A Pastor's Heart - 1 Kings 3:16-28 Part II

A Pastor’s Heart – 1 Kings 3:16-28 Part II

The mothers take their case to King Solomon in order that he might properly adjudicate this conflict between them.  Again, you will recall that the mothers were alone on the maternity ward.  Before King Solomon, reputed to be the wisest man in the ancient world, these two mothers argue back and forth about the living baby.  Both of them insist that this living baby belongs to her.  Symbolically, these two babies represent two competing visions for this Church and its ministry as the twenty-first century unfolds.  What is the living vision for First Baptist Church Capitol Hill as we conclude the seventh year of the first decade of this century?  Are we relegated merely to reminisce about one great moment in time?  Is the living vision to nurse that legacy as far into the future as we can?  In contrast, is the living baby a new vision in which we define twenty-first century problems (the potential re-segregation of the public school system, adoption of the hundreds and thousands of children in state custody, the rise of abortion rates in the African-American community, capital punishment and its disproportionate use in relationship to African-American males, the prison industrial complex, the rise of HIV/AIDS among African-American women, to name a very few number of issues amongst the many that exists) that we are called to resolve with contemporary means and methods?  Which baby is the real living baby?  How do we determine which baby is alive?  How do we determine to which baby we are to give birth?  The answer is no easier for us than it was for these two competing mothers.  Just as they sought King Solomon’s wisdom, we similarly must seek the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

On the second Sunday of next month, instead of gathering for another business meeting and a time inn which we hear a litany of complaints and accusations let us gather for the purpose of praying and seeking the counsel of the Word of God.  Would our church family come out of the wood work, like we did last Sunday, for the noble and most honorable purposes of asking for the wisdom of Almighty God in resolving our current strife?  Are we willing to humble ourselves before the very Creator of the universe and the Maker of all that is seen and unseen?  Shall we persist in the unproductive and divisive vain of self-reliance which will result in the splitting of the baby?  Will we commit two and a half hours to prayer, meditation and Bible study to find a resolution to the Church Renovation Project?

As the mothers argue profusely and vociferously between each other about the living baby, King Solomon determines a foolproof method of ascertaining the baby’s real mother.  He orders a sword to be brought to him.  He says that the living baby will be cut in half with each mother receiving fifty percent of the baby’s remains.  Were that dastardly deed to have occurred, it would have meant that both mothers would have lost one hundred percent in that both of them would have become childless!  Shockingly, one of the mothers actually agreed to this order.  “Neither I nor you shall have him.  Cut him in two!”  Let’s imagine what this woman’s heart looks like inside.  Consider the anger, bitterness, strife, hurt, disappointment, low self-esteem, fear and pain that must reside their in large quantities.  How could she possibly believe that cutting the baby in half would be an appropriate solution to this dilemma?  I submit that this woman’s harden heart symbolizes those of us at First Baptist Church Capitol Hill who insist upon having our way regardless of the consequences.  I find it incredibly difficult to understand the position of withholding my giving until my personal preferences are appeased without realizing that my actions create an artificial financial crisis that may harm other people and irreversibly wound the very Church that I claim to love?  If I take that stance today, what would prevent me from taking that same approach each and every time that someone does something with which I disagree?  Can I justly and honestly portend to care about my church family members and my Church if I am willing at any point to damage them through my failure to give time, service, money and commitment because they do not satisfy my emotional needs?

A Pastor's Heart - 1 Kings 3:16-28 Part III

A Pastor’s Heart – 1 Kings 3:16-28 Part III

The other mother whom we discover is the real mother of the living baby reveals an enduring answer to the debate about the child.  Out of her love for the living baby, she is willing to subordinate her rightful position in order to save him.  Her genuine love compels her to plead with King Solomon to spare the living baby.  “Please my lord, give her the living baby!  Don’t kill him!” This mother’s heart enables her to see the big picture.  Her love for her child triumphs over personal preferences and rights.  She sacrifices her legal right in order to spare her child’s life. She would rather have the child alive rather than dead in order to prevent the other fraudulent mother from having the baby.  This mother’s love empowers her to serve and sacrifice.  I imagine that in the crevices of her mind and the closets of her heart she harbors the prayers and thoughts that circumstances will reveal in time that she is the real mother of the living baby even if they were separated by this ordeal.  This woman’s powerful example of selfless love instructs us today to emulate her as we seek to save the living baby of our church family and congregation.

The love that we extend to our church family requires the daily practice of spiritual disciplines.  I remind us of the acronym, SPAMBID: self-evaluation, prayer, affirmation (of the Word of God), meditation, Bible study, imaging (faithful and positive future events) and daily quiet time and worship of Almighty God.  Quite possibly, there are more people praying for us throughout the city, state and country than we may be praying for ourselves.  In time, these spiritual disciplines will yield a harvest of practical results.  We will return to the basics of church membership and commitment.  We will attend worship regularly.  We will serve in the various ministries of the Church.  We will practice good financial stewardship and grow to the point of giving one tenth of our gross income inclusive of salary, investments, and all other sources of income.  We will attend one weekly Christian education session.  Beyond those fundamentals, we progress to determining our individual and distinct ministry within the Church and our mission outside in the larger world.  In addition to the foregoing church-wide prayer meeting, let us engage the congregational process of “Asset Mapping” in which we discern and discover the myriad gifts embodied within our fellow brothers and sisters.  In accordance with 1 Corinthians 12, we appreciate that the Church resembles the human body in that all parts are necessary in order for good health to result.  Nevertheless, the persistent practice of spiritual disciplines will yield the practical results that will eventuate in our success.

In closing, Oscar Wilde fairy tale, “The Nightingale and the Rose,” captures the thesis and essence of this sermon.  In this most challenging story, a philosophy student harbors a deep love for a young lady whom he invites to a forthcoming ball.  His passion consumes him.  He forsakes his books, study and cognitive passions to attempt to satisfy his boiling passions for this beautiful young lady.  She agrees to attend the ball with him under one condition.  He must find a red rose to match her gown.  The philosophy student immediately searches the adjacent gardens for a red rose identical in color and texture to his intended’s gown.  To his utter dismay and deepening grief, he cannot find a red rose.  In the garden, a nightingale, lizard, bees and other living creatures observe the student’s profound disappointment.  The lizard responds cynically and expresses disgust that the man would be so distraught about his failure to find a red rose when there perfectly appropriate white roses in the garden.  The bees demonstrate indifference in that they resolve that it is simply unfortunate that there are no red roses though it would be nice if there were and the young could be happy.  In contrast, the nightingale flies over to the rose brush and inquires about the possibility of creating the red rose.  The bush replies that the only way to produce a red rose is for the nightingale to sing as melodiously as possible while piercing her heart with a thorn.  The bird’s blood will stain the white roses and produce a perfectly red one.  After some thought, the nightingale decides to offer her life as a sacrifice in order to produce the red rose so that the philosophy student may find true love.  The bird returns to the rose bush, positions her chest against a thorn, begins to sing and pushes against the thorn as blood drips from her chest.  The rose bush reminds the nightingale twice to move closer and closer still to the thorn so that her heart may be sufficiently pierced and that an adequate amount of blood my flow.

Eulogy - "Living in the Shadow of the Almighty God - Psalm 91

With Praise and Thanksgiving to Almighty God

for the Life, Love and Legacy

of the late

Deacon Albert O. Williams, DDS

“Living in the Shadow of the Almighty God” 

Psalm 91:1-16

Saturday, 29 December 2007

As we celebrate the life of the late Deacon Albert O. Williams, we reflect upon the myriad ways in which Almighty God sows the seeds of providence in our lives.  On many occasions, Deacon Williams shared the story of his very humble beginnings on a small farm in Texas.  He was the youngest of multiple siblings.  At fifteen years of age, he circumstantially had to begin to chart his course in life.  He fondly recalled how he did so with his beloved mother’s blessings.  Education would become the vehicle for accomplishing his dreams and goals.  Without any concrete idea of how he would obtain this goal, he harbored the ambition of becoming a dentist.  Trusting in the goodness of Almighty God and affirming the necessity of a positive outlook in life, Deacon Williams set out in pursuit of his dreams by enrolling in an adjacent college.  In his words, “I did not know how I was going to make it.”  Yet, he was determined to succeed.  More significantly, in retrospect, he discovered pebbles along his path that our loving Heavenly Father had dropped in order to direct Deacon Williams toward God’s ultimate purpose for his life. 

While some people may characterize Deacon William’s story as average, actually, it is remarkable because of the elements of divine orchestration in the plot of his life.  Additionally, the life of the late Albert O. Williams is particularly an American story in which an African-American male born to a large family in a humble setting achieves professional distinction as a dentist and deacon within his local church.  His journey encourages the ordinary person because it reminds us that God’s unquestionable faithfulness miraculously transforms daily choices toward divine objectives.  Thereby, the average person becomes an overwhelming success relative to his or her goals, dreams, potential, discipline, application and natural endowments. 

After leaving Texas and graduating with a degree from the precursor to Texas Southern University, which was not an accredited institution at the time, Deacon Williams came to Nashville.  He then enrolled in Tennessee State University where he obtained both bachelors and master’s degrees in chemistry.  Subsequent to earning those degrees, he taught at Prairie View Agricultural & Mechanical College.  There, he would meet the love of his wife, the late Dr. Marion Williams, with whom he would share forty-two years of holy matrimony.  An inexplicable college rule at the time prevented a husband and wife from both simultaneously serving on the faculty.  That regulation led the Williams to move to Montgomery, AL where they taught at Alabama A& M College for a year. 

Fascinatingly, that year was 1955!  They attended Dexter Avenue Baptist Church during the height of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which formally began the national Civil Rights Movements.  The Williams drove cars in the year in which the Black residents of Montgomery boycotted the buses in order to coerce the transportation line to grant them equal and respectful treatment for their fares.  Deacon Williams, although he could never have imagined it when he left Texas, took particular delight in sharing this story of his participation in one of the most significant events in twentieth century American history.  Each “MLK Sunday,” he would remind me that he had worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. in “the great things that he did.”  As a high school history student reading about the Montgomery Bus Boycott, specifically, and the Civil Rights Movement, generally, I wondered would names ever be attached to the countless persons who made such great sacrifices.  Personally, as an inheritor and beneficiary of that great labor of love, I am gratified to pay the debt of attaching the names of Albert O. and Marion Williams to the list of African-American forebears who bore their burdens in the heat of the day in order to make a more just and equal way for a future generation.  Nevertheless, let us consider the way in which the seeds of providence led the Williams to Montgomery to fulfill a divine appointment.

During the year that Williams spent in Montgomery, a possibility opened that Deacon Williams might attend the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa to earn a Ph. D. degree in Chemistry.  The University had recently enrolled its first African-American in the graduate school.  Yet, Deacon Williams’ heartfelt goal of becoming a dentist overshadowed this prospect.  As he told the story, it was his beloved wife, Dr. Marion Williams, reminded him of the reality that he wanted to be a dentist more so than a chemist.  That conversation led to their ultimate move to Nashville in 1956 where he enrolled at Meharry Dental School.  He would accomplish his lifelong dream and proceed to a lengthy career of practicing dentistry for forty-two years as well as teaching on the Dental School faculty for many years.

In 1969, Albert O. Williams was ordained to the Diaconate at First Baptist Church Capitol Hill.  He served with distinction for nearly thirty-eight years, electing emeritus status in 2002.  Each year, he hosted a special fellowship meal for his watch care members.  Should any of them experience bereavement or illness, Deacon Williams expeditiously responded to calls notifying him of their needs.  He diligently visited local hospitals to visit with his watch care members and faithfully made trips to their homes when requested and needed. 

Additionally, Deacon Williams was known affectionately as the “Father of the 8:00am Worship Service.”  He took great pride in its continuance beyond the pastoral tenure of the late Kelly Miller Smith, Sr.  Excluding extreme physical illness or his absence from Nashville, Deacon Williams arrived at FBCCH at 7:45am each Sunday until he began to experience a decline in his health.  Moreover, Deacon Williams particularly liked the order of service of the first service.  He often quoted Paul’s admonition that Almighty God is a God of order and desires that all matters be executed in decency and in order.  He took a proprietary interest in the liturgy and details of the 8:00am worship experience.

Let’s join in an imaginary delight of the grand reunion that occurred on Thursday night when he joined his beloved wife, the late Dr. Marion Williams.  Together, as perfect brothers and sisters in the Lord, they can share eternity in worship and praise of our Lord.  By all accounts, most especially his, Deacon Williams considered his late wife to be the apple of his eye.  I posit that all of us found encouragement in the way in which he adoringly spoke of her and the very high regard in which he held her and her memory.  As we rejoice in his total healing from illness and liberation from the limitations of human life, let us also celebrate his joy of reunion and ability to serve our Lord forevermore.

The life of Deacon Williams again demonstrates how Almighty God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary feats.  As that gospel song suggests, “Little becomes much when you place it in the Master’s hands.”  Merely living under the shadow of Almighty God offers incredible assurance to the average person.  From the resounding opening verse in Psalm 91, this passage assures any believing and committed individual of a number of divine promises and protections.  God’s very presence shall be a refuge and a fortress from the adversities of life.  God’s faithfulness will shield you from any deadly pestilence.  You will not “fear the terror of night” nor any assaults during the day.  What an amazing promise given the current turbulence of our nation and world!  Moreover, underneath the shadow of God’s presence, you will watch your enemies fall to the left and the right.  Amazingly, God “will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”  Accordingly, you will have unqualified protection in the affairs of life.  “Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.”  Finally, in agreement with the Psalter, Deacon Williams would encourage us with a recitation of the sixteenth verse.  “With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.” 

Amusingly, Deacon Williams would state his age by saying “I’m forty-one going on eighty-three.  The Lord has blessed me all these many years.” His life reflected the blessings of being in the shadow of Almighty God.  It more significantly demonstrates the mystical and majestic ways in which the Lord uses willing servants in the midst of the mundane activities of life.  I understand that Deacon Williams’ death crystallized in a nap. Soundly asleep, he slowly and surely slipped into eternal rest.  This blessed rest is the reward of the righteous who dwells in the shadow of the Almighty God.  Deacon Williams’ assurance challenges us to find a similar peace within the pervasive turbulence of our world.  Intractable terrorism, political assassinations of heads of states, nuclear proliferation, environmental disasters, all, combine to frighten greatly the average person.  Finding peace seems impossible. Nevertheless, the Psalter and the life of Deacon Williams nullify this negativism.  Instead, they remind us that peace is available perpetually for those persons who choose to live in the shadow of the Almighty God.

Eulogy - "A Physician's Faith" - Luke 10:25-37

“A Physician’s Faith: A Witness to the Life

of the Late Deacon Calvin L. Calhoun, Sr., M. D.”

Luke 10:25-37

Deacon Calvin Lee Calhoun, Sr. was a very proud physician, scientist, teacher and community activist.  Dr. Calhoun also took great pride in the accuracy of his golf game and his rising score in bowling.  His innumerable academic, professional and civic accomplishments have been detailed in the foregoing tributes to his life.  Yet, he was most confident in his roles as a husband of fifty-eight years, a father and a grandfather.  He talked often about how much he owed Mrs. Evelyn Calhoun for her steadfast love, faithful devotion and tireless duty.  The accomplishments, activities and future goals of Dr. Calvin L. Calhoun, Jr. and Calvin III stayed on his mind.  Notwithstanding his medical, professorial and personal achievements, Dr. Calvin Lee Calhoun, Sr. prioritized his marriage and his family.

Dr. Calhoun was a fun person to be around.  In the summer of 2000, while I commuted between Brooklyn, NY and Nashville, TN, Deacon Calhoun drove during several visitation trips sick and shut-in members of First Baptist Church Capitol Hill.  Ever the teacher, Deacon Calhoun volunteered to drive during those visits to relay the message to me of how important he found visitation of our senior members.  In the course of those various visits, we talked about many different things, some of which I will recall shortly.  I came to appreciate his zest for life.  He told me of his love of golf.  I quickly understood that he and Mrs. Calhoun were not to be disturbed on Monday mornings unless a “real” emergency had occurred.  Actually, I loved riding in his Porsche which he thoroughly enjoyed driving.  Once while approaching a sharp curve on Clarkesville Highway, he said, “Reverend, I can get from zero to sixty in less than five seconds.”  I thought at the time, “But you don’t have to do that now!”  Additionally, we chided each other about our different choices in fraternities.  Deacon Calhoun said, “Reverend, everyone is entitled to at least one mistake in life.”  Yet, we shared many other laughs and fun times not only during those visits  but also over the course of the next five years.

Again, Deacon Calhoun was a teacher within his innermost being.  One could hardly be around him for more than a few minutes without learning something new.  He valued knowledge and took seriously the privilege and necessity of lifelong learning.  During my visits to the Calhoun residence, we would discuss his latest reading.  Once, he shared his thoughts about a  book on higher biblical criticism.  This, undoubtedly, led to an energetic and engaging conversation.  In that conversation, Deacon Calhoun told me of his skepticism about some matters relating to the Christian faith.  Like most people, Deacon Calhoun was befuddled by the inability and unwillingness of so many professing Christians to live by the grand moral, ethical and justice principles of the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.  This dilemma was both individual and collective for him.  How did a nation that characterized itself as a “Christian nation” reconcile its treatment of marginalized people?  Deacon Calhoun spent his life attempting to resolve this predicament.  His personal and persistent study, his service as a Deacon at First Baptist and his faithful activism, particularly as a member of the NAACP equaled his practical methods of redressing his skepticism.

Theologically and ideologically, Deacon Calhoun adhered strictly to the “Morehouse School of Religion.”  In addition to being an actual degree granting institution, the “Morehouse School of Religion” reconciles the previously defined by theological dilemma by insisting that authentic and worthwhile religion demands that its adherents care for the least in society.  A classmate of The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Morehouse College, Deacon Calhoun participated in many of the dining hall, coffee shops and dormitory discussions that eventuated in liberation and Black theology.  In fulfillment of Isaiah 61:1-3 and Luke 4:18, these theological systems posit that the gospel of Jesus Christ frees everyone to actualize his God given talents and abilities to the fullest extent of his natural endowments and personal application.  Furthermore, liberation and Black theologians within the “Morehouse School of Religion” insist that any systemic barriers to the poor and marginalized realizing their potential must be removed.  Good and pure religion fights these obstacles to the average person recognizing his worth as a child of God.

As a physician and scientist, Deacon Calhoun would not settle for simplistic responses to difficult questions.  He employed the scientific method and its reliance upon repetitive verifiability to matters of faith.  He posited that the truth and genuineness of the Christian faith depended upon the consistent struggle of believers to live according to the principles of Christ.  The veracity of the teachings of Christ necessitates the daily  redundant practice of the Church, individually and collectively.

Soon after Deacon Calhoun’s transition to eternal life, we found one of his many Bibles near his nightstand.  This passage of “The Parable of the Good Samaritan” was clearly marked in his favorite Bible.  This immortal story summarizes the final lesson from this teacher and physician whose life we commemorate today.  This parable captures the essence of “A Physician’s Religion.”  Written by a physician, the gospel of Luke was Deacon Calhoun’s favorite gospel.  Perhaps, this story was his most favored one.  Yet, it encompasses the theological complexity that Deacon Calhoun spent his life resolving in thought, word and deed.

A lawyer asks Jesus about the necessary actions to ensure eternal life.  The Lord refers the inquisitive teacher of the law to the actual Law.  In turn, the lawyer quotes the two greatest commandments.  Love God with all of your being and love your neighbor as yourself.  Jesus, in response, congratulates the lawyer on answering correctly and instructs him to live accordingly in order to inherit eternal life. 

Most people stop there, while they deem that they are ahead.  Loving God with casual consideration of one’s neighbor suffices to create a warm fuzzy feeling in most people’s hearts.  Unfortunately, that misdirected private religion is adequate for most contemporary believers.  They fall for the fallacy of “God and I are doing just fine together.”  They fail to ask the lawyer’s next question, “Who is my neighbor?”  In asking the question, one additionally inquires about one’s responsibility to one’s neighbor.

Deacon Calhoun asked these important questions.  In so doing, he found answers in “The Parable of the Good Samaritan.”  The unnamed man who falls into the hands of robbers along the road between Jericho and Jerusalem represents humankind.  The circumstances of life often batter and beat people and leave them for dead.  Many systemic causes (poverty, inadequate housing, substandard education, crime, poor healthcare, etc.) prevent people from actualizing their God given talents and abilities to the fullest extent of their natural endowments and personal application.  The victim’s wounds represent the depth of these societal problems.  Countless citizens lie on the Jericho rod of life hoping that someone will care enough to assist them.  As a physician, Deacon Calhoun saw these victims of life’s dilemmas as his neighbors.  Whereas he may never have resolved his theological quandaries to his personal satisfaction, he determined that an authentic and worthwhile faith necessitated that we see our neighbors along the road of life. 

The text tells us that two ministers saw this forsaken man and  both of them ignored him by crossing over to the other side of the road.  Perhaps, the first priest had been given an opportunity to preach at his equivalent of Westminster Abbey or St. Paul’s Cathedral.  Actually, the privilege of celebrating and officiating at the main ritual in the Temple in Jerusalem would have occurred in the life of the average priest only once if even then.  Yet, that does not excuse his indifference to the pain  and suffering of this victimized man.  The second priest, specifically characterized as a Levite, similarly ignores this suffering man.  Like his fellow priest, he is distracted with his ministry, however he defines it.  These clergymen symbolize a contemporary Church whose attention is diverted toward the grandeur of monumental buildings, glorious worship and rising numbers in church attendance. 

Deacon Calhoun had great difficulty in accepting the indifference and thus incivility of these two priests.  As a scientist, he adhered to the method of obtaining truth via repetitive verifiability.  The truth of any hypothesis or discovery should be able to be replicated independently and objectively by others.  He applied similar standards to the Christian faith.  Adherents would know the authenticity of Christian principles and doctrine through the repetitive practice of spiritual disciplines to the faith.  Just as scientific experiments produced results, Christianity must yield the practice of Christ’s teachings with the product of transformation in order to justify its faith statements and truth claims.

In “The Parable of the Good Samaritan,” Deacon Calhoun found an enduring, pragmatic and intellectually respectable answer to his lifelong theological dilemma.  In contradistinction to the indifference of the priest, a Good Samaritan appears on the scene.  He runs to the victim and rescues him from the jaws of death.  The Good Samaritan is  Gentile who presumably is unacquainted with the Law of God and the religion of Israel.  Nevertheless, this Samaritan had pity on the victimized man by wiping and bandaging his wounds.  He bore the expense of oil, wine, time and financial resources to care for this wounded individual.  He put the victim on his won donkey; took him to an inn, and paid for his stay.  The Samaritan agreed to reimburse the innkeeper for any expenditure that would accumulate during his absence.  I posit that Deacon Calhoun suspected that the Samaritan was a physician.  Interestingly, the author of the gospel of Luke was a Gentile physician.  Maybe, Dr. Luke cloaked a personal experience of his within the garments of this provocative and immortal story.  Nonetheless, the love of the Good Samaritan challenges us to equate our profession of the Christian faith with our daily practice. 

The physician whose life we celebrate and commemorate today leaves us with a final lesson, “Go and do likewise.”  Dr. Calvin Lee Calhoun, Sr. resolved his skepticism about the Christian faith through a tri-fold method.  He maintained the discipline of lifelong study.  Second, he answered many of his questions through his service in the Diaconate of First Baptist Church Capitol Hill.  Third, he emulated the practice of the Good Samaritan in his social justice activism.  Those three pillars comprised the major tenets of “A Physician’s Faith.”

Eulogy - "God's Mystical and Mysterious Use of Teachers" - Acts 18:18-28

With Praise and Thanksgiving to Almighty God

for the Life, Love and Legacy

of the late

Mary W. Wickware

17 April 1917 - 22 December 2007

“God’s Mystical and Mysterious Use of Teachers – Acts 18:18-28”

Most regrettably, we have a saying in American society, “Those who can do, do.  Those who can’t do, teach.” This irrational yet enduring maxim overlooks the obvious point that “those who do” had to be taught at some point.  No one is born with innate ability to do anything.  Regardless of how talented a person may be, someone instructed him or her in the beginning.  Not surprisingly, I detest that saying because it denigrates one of the most vital callings in the Church and one of the most significant professions in any society, particularly a developed democracy.  Teaching the language, history, culture, religion, and literature is the foundation of any country.

Teaching extends to as many informal and necessary subjects as its does the foregoing formal subjects.  Our parents are our first teachers.  They instruct us about the love of God and the importance of self-acceptance.  Additionally, they teach us the intangible and invaluable tools of discipline, hard work, faithfulness, perseverance and genuine spirituality.  The life of every successful person reveals the influence of a teacher, whether professional or not, who took the time and demonstrated the care to show that person the way toward the fulfillment of his or her dreams and goals.

Almighty God mysteriously and mystically uses teachers to further the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and  build the kingdom of God on the earth.  More specifically, God uses mothers in this fundamental role.  We know the incredible influence of Susanna Wesley in the lives of her sons, John Wesley, who became the founder of Methodism, and Charles Wesley, who wrote many hymns.  I imagine that the late Mrs. Niebuhr, the mother of Reinhold Niebuhr and H. Richard Niebuhr, two outstanding American theologians.  Martin Luther King Jr. credited his maternal grandmother with inculcating the foundation of the Christian faith in him.  Contemporarily, we know of the musical teaching of “Mom and Pops” Winans whose children have enjoyed illustrious and award-winning careers.  Whether in preaching, evangelism, music, social justice activism or myriad other forms of ministry, faithful and obedient mothers serve as the Lord’s primary instructors for His next generation of servant leaders.

Circumstantially, some parents are unable to fulfill this divinely ordained role.  Mysteriously, school teachers fortunately fill in these gaps.  In some instances, they supplement the training and instruction that students receive at home.  Regardless of the function, teachers perform the vital purpose of leading people out of the darkness of ignorance, immaturity and imagination into the light of knowledge, discipline, focus, and excellence.  Again, many of us in today’s audience can point to the determining significance that a teacher played in our lives.  As we celebrate, with praise and thanksgiving to Almighty God, the life, love and legacy of the late Mary W. Wickware, we favorably recall her forty-two years of service as a teacher. 

This passage in the book of Acts reminds us of the crucial role that teachers play in all matters.  On a previous trip to Athens, the apostle Paul encounters Aquila, a Jew and native of Pontus, and his wife, Priscilla.  They join the missionary journey, having been expelled from Rome by Claudius.  Currently, we find them enroute to Syria as they begin the third missionary journey which would further the spreading of the gospel to the ends of the then known world.  However, Paul incidentally leaves this couple of disciples in Ephesus as he journeys onward to Antioch and elsewhere.  While in Ephesus, Priscilla and Aquila hear the formidable preaching of a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria.  “A learned man with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures,” Apollos gained the reputation of a passionate and persuasive preacher.  Although he had been previously taught “the way of the Lord and spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately,” he only knew about the baptism of repentance which John  the Baptist taught.  Essentially, Apollos’ courageous teaching was overshadowed by his ignorance of the saving baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ.  His teaching, however, straightforward and awesome, was lacking.  In response to hearing Apollos’ teaching, Aquila and Priscilla, invite Apollos to their home.  There, these tentmakers by professions actually fulfill their calling as teachers.  Aquila and Priscilla “explain to [Apollos] the way of God more accurately.”  They offer the gift of a greater revelation of Christ as the long-awaited Messiah and Son of God.

Through the prism of the biblical character of Priscilla, I see the person of Ms. Mary W. Wickware.  I celebrate her calling as a teacher who for four decades diligently taught mathematics to lead her students towards their dreams and goals.  One of her former students, in paying tribute to Ms. Wickware, offers one of the highest compliments that can be given to a teacher.  Reputedly, Ms. Wickware was stern and hard.  This meant that she was a tough teacher who would not allow her students to skate in her class.  As a very strict teacher who did not tolerate nonsense, Ms. Wickware demanded the very best from her students.  As we reflect upon the teachers who have had an enduring influence upon us, we readily recall the ones who were the toughest and most demanding.  These teachers taught us to be demanding of ourselves because they required so much of themselves.  They continued to learn and grow.  As a result, they passed along their new discoveries of knowledge, internal and external.  Willingly, they shared their insights with their students with the hope that the recipients would exceed greatly the achievements of the teachers. 

Accordingly, Priscilla in this text graciously shares her spiritual, scriptural, personal and experiential revelations with Apollos.  Arguably, we can deduce that these tentmakers did not possess the formal training of this learned man from Alexandria who might have had access to the great library of that ancient city.  Parenthetically, the library in Alexandria rivaled that of any other in the Ancient Near East.  It contained more than five hundred thousand (500,000) scrolls, manuscripts and records.  Nevertheless, Aquila and Priscilla, through their relational and experiential knowledge with the apostle Paul, obtained a greater revelation of the incarnation, ministry, teaching, crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Although they are not professional teachers, they instruct Apollos about these significance matters of faith. 

This story reassures us that we can teach wherever we may work.  Everyone can learn from someone.  Aquila and Priscilla demonstrate God’s mystical and majestic use of teachers, professional and personal, to equip people to actualize their destiny in life.  Upon departing from their house, Apollos travels to Achaia, a province of Greece, where the Lord mightily uses Apollos to spread the gospel in an area where the message of Christ had to complete against many different philosophies.  Yet, because of Aquila and Priscilla’s conscientious and compassionate teaching, Apollos arrives with the spiritual tools and knowledge to “vigorously refute the Jews in public debate, proving from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.”

I imagine that many of Ms. Wickware’s former students have gone on to utilize the gift of mathematics to the honor and glory of Almighty God.  Perhaps, they have invented an instrument needed to assist a physically challenged person.  Maybe, they have used the logical reasoning embedded in math to help someone in a legal proceeding.  Then, there is the chance that they have used math as a healthcare professional.  Consider the necessity of math in everyday life.  Even minimal acquisition and facility in this discipline substantially increases your chances for success in whatever you do.  From parenthood to being the head of a household to managing a company to directing a not-for-profit organization, these diverse tasks require math.  In her calling as a math teacher, Ms. Wickware fulfilled God’s calling in her life as she empowered countless thousands of students to succeed at their chosen profession.

Eulogy - "A Silent Sermon - Seek the Face of Almighty God" - Psalm 80

“A Silent Sermon – Seek the Face of Almighty God” (Psalm 80)

The Revised and Edited Eulogy of

The Reverend Robert Thomas, Sr.

On Saturday, 14 May 2005

Shortly after arriving at First Baptist Church Capitol Hill, I asked the late Rev. Robert Thomas if he would like to be in the monthly preaching rotation.  He responded, “Reverend, I really don’t preach.  I‘d rather sit, listen and worship.”  Not surprisingly, I found his comment and its attendant humility rather odd.  I do not know many clergypersons who pass up opportunities to preach.  Nevertheless, over the last five years, I came to appreciate Rev. Thomas’ method of silent preaching.  He did indeed preach but he did so silently.  He proclaimed the gospel through his life.

As we celebrate his life today, we recall the silent sermon of Rev. Thomas’ faithfulness to Almighty God and the members of our church family.  He leaves a legacy of “A Silent Sermon.”  Through his countless cards celebrating birthdays and anniversaries and expressing condolences, Rev. Thomas fulfilled the scriptural requirement of “rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep.”  He consistently visited with members who were hospitalized.  In times of bereavement, he devotedly practiced the ministry of presence.  I do not recall a funeral in the last five years that he missed. 

In his witness to Christ, Rev. Thomas prioritized obedience to the will and Word of God.  As long as his health permitted, he came to Sunday worship without fail.  He strove for integrity in all that he did. The coherence of thought and action is integrity, practically speaking.  His many trips to the church office to ascertain the location of a hospitalized member were part and parcel of his faithfulness to Christ.  His understanding of the Lord’s love compelled him toward the service that he offered to the honor and glory of Christ and the benevolence that he showed to others.

Referring to his favorite passage of scripture, Psalm 80, I entitle the silent sermon of Rev. Thomas’ life, “Seek the Face of Almighty God.”  Three times in this psalm, David appeals to Almighty God for restoration.  Further, the psalmist asks that the face of God shine upon the people of Israel so that they would be saved.   Despite the various trials and tribulations of the people, they can seek the favor of God.  In his meek and formidable manner, Rev. Thomas taught us to emulate the behavior of the psalmist.  During the twists and turns of his illness, Rev. Thomas never complained.  Constantly, he gave thanks and praise to Almighty God for His all-sufficient grace.  Although he underwent surgery and a couple of subsequent setbacks, Rev. Thomas loyally pleaded “make Your face shine upon [me], that [I] may saved.”  His life was a silent sermon, which encouraged those who observed Rev. Thomas to “Seek the Face of Almighty God.”

The second verse of Psalm 80 concludes with a petition, “Awake your might and come and save us.”  This prayer is actually a request for enlightenment.  The psalmist hopes that God’s presence will remind the people of His saving power, which works within them as they rightly, relate themselves to Almighty God.  Difficult times necessitate that we flee to the shelter of God’s presence, which automatically includes His ability to protect and nurture us.  Rev. Thomas’ example consistently taught us to imitate the psalmist’s prayer life.

In the fourth through the sixth verses, the psalmist describes a rather dire situation.  He questions the length of God’s “smoldering anger” and inquires about its inhibition of the people’s prayers.  Then, he depicts a very graphic image of feeding on “bread of tears” and drinking a “bowlful of tears.”  Elsewhere, David speaks of tears being his food by night and sustenance in the day.  An extended and multifaceted illness is a time of countless tears.  Next, the psalmist considers that he and his kinsfolk have become the butts of their neighbors’ joke.  He imagines that they wonder anyone would serve that “God,” since He leaves them in desperation for such a long time.  Yet, like the psalter, Rev. Thomas constantly leaned on then Lord.  He genuinely relied upon God by asking for restoration and the good favor of God’s face.

I imagine that Rev. Thomas periodically implored God about the circumstances in which he found himself.  I find such an inquiry to be perfectly natural.  Considering Rev. Thomas’ obedience to the call of God on his life and his willingness to pursue the ministry with integrity, he probably wondered how such a brilliant dawn could give way to such a dreary dusk.  Similarly, the psalmist reminds God that He providentially “brought a vine [Israel] out of Egypt.”  Moreover, He planted it in the Promised Land; it grew to the lengths and height of shading mountains and the “mighty cedars” of the land.  The wild boars of the forests and beasts of the field eventually trampled the vine, although it extended to the sea.  Still, the psalmist, in the fourteenth and fifteenth verses, begs for God to turn His eyes toward the vine,  “Watch over this vine, the root your right hand has planted.”  Undoubtedly, in episodes of pain and frustration, Rev. Thomas called for God’s remembrance of His original and sovereign plan for his life.  Whereas those petitions did not remove the unfortunate circumstances, they were enough to remind Rev. Thomas of God’s favor.

The final verse of Psalm 80 reiterates, for the third time, the psalmist’s steadfast desire to “Seek the Face of Almighty God” no what the surrounding conditions may be.  The presence of God includes restoration and salvation, which is a synonym for inner healing and wholeness.  In his shy, quiet, humble and forceful way, Rev. Thomas taught us this important spiritual lesson.  In so doing, he preached a marvelously silent yet powerful sermon!

Eulogy - "I Get to See Daddy as He Really Is" - 1 John 3:1-3

“I Get to See Daddy as He Really Is” – 1 John 3:1-3

A Meditation on the Life of 

The Late Katherine Elang Hammonds

February 8, 1924 – August 9, 2007

The following is the revised and extended eulogy which Pastor Singletary gave at the graveside service held on Saturday, 25 August 2007, at Greenwood Cemetery in Nashville, TN.

With thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God, we assemble in worship to celebrate the life, love and service of our dearly departed sister, the late Katherine Elang Hammonds.  We are grateful to God for the gift of her life and the unique way in which He shared Himself through the particular expression of her life.  We commend her spirit to our Creator from whom she came.  We pray that she will find any joy and fulfillment that may have evaded her as she dwelt amongst.  We commit her body to the earth in the confident hope of the resurrection of the dead in Christ.  We beseech Almighty God on Katherine’s behalf.  O’ Lord grant her rest and let thy gracious light perpetually shine upon her.

The stories of our lives comprise four major components: a setting, a conflict, a resolution and a celebration.  The setting usually includes the origins of our lives and the beginnings of our life’s journey.  Simply stated, it is the primary situation in which we find ourselves.  Out of that situation, problems arise.  How we handle these challenges determines the quality of life we enjoy.  Our childhood years are the foundation for a joyous and fulfilling life for some people.  For others, this same period of time causes existential paralysis.  Some people remain forever plagued by some of the shortcomings, inadequacies, incapacities and injuries of these years.  Yet, other people find the blessings in the burdens and become stronger and happier people than the odds might have projected.  Regardless of the response to our early years, all of us seek a resolution to them that enable us to live freely, joyously and bountifully.  You recall the ending of most childhood stories.  “They lived happily ever after.”  Quite simply, most people earnestly desire to live happily ever after.  That is the celebration that we want in the fourth chapter of our story.

Sister Hammonds’ life began in Huntsville, Alabama where she and her parents enjoyed her first years together.  Most regrettably, at an early age, her mother died.  She and her father, the late Deacon William Henry Hammonds, moved to Nashville as a means of resolving the great loss of her mother.  One imagines the most grievous hurt and disappointment the death Sister Hammonds caused her.  Deacon Hammonds’ decision to change the setting of their story greatly aided them in finding God’s gracious healing.  It emerged in the incredible love that Sister Hammonds and he would share as daughter and father.  Indeed, the love between a father and daughter is most special and singular.  My daughter is my biggest defender; she will not entertain any criticisms of her father.  However, my son will give you an audience on any given day depending upon our latest squabble.  Deacon Hammonds and Sister Katherine Hammonds shared this distinctive love.  She infinitely loved and especially admired him.  In this divine bond, they found healing for the loss of her mother and a lasting solution to the problem of grief in their lives.

As we celebrate the life, love and service of Sister Katherine Elang Hammonds, we rejoice in the ultimate celebration of her life’s story.  We believe that she enjoys the presence of her beloved father.  We affirm the enduring doctrine of the communion of saints, the assembly of the heavenly hosts and the goodly fellowship of the eternally redeemed.  We utilize our spiritual imaginations to view celestially a grand reunion in which Sister Hammonds was reunited with Deacon Hammonds.  We consider the joy that filled her heart as she stood at the threshold of eternity.  “I get to see Daddy as he really is!”  The apostle Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 15 that flesh and blood cannot inherit the eternal realms of Almighty God.  Accordingly, our perishable and mortal bodies must give way to the creation of a new body which will be imperishable and immortal.  Sister Hammonds, as she lingered briefly with a terminal illness, was an ideal candidate for this mysterious and mystical process of transliteration.  Not only did she receive God’s gracious gift of eternal life, she generously obtained her heart’s deepest desire.  She saw her father’s face and heard his voice again.  She rejoiced in the reality of her longstanding wish.  “I get to see Daddy as he really is!”

Yet, the great apostle of love, John, offers encouraging words to us who remain with anticipation of sharing in Sister Hammonds’ eternal bliss.  He reminds us of the immeasurable love of God.  “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!”  I suspect that Deacon Hammonds love for his daughter, our sister Katherine, consisted of the bounty of time, treasure, talent and temperament.  His earthly example illustrates the divine reality that Almighty God cares for each one of us with an especial and unique.  We know that we are children of the Most High God.  Because of that fact, we rest confidently in our identities as the recipients of His unfailing and infinite love.  We feel joy, awe, security and happy because of it.  Sister Hammonds allowed his earthly father’s love to sustain her as food for the soul.  In addition to her reunion with her, she received the eternal reward of union with her Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.  As equal children of God, we await this indescribable bliss.

What shall it be like?  We cannot possibly know with any reasonable or minimal certainty.  Yet, the apostle assures us that we shall be like Him “for we shall see Him as He is.”  What a wonderful and grand promise that we shall be just like the Lord Jesus Christ when He appears!  Our Sister Katherine Hammonds enjoys this eternal bliss.  Yes, she gets to see her earthly father, the late Deacon Hammonds, as he is in his new resurrected body and eternal essence.  Moreover, she sees the Lord of all as He is.  She is able to see our Heavenly Father, the Creator of all of us and the Maker of all that is seen and unseen, as He really is.  She is no longer limited by the frailties and incapacities of human imagination and existence.  Hers is the eternal reward of the dead in Christ, the ability to see Him as He is.

Most assuredly, we can say “They live happily ever after.”  It is a sheer joy to think about the marvelous reunion that occurred upon Sister Hammonds’ transition to eternal life.  What joy must have overwhelmed her upon the sight of her beloved father!  Can you hear the joy that they exchanged upon seeing each other again after an interlude of many historical years but probably a brief period eternally?  Their greater happiness arose when they realized that they would never be apart again.  After catching up and a minimal tour of the magnificent city that John the Revelator describes in Revelation 22, perhaps they shared a cup of tea from the Tree of Life which has leaves for the healing of all nations.  Afterwards, I see in my mind’s eye that Deacon Hammonds says to Sister Katherine Hammonds, “Katherine, you still have not yet fully glimpsed the main attraction of this City.  Look at Him and see Him as He really is.”  Truly, “they lived happily ever after.”