Trust Jesus, Only Jesus

It was a distinct privilege to be a participant in saying goodbye to Reverend Jimmy Terry Sr., a profound force for good in Montgomery County, Tennessee. The celebration of his life was held in First Baptist Church of Clarksville and conducted, like an epic symphony, by Reverend Terry's flock. The call to praise started at 1 pm and they were calling folks to the altar to accept Jesus as savior and redeemer by just after 4 pm.

Pastor Jimmy Terry, Sr. deserves an entire series of stories about his journey through this earthly realm and right into a heavenly one. His lifelong walk with his God was testified to by the thousand or so people who showed up to this Tuesday afternoon service. This post is not that. This is about something that Pastor Terry stood for and how it resonates with hundreds of thousands of people in our State.

Getting to the heart of this core value may be as simple as laying it all out in a mathematics-like proof. God exists. Jesus was his only begotten son. Jesus died for our sins so that we can know God and be redeemed. Trust Jesus. Only Jesus. Rely on the scripture. Do your best and let God do the rest.

Combinations of doctrine and ritual danced in tandem to create moments of shared joy, hope and aspiration. Whether it was the preaching or the music or the testimony or the scripture, spiritual scaffolding was laid across the sanctuary from heart to heart. People felt better because of the celebration. It was as if folks were being held in a warm embrace, fed buttery mashed potatoes and had their brow stroked all at the same time. This convocation provided comfort, communion and confirmed the proof that God exists and God is good.

The Bishop who channeled an inspired eulogy focused on the Genesis story of Enoch. In a tempo that for the uninitiated like me would be reminiscent of James Brown, Bishop Calvin Lockett explained that when the Rapture arrives, having accepted Jesus as one's savior assures passage into heaven. He wholeheartedly encouraged us to take this act of faith so as not to be left on Earth and to get to the Promised Land without delay. Like Enoch, a saved person will not experience death and instead, will be taken directly by God. This assurance, this intimacy, this insurance against all human made chaos is real. It is real because people have faith. They have faith because it is real. Pick one, but these truths are co-dependant.

This conviction that God exists and that there is a better time with God after this life has implications. In comparing health care coverage with this kind of insurance what can you say? In drawing parallels with the justice of the kingdom with the justice of our courts one would be rightfully ashamed. If one were to try to imagine a solution to emerge from the halls of our Legislature as compared to the edicts of the gospel, whose authority would be relied upon? Why settle for humanity's sin when you can choose eternal life with the Almighty, the holy and be saved?

The Book of Genesis explains how it all went down. Humans have been corrupted by their nature. They have aligned with evil and forgotten the warning and invitation God sincerely offered. Nothing good can come from humans who are not walking with God. One can trust Jesus, Jesus alone. This has deep implications. Especially if you are a run of the mill community organizer wanting to invite these faithful and blessed people into processes of social change and improvement. Here is a question I need to ask that I don't know the answer to -- not very lawyerly I guess. What is there to be achieved here on Earth as compared to the promise of heaven? If I were saved, why would I worry about the chaos of our day to day world?

I did catch a clue or two throughout the program, but they were only fragments. "One should live a good life to inspire others to a faithful walk with God. Love is a daily practice. Reach and touch your neighbor, the Bishop said. When I ponder this world view, I am disheartened in the knowledge that our ambitious dictate of "on Earth as it is in Heaven" falls so short.

The bad news, (as opposed to the Good News), is that people have so little faith in people, systems and institutions. In fact, the bad news itself is likely fake as hell, or at least printed there. Our leaders are corrupt, our teachers are heretics, our protectors are murderers and even the wealthy are damned for their sins. I came to appreciate the view that a heavenly intervention is really the only thing that will make things right again. In the meantime, the best way to live is to get right with your maker and get in the express lane to rapture.

It draws a penetrating backstory to what is sometimes characterized as apathy, disengagement and a lack of civic empowerment. It makes good sense for one who holds a belief in a higher power to express no faith in a lower power. If one wants to hasten an apocalypse and get on home to one's creator,  just let society go where it will, even if it is to hell in a handbasket. The logical conclusion is that these cataclysmic system failures should:

1.  be left in the hands of God because 
2.  humans have shown their ignorance (their best thinking got us here)  
3.  leaving matters of justice and wellbeing in the realm of God and our Savior 
4.  because God exists. 

This is a neat proof. This calculates what life is worth and what we are here for ...

Yesterday I went to a big Baptist Church and was edified by a prevailing calculation that we have a personal and intimate (individual) relationship with God and Jesus, our personal Savior. How we treat others will factor into how we do our best and let God do the rest. In the end we will fail and be blessed and forgiven. We are not gods. We are here to be obedient and serve our creator. Our reward will be in the sweet bye and bye. How different the worlds of politics and social policy and worldly agency look through these lenses. How different and indifferent at the same time.