the middle of the road, I saw a motorcyclist in full flight, ignoring the rules of the road, in the same fashion that protocols were discarded. Thus forcing me to take evasive action. Where he was going, only God he knows? A metaphor no doubt for this country, which like the ancient city Nineveh, doesn’t seem to know it right hand from its left. And has no idea where it is going!

In this context, the talking point, “ What has happened to “ Five in four” – the level of economic growth promised by the government, and who won the two debates so far, and who will win tonight, and other issues which have dominated the discussion thus far, in a sense, when compared to the almost existential issues raised above, pale into insignificance. For yes, we need to grow our economy, and yes we need to diversify our economy and earn more money from non tourism related activities, and yes we need to restructure our economy so that more people can benefit and rise out of poverty and privation rather than depending on “ bruking outta brukness “ with Lotto. And yes, we need to correct a whole lot of social ills, which admittedly are all interrelated. But unless we get a handle on this Corona Virus, this Sword of Damocles #Murder hanging over our heads, literally, and organize a more disciplined society, a national malady now on full display in the midst of #Covid-19 and #Election20, and born of with many and varied “ parents”, our corner is dark indeed.

In the midst of this angst and a deep sense of concern about the future of my country, the Lord sent a meditation/prayer written by a Pastor of yure, Peter Marshall ; an immigrant from Scotland, who rose to become Chaplain of the United States Senate. He wrote this prayer as the USA grappled with the call from the UK and Europe, for it to enter into the war with them against Hitler. A decision that took some time, according to the historians, and much agonizing. And although the prayer was sent up for those in the USA, and is very apropos to that situation now, in the midst of the Pandemic, for reasons that we know only too well, including over 180,000 people who have died so far, I believe it is a prayer sent for us here in Jamaica. For, from a Christian point of view, until we as nation, under God, as our National Anthem and National Pledge declare, come to an understanding that, without Him, we just cannot manage, then Michigan and Smiley’s “ dangerous diseases” will continue to devastate our nation. And wicked men, armed with Nine’s and Sixteen’s, with “ bullet bullet” as they cry in the dancehall, and “ marrow fly” as the lyrics inform us, will continue to cause mayhem and grief in our country, while we debate the issues. I hope we will all read what the Rev. “ A man called Peter” ( the title of a movie) Peter Marshall recommends. From the grave!

FOR GOD’S GRACE IN OUR HELPLESSNESS

PETER MARSHALL

JUDGES 7:2 “ The Lord said to Gideon, ‘You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into your hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people……”

We know, our Father, that at this desperate hour in world affairs, we need thee. We need they strength, thy guidance, thy wisdom.

There are problems far greater than any wisdom of man can solve. What shall our leaders do in such an hour?

May thy wisdom and thy power come upon the President of these United States, the Senators, and Congressmen, to whom have been entrusted leadership. May the responsibility lie heavily in their hearts, until they are easy to acknowledge their helplessness and turn to thee. Give to them the honesty, the courage, and the moral integrity to confess that they don’t know what to do. Only then can they lead us as a nation beyond human wisdom to thee, who alone hast the answer.

Lead us in this high adventure. Remind us that a “ mighty fortress is our God” – not a hiding place where we can escape for an easy life, but rather an arsenal of courage and strength – the mightiest of all, who will march beside us into the battle for righteousness and world brotherhood. O our God, may we never recover from this feeling of helplessness and our need of thee! In the strong name of Jesus, our Lord, we pray, Amen. In addition this week, I was inspired to write emails to my church. They, in retrospect, contribute to this discussion on leadership.

ONE OF THE EMAILS – YESTERDAY

A strange thing happened this morning. Actually it began last night when I read Psalm 32, after 91, during my late night devotions, before going to bed.

Verse 10, had impressed me for a couple of nights, and so I went back to read it, and ended up reading the entire Psalm:

Verse 10:

“ Many are the woes of the wicked but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.”

A truly wonderful word from God, as we put ourselves entirely at his mercy during our hours of sleep; what the late Bishop Herman Spence termed “a little death”. In this context, we offer Mable and the family, our deepest condolences on the passing of their beloved Horace recently.

But the verse before intrigued me, especially in the context of the indiscipline in our society and the surge in the Pandemic in Jamaica, which has placed the lives of many, including health care workers, at risk.

Verse 9:

“ Do not be like the horse or mule, which have no understanding ( like the city of Nineveh/Jamaica whose people did not know their right hand from their left hand) but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you ( will not repent, as Psalm 32 like Psalm 51, is a repentance Psalm).

A Word from the Lord which really made me wonder about the level of indiscipline and disobedience abroad in our society; spiritually as well as morally and socially.

Then this morning, on opening my Classic Devotional Bible, looking for the Jacob Boehme prayers, I found this prophetic Word. I would suggest that you too, read it carefully, and see whether or not you can locate the COVID-19 Pandemic in it!

THE WORD OF GOD

“See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants— it will be the same for priest as for people, for the master as for his servant, for the mistress as for her servant, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor.

The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The Lord has spoken this word. The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the heavens languish with the earth.

The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt.

Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left. The new wine dries up and the vine withers; all the merrymakers groan. The joyful timbrels are stilled, the noise of the revelers has stopped, the joyful harp is silent.”

Isaiah 24:1-8 NIV

One of the sad things about this terrible pestilence that has been visited on the entire earth, is that the church of the Living God, in whom the Holy Spirit resides, has not collectively, to date, and to my knowledge, shared a Word of discernment with the nations. For, to be part of the desperate rush to produce a vaccine, which is a good thing, without having an understanding of why would a Sovereign God, “ lay waste to the earth”, and affect ‘the priest and the people’, the good and the wicked, in this act of “defilement”, is to miss the calling by this God to a world to repent. For we have “disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant”. Haven’t we not! And therefore “ bit and bridle “ have been applied to nations. Not just Jamaica. The whole human race!

I did not search for this Word. It came from God Himself. And so in obedience I share. Perhaps there are nuances which need “ more and better particulars” as the lawyers would say. But this is the essence of the message. Repentance for the entire world. Another thought that struck me. After how many years of a world being affected by HIV/AIDS, have we found a vaccine as yet? Serious question isn’t it?

This “ bit and bridle “ story is not one which is open to policy directives from the party that wins next week; and which can then be applied to a Popcaan #unruly people. In Cherry Gardens as well as in Majestic Gardens! For let us not make the fatal mistake that disobedience to the protocols, is either the only issue at stake here, or that such disobedience resides only in the minds of the people who live in inner cities. For the Word of God, comes primarily to the Church first, and then to “ many of the woes of the wicked”.

I truly believe that the Word from Isaiah, spoken to the “ early church”, and the whole world, is the same Word which the Pandemic speaks, perhaps in a different language, to the church, first and foremost, today, and then to the wicked. Those who don’t trust in the Lord, in politics, in the community, doctors and nurses, sellers and buyers, dancehall people and soca people, straight and gay the whole lot.

I close with a word from a Jesuit school in Florida, where the Principal issued this charge to its incoming students for the new term. The charge is long, but this extract touched my very soul.

BELEN

“Gentlemen, don’t think of your education here at Belen simply as a means for self-aggrandizement. No, your education here at Belen is for the purpose of preparing yourself for the sanctification of the world. You heard correctly. You few, you happy few, you band of brothers have been called by Christ to be the ones who will help sanctify the world; to take the message of Jesus Christ as far as humanly possible, to the ends of the earth.”

And so, in these desperate times when the wards are under great pressure in the hospitals, when stressed out doctors write letters, appealing for help, and when, despite promises, the green and orange people are still jumping around together and apart, to the beat of the dub plates and other songs, may God have mercy on our country. Starting with the church! “ This band of brothers and sisters, we few, we the remnant, called by Christ to be the ones who will help to sanctify the world”.

Lord renew thy church, through repentance, so that we will not have to be brought to you by “ bit and bridle” ; Lord renew thy church that the renewed church may renew the nation(s) where “ the merry-makers groan, and the noise of the revelers has stopped’ and people live in the shadow of death.

https://youtu.be/ElPBl-1huNE

The mid-day news in the video link above is from yesterday, Friday, August 21, 2020. 98 positive cases of the Corona Virus recorded in one day. From the day before – the numbers are now being released at nights. The highest ever since the Alorica – a call centre – outbreak in March 2020. The reason? Emancipendence day activities. Translation in public health terms – a whole lot of people displayed Popcaaan style #unruly behavior a couple weeks ago;

which is the lag period between, being exposed to the virus, and the public health people doing their tests and the results becoming available.

The big fear now, is that a week and a half from now, after the #unruly behavior on Nomination Day on Tuesday August 18, 2020, we will see yet another spike in the numbers. But before that, just yesterday, again released last night, Jamaica recorded another 58 cases. So we are entering into uncharted waters. Even before the Nomination Day madness will become apparent by week after next!

The question is, what is wrong with out people why they would knowingly – and nobody in Jamaica can claim that they have not heard about the COVID-19 protocols and why – risk disease, and even death, in order to party and have a good time. And even worse, face this kind of risk, in order to support their party of choice, and MP or caretaker on the other side for the constituency, and by extension, the sitting Prime Minister or the aspiring to be PM from the Opposition! Why? What is so special about the politics – the partying after lockdown is madness but easier to understand – that you would, as they used to sing many years ago “ follow Bustamante ‘til I die”. Or for that matter Norman Manley, although I am sure the sentiment existed but was never in my experience celebrated in the popular culture, in quite the same way.

We know of course, all to well, and recall, still with amazement and incredulity, the “ we will die for Dudus “ declaration, by women in white clothes from Tivoli Gardens, or at least, allegedly so, many years ago. We can all remember people in Brazil falling physically ill when their Football Team loses the World Cup Finals; and perhaps the same “ death before dishonor “ fervency applies to other sporting activities across the world. And for which reason, I no longer watch West Indies Cricket live. No! The score on the radio at the end of the day, is far less traumatic. This coming from one who used to stay up all night listening to Lara batting in Australia, and before him Richards, and before him Sobers, until they got out. And then got up without any problem and headed off to work. With joy in my heart !

Brian Lara

Sir. Vivian Richards

As far as I am aware – and every time I watch World 11 movies, which is quite often, it hits me – only soldiers, willingly, and under orders, are prepared, and trained, to give up their lives, if needs be, for “ king and country”. A mother will do so, for her child. And a father too, maybe! But for a political party! Have mercy. And it is not here alone. Just check out what is happening up north, when it appears that many people there love Trump in the same manner that Bustamante used to appeal, at least, if we believe legend, to Jamaicans. And if not Trump Himself, at the very least what he represents to the shrinking, yet vocal and very influential white suprematists, who can’t manage the concept of #BlackLivesMatter.

So it is simply that our people, and the people in America, don’t understand the real and present danger of this Virus? Or it is that they don’t care about their own lives, and by extension the lives of their families and fellow Jamaicans, fellow citizens across the world?

The more puzzling question that struck me, as I read the book on Prayers by one of the Christianity acknowledged best authors on this subject, E.M. Bounds, is why do church people lack this same fervency and commitment to the God who created them, and died for them, and was raised from the dead, so that we might enjoy, not just life, but life everlasting? Why! Is it that we don’t understand what Christianity means? That, according to one of its most famous teachers, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian who paid the ultimate sacrifice for Jesus Christ with his life, during the reign of Hitler, “ When Jesus calls a man to follow him, he calls him to die”! Or are the words of Martin Luther King jnr right on target when he said these words. Words which ought to shame those of us who are amazed at the commitment that orange and green clad people have for their party, but show no similar fervor and public commitment to the One who died for us. The One who came to destroy the works of the devil!

‘It is still one of the tragedies of human history that the ‘children of darkness are frequently more determined and zealous than the children of light’ Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

It is in this context why I believe I was led to share these thoughtS with my church this week by Email.

EMAILS TO MY CHURCH – #1

Woke up this morning with:

Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war ; in my mind. #436 in our CPWI. Recommend that you spend some time in it. This after last night postings on Facebook, having been impressed with E.M.Bounds “ Prayer and Vigilance”

The life to which Holy Scripture calls us is no picnic, no pastime. It entails effort, wrestling, struggling: it demands the full energy of the spirit in order to frustrate the foe, and to come off, at the last, more than conqueror – E. M. Bounds

From start to finish it is ( the journey ) is war. What a misconception many people have of the Christian life! How little the average church member appears to know of the character of the conflict and its demands upon him! -Bounds

The Christian soldier wrestles not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in high places – E.M. Bounds. We in Jamaica need to be mindful of the forces of evil in high places which are against the authentic believing church.

So on reflecting on this wonderful gift of a hymn in the morning, these words resonated with me:

…marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus, going on before.

Comment: we must never, never, ever forget, as we go to war each day, which is the essence of this message, that we are at war with evil, that victory is ours, is assured, regardless of the circumstances, because of Christ and Him Crucified. And Risen and Ascended!

..At the name of Jesus, Satan’s legions flee…..Hell’s foundations quiver at the shout of praise..

Comment: Call His Name often. In faith! Whatever assails us. This is a lesson we as Christians need to learn, to call upon the Name of Jesus often. Make it a habit, not only in times of trouble, so that this name, this precious Name, this Jesus, will always be in our heart and thoughts and desires. When trouble comes then, it will be automatic, without thinking, it will be spontaneous, that we call upon His name; a very present help in times of trouble. But that lesson is only learnt when we develop the habit, the desire, the practice of praise – “ brothers lift your voices.loud your anthem raise”. Otherwise we will spend precious time trying to work out how to solve problems that Satan places in our way, and if we are not careful, become wounded, hopefully not fatally, by the arrows of the evil one, rather than immediately, calling upon the Name of the Only One who can help.

…..brothers we are treading where the saints have trod; we are not divided, all one body we….

Comment: We are never alone in our journey with Christ. What a blessed assurance. Never alone, even when we are under Corona Virus induced lockdown. We are never alone in our troubles nor in our joys. Others have been this way before. And gained the victory in Christ Jesus. Others are traveling with us…marching on to war, with the cross of Jesus, going on before.

…..Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane, but the church of Jesus, constant will remain.

Comment: Don’t pay too much attention to Andrews and Peter, and worse Trump. Carry out our civic responsibilities and vote and engage with others in building our country. But leaders and countries and civilizations will one day “ go to the wall”. But not the church of Jesus, regardless how bad things may look, in respect of the scandals and bad news about the church, or the declining numbers or foreign doctrines of prosperity gospel, for “ gates of hell can never prevail; we have Christ’ own promise”.

This blessed assurance ought keep our eyes focused on Jesus as we “ remember November”, or “ remember September”. Or wonder what is going to happen to the Anglican Church or the church in general!

Let us focus on marching as to war, and shake off the apathy and yearning for a life of ease, for that’s not the way of the cross and therefore not the way of one who has committed to follow Christ. “ I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back”.

In obedience. Peace.

Lord renew thy church beginning with those who are marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before; Lord renew thy church that the church may renew the nation(s) where Hell’s foundations are very comfortable and men and women have no idea that “ you think you are in heaven but you living in hell” – Bob Marley

LWJ

EMAIL TO MY CHURCH #2

I received a special gift on my birthday. Just now! As I woke up with this song in my heart. On a rainy day, and after a night with rolling thunder! Gifts from my family yes. But a “ song in the morning” is always special. Very special. And one that I can share. With everyone!

1 O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder

consider all the worlds that thy hands have made;

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Refrain

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to thee, how great thou art! How great thou art! Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to thee, how great thou art! How great thou art.

3 And when I think that God , his Son not sparing,

sent him to die – I scare can take it in:

that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,

he bled and died to take away my sin

Refrain

4 When Christ shall come with shouts of acclamation

and take me home – what joy shall fill my heart!

Then I shall bow in humble adoration,

and there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!

Refrain

The, message is, I believe, and there is always a message, that in the midst of the election fever, both here and up north, God is our strength and our refuge, a very present help in times of trouble. So even though we ought to vote, and vote wisely, giving to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, as responsible citizens in a democratic country – and men and women gave their lives in order that we may enjoy the right to vote, so we ought not to take that responsibility lightly – the urgency of the times is not primarily about removing Trump. And according to former President Obama, “saving our democracy”! Nor it is, though in some measure quite correct, JLP’s “building back stronger”, or PNP’s “ rescuing Jamaica and building it up”.

Not even is it, of first order of importance, although we desperately need to, about defeating the Corona Virus, or ridding this nation of crime and violence, and reducing the carnage on our roads.

In this instance, and on this day, for me, the existential issue, and that which is of the greatest importance, is that Jesus bled and died to take away my sin. And so we, giving thanks, sing, “ How great thou art”, about a God, who not only makes the thunder roll, and sends the gentle rain, but the One who “ His Son not sparing, sent him to die”. For me and for you! And for Kamala Harris, and Joe Biden. For Andrew and for Peter. For green and orange clad supporters, who in their exuberance and excitement, in too many cases, appear to have forgotten that we are in the midst of a Pandemic. For the “ vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus his pardon receives”. For Bishops and Pastors and folks like you and me in the congregation.

For unless these things are forever in our consciousness, and so we thank God for hymns that remind us, we run the risk always of being “ prone to wander from the God who we love”. Forget how Great is our God! How merciful is our God! But equally, if we read the short book of Jude carefully, as I was led to read yesterday, how awesome is the holiness of God.

The songwriter is absolutely on target with lyrics like, “ I see the sights that dazzle, the emptying sounds I hear”. The philosophies and narratives of this age! The discussions on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and WhatsApp. The videos about this and that. The demands of keeping current with the news. The attractions of the political debate on CNN, MSNBC, TVJ, RJR, Nationwide, CVM, the information on YouTube, the sports, the music, the fashions. So much stuff!

So today I give thanks of family. My own and church family. That keeps me grounded. And focused! On He who died for me, and, without a doubt know that “ I scarce can take it in”; will never fully understand that love. Until Christ shall come again with shouts of acclamation. And take me home! For without that constant reminder, in our souls, that Christ died for us, and the “ vilest offender”, we will lose our focus and be caught up in the “ sights that dazzle, and the tempting sounds”.

Thank God for His greatness and holiness and mercy, revealed to us in its fullness, in Christ and Him Crucified, Raised and Ascended, and soon coming.

Lord renew thy church beginning with me, on this day as I celebrate life, and life more abundantly in Christ Jesus; Lord renew thy church, that the church may renew the nation(s) where the “ sights that dazzle, and the tempting sounds”, have blinded and drowned out, in too many cases, the reality of your goodness, love, mercy and greatness.

In obedience.

Peace.

LWJ

This week, a serious question entered my mind. I was on my way to work, and while driving, without having thought about it before, “ How is Jamaica going to advance the welfare of the whole human race”? Familiar words from our National Pledge – for those who are not Jamaicans. And as I thought about it, another question followed, “ if we can’t successfully advance the welfare of our our society, how can we take on the world.”? Serious question is it not! But leaving that one for the time being, although these thoughts were generated by the first question, and I am not sure if both came from the same source, let us consider the possible answers. Admittedly not exhaustive!

Is it our Culture – the already universally popular Bob Marley lyrics. Or Leadership, for example, from the less well known but equally worthy of being exported “ to the entire human race” , the teaching of Marcus Garvey; up you mighty race?

I must say that Kamla Harris, with her Jamaican roots, and the attendant possibilities of her continued meteoric rise in Political Leadership in the, still, the most powerful – though seriously wounded by COVID-19 – nation in the world, came to mind.

Or is it Religion? Through the sharing of the Gospel, the Good News of Salvation in and through Jesus Christ and Him Crucified, Risen and Ascended – to the world.

I shared my experience with a friend and he raised another issue which emerged in a book that he was reading. That one of the ‘benefits’ of COVID-19, is that, more and more people are turning to spirituality, seeking answers to the terrible consequences which have been visited on families, and communities, across the world. Not necessarily a spiritually that is informed by the God of the Bible, but nonetheless, more people are seeking, beyond the ‘usual suspects’, of materialism, for answers to an existential issue, in the aftermath of Corona.

Interesting, at the very least, and instructive at best, depending on where you think the question had its origins. Then along came “Bunting out and Stunting”, and “ Independent gal Lisa”, and other “ Pull Up” dubplates by Owna Lane Floyd Green and “Nesta” Morgan et al.

https://twitter.com/peterbuntingmp/status/1294033218694459393?s=21

https://twitter.com/floydgreenja/status/1294102690595774465?s=21

This, as the regular kind of campaigning – for the Elections on September 3 – has been proscribed by COVID-19 protocols. And so in order to generate the excitement and the hype, which Jamaicans love, and according to one response, to whether or not these songs will help to determine who you are going to vote for, that they will motivate people to vote if they weren’t that motivated, these songs have been “ dropped”.

Inevitably questions about relevance, and even appropriateness, of these songs, when Jamaica is facing serious problems, which ought to trigger a more cerebral type of debate, rather than dance hall type “sound clashes”, have emerged. And legitimately so! But who is going to dare to take away the ‘ pure excitement” that many Jamaicans associate with dance hall music, also what we, royal we, expect from the political campaign?

So back to the question of “ advancing the welfare of the whole human race”. And the co-challenge, of advancing the welfare of the Jamaican society, what is to happen?

One definite answer, I am sure, came as I woke up this morning, and the words of the Battle Hymn of The Republic came into my head.

The Story behind “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”

You should listen to the story behind how the poem which became a hymn, entered into the mind of Julia Ward Howe, early one morning, a social activist and Christian woman who fought against slavery in the Civil War in the USA.

These words, in particular, struck me as of great significance

Mine eyes have seen the glory

Of the coming of the Lord;

His truth is marching on.

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!

Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!

His truth is marching on.

He is sifting out the hearts of men

Before His judgment seat;

Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him!

Be jubilant, my feet;

In the beauty of the lilies

Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in His bosom

That transfigures you and me:

As He died to make men holy,

Let us live to make men free;

Especially the reality that “ His Truth is marching on”. And as I thought about “ Mine Eyes have seen the glory of the Lord”, words from Martin Luther King jnr came to mind:

In a prophetic finale to his speech, King revealed that he was not afraid to die: “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life—longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will…. And so I’m happy tonight; I’m not worried about anything; I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord”

So, as important, to us, and as influential, to the world, that Jamaican culture has so far proved to be, and as critical to the development of any nation that Leadership is – look at what is happening to America, unbelievable – those, to my mind, are not what are going to assist Jamaica. Either to advance the welfare of the whole human race, or the Jamaican society, and without missing a beat, the ending of the Lecture I was privileged to share in 1995, “ The Jamaican Society; Options for Renewal”, came to mind:

“ The answer stares us clearly in the face. For the sanctity and dignity of life, the importance of Justice, the concepts of freedom, love and righteousness to have any ultimate meaning, we must be true to our National Anthem and place our trust and hope in the Eternal God and HIs Son Jesus Christ who, like many of our redoes, sacrificed his life for us but who, unlike any other creature on earth, was resurrected and now lives to intercede on behalf of those who trust him and obey his commands.

Then, and only then, will we begin to understand ourselves, love our neighbors and, under God, make this country, truly ‘ Out of many one people’, and one that can ‘advance the welfare of the whole human race’.

In short, a country which, under God, will be a shining example to the world of a viable and sustainable society”.

Do you think I got an answer to both questions? I think so!

Especially when you add to the discussion two emails I was inspired to send to my church this week.

THE FIRST EMAIL

Oh Lord

I was buried alive but I’m still breathing

I don’t know what tomorrow may bring but I got a feeling

I am alive, there must be a reason

I was given one more chance, my heart still beating

Buried alive but I’m still breathing

I don’t know what tomorrow may bring but I got a feeling, alright

Now I am alive, there must be a reason

I was given one more chance, my heart still beating

Now all this time, I’ve been blind

Only running against the wind

Friends of mine, pass with time

After living a life of sin

Some nearly give up, many give in

It’s my determination to win

I survived the worst of times

I survived (yeah)

I was buried alive but I’m still breathing

I don’t know what tomorrow may bring but I got a feeling, alright

Now I am alive, there must be a…

Comment: If you watched the Emancipendence celebrations last Sunday you would have seen this video with Buju Banton singing these lyrics. A song which has gotten into my head. And surfaced again this morning!

Then I read this extract from the OT reading just now:

Old Testament

Genesis 45:1-15

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.

And recalled the one from last week:

Old Testament

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him” —that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

So what do you make of all of this “ buried alive, I was given one more chance “. This in the context of:

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.”

John 15:16-17 NIV

And in the context of “ God sent me before you to preserve life”. The first thought that struck me after “reading the Gospel the OT”, was that the ultimate message from God, is that he sent His Son, His only Son, ahead of us, to die on the Cross of Calvary to preserve Life. And that we, who believe in the Atonement for Sin, and that God raised this same Jesus, with Power from the Dead, not buried alive as some would have us believe, then we have not just life, but Everlasting, the Abundant Life.

The question then arises, “ Has God sent, has God preserved His remnant, the believing church members, ahead in this country to preserve life? So that people don’t become literally and metaphorically “ buried alive”. Which was the experience of Buju Banton in prison in the USA! And the spiritual experience of many of our people, even though they think they are doing well, thank you very much. But Bob Marley’s words echo in the land for all who will listen: “ You think you are in heaven but you are living in hell”.

So if God has sent we who were once dead in our sins, and raised to a new life in Christ Jesus, ahead that we may preserve the lives of those who “ don’t know their right hand from their left “, think Nineveh, then what is our response to this mandate? This “ one more chance”! To remain buried alive in our self-pity, in our fears about life in Jamaica in this COVID-19 times, in our desire to preserve self and family, kith and kin, in these unusual times! Is this why “ God chose us”? To place this little light of mine under a bushel? Or to “ bear fruit – fruit that will last”. Which in essence is to so live and share the Gospel that all men may come to know Christ and declare like the disciples on the boat who cried out to Jesus, “ Truly you are the Son of God”.

Finally, thoughts which have been in my mind before, returned. Why would a Sovereign God, who rules over all the earth, allow millions of slaves to be sold into captivity, “ buried alive”, and transported from Africa to the New World.

To preserve Life! To have an impact on “ The whole Human Race”! Who knows? Only God.

Thank God for Redemption in and through Jesus Christ, “my master and my friend”.

O Jesus, we pray you this day, that you may redeem your church, and that a renewed church may renew the nation(s) that are buried alive, in Sin. Even though they think there are living in heavenly conditions.

In obedience

Peace

LWJ

The Gospel

Matthew 14:22-33

………Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Comment: Thank God, I sleep well. And wake up usually between 6-6:30! So when for no apparent reason I wake up at 5:00 am, and when that occurs on Independence Day, I know it that this early morning’s wake up call, is for a special reason.

All week this song had been on my mind:

O Jesus, I have promised to serve thee to the end;

be thou forever near me,

my master and my friend;

I shall not fear the battle

if thou art by my side,

not wander from the pathway,

if thou wilt be my guide.

And the second of five verses stayed with me, in a special way:

O let me hear thee speaking

in accents clear and still,

above the storms of passion,

the murmurs of self-will;

O speak to reassure me,

to hasten or control;

O speak and make me listen,

thou guardian of my soul…

What then is the Lord saying to me, and to all who choose to read this message this Independence morning? For me, the end of the very popular and often quoted Gospel story, is the challenge for the Church. And hence for a nation whose Anthem begins with “ Eternal Father bless our land”, a national prayer no doubt influenced by the long and rich history of the influence and work church of Jesus Christ in the liberation struggle of a once enslaved people and now guardians of our cherished freedom. A message then for a people to declare “ Truly Jesus is the Son of God”.

A message that we need to consider, especially now as we continue and conclude a debate, a very stormy debate with passionately held views. A debate triggered by the recent ruling of the Court, in favor of the school, on a matter brought before it by parents whose child had been denied, in their submission, the right to continue in a school, because, as they contended, the school’s position that their child’s hairstyle was ‘unhygienic’. A debate that has brought out the best in us – place the child at the center of the education process, Jody Ann Quarrie speaking last night on All Angles; and the worst in us – threaten harm to judges who on the face of it, delivered of themselves, a judgement, a controversial judgment, that, in the view of many Jamaicans, offended their right to freedom of expression – especially of our African heritage – and fairness.

This is how, having listened on radio, and viewed the very useful public affairs program All Angles hosted by popular journalist, lawyer, and talk show host Dionne Jackson Miller last night, we in Jamaica greet the Independence Day this morning. Arguing about rights. And education. And what does Independence look like for a former enslaved people, in an age of Black Lives Matter.

But the context and the debate also includes the recent killing of six young known criminals who engaged the security forces in a fatal gun battle. Men with the very intimidating and no doubt telling a story also, aliases of “ Hitler” and “ Terminator”. Men whose death brought very few tears and much relief. Young men who had an opportunity to say “ Truly Jesus is the Son of God”, but like many others, were led astray by the “ storms of passion and the murmurs of self-will.

And without a doubt as we celebrate in a very muted form, our Independence Virtually, also in the mix of the debate is the novel Corona Virus and how it has profoundly affected the world. And for how long we don’t know! And why is it ‘surging’ in Jamaica after having been controlled!

Finally in the mix are not just the impending elections, but more importantly what role has politics and politicians played in both the advancement and the deterioration of our society. Was Michael Manley a “ savior” for the masses, from those who not only survived but gained power for they and their kith and kin, from the oppressive colonialism system ; or a “ disaster “ who singlehandedly wrecked a once thriving economy. Was Edward Seaga demonized unfairly by the comrades as one who was the godfather of politically motivated violence in Jamaica? Or was he without a doubt the most successful leader of all time whose vision of building institutions that would last, is a legacy that is peerless.

As I thought about these things my mind went back to a Lecture ( 1995) that I was privileged to give many years ago. “ The Jamaican Society : Options for Renewal”. And which Lecture gained the attention on a writer, in the Jamaica Observer in 2013, Evette Smith Johnson and was included in an article entitled:

“What is the source and aim of true education”

An extract :

Long before the nation turned the corner of this new millennium, our social thinkers have been speaking to the issue of the moral decline. In the 1995 Dr Lucien Jones delivered the GraceKennedy Foundation lecture under the theme ‘The Jamaican Society: Options for renewal’. Several points were articulated in that discussion that are still relevant to any discussion on social change which in verity is what the NDP is. Jones said that, “the society is defined by the nature and quality of which exists between human beings”. It can easily be inferred that if change is to be achieved in any society, then each individual in that society must see himself differently and by extension re-order his thinking about who he is in relation to others in his society. Jones posited that the renewal process must be led by education. He puts it this way:

“Education of our population must transcend the pragmatic need to produce a more highly trained, literate and numerate population to meet the demands of a technological age…. Education must, instead, ultimately seek to produce good men and women who understand themselves and their role in the community, and therefore be better able to relate to neighbour, to the environment and to God.”

Comment: Question is, has our education system, and will this be raised in the newly minted Commission of Education led by world renowned sociologist H. Orlando Patterson, considered this kind of perspective on the role of education in a society; that interdependence, as Nationwide News Radio commentator Think on These Things, alerted us to yesterday, is a step higher than Independence. And interdependence, I would dare say, finds its ultimate expression when we can as a people declare that “ Truly Jesus is the Son of God”. For otherwise, what else, what other philosophy, what other glue is going to keep our society together and prevent the re-emergence of more Terminators and Hitlers. And more political tribalism!

What else is going to motivate a people to take seriously physical distancing, wearing a mask, observing quarantine protocols and being extremely careful how we open up our economy and send our children to school, so that we can collectively flatten the COVID- 19 Pandemic curve. Being signatories to various United Nations Declarations? Seriously! Arranging a bipartisan commitment to fighting Crime and Violence…hmmm! Love for our music and culture! A commitment to the rule of Law! Directives or inspiring words from our political leaders; in this massively politically divided country! Words from Bob Marley and the philosophies of Marcus Garvey!

Perhaps the views expressed in the final section of the book Jamaica Society: Options for Renewal may find fertile ground in the hearts of some. Maybe. I pray!

“ The history of mankind, as we have seen, has always focused on religion as human beings sought to find answers to the fundamental questions of who created us and what is life all about. This search continues even today among leaders and the ordinary citizens.

Within the context of this discussion, perhaps the most salient point to make at this juncture, is that from Plato, used earlier in the discussion: ‘ A finite point has no meaning unless it has an infinite reference point.’

Religion provides this infinite reference point in our society as it directs us to the dominant religion which has played such an important role in our history and in the development of personal relationships, the Christian church, the Church of Jesus Christ, The Son of The Eternal God to whom we pray every time we sing the national Anthem or recite the National Pledge.

This is the national and personal choice we have all have to make. What, in fact, is our infinite reference point in the nature of our relationships.? In politics and economic, will we depend on the wisdom of our founding fathers, Norman Manly and Alexander Bustamante, Or will we choose the internationally acclaimed Adam Smith, Karl Marx, John Hobbes, Latoya or Socrates?

In our search for for social equality and pride, are the words of Bob Marley and Marcus Garvey to provide us with the ultimate reference point? Is our moral foundation going to rest on the wise words of the moral philosophers or our local outstanding churchmen and women? Are any of these blessed with everlasting life, supernatural wisdom, the power to create life, and so that they can constitute an infinite reference point?

The answer clearly stares us in the face. For the sanctity and dignity of human life, the importance of justice, the concepts of freedom, love and righteousness to have any meaning, we must be true to our National Anthem and place our trust and hope in the Eternal God and His Son Jesus Christ who, like many of our heroes, sacrificed his life for us but who, unlike any other creature on earth, was resurrected and now lives to intercede on behalf of those who trust him and obey his commands. Then and only then, will we begin to understand ourselves, love our neighbors and, under God, make this country truly ‘ Out of many one people ‘, and one that can ‘advance the welfare of the whole human race’. In short, a country which, under God, will be a shinning example to the world of a viable and sustainable society”.

And be able to declare to the entire world, whether in times of COVID-19 or not that “ Truly Jesus Christ is the Son of God”. To the glory of God!

In that context then Happy Independence to you all.

Last Sunday, feeling the Independence spirit, my wife and I watched the finals of the 2020 Festival Songs, And after the last of the ten songs were performed, although we had other favorites, we both knew in our hearts that Buju Banton, the gorgamelle, a.k.a. Mark Myrie, was the winner.

And so said so done, as “ No matter where in the world I go, I am Jamaican”, sung in Buju’s signatory raspy but appealing voice, got into the heads and hearts of so many Jamaicans. And made him a winner!

Last night I watched Schindlers List, the brilliant movie by Stephen Spielberg, alone. It’s not my wife’s kind of movie. And although I have always had a fascination for World War 11 movies, it was a difficult movie for me to watch. But one which places Jamaica’s celebration of Emancipendence, Emancipation Day today and Independence Day next Thursday, in its correct historical context. And also the demands of our current reality!

For those who have not heard of, nor seen, this very brutal, no holds barred, riveting movie, essentially about the liquidation, the final solution, of the Jews ( six million of them perished) as per German policy during the reign of terror by Adolf Hitler, into which psychopaths and a man with a conscience, are inserted, you may wish to add it to your watchlist on Netflix.

The connection for me, as a Christian, was Herr Director’s – Oscar Schindler saved many Jews, by placing them on a list of essential workers for his factory – brilliantly acted angst towards the end of the movie, almost self-flagellation, that, had he sold the car, or the pice of jewelry “ More lives could have been saved”. Even one more! This after, earlier in the movie another clip showed he and the Commander of the camp having a conversation about “ what is one human life worth”.

So the question arises, as we celebrate what Sam Sharpe and Nanny, and George William Gordon, and countless others, men and women of conscience, whose role was to “ save one more African slaves’ life” from the horrors of the great forerunner of Institutional Racism, which was Colonialism, what will we as children of this great liberation movement, do to “ save one more life”. Today!

Save one life from the clutches of wicked gunmen who murdered a father when he attempted to rescue his daughter from abduction, and God alone knows what else – this story has really gotten into my head and my soul. And is part of the reason why I have been praying of late for God to “ shake out the wicked from this land”.

Save one life from the indignities bequeathed to our people who live in inner cities from #BullBayToSixMiles and more, where, in this day and age, in far too many instances, young women have no other option but to bath in communal bathrooms, and others use the gully for their necessary ablutions. Or plastic rolled up and tossed away!

Save one more life from marauding predators, who have drunk deep from the well of toxic masculinity, and who terrorize and in too many cases, apply the final solution, of death, to their wives or ex girlfriends, after major and even minor issues provoke their wrath.

Save one life from the wages of sin which is death. And point to the gift of God which is Eternal Life in Christ Jesus.

For if this is not out mission as we celebrate Emancipendence in 2020 and beyond, we stand accused, and as guilty as the ordinary Germans were, who “ saw no evil” and “ heard no evil”, and made no sacrifice to save even one Jew. From evil! For you don’t have to be a Christian to do good or to have a desire to rescue people from evil ; for Oscar Schindler as portrayed on the big screen, well now on my iPad, was no purist. But he had a conscience.

The question is, are our consciences being subdued by too much binge watching on Netflix. Being placed on over ride by dance hall music or Soca in the streets where Destra’s “ I was once a good girl, but now I loose” sways the crowd and cause people to get on baad. Has our collective conscience as a people been left behind in our pursuit of material prosperity and even spiritual prosperity! So that Oscar Schindler’s pain and remorse that he could not “save one more life “, is not our experience. Ultimately, for in the church ought to reside this angst and desire, is our theology, our understanding of the God who died on the Cross of Calvary in order to not just to “ save one more life” but the entire human race who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God ( and not just the wicked Germans or Colonial rulers) our mission also. For if not, that’s where the rot has begun, and only when a church which has “ forgotten its first love”, and repents and charges a nation to do better, with the power of Christ, will this nation of ours truly achieve Emancipendence .

In this context then I believe I was inspired to write to my church this week, an email. And another to a few Christian friends! The first one is about faith; which we must have if as children of God we are going to “ save one more life” in this troubled land of Crime and Violence and Injustice. And in this troubled world where the COVID-19 Pandemic is surging again in many parts of the world and we had better beware and not become too comfortable with our “ slowly creeping “ numbers.

THE FIRST EMAIL

“When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭7:1-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I went to my bed last night and prayed, after having read the passage above. Prayed for faith. And before I knelt down to pray, this came to mind, “ Lord increase our faith”. So for my devotional reading this morning, after having prayed the accustomed three prayers, ON WAKING, ON RISING, ON GOING TO WORK, I read and reflected briefly, on the passage below.

THE WORD OF GOD

“The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ ””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭17:5-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To tell you the truth, I was a bit surprised by the apparent simplicity of Jesus’ answer to such a profound request. I had expected something equally profound. And then I recalled the last section of one of the three prayers I have been gifted with each morning.

ON GOING TO WORK.

…..Help me to discern honestly my own gifts that I may humbly leave the rest to others. Above all, remind me constantly that I have nothing except what you give me, and can do nothing, except what you enable me to do.

For it in that sense, “ that we are unworthy servants, we have only done our duty”, that faith finds its increase. It is one of the foundations of our faith, that God is our refuge, a very present help in times of trouble; a reality which proved to be the ‘stumbling block’ of the children of Israel, time and time again, which led them often into spiritual adventurism – the idea that they could manage on their own without Yahweh.
An eternal message from no other that the “Elijah who was to come before the dreadful day of the Lord”, John the Baptist, when he said that “ I must decrease and He ( Jesus) must increase”. For the challenge to our faith in this age, is the idea, sown by the evil one, that we can mange on our own, so we take our eyes off the reality of the gift of our very existence by God, and feel that we only need to call in Jesus, when like Peter, “ the waves threaten to overcome us”. When trouble comes!
It is that context that Claude’s powerful sermon yesterday, “ What are you striving for”, will challenge us to stop and think, and divest ourselves of any notion that, we in and by ourselves, by dint of hard work and determination, can “ build up the kingdom of God”.
For unless like the hymn writer we realize our absolute dependence on God’s Holy Spirit to empower us, “ unworthy servants of the King”, and sing with conviction,:

“ I have no help but thine; nor do I need
another arm save thine to lean upon:
it is enough, my Lord, enough indeed,
my strength is in thy might, thy might alone”,

then our faith in the God who alone can do abundantly more than we can think or imagine, will not increase.

The problem is that, like the world in which we live, the absence of serious reflection, constant reflection on what the Cross of Christ means, will always or inevitably, result in “ dim faith and languid prayers”. For the eternal and existential message of the Cross of Calvary is that “ we are unworthy servants”, sinners, who, but for the grace of God, would be among those who are perishing and causing so much pain and grief in this world.

This dying world needs a church filled with people of faith in the power of God, to spread the gospel, and to strive with all our might, puny though it is, but empowered by The Holy Spirit, by faith, to build up the Kingdom of God, here on earth. To strive for Justice and Righteousness in our land. To strive for Righteousness in the public square. For Justice in the Courts. For Justice, for fairness, for the removal of the stigma of #wrongaddress, for gainful employment, for proper bathroom facilities in adequate housing, for quality education, for high class medical care, for help for the old and infirm, for peace among warring factions, and for the rescuing of the souls of those, not only in Majestic Gardens, but #FromBullBayToSixMiles.

All because not only “ No matter where I go I am a Jamaican”, but no matter who I am, or who I think I am, or how powerful and important and self-suffcient, I am in need, desperately in need, of the grace and power of God, because I am an “ unworthy servant” of the Most High God.
In obedience.
Peace. Lord renew thy church by increasing our faith; Lord renew our church that the church renewed may help to renew the nation(s) that believe that they are the “ greatest nation on earth”, or that they have the best most influential music on planet earth.
LWJ

EMAIL TO A FEW FRIENDS : ABOUT DESIRE
And desire to save “ one more life” must precede and inform our prayers and action, which are both enabled by faith

Holy desire is much helped by devout contemplation. Meditation on our spiritual need, and on God’s readiness and ability to correct it, aids desire to grow.  Serious thought engaged in before praying, increases desire, makes it more insistent, and tends to save us from the menace of private prayer – wandering thought. We fail much more in desire, than in outward expression. We retain the form, while the inner life  fades and almost dies.

One might well ask, whether the feebleness of our desires for God, the Holy Spirit, and for all the fullness of Christ, is not the cause of our so little praying and of our languishing in the exercise of prayer? Do we really feel these inward paintings of desire after heavenly treasures? Do the inbred groanings  of desire stir our souls to mighty wrestlings? Alas for us! The fire burns altogether too low. The flaming heat of soul has been tempered down to a tepid lukewarmness. This, it should be remembered was the central cause of the sad and and desperate condition that Laodicean Christians, for whom the awful condemnation is written that they were “ rich and increased in goods and had need of nothing”,  and knew not that they were “ wretched, and miserable, and poor , and blind.”
From Prayer and Desire by E. M. Bounds

Just stopped, had enough,  watching Schindler’s List – about one man’s attempt to save some Jews during Hitler’s reign of terror. And trying do so when the town is being run by a psychopath, a Commandant,  who just loves to kill. Makes you really wonder what kept the Jews sane during the persecution; that is those who did not perish. Prayers! Desire! Hope! Faith! Trust!
And also whilst still feeling pain and “ perplexed but not in despair “ over the killing of that young woman’s father. When he tried to save her from predators carrying guns and driving and blocking her pathway on the road going home!

So do we, like the sinful woman and ( not) the Pharisee, realize how deep our desire ought to be, and have such a desire influence our prayers, for the salvation of our wretched souls. And for the soul of a nation bent on self-destruction by Crime and Violence and Corruption in high places, and Injustice wreaking havoc on the lives of the poor, and, ultimately, disobedience to the commands of God. I wonder! May God have mercy on his church. And through a renewed church, renew this embattled and beleaguered nation.
Peace.
In obedience
LWJ