In the beginning
No … no … not that beginning
In the beginning before church had form and structure

Before Matthew, Mark, Luke, John described the life of Christ giving us the Gospel
Before Wycliffe or Huss chose martyrdom rather than deny the Christ of the gospel
Before Martin Luther nailed 95 thesis on church doors to return light to the Christ of the gospel
Before John Newton put to music the song of slaves, “Amazing Grace”, to tell in sweet sounds the Christ of the gospel
Before new age and esoteric traditions tried to explain away the Christ of the gospel

GOD SAID:

I have seen these people
And all their ‘isms and schisms
Spiritualism
Mysticism
Occultism
Behold, they are a stiff-necked people
But like sheep
They are vulnerable, defenseless, undiscerning, prone to stray

THEN GOD SAID:

Let Us make a man to be Our under-Shepherd
A visionary to give church form and structure
A man to lead and feed, rightly dividing the word of truth
A preacher of preachers, with Christian swagger
Dropping wisdom words and imparting God consciousness
A teacher to correct and direct
Seeking perfection in an imperfect world
A man who is first a friend of Ours and then a friend to all
A man who is the husband of one wife, devoted and all-in

AND GOD SAID:

He shall be called Abraham!
No … no … not Abraham from Ur of Chaldea
But Abraham from Port-of-Spain of Trinidad
We will send him to a land that We will show him
An ambassador of the gospel he will be

AND GOD SAID:

This is good!!
Abraham J. Jules
Thou art the man
Called by God for such a time as this
To champion the Christ of the Gospel
To be
A rescuer of the lost
A leader of the misguided
A guardian of the vulnerable
A protector of the defenseless
A comforter to the hurting
A friend to the friendless

While you are the servant caregiver
Keep alive your relationship with the Father
And when He, the Chief Shepherd, returns
May He bestow upon you the unfading Crown of Glory
For a job well done
A faith kept
A fight well fought
And a course completed

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After-word: This piece was commissioned by a church as part of the Pastor appreciation program. When a piece is commissioned I usually consult with the client and/or friends or family to get the backstory to create a piece that is personal and reflective of the context the client wishes to convey. In this case, it was commissioned for my beloved Pastor Abraham Jules. It was written from imagining the forethought of God on the life of a man who’d become a Pastor.

Thank you for journeying along.

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In creative solidarity, Dee