A Sermon on God's Grace by Pastor Danielle Pilgrim- a Sheep, a Coin, and a Prodigal are all Lost and Found. Amazing! Amazing!

Pastor Danielle Pilgrim’s Sermon on God’s Grace

Jarrett Roseborough, relatively sedate while leading the congregation in the singing of Hymn #598 at the start of the service. Normally, he is as hyperactive as David Trofort, another enthusiastic Berean Kapellmeister.

JARRETT AND THE CHILDREN BUILD A FIRM FOUNDATION

Pastor Danielle Pilgrim  delivered the Sabbath sermon at Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church, Atlanta on July 23, 2016. The enthusiasm level of the congregation was highly elevated even before Pastor Pilgrim commenced her remarks. Immediately preceding the sermon, the choral group Children of God, under the direction of Jarret Roseborough ( a protégé of Dr. Lloyd Mallory), presented the Kurt Carr composition “For Every Mountain.” This song  portentously lingers about in a minor key, before resolving itself into what may only be an implied major key. The mind of the listeners is so anxious for this resolution, it may just be a figment of their imaginations (practically every song in  Fiddler on the Roof does the same thing, and it is a hallmark of what many have labelled, either condescendingly or respectfully, “Jewish Music”). Pastor Pilgrim’s remarks begin at time marker 1:49:48 in this link to a YouTube video of the ENTIRE SERVICE.

A SERMON ABOUT “GRACE,” AN INDISPENSBLE COMMODITY

“If you’re thankful for the mountains that He has brought you over, if you are thankful for the valleys that He has brought you through, keep praising Him.” This statement by Pastor Pilgrim, an allusion to the preceding song, provided a bridge into the “spoken word” segment of this Sabbath’s service, and additionally granted the congregation a few additional seconds for their collective adrenaline level to subside. The song’s theme, praise, continued to linger in the atmosphere of the sanctuary, so the pastor wisely capitalized upon this by extending her improvised transition:  “You can’t help but, when you look over your life, and see all the mercy He has bestowed on you… the blessings that you did not deserve, [to] give Him praise.  You know, last night I was in worship, and I just got in awe of the love and the glory of God, and I just burst out in tears thinking that I have an audience of one, that I have the audience of a magnificent God who takes the time to listen to my prayers. I just say ‘Hallelujah! For this I give Him praise!'”

Another day at the office! Pastor Danielle Pilgrim’s silhouette, part of a larger image taken on May 14, 2016 by Andre Osborne, and available for purchase at this LINK, part of a new “Pastoral Staff” collection..

A short prayer by the pastor noted her unworthiness to presume to be a spokesperson for God [to quote Pastor Emeritus Perry Jennings, “none of us are worthy”], but she aspired to be used by God as a conduit for the message that He had placed on her heart. She prayed for the clarity of her delivery, and that people would be blessed.  The text for this Sabbath presentation was from Luke 15:1-3. “And the Bible says…”

Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” So He spoke this parable to them, saying: (NKJV)

“That is it. You may be seated,” Pastor Pilgrim stated. The ostensibly incomplete scriptural citation served to raise the level of anticipation for whatever kind of preaching or teaching might be based upon it. But a second look at what might, at first glace, seem to be merely a preamble to the kind of lengthier references that a more traditionally modelled sermon would normally be based upon reveals that these three verses, all by themselves, contain some very important information about Jesus. This is apparent when we reflect upon this important point: we are all sinners. Yet God still puts up with us, “eats” with us, if you please. “…I would like to preach to you today on the subject of grace,” Pastor Pilgrim said.

The speaker directed us to confess to our fellow worshippers that we were, everyone of us, “a subject of grace.”

Pastor Michael Kelly’s base of operations, Mt. Rubidoux SDA Church in Riverside, California. It is by the grace of God that Pastor Pilgrim came to Berean, as Pastor Kelly had failed to obtain her services when he had the chance. As I said on 2/18- “You Snooze, You Loose!

The body of the sermon, having been properly introduced, began to  unfold. “You know,” Pastor Pilgrim confided, “I am led to believe that one of the most misunderstood Biblical concepts in the Seventh-day Adventist Church is the concept of God’s grace.” The pastor confesses that she herself had, at times, has not properly comprehended the subject of “God’s grace.” An denomination-wide focus on the subject of “works” (analogous to the oft criticized level of attention that Adventists direct toward obedience to the “law,” and equally misinterpreted by both outsiders and church members alike) was alluded to by Pastor Pilgrim in her next statement: “…If the truth be told, many of us, through the years, have been in the business of trying to earn God’s grace, And if you have been in the church long enough, I’m sure you have heard some folks say these phrases:”

“You better get it right so God can bless you.”

“You better clean yourself up, so God can save you.”

Although these statements may have been made with the best of intentions, they nevertheless reflect, according to Pastor Pilgrim, a misunderstanding of the concept of grace. The pastor now cited a fact that everyone has heard, but many (by their words and actions) act as if they do not believe. “…There is nothing we can do to earn God’s grace. You can’t ‘work’ your way into receiving grace. You can’t tease God into giving you grace. And you sure can’t manipulate God into giving you grace.” The means whereby we may obtain God’s grace was illustrated by the pastor through the use of a rhetorical device with the intimidating name Antimetabole: “Grace is not something that you can chase, but grace is something that chases after you.” Pastor Pilgrim repeated this assertion. She revealed that “by default,” we had already met the prerequisite for grace. “…The prerequisite for God’s grace is sin, and by now we have all mastered sin.” Rhetorical Anaphora was now deployed [the summarizer swears to one day stop dragging in these Greek terms, despite their usefulness for describing sermon structure]:

“Some of us have a Bachelor’s degree in sin.”

 “Some of us have a Master’s in sin, and…”

 “Most of us have a PhD in sin!”

Hitler Youth, from the mid-thirties. They will have to study hard in order to earn their Doctorate degree in sin before their school system gets shut down in 1945.

“So grace is not something that you can work for, or something that you can pay for. Grace is something that is freely given,” the pastor reminded everyone. “The reality is… when sin entered this world, sin made grace a necessity, for if there would be no sin, there would be no grace.” A supplementary note was added by the pastor. “As much as God loves the angels… who are perfect, who are obedient, and who are faithful, the angels have never experienced grace. Neither has God extended to them grace, for they have never sinned.” It is an attribute of God that is “only reserved for undeserving human beings,” said the pastor [the replication of the “serv”  in the two words is a possible instance of rhetorical Polyptoton by the speaker. I vow to now stop intruding so rudely, and so often into the pastor’s discourse. A less obtrusive comment would be this one: some preachers believe that one of our tasks in heaven will be to attempt to explain to the angels what it is like to be forgiven our sins, to give them some insight into the blessings of God’s grace].

“Furthermore, ‘grace,’ by its very definition, means ‘favor…'” The pastor continued, “It’s favor that God gives to undeserving human beings like you and me.” The Greek meaning of the word “grace,” as employed in scripture implies extreme condescension, and evokes an image of “God, stooping Himself low, in kindness, to distribute favor in a gracious manner”  (to “undeserving human beings,” the pastor added as she repeated her assertion specifically for  the “nosebleed section” of the audience, that shy crowd that inhabits the balcony). The pastor concluded, therefore, that “grace has nothing to do with us, but it has everything to do with God, and all we do is… provide the sin that makes grace a necessity” {not the most honorable of contributions, and nothing to be particularly proud about, for we’re no angels].




Pastor Pilgrim revealed that she did not fully understand the concept of “grace” until she had experienced the road test portion of the Driver’s License Examination. She admitted to the low opinion held by some Berean church leaders of her driving abilities: “They will try to tell you that I bought my license,” Pastor Pilgrim confessed. But she added that she actually “passed the test, but by grace.”

The pastor declared that she was not an exceptionally bad driver, but on the day of the road test, a prerequisite for obtaining a license, she was not exactly in top form. She was in a rush. She had only had two driving lessons prior to the exam. “I remember I was a nervous wreck. I mean I was terrible!” she painfully recalled. “I remember getting into the car, and the driving [examiner], she’s sitting there; I don’t know if this was because we were in New York, or what it was, but she had no expressions! I mean, she said nothing! All she did was type.” Pastor Pilgrim tries to break through the reserve of the examiner, hoping to establish a human bond between the two of them. “How are you doing? Hope you are having a good day!” The future pastor’s friendly overtures fell upon deaf ears. All the examiner returned was a simple “Hello, Miss Pilgrim.” The road test was begun, and all was proceeding smoothly enough. But five minutes into the test, Pastor Pilgrim revealed that, for some reason, “I just turned into a crazy woman. I mean, anything that could go wrong, did go wrong.” The pastor’s performance inexplicably deteriorated.

Indisputable photographic evidence that Pastor Danielle Pilgrim is perfectly capable of driving! The larger image by Zannetta Hairston that his is a part of  may be purchased at this WONDERFUL LOCATION.

As tester and tested approached an intersection, the tester requested Miss Pilgrim to “make a right” at the upcoming stop sign. The examinee reflected to herself that this proposed action would not be difficult. But Murphy’s Law started to take effect at the intersection. Instead of turning right, Pastor Pilgrim made instead a left. Partially into the wrong turn, she realized her error, and redirected the car to conform to the examiner’s original instruction. The sangfroid of the examiner was not perturbed at all by this world-class display of ineptitude by the pastor. “She just keeps typing,” Pastor Pilgrim related, “and I’m sure she’s typing ‘you’ve failed!'”

Further down the block, the examiner issues a command: “Miss Pilgrim. stop the car.” The pastor must not have responded with sufficient alacrity, so the examiner repeated her instruction: “Miss Pilgrim. stop the car.” Miss Pilgrim was hesitant about simply slamming on the brakes, as she was being tested. Portents of irrationality were displayed by the examiner as she abrasively erupted a third time: “Miss Pilgrim. stop the car!” The purpose of the stop was now revealed. The pastor was instructed to “parallel park,” a skill she had only learned one hour prior to the road test. She quickly reviewed the correct procedure in her mind, and then methodically began to implement it. Despite a resurgence in the driving aptitude of the examinee, she felt as the test had already been failed. The examiner continued to type away, pausing just long enough to open the passenger side door of the car in order to pass judgment upon how proximate the freshly parked car was to the curb.  “Now get out of the space,” was the next terse command. Pastor Pilgrim revealed to the congregation that “getting out of a parallel-parked space is more difficult than getting into the space.” For what seemed like five minutes, the pastor inched forwards and backwards, eventual successfully extricating herself from the space.




“And now we have gotten back to where we started, and she is ready to give me my results,” continued the pastor. “And she looks at me, and she says ‘Miss Pilgrim… you are one crazy driver… I told you to make a right, and then you make a left, and then you think that it’s OK to make a right in the middle of the left, without looking at the traffic. You are crazy!’ I said OK. Then she said ‘To make matters worse, you have poor judgment…'” The pastor wanted this criticism to cease, and thought to herself, “Just give me my papers. I know I failed.” Pastor Pilgrim now revealed the unexpected outcome of this highly unpromising road test: “But now she says the key word,,, ‘But nevertheless,’ thank God for conjunctions, she says ‘nevertheless, although your driving is crazy, you still pass the test.”

“And that’s when I understood grace. Because I did not deserve to pass the test. She passed me anyway. Because I did not perform well, but she passed me anyway… Is there anyone in here who is thankful for the fact that grace is not based on how you perform, but grace is a gift from the lord? Good news! Good news!” Pastor Pilgrim had reached a climactic point in her sermon.
Pastor Pilgrim’s colleague, Pastor Austin Humphreys, would have doubtlessly enjoyed some ratification of a similar emotional peak in one of his sermons by the use of an organ riff or two. Pastor Pilgrim’s sermon displayed a similar level of emotion, but the absence of a dialogue with the Hammond organ enhances the portability of her presentation. Emotional preaching styles are believed by a scholar of these styles, Dr. Henry H. Mitchell, to have originated with George Whitfield, but were eagerly embraced by African Americans, and melded with their own longstanding traditions. It is not a degenerate form of a more sophisticated model, but is, instead, meritorious in its own right. It has increasingly  influenced contemporary white preaching styles. Pentecostals are not afraid to display enthusiasm. Emotional presentations in several other white denominations are no longer as rare as they used to be, and have never fully disappeared among the “circuit riding” evangelical type of preachers. But the introduction of the organ into the midst of a sermon is still predominantly (unless you are perhaps Pentecostal) exclusive to the African American church.

Billy Sunday was noted for his “colloquial sermons and frenetic delivery” back in the early twentieth century. He used to play professional baseball, and was very athletic. He was a big supporter of Prohibition.

One day the remaining irrational white prejudices against anything that is manifestly African American may cease to exist. The integration of black musical influences is now so complete, most white Americans may no longer even be cognizant of the African influence on the vast majority of it. Pastor Humphreys’ preaching style represents a kind of summation of black preaching techniques, but would be dismissed by some lukewarm congregations as too far removed from the sedentary style to which they may have grown comfortably accustomed to (even fellow Adventist congregations, at least in the USA). Traditional black preaching techniques can be absorbed directly from the atmosphere at Oakwood University, Pastor Humphreys’ alma mater. Now Pastor Pilgrim herself has  revealed her mastery of these techniques (sans organ riffs). She attended Andrews University, not Oakwood. But, historically (and despite Dr. Mitchell’s elevation of the role George Whitfield may have played in all of this), the direction of influence is predominately black to white, and not white to black (more of that  Antimetabole stuff). Andrews has presumably absorbed much of this influence by now, and has, perhaps, in turn influenced Danielle Pilgrim.

But Pastor Pilgrim is competent enough to forge her own individual style. The broader the appeal of this developing style, the greater the number of souls that will potentially be rescued from eternal extinction as she undertakes the demanding task of mediating between God and fallen man. She is not obliged to be consistent. It is perfectly acceptable to tailor one’s delivery technique in order to accommodate the culture and capacities of different audiences. But everyone with integrity will eventually develop a fundamental style, and modifications to it are more like “variations on a theme,” rather than “pandering to the crowd. Without this strong foundation, one could end up like the late character actor Phil Hartman. He once stated, “I have played so many roles, I no longer even know who I am.” Atlanta architect John Portman is in the same boat, but will probably not end his own life over his basic lack of identity, as did Hartman. Wikipedia has graciously designated Portman a “Neofuturist.” This could be construed as an insult, however, as the original Italian Futurists were a pack of fascist hooligans!

In 1969, Reverend Henry H. Mitchell became the first Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Black Church Studies at the consortium of Colgate  Divinity School.

To pick up where we left off- Pastor Pilgrim continued to extract whatever lessons that could be derived from her eventful driver’s license road test. “The reality is that grace has nothing to do with the receiver [Miss Pilgrim, or you and I], but it has everything to do with the giver” [The examiner, or God]. Not to be bought or earned. Simply to be accepted.

“It’s easy to understand why we misunderstand grace, because we live in a world where everything costs something. Nothing comes free, and nothing is easy, so I understand  why we misunderstand grace.” But Pastor Pilgrim could not understand a group who she now described as “folk who try to make others feel like they are excluded from receiving God’s grace.” The import of the reference to the judgmental attitudes of the Pharisees, found within the verses from Luke 15, was about to be revealed. The sermon would shift from the theme of God’s grace as a force in itself, to a criticism of why we, self-proclaimed “Christians,” seem to be unwilling to extend the kind of grace that God grants to us to other people.

This theme  just happens to encompass one of the most important debates within Adventist circles at present. A significant number of recent sermons at Berean have addressed this issue via various means and methods, using many different instances of Biblical verification of this fundamental premise, one that has a bearing on expanding and retaining church membership: we as a church, and we as individuals are obligated to display love and forgiveness (“grace” is a pretty good synonym for this theme), and not judgment and exclusion toward those who are still seeking, but have at present not yet found Jesus. This love should also be extended to current members who may be experiencing some temporary setbacks in their walk with the Lord. Old members drift away, incapable of enduring the approbation of those have maintained their sanctity (or are, at least, very good at pretending that they have).  New members are courted, convicted, and even baptized, only to soon grow disenchanted, and then wander away again. They have all been treated as Persona non grata.

An ancient photograph of the sanctuary of Berean SDA Church, Atlanta from archive.org,  taken back when the carpet was red, instead of blue. Although this is a scene of folks in church, not all of them are “church folk.”

The “folk,” who are often also referred to as “church folk,” were now to be subject to some analysis and admonishment by Pastor Pilgrim. She continued, “…but what I don’t understand, and what I don’t get is ‘folk‘ who try to make others feel like they are excluded from receiving God’s grace. What do I mean? Well, there are some folk in the church who grumble at the fact that Jesus extends grace to people who think differently than they do.” The short text from Luke was about to be reintroduced. The pastor remarked, “If you don’t believe me, let’s look at the text.”

“The Bible says in the Simonic text [this link will not help me at all! Try Simony, or maybe cross-bearing Simone of Cyrene] that ‘while Jesus was preaching, the tax collectors and sinners came to hear Him.’ Alright, but notice that the Bible also says that the Pharisees and scribes also came to hear Him. But observe this: they did not come to hear what Jesus had to say. They came to complain to Jesus. And how many of you know that there are folk who do not come to church to hear what Jesus has to say, but to complain about other things?” [Pastor Roger Hernandez furnished an example of one of these complaints in his July 16 sermon: “Who has the keys to the kitchen?”]. Not to hear the Word, Pastor Pilgrim noted, but to complain about the pastor. Not to hear the music, but to complain about the music. Not to give tithes and offerings, but to complain about the building. “I’m talking about Pharisees, and scribes” [I hope God and the pastor will forgive me for inserting this self-serving LINK].

“And the Bible says that ‘the Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus to argue with Him about receiving tax collectors and sinners.’ Now you have got to understand the life of the Pharisees and the scribes [in order] to understand and grasp the repulsiveness of their complaint.” The pastor described the Pharisees as being enamored with their own perfection, based on their perfect obedience of the (highly augmented) laws and commandments. “They were so perfect.” Pastor Pilgrim humorously noted, “that they were ready for Translation [one must be at least a little familiar with scripture to appreciate this joke], and they prided themselves on their holiness.” The scribes were also revealed to be very self-satisfied. The pastor noted that “they thought so highly of themselves, that they even added to the law…”

The inconsiderate link a few inches above features footage from a 1926 production of “The Scarlet Letter,” starring Lilian Gish, based on Nathanial Hawthorne’s critique of hypocrisy in the Puritan church.

The two groups of Jews that are mentioned at the beginning of Luke 15 are composed of one that is elite, astute, financially well-off, and “holier-than-thou.” They looked down their noses at group two, who were poor,  uneducated, or tax-collectors (a group despised by pretty much everyone, perhaps even the stray dogs), and group one believed that group two were not even worthy of God’s grace. The “holier-than-thou” crowd tried to stay separated from those who manifested what Pastor Pilgrim significantly designated “external sins.” The smug denizens of group one exacerbated the level of their own hypocrisy by focusing solely upon the “external” sins of group two, rather “the internal sins of their own heart,” The events from Luke were applied to our own epoch, as the pastor accused church “folk” of often exhibiting an identical level of hypocrisy. “…some of us focus on the external sins of others, while we neglect to focus on the internal sins of our own hearts,” she observed.

Danielle Pilgrim now made, somewhat parenthetically, the kind of statement that those who are not willing to compromise the Word of God are not afraid to make [it is the straight from the pages of the Bible, and therefore obnoxious to whomever choses to live their life in flagrant violation of Biblical precepts}. Here is the complete context that framed the “politically incorrect” bombshell that is nested within its parameters: “Understand that the Pharisees thought they were free from sin. But the truth is that, the last time I checked my Bible, just as homosexuality is an abomination unto the Lord, the Bible says that a prideful look is also an abomination unto the Lord.” The pastor continued, saying “The last time I checked my Bible, just as it says shedding of innocent blood is an abomination unto the Lord, the Lord  also says that the mouth that soweth discord [another reference to the grumblers in Luke 15, and also to their modern counterparts] is also an abomination unto the Lord. And the truth of the matter is that all sin is an offence to the Lord. And the truth is that we have all sinned, and all fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

A search for an image of “Abomination of Desolation” yields this painting, “The Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem,” by Italian  Fransesco Hayez (1791-1882)

Here are a few lazy pastes that are relevant to Pastor Pilgrim’s first parenthetical statement: Leviticus 18:22: Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Leviticus 20:13: If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. Deuteronomy 23:17: There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. This all seems pretty unambiguous. Many feign an inability to comprehend these simple injunctions, however, and gather themselves into groups in order to reinforce each others learning disorders. [None of these people are likely to be very pleased by the pastor’s mention of the Word of God. Neither are they particularly pleased with me, at present!]

Here is the source of the pastor’s second reference, from the King James, Proverbs 6:16-19: These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
So in the first verses of Luke, the first group of sinners (“church folk”) are upset that Jesus “had the audacity to extend grace to other sinners,” stated the pastor. “And so the ontological question we must ask today, based on the parameters of this text is ‘why does Jesus receive sinners?'” Pastor Pilgrim assured us that the answer was simple. “Whether you’re inside the church, or you’re outside the church, Jesus receives sinners because all sinners are in need of grace,” she said. God neither minimizes nor condones sin, but “He gives you grace to save you from your sin.”

The title of this illustration is “The Marginalized and Jesus’ Banquet,” by Louise Gosbell, and is a good reminder that the setup depicted in da Vinci’s “Last Supper’ is not how fat cats feasted in that era. None of these banqueters look very “marginalized” to me!

The bellyaching of the Pharisees and scribes with regard to Jesus’ inclusivism was not unprecedented. Pastor Pilgrim revealed that a similar grievance had been aired by this judgmental demographic a bit earlier in the Gospels. The pastor conjectured that perhaps Jesus was getting annoyed with their complaints. But she qualified her conjecture as follows: “One of the things I admire about Jesus is that He has the skill of telling people about themselves while trying to save them. See, a lot of us don’t have that skill. ‘Church folk’ don’t have that skill, they’ll just tell you about yourself” [without the slightest concern for the souls of the targets of their vituperation].
The pastor noted that Jesus uses three parables to explain why He extends grace to sinners. The most famous of these parables is the parable of the Prodigal Son. But a knowledge of the other two parables is a necessary accessory to the full appreciation of the “keynote” parable. The first parable in the sequence is that of the “Lost Sheep,” which is related immediately after the three verses from Luke 15 that had heretofore been the principal object of Pastor Pilgrim’s exegesis. The pastor summarized the gist of this first parable for the  congregation: “What man, having 100 sheep, loses one sheep and does not leave the 99 and go after that one lost sheep?” This parable was used for several reasons.

The pastor revealed the first of these reasons: “You have to realize that these Pharisees were wealthy people, and in that culture the amount of sheep you had demonstrated the amount of wealth you had.” Jesus discerned that they valued possessions over people. They would have perhaps stuck by their 99 “birds in the hand,” rather than pursue just one in that had become lost  “in the bush.” Pastor Pilgrim stated that this parable indicated that God considers everyone to be worth saving [and additionally perhaps, that He was no “respecter of persons”]. “No sin will make you less worthy of His grace,” the pastor assured us.

An engraving of Pastor Pilgrim’s  Parable Number One: “Parable of the Lost Sheep,”  Jan Luyken (1649-1712)

“Here’s the second thing… that this parable teaches us about God’s grace,” the pastor said, “and I like this one the most, because it shows you the love of God… God’s grace is relentless… His grace is the relentless pursuit toward the object of His affection” [here is Romans 8:38-39: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,  will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Here is a less admirable reference, a link to the song “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” the first version recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell].

An event from the pastor’s former life in the Big Apple would now serve to illustrate the concept of “relentless pursuit.” She introduced her relation of this personal anecdote by proclaiming, “God’s grace is like a relentless man who is determined to find a woman. Did you ever see a single man trying to chase a woman?”

Rubens’ “Diana and Her Nymphs Discovered by Satyrs”

Pastor Pilgrim mentioned that she “had a lot of New York stories” [the expression “Only In New York” comes to mind. This link is to a song from “Thoroughly Modern Millie” that apparently only Broadway performers actually care about]. Replicated below is the New York story that Pastor Pilgrim related to the congregation.

“I was in a train onetime, and I was literally being pursued by a stranger. I mean, it was the craziest thing I have ever seen, I have ever experienced.” A man comes up to Miss Pilgrim and says “Hi! My name’s Jason. What’s your name?” The future pastor thinks to herself, “yeah… alright,” resigned to be polite to the importunate stranger. She responds, “My name’s Danielle.” He then says, “Nice to meet you, Danielle. You are so beautiful!” “Well thank you, thank you,” is the young lady’s reply. Pastor Pilgrim continues her anecdote: “And then, he gets up from the seat, and then he gets down on his knees… and says, ‘Danielle, you’re the one! Will you marry me?’ I kid you not! This is a true story! He said, ‘will you marry me?’ And I looked at him and said, ‘Boy, you’re crazy. Leave me alone!’ He does not stop there. Homeboy… [the pastor, exasperated by the recollection of this exasperating encounter, paused for a second, and then continued] and he’s like, ‘Danielle, will you marry me?’ ‘Well Jason, no! I will not marry you!’ And so I get up, and I run to the next car. And, kid you not, Jason crawls from that car to the next car, on his knees, screaming ‘Danielle! Will you marry me?’ And I said ‘No!’ And then he proceeds to grab my ankles, screaming, ‘DANIELLE! WILL YOU MARRY ME?’”

My cat informs me that this drawing does not look anything like Pastor Danielle Pilgrim. I reminded her that I can only draw pictures of buildings. Not people!

The pastor ended her narration, and then proffered commentary and analysis. “Now, he was [delusional], but he was persistent. The point is that grace is so relentless, and is so persistent, that even when you’re trying to reject God, God will grab hold of you!” Pastor Pilgrim’s associates on the Berean ministerial staff both responded appreciatively to the New York story, and the lesson that had been distilled from it. It certainly was not the kind of tale that one hears in most Sabbath sermons, and could very well have been unprecedented.

“Understand that God is so relentless, that if I make my bed in Hell, He will pursue me there. God is so relentless, that if I go into the heavens, God will pursue me there. He said ‘if I make my bed in the bottom of the ocean,’ God will pursue me there. God’s grace is relentless, and He will pursue you until He gets you! That guy was crazy, by the way. He was crazy… he was crazy.”

The second of the three parables about grace was now described by the pastor: the Parable of the Lost Coin. “You know how it goes,” Pastor Pilgrim affirmed. “The parable says that… the woman has ten coins… and she is in her house, and she loses one of those coins. And the Bible says that she is determined to find that coins, and she turns on the lamps, she takes her broom, and she sweeps the entire house until she can find that coin…” She turns the house upside-down, and at long last finds the coin. “What you’ve got to understand… about  the depth of this parable is that that coin was a Drachma coin, and a Drachma coin was worth about one day’s wage.” The value of the coin made its recovery urgent.

Greeks still use the Drachma. This one is exactly as old as I am. Thanks to their national impecuniousness, it takes 305 Drachmas to make up a dollar these days. My sister’s Greek friend keeps her money in the USA.

The pastor stated that this parable, like the preceding one, was descriptive of the fact that the Pharisees valued their possessions over people. Were the prima fascia meaning of the parable all that was being considered, the Pharisees would endorse an intensive search for money that “large” (a KJV style adjective). But the pastor revealed that the deeper meaning of this story is not about the fact that a coin is lost, but rather where the coin was lost. You’ll get it in a second,” she added [I could not imagine what she might be about to reveal regarding the significance of the location of the coin, and was reminded of Pastor Hernandez’s creative analysis of the tale of the paralytic whose  and still be lostfriends could not get him close to Jesus. The reason? Other people were blocking the way! People just like you and me! Blocking  access to Jesus! Get it?].

“You see in the first parable, the sheep was lost outside of the shepherd’s fold. But in this parable, the coin is lost inside of the master’s house, demonstrating you could be inside of God’s fold, and still be lost.”

“And the truth of the matter is, you can be in the church, and still be lost!”

“Your names can be on the books, but you can still be lost!”

“You can know the Bible cover to cover, and still be lost!” [Epistrophe, this reiteration of “still be lost.” Sorry to interrupt!]

“And the message that Jesus was trying to send to the Pharisees and scribes is that ‘you are in the house of God, but you still [are] lost.'”

“Parable of the Lost Drachma,” Domenico Fetti (1618)

Jesus was addressing Pharisees and scribes. Pastor Pilgrim was addressing the group that has inherited the mantle of these holy hypocrites, the “church folk.” Many of us were now cast adrift, so the pastor generously tossed us a life preserver:

“But the good news about this parable is… that even when we are lost inside of the house, Jesus is still so persistent and relentless to make sure that we’re found.” Pastor Pilgrim now provided the key to the parable, a blessing for those of us who are not quick-witted: “You see, the woman represented Jesus, and she was determined to find what needed to be found” [I found this plain explanation to be very helpful, and was reminded of an instance just before holy communion where Pastor Russell once helpfully informed us that “We are the Prodigal Son. The father is God.” In an example of  a case of life imitating daydream, the Parable of the Prodigal Son was now unveiled by the pastor. The errant anti-hero of this tale certainly received grace, as un-tempered justice would have been better served by his having been starved to death in the Far Country.

“I’m excited by this story… It has the crux of the message that God wants to share…” The pastor offered a synopsis of parable three. “There was a father. He had two sons. The youngest son said to the father, ‘I want my inheritance,’ and the Father does not complain… he simply gives him his inheritance… the younger brother leaves, he goes to a far country and he spends all his money, he lost all he has. And while he’s there he realizes that things are bad. And now he’s broke, and now he’s sold himself as a slave, taking care of pigs. And when he came to his senses, the Bible says that the son returns  home.”

“The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Rembrandt  (1669)

[Here is a link to Ellen White’s own synopsis of this parable, taken from “Christ’s Object Lessons,” contained in a chapter entitled “Lost, and is Found.” One of the “object lessons” Pastor Pilgrim was to draw from the story is also alluded to by White on page 205 of this work: “Do not listen to the enemy’s suggestion to stay away from Christ until you have made yourself better; until you are good enough to come to God. If you wait until then, you will never come.”]

“I love this parable because it has so much beautiful imagery.” The beauty is attended by meaning. Pastor Pilgrim continued: “The first [point] that this parable is tailored to teach us about grace is that grace was  based on the response of the father.” The pastor noted that the parable was not really about the son (his motives, actions, and the subsequent consequences thereof being a pretty common, at least among human beings, phenomenon), but rather about the father (whose magnanimity is, alas, all too uncommon). “It’s all about the Father’s response to the son, so understand that in Jewish culture, it was a dishonor for the child to take all of the inheritance, and spend it all before the father died,” So the Prodigal Son knew hat he would not be received joyfully. The possibility existed that he could be stoned.

“When he left home he was rich, but returning home he was poor.”

“When he left home he was a virgin, but returning home he was sexually impure.”

“When he left home he was clean, but returning he was filthy.”

[These statements not only display Anaphora  in the repetition of “When he left home,” but also a second rhetorical device: Contrast.]

Engraving of the Prodigal Son as a swineherd by Hans Sebald Beham, 1538, with the German filename “vebald-beham-der-verlorene-sohn-hütet-seine-schweine.” I recognize the words  sohn und schweine…

“Considering the fact that he took care of pigs,” hypothesized the pastor, “he most likely smelled like a pig, looked like a pig, maybe even talked like a pig.” Because the son is now “an absolute disgrace to the father,” the pastor noted, the imagery of the parable was enhanced. The diamond of his father’s grace was better highlighted when contrasted against the black velvet backdrop of the son’s malfeasances. The father viewed his hitherto “lost” son from far off as the latter returned to the “fold.” This reunion was chock full of meaning, Pastor Pilgrim remarked. “You’ve got to understand that there was deep significance in the father embracing the wayward son,” said the pastor. The lesson? “No matter what sinful condition you find yourself in, God’s grace will embrace you, wherever you are. …You can’t be too messed up for God to embrace you… Jesus embraced you while you were ‘yet a sinner'” [anther New York Story illustrating the topic of “embrace” was to shortly make its appearance].

In addition, not only did the Prodigal Son’s father’s embrace not heed the filthiness (both physical and spiritual), of his son, he also did not mind the fact that his son’s had not yet repented of his sins. “Before the son could muster up the words of repentance, the Bible says that the father had already embraced him,” the pastor stated. She offered further insight into this unconditional acceptance. “But that’s not the best part of the text, because some scholars believe that, although the son was eventually repentant, his motivation for repentance was self-preservation.” He had no money, and was starving in the far country, His motivation for going home was not an exalted one.

“Some of us, like the Prodigal Son, only come back to the father when things are going wrong.”

“Some of us only pray when things are going wrong.”

“Some of us only fast when things are going wrong, and our motive for coming back to the Father is self-preservation.”

In the early 60’s cartoon character Tooter Turtle could get himself in some awful predicaments. Mr. Wizard would rescue him, reciting “Twizzle, Twazzle, Twozzle, Twome; time for this one to come home.”

[Pastor Pilgrim limits the typical duration of her Anaphora and Epistrophe to three or four components, a reasonable number. When preachers exceed this number, they usually completely traverse the middle path in order to furnish 10 or 12 examples. This many variations on a theme is enough to raise the level of excitement of a congregation to the point where many will be brought to their feet. It no doubt taxes the memory of the speaker. Thankfully, most preacher’s memories are much more reliable than mine!]

Here is one “further insight” of Pastor Pilgrim: “The beauty of grace is, that even when your motives are selfish, God still extends grace anyways… because grace has nothing to do with you, but has everything to do with God.” The pastor revealed that a consideration of this divine attribute is enough to bring tears to her eyes. “…I realized that as much as I had been ‘trying to be saved,’ there is no ‘trying to be saved,’ I am saved  by God’s grace. And you’ve got to thankful for the fact that no matter what you do, no matter how much you hurt God, God still extends grace to save you.”
A final observation was made about the unmerited embrace that the Prodigal Son’s father “graced” him with. “The father is the one that ran to the son and initiated the embrace.” Grace was “initiated” by the father, Pastor Pilgrim noted [a less charitable explanation of this interception of the bedraggled son is floating around somewhere, but I am excluding it from the canon for today]. The pursuit of the son by the father was indicative of what can be described as the main theme of the sermon, stated at the outset, and now this “mission statement” was repeated (thereby providing the sermon with a neat set of oratorical bookends):

“Grace is not something you can chase after, but grace is what chases after you.”

A remarkable amount of restraint was on display throughout the entire course of Pastor Pilgrim’s sermon on grace. “Amazing Grace” did not get sung or quoted!

“You know, when I think about God embracing that filthy son, I’m thankful that God is nothing like me, because if it were up to me there would be no grace extended.” Pastor Pilgrim cued the musicians, and then concluded her remarks with a story.

“You know, I was in a train one day (I was always in a train in New York), and on the train there was a homeless lady who was sitting across from me.” Pastor Pilgrim noted that the trains in New York are like shelters for homeless people. When you board a train, it is a lot like trespassing on their turf. “You could tell she was homeless,” the pastor continued. “She had all of her belongings with her. She smelled like urine. She looked like she had not taken a bath in three months, or six months. Her face was greasy. You could see the dirt piled up on her face, you could see that her hair was matted. And she smelled so funky.” The pastor had painted a detailed picture of the scene. She would now describe her reaction to this woebegone denizen of the New York Transit Authority.

Pastor Pilgrim confessed that her appraisal of the homeless lady was that of a human being, and not that of a saint. She was a little scornful of the marginalized wretch that shared her transport. “At one point, I dropped something on the floor. And I did not realize that I had dropped something. And I could smell her presence coming over to me, because I could smell her, and I looked up…” The pastor confessed that her thoughts were not benevolent, but rather apprehensive as to what the outcast’s intentions towards her might be. “And I looked up, and she had the thing that I had dropped upon the floor. And I was in awe that she would do that.” Everyone else on the train had also noticed the dropped object, but they were all behaving true to type: like a bunch of New Yorkers [my cat informs me that this is a mean-spirited thing for me to say. I replied that, prior to becoming her fulltime custodian, I could actually visit places like New York, so I knew what I was talking about]. The pastor was overwhelmed with gratitude: “At that point I felt compelled to give her money, and I did the Christian thing, and I probably gave her like twenty dollars.”

Irrefutable photographic evidence that Pastor Pilgrim is not allergic to giving hugs. She just prefers to hug people that take a bath every now and then! This is an image by Derrick and Sophia Barrett (All Rights Reserved), and may be purchased at this magnificent LOCATION.

They both exited the train at the same station. The homeless lady is smitten with Miss Pilgrim’s generosity, and approaches the young lady in a manner that portends a possible bear-hug of gratitude. Pastor Pilgrim reminded us of the previous description she had provided of the filthy condition of the lady. “I could see the dirt on her face. I could smell the urine from far away. And she is walking toward me to hug me…” And this lady, she’s twice my size, she engulfs me in this big hug! And at that moment (I’m being really honest right now), I was not in the spirit on the Lord’s day. I was in the flesh. She is hugging me with gratitude, and I am standing there disgusted by the fact that she is defiling me. And then to make matters worse, she not only hugs me, but then she plants this big, wet, juicy kiss on my cheek!” To bystanders, this was a “Kodak moment,” and they were all blessed to able to behold saintly Miss Pilgrim as she exhibited her Christlike concern for the downtrodden. “If they only knew what was in my mind…” the pastor said.

“I then realized that, although I had been given grace, I did not know how to extend grace, because all I knew was how to give a little, money, but not how to give a little compassion when she was in need. And the word is, when God gives you grace, you’ve got to know how to extend grace. God [the pastor utilized the true hero of the last of the parables, and not the outward symbol of the terrestrial father] took the son, who was filthy, and embraced him, not caring that He was being defiled.” Pastor Pilgrim qualified this statement. “The truth is, you can’t really defile God. But:

“God doesn’t care what you look like.”

“He doesn’t care what you smell like.”

“He doesn’t care what you did last night.”

“He doesn’t care what you did this morning.”

“He says, ‘listen:

My grace is sufficient for thee and

My grace will cover thee, and

My grace will change thee!'”

I was 13 years old in 1970 when “Beneath the Planet of the Apes” was released. Some nuclear holocaust survivors who live underground worship an ICBM. At the end of the ceremony, they remove their normal-looking masks to reveal that they are all grotesque underneath!

The paradox of wretched sinners dressing to the nines, then attending services with a fresh coat of whitewash on their sepulchers was noted by the pastor, a final barbed commentary on the hypocrisy of those awful “church folk.” People may be deceived, but God is not. “But God says ‘I can see your inside.'” We are not inwardly resplendent. God gives us his grace, for inside us lies the bones of dead men. Pastor Pilgrim very briefly noted a recurrent heresy that Paul once refuted with the strong exclamation “God forbid.” The pastor described the deluded conception that many hold with regard to grace: “Does this mean I can I do whatever I want to do? No! No! You don’t do right to be saved. You live right because you are saved” [As previously noted, Adventists strive to keep the commandments of God. A casual observer may be deceived as to the motivation for this obedience. It is not a prerequisite for anything, nor should it be a source of pride. It is simply a post priori manifestation of grace. To quote a hack songwriter (me), “It’s just a way of saying ‘thank you’ for benefits received]. “And what grace does, is it gives you the power of God to do the things that He asks you to do, because grace calls you to repentance…” [the absolute first item on everybody’s “to do list”].

“Today, as the praise team sings its appeal song, I want you think about the grace that God extends to you. And I want you to think about His love for you, His relentless pursuit, His desire to save you…” This last sentence constituted the first “appeal” by the pastor. At around time marker 2:31:05, the praise team performed a composition by Donnie McClurkin titled “Great is Your Mercy” [link is to the composer’s rendition, released back in 2000. The basic structure of this song has been recycled by dozens of songwriters. McClurkin is from South Carolina. Just over the border, in 1981 a “Blind Boy of North Carolina,” Ronnie Milsap wrote “I Wouldn’t Have Missed It For the World,” where one may discover the opening chords of “Great is Your Mercy” withheld until time marker 0:42. Not being a musicologist, I cannot begin to guess what the primary source for this material is. It could well be some ancient character like Palestrina, for all I know].

This screen capture was taken at YouTube time marker 2:28:41, so it precedes the “appeal” by a bit. But it sure looks like an urgent appeal to me! It will do quite nicely.

At time marker 2:35:47 Pastor Pilgrim insinuates herself into the song in order to administer a second appeal. It may very well have been aimed at those “church folk.” The pastor issued a challenge to “those who have been in the church…  some time now, but you have not yet experienced the Lord.  You have not yet accepted His grace, and accepted His favor, and accepted the work He wants to do in your life.” Perhaps, like the Prodigal Son, they had been received into the church prior to manifesting, inwardly at least, repentance, and absolute surrender to God. She called for a recommitment to the Lord, through rebaptism, by these individuals. A moments passed, and then a third appeal was made. This was a plea to those who may have allowed sin to distance themselves from God, but now desired to bridge this divide, and thereby resume a Closer Walk, A prayer by Berean Lead Pastor Fredrick Russell, one encompassing several of the themes of his colleague’s preceding presentation, concluded the sermon.

Lord, I pray right now because I an such a recipient of your grace, and I’m so glad, God, that the Father came to each of us when we were living far away from you. And like that lady on the train, God, we really smell, God. We’re really dirty, and not just on the outside, God, but sometimes the dirt was so much thicker on the inside. And it describes all of our lives. There was one day, God, when we decided ‘enough is enough.’ We looked at ourselves, and we saw how far we had travelled from God, and we saw [where] we were living in and decided to repent, and we decided to surrender and come to Jesus, Lord, and we came to you. You didn’t stand there with your arms folded, looking at us, and peering at us in all of our filthiness, but with all of the stench of sin all over us, you embraced us, and you said ‘you are mine,’ and you forgave us. And instead of us kissing you, you kissed us! And God, that’s nothing but grace!

“The Return of the Prodigal Son” Pompeo Batoni  1773

I thank you Lord this morning for those in this house right now  who know that.. they need God’s grace and forgiveness, and [know] how great His mercy is. And God, this morning we receive your grace, we receive your favor, we receive your treatment to us that we don’t deserve. And God, as we exit these doors in a little while, after baptism, God, we walk out of these doors as grace-filled, grace-covered, grace-embraced people, knowing that, as we encounter others that are living their life, others that are just not where you want them to be, others that act so ugly, so terrible, and living in such bad ways, even in our homes, we extend to them grace, we extend to them favor, and it just messes their mind up, because they are so used to people treating them differently (even we have treated them differently), and now they ask the question ‘why do you treat me like this? Why do you act this way toward me on this job when you have been so cold before?’ And our response is ‘this past weekend at my church I got a greater understanding of God’s grace towards me, and I learned that those who receive grace, they turn around, and they give grace.’

And I thank you, Father, for not only letting us experience it, but allowing us to allow others to experience it through our lives. Thank you for the word this morning, God. Thank you for this RHEMA WORD today. Thank you that we simply just heard what the gospel is all about. This was it this morning. It’s no more complicated than what Pastor Pilgrim [said], the word she preached today, from you. That is the gospel! Thank you God, for letting us hear it over, and over, and over again, for our prayer is in Jesus’ name. let all of God’s people say it together…

Amen.

Livingston Thomas Jr. (at left) prepares to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by Pastor Austin Humphreys (at right), after an 18 year absence from Berean. Welcome back home, O Prodigal!

A motivational sermon on risk-taking based on the paralytic lowered through a hole in the roof. A bold move!

Third of Four Summer Sermons-“Daring Faith”

100 wooden crosses, personally delivered to Berean by Roger Hernandez, were temporarily stored in one of the pastors offices. Each represented someone who lost their life last year, a victim of domestic violence. They would be set up in front of the church on Sabbath.

SOUTHERN UNION MINISTERIAL AND EVANGELISM DIRECTOR ROGER HERNANDEZ CHOSES TO NOT MINCE WORDS

The projected four-part summer sermon series at Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church, Atlanta is now 75% completed. What was intended to be a climactic presentation by peripatetic guest speaker Roger Hernandez, a native of Cuba, was delivered on Sabbath, 7/16/2016 to a full house. An impromptu, but essential sermon by Lead Pastor Russell was interposed into the sermon series, resulting in a shuffling of the dates of his three projected contributions to the series. The date for Pastor Hernandez’s appearance was inflexible, however, as it was linked to rally that had been scheduled well in advance.

Pastor Hernandez is comfortable preaching and writing books in two languages, which is twice as many as most of us can preach and write in. Here, as usual, is a link to the ENTIRE SERVICE . The sermon begins at time marker 1:49:18, and ends at time marker 2:37:30. Pastor Hernandez was one of the driving forces behind the rally that would be held later that afternoon, a component of a denomination-wide campaign against abuse and exploitation known as enditnow (lowercase).





Pastor Hernandez not only supplied much of the brains and the oratory for this event (one which attracted around 1,000 participants to Berean SDA Church), but he also supplied a lot of the brawn as well. Over 10,000 bottles of drinking water were hefted from a rented trailer into the large Berean Outreach Community Services refrigerated truck by Pastor Hernandez himself, with the assistance of a few volunteers. He even picked out a nice used car that would be presented to a selected abuse survivor at the end of the day’s program.

His morning sermon tied neatly into the theme of the four sermon series, “Daring Faith.” It will be inadequately described in the following summary (not a transcription, but rather an impression), so in order for anyone to be able to comprehend precisely why the speaker’s remarks were so well received by the congregation and visitors to Berean on this Sabbath, one is obliged to watch the YouTube video. The Hispanic reserve and stoicism that marked Pastor Hernandez as he was laboring on Friday to prepare for the crowded agenda of this busy Sabbath disappeared once he ascended the platform to preach. Dr. Jekyll transformed himself into Mr. Hyde (but in the best way imaginable, of course, and all for the glory of God).

Donald spruces up what Pastor Austin Humphreys refers to as the “Holy Desk” in preparation for the event-packed Sabbath. This rostrum is made of tempered glass, and it takes four people just to lift it.

NOTHING VENTURED, NOTHING GAINED:  “RISKY FAITH”
Here is a paraphrase of Pastor Roger Hernandez’s opening statement: “Turn to your neighbor, and in 10 seconds or less, tell him the last time you took a risk about something.”
If the short dialogue between my neighbor and myself is any indication of the status of the rest of the Bereans, we are not the most intrepid group of people on the planet. Pastor Hernandez would spend most of the next 48 minutes trying to remedy this corporate aversion to risk-taking.

Pastor Hernandez’s scripture for this sermon was Mark 2:1-12. He said that he was using the New Living Translation, as it contained “English I can understand.” Below the image of Desi Arnaz are some extracted phrases from this extended citation.





…Jesus returned to Capernaum… news spread quickly… the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door… four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat… They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!” Jesus… asked them, “Why do you question this… ? Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out…  (NLT)

I searched in vain for Rembrandt’s etching (fine art) that depicts the events described in Mark 2:1-12. Here is a 1780 print (some less fine art) by Bernhard Rode.

The story of the lowering of the paralytic man through a hole that his friends made in the roof of the house where Jesus was located, and the subsequent miraculous healing of the man by Jesus, drew this reaction from the onlookers (the last words in Mark 2:12): “We’ve never seen anything like this before!” What nerve! What audacity! What faith! Pastor Hernandez had previously announced the topic of his sermon, “Risky Faith.” He applied this concept to the unprecedented events in Capernaum. Pastor Hernandez asked, “What can we learn about ‘Risky Faith’ from this?” The answers (some of them, anyway) were to be organized into three general concepts, or observations, that would help us to apply the lessons we can learn from this episode to our own lives. To be most effective in our service to God, we would have learn how to be willing to take some risks.

POINT ONE:  “GOD HONORS GOD HONORING RISK”

“As I look around the landscape of Adventism, I don’t see a lot of risk-taking.” As one of the leaders of the Southern Union Conference, Pastor Hernandez is in a good position to see “the landscape of Adventism.” Recent recommendations to provide supplemental Sunday morning worship for non-Sabbathkeepers was mentioned. Whether this represented a positive “risk” that would perhaps entice first-day worshippers in the direction of Seventh-day propriety, or was, rather, an unacceptable violation of not only Adventist dogma, but the fourth commandment as well, was not clearly specified by the pastor. The summarizer's editorial opinion is that church services should (even if it is only in an abbreviated form) be made available every day of the week. Sabbath can be the flagship, and the other six days could compose the fleet.

Huntsville Pastor Debleaire Snell. the “Sunday Worship” guy. He certainly doesn’t look like the Antichrist! From his Twitter page, right HERE.

A recent guest-pastor at Berean came under severe criticism for adding Sunday worship (geared toward first-day folk) to his church’s calendar. Here is a LINK about the controversial move. Here is Pastor Debleaire Snell’s Berean SERMON. The sleeping dog of Sunday worship is allowed to remain asleep thoughout the course of it. The next statement by Pastor Hernandez seemed to place him on the side of the innovators, however. It represented a minor variation on a tune that has been played a great number of Adventist pastors in the last few years. Regrettably, this oft planted seed falls on stony ground (my obsession with form verses content is extremely relevant to this discussion, but for an intransigent old-guard, form IS content). Pastor Henandez’s statement will be isolated, italicized, and converted into a bold typeface. For most, this will probably not enhance its impact in the least:

“We can not minister to a future generation with the things of the past!”

Thus states the head of Ministerial and Evangelism for the Southern Union (but many will doubtless assert that, despite his impeccable credentials, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about). Those with long memories and broad experience might refer to the following event at this point, a reference that may be poisonous to many Adventist ears, but nevertheless a case study in how to avoid becoming marginalized, and also relevant with concern as to how one can stave off (for the moment, at least) mass extinction (always excepting that enduring remnant, of course): “Vatican II.”

Thanks, Getty Images! The fallout from Vatican II had the whole world singing “Kumbaya,” and acoustic guitars kicked mighty Wurlitzers to the curb!

Pastor Hernandez ornamented his challenge: “iPods! Not 8-tracks!” The status-quo came in for some criticism, based upon the atypical incidents described in the Gospel of Mark. “In the Mark story, the men try an illogical, ill-advised, and illegal plan.” But Jesus does not chastise the men for their impetuous actions. He is, instead, said the pastor, “Amazed at their faith.” The pastor observed that one of the reasons that keeps us from engaging in similarly bold actions is our fear of failure, but added that “the deeper our humility, the greater our reward... We cannot live our lives in a fortress,” he proclaimed. “God honors those who take risks.”

The pastor related a story about the courtship of his wife: “Not my wife yet; just someone I really liked,” he added. She made a bold statement to her future husband: “If I kissed you, you would see stars!” He had an instant reply :””Let’s get married!” A decision this precipitous is not the result of caution, or an extended period of quiet reflection. He took a risk. At this point, the pastor made a bold statement of his own, and one not likely to endear him to the prudish (I have to admit that I am one of these): “Many Adventist men are looking for a woman with the spirituality of Ellen White, and the body of Jennifer Lopez.”

The unlikely juxtaposition of a copy of Boethius’ “The Consolation of Philosophy” with the form of a nude woman who is holding it before her face marks a turning point in Toole’s “A Confederacy of Dunces.”

Pastor Hernandez quoted a maxim: “To be brave is not to be unafraid. To be brave is to walk ahead, despite your fears,” The pastor’s next question was directed specifically to me (in my conceit, anyway): “Is there a girl you are afraid to ask? Worse than the pain of failure, is the pain of knowing that you failed to ask!” The pastor revealed that he asked his wife three times to marry him before her defenses started to fail. Five years later, they were married. One’s first question, when confronted with the commencement of an activity, should not be “is this a risk?” It should be, instead, “Is this a risk that God will honor?”  Pastor Hernandez promised that “God does not honor blah-ness! God does not honor a colorless existence!” Dates have become predictable, the pastor noted.

“We eat. We watch a movie.”
“We eat. We watch a movie.”
“We eat. We watch a movie.”
“We eat. We watch a movie.”

“Every now and then, for the sake of variety, we do something different.”

“We watch a movie. Then we eat.” [laughter]

The pastor recommended that we go online, or read the newspapers in order to get creative. “I did not get married in order that I might have a mediocre marriage,” Pastor Hernandez swore. “God did not call you to live on the cutting edge of mediocrity,” he added.

“Jesus honors ‘God honoring risks,'” The Pharisees that were present during the healing at Capernaum questioned Jesus’ ability to forgive sins. This act required a lot of ritual, and trips to the sanctuary, It was complicated and expensive. They beheld the effortless statement Jesus made to the healed paralytic, “My child, your sins are forgiven,” and declared “This is not how sins are forgiven!” Pastor Hernandez summed up point one of his three principle points with the following statement: “But forgiveness is simple, available, and free. I am thankful I don’t have to go to anybody to get forgiveness. Not to Mary. Not to angels. I can go straight to God.” The time had arrived for the introduction of the second point regarding he nature of boldly taking what Kierkegaard undoubtedly would have termed a “leap of faith,” and Neil Armstrong would have called a “giant leap.” The Chinese Communists might have called it a “Great Leap Forward.” Thomas Kuhn would have referred to it as a “Paradigm shift,” and Shakespeare poetically rendered this notion as a “Sea change” (“Enough of that!” my cat informs me).

It took over four hours to sufficiently memorialize recently departed Elder E.E. Cleveland when he fell asleep 5 years ago. In this scene, your GC president takes his turn. Here is a LINK to a video of the tribute.

PONT TWO:  “HEALING COMES BEFORE FEELING”

Someone had remarked to the pastor about the level of racial tension in this country at present. Pastor Hernandez replied that the problem is not racial tension. The problem is racism. Racial tension is merely symptomatic. The root of the problem is racism (Pastor Russell said a mouthful about this topic in the course of presenting this recent  SERMON at Berean). “The Adventist Church needs to address this issue” (crusty and mildly controversial guest pastor Nevilon Meadows recently confided to the Men of Berean that the Civil Rights track record of the Adventist denomination was less than stellar during the golden age of this “paradigm shifting” movement. This is my opportunity to link to an exception to this generalization: E.E. Cleveland ). Pastor Hernandez revealed that he had “gotten into trouble” [sometimes just a euphemism for being criticized by people whose ability to speak transcends their ability to think] for “proclaiming this week that Black Lives Matter.” He amended this revelation by proclaiming that other lives matter, too. A little anaphora (my 2016 “link of the year”) was redeployed at this juncture. Pastor Hernandez strongly urged upon the church and the nation our desperate need to deal with the truths about racism:

“We need to deal with racism in Adventism.”

 “We need to deal with racism in the justice system.”

 “We need to deal with racism in worship styles.” [a sideshow, really]

“We need to deal with a system that shoots first, and asks questions later.” A reference to the pastor’s BLOG, some reasonable assertions that he placed there, and some the moronic backlash this provoked was made [my adjective “moronic,” and not the speaker’s]. Pastor Hernandez further revealed that some black Adventists had recently held a march in Washington, then subsequently had the temerity (more ironic juxtaposition, as in “cutting edge of mediocrity”) to write about it on Facebook. A white commentator opined that “blacks had been privileged to be enslaved, as this made then more 'spiritual.'" The pastor, perhaps less of a cynic than myself, affected to be surprised by this. “These were Adventists!” he said, exasperated by the whole sad tale. A similar (perhaps even identical, in some cases, to the previously noted “white commentator”) source of exasperation came under attack by the pastor, those ubiquitous “church people.” Adventism’s resident population of Pharisees and scribes would again come under scrutiny, a bit later in the sermon. This is the demographic most responsible for the lackluster growth rate of the denomination in the United States. In the rest of the world, this group has got to be less influential, less voluble, less judgmental, and much less meddlesome.

When I was 12, a pair of unkempt hunters entered the back of the snobbish Episcopal church I was attending that Sunday morning. They seemed  to me like fish out of water, but I am sure the adults were less judgmental than I was, as I was an exceptionally stupid kid.

“We argue about who has the keys to the kitchen, or has control of the church property, while 500 Christians are being killed.” More tragic mortality would now be introduced into the sermon, and a apprehensive description of the proposed afternoon “end it now” rally was provided to the congregation. The revelation (to many) that 500 Nigerian Christians had been killed by Muslims was followed by an explanation of the 100 small white crosses that graced the front lawn of Berean Church that Sabbath morning. They represented 106 people who died last year, victims of domestic violence. The pastor now mentioned the forthcoming rally.
“The rally is a risk. I invited the media. At the end of the rally, we are going to give a car to a victim of domestic violence. It has 300,000 miles on it, a gift from the Adventists of Atlanta.” Some admonishments followed this placid and hopeful introductory material. “I have believed for a long time that, as a church, we have had a big mouth and a small hand.” In other words, too much talk, and not enough action, The focus of the sermon had been intermittently directed at the Adventist denomination. For most of the course of point number three, the spotlight would be squarely directed at what might be considered to be purely “Adventist” affairs (but easily adaptable to a more inclusive audience).

Pastor Nevilon Meadows furnished, during the course of his recent week-long visit to Berean, a lot of intra-denominational criticism too. It is a sensitive operation, and it is one that is usually undertaken by relative “outsiders.” Hernandez, not being semi-permanently confined to the immediate environs of Berean, is therefore not subject to the omnipresent wrath of those whose feathers he may have managed to ruffle. Note: all of this internecine debate renders many of the sermons by guest pastors relatively ineffective for the purposes of evangelizing non-Adventists. It was personally gratifying, therefore, to hear Pastor Hernandez later refer to the Adventist message as a “perfect” one. Self-criticism is necessary and productive, and may be the means whereby we can form “a more perfect union” (from the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, and a linguistic absurdity, in the manner of “a little bit pregnant”). But despite its man-made faults, Adventism is still a pretty clean house. I am not at all ashamed to show it to strangers. [My room is particularly tidy, but mainly because there is not much junk in there. Don’t go looking in the dumpster, though!]





The third point was now primed for introduction, having been  prefaced by an overture composed of intra-denominational criticisms.  There would be more to come. The final point would address some of the limitations of a  group that is often referred to as “the body of Christ,” but this body is not always composed of uniformly Christ-like elements. One of the greatest impediments to our willingness to take risks is…

POINT THREE:  “OTHER FAITHLESS CHRISTIANS”

Pastor Roger Hernandez was about to extract a very creative and unexpected analogy from the story in Mark, chapter 2, the lowering of the paralytic down to Jesus through a hole his friends had fashioned in the roof. “What was the reason that the men [who were carrying their afflicted friend] could not get [through] to Jesus? Church Folk!” They were blocking access to Jesus. You may be doing the same thing!

“I’m not talking about this church,” Pastor Hernandez was quick to reassure us. “I’m talking about those other churches like West End,” & etc. This mention of “the competition” (some other Atlanta area Adventist assemblies) provoked an amused reaction. But Atlanta Adventist enjoy access to a range of SDA churches, and many are known to “make the rounds” when it comes to Sabbath worship. They are not wedded to just one assembly. They are “Adventists at large.”

The pastor noted that “one of the best ways to be effective is to align your anger with that of God. God is angry with injustice. Take that out of the Bible, and you have little left.” But Adventists are not as outraged by injustice as God has plainly revealed that He Himself is. Instead, Pastor Hernandez noted that Adventists tend to zero in on peripheral issues like vegetarianism, jewelry, Sabbath School attendance, and makeup. God is not concerned with petty discussion over issues like cheese and chocolate (This would be a good time to retrieve a passage from an old post that described some remarks made by South Atlantic Conference president William Winston in the course of a sermon delivered at Berean, his home church).





 Elder Winston said we should show people what it is to be an Adventist by our good example. We must always “keep Jesus central.” Don’t harp on your hobbyhorses: not veganism, not blue laws, not the Pope, not women’s ordination. What we must make known to the world is this salient feature of our faith: we are children of God! Elder Winston now made a statement that may have come as news to two or three people in the congregation, “Jesus died for the Pope, too.”

Pastor Hernandez validated his own Adventist credentials, but not in a sanctimonious manner: “I am a vegetarian. I believe that the 'Health Message' is a positive one.” But now the whole world has gone after the practices of veganism and vegetarianism. We have had the 'Health Message' for 140 years now. We are using it as a method, and not as a message.” [Berean’s own Elder/Doctor Tracey Wallace is one who combines method and message quite frequently as he speaks before area assemblies, describing the history of, and promoting the unquestioned benefits of the Adventist “Health Message.” Here is a short EXAMPLE.] “There is nothing wrong with chicken,” the pastor stated. “In fact, one of the best things you can do is go home and eat some chicken, because you are mad at those who do! [laughter] I am a healthy, happy vegetarian. How many happy vegetarians have you met?” [laughter]

Pastor Hernandez would now make a proclamation that most who are unfamiliar with Seventh-day Adventist beliefs may contemptuously dismiss as hyperbole. Scoffers are advised to take a closer look at Adventism, in order to determine whether the following assertion by the pastor is hype or not.





“Our doctrine is spotless.” One of the salient points of Adventism, the keeping of the Sabbath (no labor, excepting labor on the Lord’s behalf), was related to the current national focus upon the problems (symptoms) caused by racism (the disease). “The Sabbath is a doctrine of equality,” Pastor Hernandez revealed. During the week, some contribute more, and some contribute less. “But on the Sabbath, we are all the same.”

Pastor Hernandez had no issues at all with the Adventist message. Just issues with the messengers. The principal work of the church is to bring sinners to repentance. “How many times do we come to church, and miss Jesus? Often church is like a coronation without a king.”

One of the several points of the story of the healing of the paralytic from Mark chapter 2 is healing itself, so Pastor Hernandez offered some comments on this topic. A recent visit by the pastor to the Tampa, Florida area was described (as a Cuban-American, Pastor Hernandez may well have visited renown Ybor City, a district of Tampa where many non-Adventists congregate in order to eat pork sandwiches and smoke cigars). The pastor attended an “anointing” service. A lady who had been in an accident was unable to move the toes of her right leg. Anointed in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, she woke up the next morning to discover that her toes could be moved again. Perhaps not a major miracle, but a miracle nonetheless. She now has a testimony. The healing was a major miracle to the beneficiary of it, no doubt.

This image is only remotely relevant. Havana’s crumbling Spanish Colonial architecture is without peer, and it happens to be a United Nations World Heritage Site. You will soon be able to visit this place.

Church should be a transformative experience, and a type of “healing” takes place every time we attend. “The reason that we came to church is [so] we can experience Jesus,” Pastor Hernandez proclaimed, “and Jesus is here! You’ve heard about risks, and you’ve heard about God honoring ‘God honoring risks.’ And this morning, while the band plays, I want to make a special invitation.” The invitation was not general, but specifically targeted to those who might have “something in your stomach, something in your mind, something in your laptop, something in your iPod; you’re here, and you’re thinking about a risk. A venture. A new stage in your life, [but] you’ve been held back because of fear and opposition. But you have to understand that ‘opposition’ is just the sandpaper that God uses to polish the work of art that is within you.”
The pastor promised that whatever venture we may have been contemplating, but were not yet sufficiently motivated to embark upon (dissuaded by naysayers, perhaps), if it happens to be a “God honoring risk,” He will make it happen. “Even if it breaks a system, and a structure to get there. Even if all of the religious people say, ‘it’s impossible. You can’t do it.’ Even if the same people in your house are against you” [an audacious statement the pastor did not further elaborate upon, but his earlier criticisms of some traditional denominational attitudes came to mind].

Problems, however, are endemic to our nation, and have lately seemed to grow worse. Pastor Hernandez’s motivational sermon should not be allowed simply to serve to compel bashful people to work up the nerve to ask that special someone out on a date.  It should even transcend the noble purpose of making Adventism more inviting. Relatively minor denominational issues should not deflect our attention from major societal ills like racism (the 800 pound gorilla in the room). The kind of risks that this sermon should ideally motivate us to take are big risks, ones that (if they succeed) will make the world a better place. But as Pastor Hernandez warned, action will provoke reaction and opposition. There will be many denominational, and societal eggs that will have to be broken in order that, ultimately, an outstanding omelet might be prepared. We all anticipate being able to taste this delicious omelet, yet most of the eggs required for its preparation remain snug in their little styrofoam container, unbroken.

The closing prayer by Pastor Roger Hernandez

“I came to pray for you.” Pastor Hernandez expressed his desire to meet up with us six months or a year from now, and hear our testimonies as to how our dreams, with God’s help, had borne fruit. The speaker himself was a living testimony as to how the Lord can start with nothing, and make something useful out of it. “I believe that God can supernaturally, this morning, help you, and push you over the edge. If you don’t take your risk, you will always have the pain of regret.” Again, the pastor stipulated that his appeal was exclusively for those were both willing and able to take a risk. But when he invited this target demographic to come to the front of the sanctuary, it as was revealed to be not so very exclusive after all. It was highly inclusive, as it included everyone who was capable of walking. The entire congregation pressed forward to receive Pastor Hernandez’s benediction.
The pastor’s prayer was preceded by a rendition of the song “Change” (link is to a scrappy, but lovable version. The Berean version begins at time marker 2:31:30. Here is a “risky” link to the late David Bowie’s similarly themed composition “Changes,” which is yet one more pop cooption of “Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major” ). The partial quotation below is excerpted from Pastor Hernandez’s prayer:

“…give us boldness to walk, despite our fears…”

These 8 indispensable words will serve well as a statement of the principal theme of our guest speaker’s informative, inspirational, and (I know I am not supposed to say this) entertaining 48 minute presentation.

Adios!

An enthusiastic crowd heads for Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church on the afternoon of July 16, 2016 for an “end it now” rally, one  facilitated by Roger Hernandez, who also did a lot of of the heavy lifting.

    

Clean

Babylon

The woman taken in adultery, Martha's sister, and the breaker of alabaster boxes are (believe it or not) all the same Mary.

Second of Four Summer Sermons-“Daring Faith”

Pastor Fredrick Russell on April 28, 2012. This is a detail from the larger official photo by David Stewart, which may be acquired by clicking on this LINK.

THE CURRENT PLAN- RUSSELL, RUSSELL, AND HERNANDEZ

[Addenda 7/13/2016: an emergency sermon on 7/9/21026 has modified the overall sequence of the four sermons in the proposed series to this one: Russell, Russell, Hernandez, and Russell.]

The July 2, 2016 Sabbath worship service at Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church, Atlanta featured the second of four sermons in a summer teaching series entitled “Daring Faith: The Key to Real Life.” Berean Lead Pastor Fredrick Russell delivered the first sermon on June 25. It was based on events described in Matthew 13:53-58 (and also in Mark), the “homecoming” of Jesus back to Nazareth. It was titled “A God with Limits.” It was a warning about the consequences of not having a level of faith that is sufficient enough to warrant the full extent of God’s blessings. Jesus’ early acquaintances did not credit His capabilities, and thus reaped sparingly of the miracles that Jesus broadcast copiously elsewhere.

This Sabbath’s sermon was enigmatically titled “Filling Your Bucket,” but the meaning of the title was soon made clear. Here is a link to the ENTIRE SERVICE. Pastor Russell’s remarks commence at time marker 1:31:00.





As did the first installment in the summer sermon series, this sermon addressed the subject of the blessings that God, and God through Christ can provide. In the previous sermon, a lack of faith marked the half-hearted participation of the Nazarenes in the blessing process. In this second sermon, the faith of Mary Magdalene resulted in the forgiveness of her sinful past. The congregation was urged to fully participate in the blessing process, and not merely as a potential recipients. They were admonished to be disbursers of blessings themselves, via the motif of this sermon, a “bucket” analogy originated by an influential American psychologist.

Jesus, a copious disperser of blessings, is the model we were urged to emulate. There are many examples in the Bible where He improves the lives and attitudes of those who desperately stand in need of improvement. The principal example used for this sermon was, as noted, Mary Magdalene. Jesus wrought miraculous changes for the better in her lifestyle, and also in her future prospects (heaven, we presume). Pastor Russell asserted that when Jesus told her to “go and sin no more,” she literally followed His orders, thus becoming a “new creature.” But just as the Nazarenes in the first sermon failed to credit Jesus with wonder-working power, the people who had known Mary “back in the day” (and this, conceivably, could have been a great number of former customers of the reformed harlot) could not come to grips with the reality of a genuine transformation in her character.

The business about “buckets” will be explained momentarily. Here is a preview. By complimenting the cool backpack the boy at right is carrying, the girl on the left is helping to “fill his bucket” (see the bucket?)

THE MEANING OF THIS BUSINESS ABOUT “BUCKETS”

To describe the content of the metaphorical “bucket” that served as a motif for the sermon as “self-esteem” might be an over-simplification, as there exists many persons who are highly satisfied with themselves for all the wrong reason (or even for no reason at all). Smug complaisance, were it to be symbolized by a metaphorical substance in a metaphorical bucket, would be nothing but metaphorical horse manure. The kind of self-esteem enjoyed by Mary Magdalene, in contrast, is the result of her repentance and subsequently wholesome lifestyle. This yielded a harvest of the “Fruit of the Holy Spirit” as described by Paul. Flattery can serve to fill the buckets of superficial people, but syncophancy is not what is being advocated by either this “bucket” business or Pastor Russell’s references to it. A good filler of buckets seeks to reward virtuous behaviors, and not to just indiscriminately “puff up the pride” of proud people (another one of Paul’s characteristic expressions).

The business about “buckets” is derived from the book “How Full is Your Bucket” (link is to a PDF that picturesquely condenses the basic concepts into 17 simple “PowerPoint” ready projections). Here is a LINK to an “Executive Book Summary” of the work. It restates one of the three concepts to be found in The One Minute Manager, a idea that is also reflected by the proverb “You can catch more flies with honey, than you can with vinegar” (here is an extremely relevant link to a rendition of Johnny Mercer’s “Accentuate the Positive,” as performed by the songwriter himself). The following quote is from an “Executive Summary” about the genesis of psychologist Donald O. Clifton‘s enduring and doubtlessly lucrative “bucket” metaphor:

Moved by horrifying tales of the psychological torture of American prisoners of the Korean War – where there was a 38 percent POW death rate -Clifton and his colleagues in the 1960s wondered: If people can be destroyed by unrelenting negative reinforcement, can they be uplifted and inspired to a greater degree by similar levels of positivity?

Donald O. Clifton was a secularizer of Biblical precepts, sanitizing them for audiences who might be offended by the name of Jesus. He wrote well enough, but was no poet like Lincoln or MLK.

“FILLING YOUR BUCKET”

A few bars of “Oh, How I Love Jesus,” and “Amazing Grace,” sung by Pastor Russell (an infinitely better singer than myself), along with the congregation, preceded the reading of scripture. This scripture was from Luke 7, Verses 36-50. Below are enough sections of it to bring it to your full remembrance (unless you have never read the Bible before, which is a most regrettable omission, and one that must be remedied immediately).

…one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him… A woman…  who lived a sinful life… came there with an alabaster jar of perfume… she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know… that she is a sinner.” Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you… Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon [the Pharisee] replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. (NIV- excerpted)

The remaining verses deal with the love of the woman who anointed Him, in contrast to the lackluster hospitality of Simon. Her sins were forgiven her. This was a result of her great faith (“Dairing Faith, Pastor Russell, added, the title of the four part sermon series).

This depiction of Mary Magdalene anointing the feet of Jesus is a very nice one, not to be attributed. A half dozens sites display it, without attribution. I have used it before, also without attribution. It remains a mystery.

The pastor began his sermon with a relation of a four hour meeting he had attended in San Diego on Tuesday. While on this junket, he was introduced to the book “How Full is Your Bucket?” by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton. Pastor Russell strongly recommended for all literate members of the church (I can’t use the word “literary,” as this is intimidating. In fact, this statement from the goodreads review lauds the accessibility of the book: “How Full Is Your Bucket? is a quick, breezy read. It will immediately help readers boost the amount of positive emotions in their lives and in the lives of everyone around them. The book is sure to inspire lasting changes in all who read it, and it has all the makings of a timeless classic.”

The pastor offered his own synopsis of the book: “Everyone has an invisible bucket [he produced an actual bucket as an illustration] that is either being filled, or that bucket is being emptied. And everyone has an invisible ladle [a ladle was now displayed] [with which] they are either filling another person’s bucket, or they are taking out of a person’s bucket.” The pastor quoted the book’s authors, who write that people are at their best when their buckets are overflowing. They are at their worst when their buckets are empty. “And those buckets are filled, and they are emptied based on what a person says to another, or what they do to another person,” the pastor informed us. Every interaction between people results in the filling or emptying of their respective buckets. There are situations where both buckets may be filled simultaneously, because when you fill another’s bucket, your own gets filled as well. It is not a Zero-sum game. You need not rob Peter to pay Paul. More esoterically, it is not the spiritual equivalent of the economic practice of Mercantilism. It is, rather,  reminiscent of the miracle of the loaves and fishes. A little kindness can pay compound interest, immediately upon deposit. Conversely, by draining another’s bucket, you also drain your own [unless you are some twisted sadist; summarizer’s comment, as he has encountered this type of person before, frequently.  Far, far too frequently].

Danny DeVito on “Taxi,” emptying everybody’s bucket.

Pastor Russell has studied management techniques [here again is my important link to the tract “The One Minute Manager,” which all leaders must immediately pause to read, if they neglected to do so earlier]. The pastor said that managers who are “bucket fillers” can elicit more productivity from their employees [“I don’t have to be nice to you,” my former employer often said to, molded as he was by his authoritarian Teutonic upbringing]. Pastor Russell provided a case study from the book under discussion to illustrate his point. A gap in the video is immaterial to this illustration, as sound (albeit unsynchronized sound) is restored in time to record the speaker’s citation of the result of using the positive approach with labor: sales at the company described were “Off the chart. Off the chart!” Most employers are not positive, and as a result. most employees are not contented.

Pastor Russell related that when he was a conference president, he never spoke at one of the churches under his charge without saying at least one positive thing about the pastor, even if it were nothing more significant than the beauty of their footwear [I am obsessed with this Johnny Mercer song lately, so here is yet one more golden opportunity to link the 1945 hit “Accentuate the Positive“]. After a few more comments, the pastor directed the attention of the congregation to the helpful “teaching notes” that he usually provides to accompany his sermons. These notes divided the incident involving Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the Pharisee Simon into two “bucket emptying” concepts (relating to ungrateful and unforgiving Simon), and three “bucket filling” characteristics of Mary. By filling her Redeemer’s bucket with faith and love, she also managed to fill her own.

A obscure reference that will become even more obscure as time passes, one to Frederick Burr Opper’s Alphonse and Gaston, two comic strip characters who vied to see who could best “fill the bucket” of the other.

Pastor Russell opened with some general observations upon what fills or empties our personal “buckets.” A question was asked, “What are those things that happen to you, when it comes to your family and your marriage, or your job and your interactions with other people… that drain your bucket?” He suspected that there were many in his audience whose buckets had been drained all week long. “You can see it on their faces,” the pastor asserted. Spouses, bosses,  associates; they can all bring you down. He noted that there were many who lived “with a perpetually empty bucket.”

Conversely, there are those that live with a perpetually full bucket, as the people who surround them are bucket fillers. and not bucket drainers. Parents, like employers, are in a position to either fill or empty the buckets of their children based on how they interact with them. “What increases your positive emotions?” This second question led to the pastor’s conviction that all of us, at times, require affirmation by others. Those who never offer this necessary affirmation to others (wives, husbands, kids, etc.) are not good bucket fillers. An example of extreme affirmation was offered by the pastor. A child comes home with an “F” on their report card. “What a nice ‘F,'” the pastor says to the fictional young dunce. “I like the way that it is formed!”



General information on the “bucket” metaphor now yielded to specific application of this metaphor to Simon the Pharisee’s dinner party. Pastor Russell commenced this narrower focus by pointing out that Simon was a wealthy man. It is not mentioned in Luke, the pastor acknowledged, but this Simon is the same individual who once had leprosy. Lepers were perceived by Jews of that era as being  forsaken by God. But Simon, a leader of the people, was healed by Jesus. This was doubtless the reason that caused Simon to invite Jesus to his home. Women were traditionally excluded from these gatherings. The account of this gathering in the Gospel of John reveals that the disciples, including Judas, were also on the scene.

Into this setting, imperceptibly, enters a woman. She comes, unseen, to where Jesus is stationed, and begins to weep uncontrollably. “This woman is mentioned three ways in the Bible,” Pastor Russell informed us. “She is called ‘Mary Magdalene,’ and she is also called ‘Mary the Harlot’ in other places in the Bible, depending on the version that you are using. Mary Magdalene was also the sister of Lazarus and Martha.” Pastor Russell continued to unify what many may have believed to be distinct scriptural “Marys.” He added that this was the woman who was thrown at the feet of Jesus, one whom was caught “in the very act” of adultery. Jesus saved her, at that time, from being stoned to death. He wrote the sins of her prosecutors in the dust. They shamefacedly absented themselves, and then Jesus turned to Mary.  “Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more.” This is also the same Mary that the Bible reveals as having had seven demons cast from her. Pastor Russell continued. A former prostitute, and a former demonic. This was a woman whom the male populace had exploited, and  the “churchmen” had condemned to death. Before Jesus entered the picture, “there had never been a man in her life that treated her right,” Pastor Russell said.

“Feast in the House of Simon the Pharisee” by Peter Paul Rubens (1618-1620). It is in still located in the Hermitage, as Stalin did not sell it off (as he had many others) to our astute fellow American Andrew Mellon. He was acquiring art for the USA National Gallery.

Here is a link to Chapter 62 of Ellen G. White’s book “The Desire of Ages,” entitled “The Feast at Simon’s House,” which draws information from, and ties together, data from all four Gospels. Replicated below is a tantalizing note on a PDF of a manuscript page of an Ellen White biography by Arthur L. White. The balance of the page is illegible. At present, it raises just as many questions as it answers. I pray I will have time to further explore the direction that this cryptic inscription points toward. It probably tracks down the source for Ellen White’s combination of the separate instances in scripture where Mary is mentioned. As “Desire of Ages” was composed in Australia, some Australian Bible study guides are noted as having an influence on the book.


Here is an extremely informative LINK to a chapter of an online book that is focused on Mary Magdalene. The topic of the “Identity of Mary” is described by reference to a “monumental” (and this turns out to be no exaggeration) work by Harry Whittaker called “Studies in the Gospels.” These kind of scholarly investigations are, for Seventh-day Adventists, often verified by what is termed the “Spirit of Prophecy,” or insights revealed to Ellen G. White. An example of this is the church tradition that Peter was crucified upside-down, as he felt unworthy to be martyred in a manner identical to that of Jesus. This early church oral tradition was eventually written down by Jerome. It is verified (for those who choose to believe this) by a subsequent revelation to Ellen G. White.

In the “over-ambitious” (the author’s own term) work “Studies in the Gospels.” the discrete Marys are termed (1) “the woman in the city” (the subject of Luke Chapter 7, partially quoted at the top of this post), (2) Mary of Bethany (to be found in John Chapter 13, sister of Lazarus), and (3) Mary Magdalene. Harry Whittaker makes a strong case for the combination of the three Marys. The insights noted by Whittaker lack footnotes (at least in the online version), but are doubtlessly based on some earlier material that was also available to Ellen White, perhaps via the medium of the aforementioned Australian Bible study guides. Many of the points raised by Whittaker in his enormous book, and assertions made by Pastor Russell in the course of his sermon, are identical.

Scholar Harry Whittaker was a member of the denomination founded by this man, John Thomas, the Christadelphians. They deny the Trinity, but like pioneering Adventists, Thomas sought to build a faith that was based solely upon scripture, and not tradition.

Pastor Russell wondered aloud as to how Mary might has gotten into prostitution in the first place. She is believed by the pastor to only be in her early twenties at the time of Simon’s feast. Her parentage is not described in the Bible, but her siblings, Martha and Lazarus, are. She may have been molested as a youth on her way to fetch water. Some smooth talking stranger may have lured her into a situation where she was raped. There was too much shame associated with this act to allow her to simply go home after the violation. “Maybe Jesus knew her backstory,” Pastor Russell mused.

She sought out Jesus at the feast, the one who had exorcised her, and saved her from a stoning at the hands of men who may have slept with her. Perhaps she had even slept with Simon the Pharisee, the host of the feast. She had, after all, managed to slip in to the house without being challenged. These conjectures help to shed some light upon what followed. “She begins to bathe Jesus’ feet. She is weeping. She is crying.” The pastor restated the great blessings that Jesus had bestowed upon her, and that He may well have been the only man to ever treat her with dignity. He did not know her (another euphemism, one akin to “slept with”) in the night, but “disown her in the daytime,” Pastor Russell declared. She wets His feet with her tears, and having no towel, begins to dry them with her hair. Pastor Russell related Simon’s unspoken thoughts in regard to Jesus: “If He were a prophet, He would know what kind of woman this is, and He would know that she’s a sinner.” Her kind are not welcome in polite society. She was (or had been) a harlot. “If anyone should know, Simon should know,” the pastor proclaimed.

Another instance of scriptural harlotry, but it is only pretend harlotry. This is “Judah and Tamar,” by some devotees of Rembrandt  van Rijn. (1650-1660)

“Jesus reads his [Simon’s] thoughts,” said the pastor. “How many of you realize that Jesus knows your thoughts? Some of you sit in this church.  You’re thinking all kinds of ugly thoughts. ‘Oh Lord! I worship you! I praise you! I can’t stand her!'” Pastor Russell digressed a moment in order to lament the prevalence of  hypocrisy not only in the world, but in the church as well (this “Jekyll and Hyde” part of us, as he described it).  An “unholy dichotomy” is all too common, and describes the hypocritical view that Simon held toward Mary.  The Pharisee is entertaining Jesus, and is grateful to Him for healing his leprosy. But as he beholds Mary washing Christ’s feet with her tears, and drying them with her hair, and pouring perfume on Him (“This is expensive stuff; not the Walmart variety. This is the Saks variety,” the pastor reminded everyone), he questions the discernment and discretion of Jesus.

In Disney’s “Follow Me, Boys” a drunken father shows up with melted ice cream at a scout meeting. Jesus is not there to show compassion to him. Later that night the drunk dies The cold reception of the doomed drunk made me cry. The movie was morally bankrupt!

Resuming the narrative, the pastor repeated Simon’s thought that, were Jesus a prophet, he would be familiar with the kind of work that Mary did, a job that starts around 9 pm, and continued throughout the night. She was off during the daylight hours. As noted, Jesus knew Simon’s thoughts, and (in the pastor’s re-creation of the scene) said, “Simon, I’ve got a story I want to tell you.” Pastor Russell remarked upon the perfect relevance of every story that Jesus ever chose to tell. He added, “the stories were always a setup to drive home a deeper point.” The paraphrase of Luke was continued by the pastor.

“There was a banker who loaned money to two people. One… he loaned about $100. The other he loaned about $100,000. And neither one of them could pay. And so he forgave both…. and he said ‘Simon, I got a question I want to ask you, brother. Which one of them would be the most grateful?’ Simon was a logical brother. He was rational. He says, ‘of course, the one who is most grateful is the one who is given most!'” Jesus had healed Simon’s leprosy, but he was very much aware of Mary’s background. He had contributed to her fallen state. Notions as to how buckets get either filled or emptied was reintroduced into the sermon, with relation to the two sinners, Simon and Mary Magdalene, that are the subjects of Luke Chapter 7.

The first two points on the teaching notes that accompanied the sermon, as previously noted, dealt with techniques that serve to empty emotional buckets. “If you want to do it to a person, let me show you how to do it,” Pastor Russell facetiously stated. “This is Example One…” These were the methods that were described, methods used by Simon the former leper (who was also, the pastor added, “Simon the former John“).

In this Thomas Hardy novel a future dignitary gets drunk and sells his wife and child to the highest bidder. He swears off liquor, and subsequently prospers, but his past is ultimately revealed to all, much to his shame.

“Simon kept her [Mary’s] past uppermost in his mind,” the speaker said. “Everybody’s got a past!” The congregation was urged to confess this fact to those around them. “Everyone got a past. Everyone got a dark side,” Pastor Russell continued,” Everyone’s got some stuff they don’t want anyone to find out about. If that’s so, say amen.” Simon would not allow Mary to forget her past, even though he had contributed to its unwholesome nature himself. There exists members of Berean who, when they get upset with another, will drag up events from twenty years ago, the pastor revealed. “How dare you,” he  often says to himself when this kind of nonsense crops up. “Who cares!” People have a way of strategically sandbagging dirt bout one another, just awaiting an opportunity to inflict pain on associates by (as the KJV so eloquently states it) “casting it in their teeth.” All you are doing. when you do this, is “emptying their bucket,” the pastor said. “How can they go on, to move into the future, when you are always reminding them of what they were?”
The Bible reveals that Simon’s attitude toward Mary was in the present tense: what kind of woman she “is,” and not what kind of woman she was. Pastor Russell declared that Simon was not aware of her salvation. Otherwise he would have thought, what woman she “was.” “Look at your neighbor and say ‘praise God for the ‘was,'” the pastor directed.

“Buckle your seatbelts for Number Two: he [Simon] locked her into a space she could never escape.” Luke 7:39 reveals the innermost thought of Simon regarding Mary: “She is a sinner…” “Once a sinner, always a sinner,” the pastor said, emphasizing the intransigent stance of the Pharisee. Ellen White writes this about the former leper: “But it was Simon’s ignorance of God and of Christ that led him to think as he did.” Pastor Russell unleashed a litany of negative statements, an imagined excoriation of some poor victim of another’s inability to conceive of the real and lasting changes that Jesus can make in our lives [this “bad cop” diatribe, when deployed by Joel Osteen in his sermons, effectively sets the stage for a subsequent “good cop” revelation that one is, after all, perhaps not a worthless piece of scum]. Pastor Russell lambasted those who keep people in their lives “locked in a particular space,” thus retarding forward progress. “They can’t move on…” he stated. “All that boy was doing was taking the dipper, and emptying her bucket.”

“Christ in the House of Mary and Martha” by Johannes (Jan) Vermeer, 1654. This is Vermeer’s only known work featuring Biblical subject matter.

A transition from the two negative examples to the three positive examples as to how to enhance our lives by enhancing the lives of others as marked by this statement from the pastor: “Listen everybody. Jesus is not into emptying buckets. Jesus is into filling buckets.”

Example One (positive) was described as a “masterful” instance of Jesus’ ability to fill people’s buckets. Pastor Russell emphasized the intense gratification, and attendant thankfulness of Mary, who had suffered much abuse and degradation prior to encountering Jesus. He was the first to treat her with dignity.  Her devotion was manifest in the act of washing His feet with tears, and drying them with her hair. “How much more grateful can you become?” She had a “spirit of ministry,” the pastor said. Jesus pointed out Mary’s level of gratitude to Simon, whose own level of gratitude fell short of the appropriate mark. Ellen White reveals this about Simon: “He acknowledged Jesus as a teacher, and hoped that He might be the Messiah, but he had not accepted Him as a Savior. His character was not transformed. His principles were unchanged.”

“All of the sinners look at me,” Pastor Russell requested. “The whole audience, praise God,” he jokingly added, He said that the encounter between Jesus and Mary was one of the very first times that Mary had ever had her bucket filled. “Sometimes you may be the only person [another] person has who can fill their bucket,” Pastor Russell declared. This should motivate us to speak to others with caution [Proverbs 18:21 reads “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits]. We need to be careful how we treat others. We even need to be careful how we look at others. The pastor said that some people we encounter may be poised at the brink of despair, and all it would take to bring them back from the edge is a kind word from ourselves. This is an awesome responsibility, and is, indeed, often a matter of life and death. By showing kindness, we can help fill the buckets of those in desperate need, following the example of our Lord.

El Greco’s version of the “Feast in the House of Simon,” looking a little bit like a mural by Thomas Hart Benton. A Mannerist rendition of the events described in Luke 7.

Example Two (positive) has been touched upon. It is concerned with the subject of gratitude (the moderate thankfulness of Simon, as contrasted with the elevated levels displayed by Mary). Mary’s gratitude was a blessing to both herself and her Lord. Simon, relatively indifferent, and somewhat oblivious to the magnitude of what Jesus had also done for him, continued to sit on the sidelines. He  persisted with attempts to drain the good cheer from other people’s buckets.

Example Three (positive) referred to the “sensitive spirit” that Mary possessed. Negligent Simon had failed to anoint Jesus’ head when He first arrived, but Mary had more than made up for this neglect. She was anointing his feet with costly perfume. Pastor Russell paused in order to tie his various citations into the main theme of the set of four sermons. “This series is called ‘Daring Faith,'” he said. “When she walked into that room, some scholars say, with the exception of the Disciples, she had probably slept with most of those men in that room,” the pastor revealed. “But there was something happening in her heart that was catalyzed by this man Jesus…” Jesus had cast demons out of her life. What Simon failed to realize was that it was the demons who were keeping her tied to a life of prostitution.

The quintessential image of demons plaguing some poor soul, Francisco Goya’s 1799 etching “The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters.” An “Enlightenment” title.

“We have all got our demons,” Pastor Russell assured us. It is not possible to cover up this circumstance. “Everyone around you can tell something’s wrong,” the pastor added. The existence of these demons is not always manifested by Hollywood style dramatics. But the demons are there, “snapping their fingers,” provoking responses so visceral that you do not reflect upon the evil intent and folly of dancing to the tunes they pipe. “You just do it,” Pastor Russell observed. “You lose your cool, you lose your temper, You have ugly language that comes out. And even while you are doing it you say ‘I can’t understand, Lord! Take this stuff from me'”

The Lord heard the cry of Mary, whose body was under the control of evil forces. The pastor detailed Jesus’ exorcism of Mary: “He called not one out of her, but seven demons.” The traditionally piecemeal tale of Mary continued to be knit together. The Mary who was caught in adultery, “in the very act,” was mentioned next, crowned by a paraphrase of the comforting words of Jesus to her, “Mary, you’ve been condemned all your life. Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more…” The visit of Jesus to the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus provoked this comment from Pastor Russell: “the only person who went to sit at Jesus’ feet was Mary, because… Jesus was the only one who had actually filled her bucket.” The pastor stated that only one who can fill our buckets over and over again is “the Lord Jesus Christ, and if you’ve got no one else… you’ve got Him.”

Mary pushed through the crowd of men at the feast of Simon, anxious to get next to Jesus. “And at the end f the story,” Pastor Russell continued, “Jesus said, ‘Mary. It is your faith that has saved you.’ The pastor assured us that, no matter how raunchy your  life might have been, nor how decent your life might have been [the pastor interrupted himself in order to remark that are “decent” people in Hell], because [even though] you may show on the outside all of the appropriate ways of living… your heart is so corrupt on the inside.” The pastor stated that, though we may be sitting in church, our thoughts might be wallowing in the gutter. With your family, with your kids, everywhere; it just rolls out of you.” A veneer of sanctimony masks some malicious thoughts, such as “well there goes another person being baptized. When are they going to baptize some decent people?”

“Christ Pantocrator” by Viktor Vasnetsov, a print displaying the standard Eastern Orthodox Church baptism technique- immersion. In the West, this Biblical technique feel into abeyance until the Reformation (some factions of it) revived the practice.

The pastor repeated the lesson extracted from Jesus’ parable about the two debtors. “To those to whom much has been forgiven, those are the ones who are most grateful.” A song was introduced by Pastor Russell, one by CeCe Winans , who currently resides in Brentwood, Tennessee (a most unusual address for a black gospel artist). The song would be revealed to be “Alabaster Box” [my current conceit that all gospel song melodies were actually originated by Stevie Wonder may be indulged by contrasting this 2001 tune to that of Wonder’s 1968 “For Once in My Life“.” But the tune’s pedigree is not that simple. Here is a statement from the Wikipedia article about Frank Sinatra’s 1968 hit “My Way,” a similar melody: “Paul Anka heard the original 1967 French pop song, Comme d’habitude (As Usual) performed by Claude François, while on holiday in the south of France. He flew to Paris to negotiate the rights to the song.” Here is a LINK to the French original of “Comme d’habitude,  but I will perversely continue to pretend that Stevie Wonder was the originator. I do not know who Claude Francois borrowed his tune from].

Pastor Russell revealed that he often cries during worship, for he actually loves God. “I am, obviously, not a perfect person of God- I got my stuff just like everybody else.” He may not have hair, he revealed, but he has tears. “When I heard that song a few years ago… I just began to weep and say ‘God, I get that!'” The main themes of the sermon was recapped, culminating with the statement “those men in the room were the ones who took from her [drained Mary’s “bucket”], and the only man that kept putting back was Him, this man called Jesus. And the room was filled, when she came in… listen to the story…”




The song, “Alabaster Box,” was now performed, and can be located at time marker 2:15:10 on the LINK to the YouTube video of the service. Copyright issues have caused Sony Corporation to remove (temporarily, one would hope) a few recent Berean services from YouTube. It is hoped that this particular service will not suffer a similar fate. This site, homemadegospel, will now potentially violate a copyright by replicating the lyrics to “Alabaster Box.” Reassembled as a narrative, perhaps they will escape the scrutiny of the copyright police:

The room grew still as she made her way to Jesus. She stumbles through the tears that made her blind. She felt such pain. Some spoke in anger. Heard folks whisper, “There’s no place here for her kind!” Still on she came. Through the shame that flushed her face, until at last, she knelt before His feet. And though she spoke no words, everything she said was heard as she poured her love for the Master from her box of alabaster.

And I’ve come to pour my praise on Him like oil from Mary’s alabaster box. Don’t be angry if I wash his feet with my tears and I dry them with my hair. You weren’t there the night He found me. You did not feel what I felt when he wrapped his love all around me, and you don’t know the cost of the oil In my alabaster box.

I can’t forget the way life used to be; I was a prisoner to the sin that had me bound, and I spent my days, poured my life without measure into a little treasure box I’d thought I’d found until the day when Jesus came to me and healed my soul with the wonder of His touch. So now I’m giving back to Him all the praise He’s worthy of. I’ve been forgiven, and that’s why I love Him so much.

And I’ve come to pour my praise on Him like oil from Mary’s alabaster box. Don’t be angry if I wash his feet with my tears and I dry them with my hair. You weren’t there the night He found me. You did not feel what I felt when he wrapped his love all around me, and you don’t know the cost of the oil In my alabaster box.

“Alabaster Box” as performed at Berean SDA Church, Atlanta on 7/2/2016. The elaborate doorway partially visible at right is the same one that is  featured, along with Pastor Russell, in the first image on this post.

There exists a slight affinity between this 2001 autobiographical composition, based on a reference to scripture, and cast into a narrative form, with Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors.” Dolly Parton was from Appalachia, the rural, white, and vertical equivalent of the “hood,” and wrote another song, one that proved to be the late Whitney Houston’s, and one of history’s, best selling singles of all time (seventh from the top of this Chart).

At the end of the song, Pastor Russell invited “everyone who has a past” to stand. The ladle and bucket were used to illustrate Jesus’ ability to “fill our buckets.” While pantomiming the act of ladling imaginary contents in and out of the bucket he was holding, the pastor observed that “While everyone else is taking from you… He’s never gonna condemn you… all He does is pour into your life.” The case of Mary Magdalen was noted. “He told her… when they were trying to stone her, ‘Neither do I condemn you, but go and sin no more.’ She took it seriously,” the pastor said. “She didn’t turn another trick. She came in the room that night, and all Simon was thinking in his mind was ‘she still is a prostitute…'” The Pharisee denied her the capacity to change. “One a harlot, always a harlot,” stated the pastor, reflecting Simon’s attitude. Jesus pointed out to Simon the heartfelt tokens of Mary’s gratitude that she was displaying toward Him; the tears, and the perfume.

Everyone who “has a past” is standing. Me too! Me too!

The pastor now added that, “without her knowing it, she was filling Jesus’ bucket too… because when you fill another person’s bucket, your own bucket gets filled.” Simon, and also the disciples of Jesus, were passing judgment on Mary, effectively emptying the reformed harlot’s bucket. “All of them,” Pastor Russell asserted, “and the only one pouring into her bucket was Jesus… the only one in the whole room. In the account of the feast contained in the Book of John, Jesus reveals that Mary was ‘preparing my body for death.’ Nobody else got it.”

“Thank you God,” Pastor Russell prayerfully concluded, “that you are always filling us.” Pastor Austin Humphreys was asked to furnish a final prayer. Before this prayer, the pastor made a few last remarks, including a reference to Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Pastor Humphreys underscored the relevance of the Senior pastor’s sermon by forthrightly stating, in the curse of his prayer, that “that woman reflects us. Oh what sinners we are, wretched and filthy… but we are not who we used to be,” Pastor Humphreys testified. Whatever sins we may have committed, grace is always able to receive us. We can come to God’s open arms and declare (as did Pastor Humphreys), “I need thee, oh I need thee!” He restated to the congregation the necessity of “pouring into other people’s buckets,” as the Lord “first poured into us.” A summation by the summarizer of these remarks is relevant to the case of Mary, and to those that Pastor Russell designated as “people with a past” (everyone, as you will recall). It is Romans 5:8:

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.