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Letters of love from Pastor O.
A Glorious Time to Celebrate
In my time preparing to preach the morning service during the Pastoral Installation Weekend of the Rev. Ivy A. Scudder, I have been reflecting upon our Pastoral Installation weekend. What a glorious time of celebration!
As we celebrate with Pastor-Elect Scudder and the Mt. Zion Baptist Church, I invite you to reflect with me on all that God has done in our ministry since that beautiful September weekend in 2023.
God has been good and this is just the beginning!
https://www.youtube.com/live/wz4SKLccW8o?si=cH9Axb1-g_46-O_G&t=603
Amazement of Worship
If there is one characteristic more than others that contemporary public worship needs to recapture it is this awe before the surpassingly great and gracious God.
Henry Sloane Coffin
We must never rest until everything inside us worships God.
A. W. Tozer
The aforementioned quotations from Henry Sloane Coffin and A.W. Tozer speaks to worship as a full bodied, full hearted, full spirited experience. They speak to the presence of a God who defies human understanding and human language, in whose presence the people of God ought to be postured In reverence of God’s greatness. As the Psalmist aptly said, “Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.”
Given the unfathomable greatness of God, I have never understood how God’s people can enter the sanctuary for worship with a ho-hum attitude. Even on our worst days, when we enter the sanctuary that ought to be a recognition of the presence of God that moves the attention from ourselves to God.
Worship for the sake of ritual falls short. Worship that is rote, mechanical, or habitual repetition does not do God justice. Worship ought to evoke wonder. Worship ought to evoke awe. Worship ought to evoke amazement. That wonder, awe, and amazement ought to move us to sway, rock, clap, stomp our feet, lift our hands, weep, moan, and/or shout “Hallelujah!”
I don’t write this to shame anyone, but rather as an invitation to live Into God’s vision for First Baptist to go, “Higher in Worship!”
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
To God Be The Glory!
When words escape me, I draw on the words of Scripture and/or song to give voice to the meditations of my heart. As I reflect on the Pastoral Anniversary Worship Service, these are the words that come to mind:
How can I say thanks
For the things You have done for me?
Things so undeserved
Yet You gave to prove Your love for me
The voices of a million angels
Could not express my gratitude
All that I am and ever hope to be
I owe it all to Thee
To God be the glory
To God be the glory
To God be the glory
For the things He has done.
As I reflect on the Pastoral Anniversary Worship Service, I give glory to God and I have immense gratitude to you, the amazing people of First Baptist Church.
Sunday was absolutely perfect! When I arrived in the morning, I tried to “do” things and you all wouldn’t let me. From the start you made it abundantly clear that the anniversary was a day of rest and celebration for me. The music ministry was magnificent. The praise dancers were moving. The tribute was beautiful. It was a joy to see and hear members who do not usually participate in worship lead us. The violinist was anointed. The preaching was Inspiring and motivating. The glory of the Lord was in the house. The post service meal was delicious and the fellowship was even sweeter.
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
Feeding God’s Flock
Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it, not for sordid gain but eagerly. Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away. (1 Peter 5:1-4)
These are the words of the Apostle Peter, the one who Jesus charged to tend to and feed Jesus’ sheep. Jesus made it clear that the vocation of a Pastor is tending and feeding God’s people. With some experience under his belt, Peter now exhorts elders in the church to continue the work of tending and feeding. There were some pastors in the church who were abusing their authority. They understood the work pastoring as something that placed them on a pedestal over God’s people. Peter says, not so. Pastoring is oversight without being an overlord, for true power resides in God alone. There were also some Pastors who felt pressured into pastoring. They were not pastors after God’s own heart, rather they were Pastors doing out of obligation. Peter lets them know that they could not effectively care for and feed God’s people if their heart wasn’t in it. Lastly, there were some Pastors who were only leading in God’s church for what they could get from God’s people. They were takers and not givers. Peter tells them that there was no room for their dirt in the church.
So what kind of Pastors does Peter exhort them to be? Simply put, they are to be examples to the people of God. They are to follow in the ways of Jesus. They are to be full of the Spirit, led by the Spirit, while walking in the fruit of the Spirit, that is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is my prayer that in these past two years that we have been together, that I have been that kind of Pastor. FBC is an amazing congregation. Tending and feeding is my joy, and I do so eagerly looking forward to our future together.
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
In my heart, in my heart.
It is hard to believe that the Lenten Season is upon us already. Lent is, “the period preceding Easter that in the Christian Church is devoted to fasting, abstinence, and penitence in commemoration of Christ's fasting in the wilderness.” In my personal faith journey, the Lenten Season always provided an opportunity to draw nearer to God, to shed some practices that were not pleasing to God, and to take on some practices to strengthen my faith. In the early years of my faith, this meant giving up chocolate or red meat, but in later years the time has taken on more meaning. My prayer during the Lenten Season mirrors that of our ancestors:
Lord, I want to be a Christian
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more loving
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more holy
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart.
Lord, I want to be like Jesus
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart.
This Lenten Season we have several opportunities to strengthen our faith and draw us nearer to God In Christ. We invite you to be present on Zoom for our time of corporate devotion using, “The Forty Day Word Fast” as our guide. We also invite you to make a Lenten offering of $1, $3, or $5 per day for the Forty Days of Lent. This offering will be donated to the Center for Food Action in keeping with our desire to be like Jesus in our hearts and in our lives.
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
Goodly Heritage
I’m sure you already know that I am a bibliophile (a lover of books) and a lexiphile (a lover of words). As a lexiphile, I absolutely love digging into the origin of words.
The word heritage comes from an Old French word “heriter” which means inheritance. The word inherit, from where we derive the word inheritance, has several meanings:
to receive (money, property, or a title) as an heir at the death of the previous holder;
to derive (a quality, characteristic, or predisposition) genetically from one's parents or ancestors and;
On this Heritage Sunday, I am thinking about our inheritance as people of the African Diaspora living in the United States. Although our people have had to endure great travesty and tragedy as a result of colonization and white supremacy, our testimony remains, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage” (Psalm 16:9).By the grace and strength of God, we have a goodly heritage--receiving riches and deriving dignity from our ancestors.
We inherited adaptability from Frederick Douglas!
We inherited courage from Ida B. Wells!
We inherited artistic expression from Langston Hughes
We inherited ingenuity from Madame C.J. Walker!
We inherited innovation from George Washington Carver!
We inherited intellectual excellence from W.E.B. DuBois
We inherited style and swagger from Josephine Baker!
We inherited commitment to justice from Thurgood Marshall!
We inherited strategic thinking from Booker T. Washington!
We inherited determination from Mary McLeod Bethune!
And our task is to live in such a way that generations yet to come will look back and testify that in us they have a goodly heritage!
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
For Us, By Us
On this third Sunday in Black History Month, I am thinking about the attempted systematic erasure of Black people and our history from the story of this nation and how important it is that we fight this systematic erasure. One way of fighting is by engaging defensive strategies like phone calls, letters, protests and boycotts of companies and agencies that support our erasure.
The second way of fighting is by employing offensive strategies. This is something that we can do as a church, especially as a Historically Black Church affiliated with the Progressive Baptist Convention, the denominational home of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Offensive strategies include being intentional with our use of sources in preaching and teaching, making sure to include Black theologians, Black history, Black music, Black literature, etc. As Issa Rae said, “I’m rooting for EVERYBODY BLACK!”
But this offensive strategy goes beyond the work of the pastor. It will be crucial for our Christian Education once the department and classes are in place to use curriculum written by us, for us. It will also be crucial for every ministry to locate and highlight our legacy within the framework of their ministry. For example, what would it mean for the Missionary Society to tell the story of Betsy Stockton, who was emancipated after being enslaved right here in New Jersey, who is lauded as the first African American Christian missionary, serving as the only Black woman in a company of thirteen (13) white missionaries to present day Hawaii in February of 1863. Or what would It mean for the Women’s Ministry to find Inspiration and strategy In the work of the Female Benevolent Society of St. Thomas in Philadelphia, of the the first African American women’s clubs that fought for social and political change? Or what would it mean for the Deacons to find purpose beyond the walls of the church Inspired by the Deacons for Defense and Justice, a group In the 1960s that protected protesters and activists from the Ku Klux Klan. Knowing our history will help us forge ahead Into the future.
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
God is still on the throne.
We are living in an unprecedented social and political climate. Political parties aside, what we are witnessing unfold is antithetical to the radically loving and liberating Gospel of Jesus Christ. As Christ followers, we cannot turn a blind eye to what is happening because God is on the Throne, nor can we become so consumed by it that we lose sight of the fact that God is on the Throne. When I was growing up, the elder saints would say, “Don’t be so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good.” The elders were on to something...
So what do we do? I would encourage each of us, myself included, to stay abreast of the news, to be informed citizens, and to navigate this season with great care. When it comes to news and policy, I primarily lead and read with my heart. That is part of my pastoral sensibilities. However in this season, I have learned a great deal from Bro. Joseph. As an accountant, he is more methodical in his approach.
Be sure that your news sources are reliable and varied;
Be sure to read with a critical eye and an engaged mind;
Limit your exposure to sensationalized/salacious stories;
Reflect on the long and short term implications and;
Allow your emotions to fuel action based on the facts.
I must caution us: Even if we do all of that, what we are dealing with will still, in the words of Marvin Gaye, “Make you wanna holler and throw up both your hands...” So allow me to suggest one more practice to implement in your consumption of the news. After reading or watching the news, especially the news on our current political reality, I encourage you to read aloud (or listen to) the entirety of Psalm 37. Let the word of God wash over you and permeate your heart and mind as a reminder that our God is still on the throne and that our God will have the final say.
1 Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
2 for they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
live in the land and enjoy security.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will make your vindication shine like the light
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.
8 Refrain from anger and forsake wrath.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For the wicked shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
11 But the meek shall inherit the land
and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them,
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to kill those who walk uprightly;
15 their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
16 Better is a little that the righteous person has
than the abundance of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will abide forever;
19 they are not put to shame in evil times;
in the days of famine they have abundance.
20 But the wicked perish,
and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures;
they vanish—like smoke they vanish away.
21 The wicked borrow and do not pay back,
but the righteous are generous and keep giving;
22 surely those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land,
but those cursed by him shall be cut off.
23 Our steps[a] are made firm by the Lord
when he delights in our[b] way;
24 though we stumble, we[c] shall not fall headlong,
for the Lord holds us[d] by the hand.
25 I have been young and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
26 They are ever giving liberally and lending,
and their children become a blessing.
27 Depart from evil, and do good;
so you shall abide forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his faithful ones.
The righteous shall be kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land
and live in it forever.
30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak justice.
31 The law of their God is in their hearts;
their steps do not slip.
32 The wicked watch for the righteous
and seek to kill them.
33 The Lord will not abandon them to their power
or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial.
34 Wait for the Lord and keep to his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on the destruction of the wicked.
35 I have seen the wicked oppressing
and towering like a cedar of Lebanon.[e]
36 Again I[f] passed by, and they were no more;
though I sought them, they could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless and behold the upright,
for there is posterity for the peaceable.
38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;
the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from the wicked and saves them
because they take refuge in him.
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
Faithfulness
As Baptists, we are congregational in our polity, which means that we are independent and self-supporting, governed by our own members. As a congregational church, attending and participating in Church Meetings is of paramount importance.
We had the first of two annual meetings on Friday, January 24, 2025. It was a wonderful meeting. At the meeting there were reports given by the Nominating Committee, Deacons, Trustees, Treasurer, and Pastor. Most of the information communicated is contained in the 2024 Annual Report.
Sis. La Tonya Reeves, as Chair of the Trustees, gave a report about the Parsonage. She shared the estimated cost of repairs, the ways in which the property could be used if repaired, and the potential rental and market value. After sharing information, questions were raised and answered. Following the Q&A, the congregation present voted unanimously to keep and renovate the property. Glory to God, we are moving forward!
Our last several meetings have had low attendance. We recognize that coming out to the church on a Friday evening may prove to be difficult for many of you. To that end, our next Church Family Business Meeting, and subsequent meetings, will be held on a Sunday afternoon immediately following worship service. We also recognize that we have a contingent in our congregation who worship virtually, so we are working to find a secure platform to host a virtual component of the meeting which will allow for anonymous voting and preregistration. Only preregistered active members, as defined by our church constitution, will be allowed to attend and vote.
That said, I look forward to seeing all of you at our next Church Family Business Meeting!
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
Leadership - The Charge
St. Augustine of Hippo, that great First Century African Bishop, wrote, “No one can be a good bishop if he loves his title and not his task.” I find this quotation to be fitting on this day set aside for the Installation of Officers.
Augustine lifts up two aspects of leadership: title and task. A title is the appellation or name that is associated with the particular leader--Pastor, Deacon, Deaconess, Committee Chair, etc. With title comes status and perceived privilege. Whereas a task is the assignment, the charge, the work that a particular leader undertakes. It is what the leader has been set apart to do. And I am inclined to agree with St. Augustine of Hippo that, “No one can be a good bishop if he loves his title and not his task.”
What Augustine was getting at is this notion that if a leader is only invested in or concerned about his or her title, that they will not be an effective leader In God’s church. We do not install leaders in God’s church for the sake of the status of those individual leaders. Leaders are not set apart to boost their own ego. Leaders are not set apart for the purposes of being called by a title, rather church leaders are prayerfully set apart to the glory of God and the edification, or growth, of God’s people.
To the leaders who are being installed today, I would encourage you to take some time this week in prayer to reflect on the task ahead and ask God to help you undertake the task with uncompromising faithfulness. My prayer for you is that you lead with your tasks, rather than your title, so that the works that you do will speak for you.
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
Uncompromising - Talents
When we read the Parable of the Talents, most of us want to identify with the servant who was given five talents. We fancy ourselves faithful. We are sure that we will hear those words, “Well done!” But let’s be honest. Many of us are more like the servant who was given one talent. And when we really get to the heart of the matter, most of us are a bit like both servants. In other words, each of us has some things that we steward well, some gifts where we are uncompromisingly faithful, and each of us has some things that we do not steward well, gifts of God that we’ve done nothing to cultivate or utilize for God’s glory. In terms of ministry, my preaching gift is one that I steward well. I have no doubt that God has granted me favor in this area because I have invested in this gift. I have taken what God has given me and multiplied it. However, I have not been as faithful a steward of me, particularly as it relates to self-care. This is manifest in a multiplicity of ways, with the most visible sign being my weight. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, part of this body of believers, I, too, am called to exercise uncompromising faithfulness in 2025. I have work to do. In fact, In addition to self care and making exercise, hydration, and good nutrition a priority, as a Pastor, God is calling me to be uncompromisingly faithful in how I steward our worship and our finances. Just watch, If I do my part, I have no doubt that we will experience uncommon favor in both areas.
In what areas are you like the servant who was given five talents? In what areas are you like the servant who was given one talent? For the areas in which you have been uncompromisingly faithful, continue to glorify God. For the areas where you can do better, this is the year to do so!
Ask God to help you to be more faithful with what He has entrusted to your care. Then walk it out, with arms wide open to receive the reward of God’s uncommon favor.
Pastor Donna Owusu-Ansah
Uncompromising Faithfulness
In 2002, Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers released a song titled, “Bless Me” inspired by the Prayer of Jabez as recorded in the Old Testament book of 1 Chronicles 4:10.
The song opens this way:
Bless me, bless me
Oh Lord, bless me indeed
Enlarge my territory
Oh Lord, bless me indeed (I pray for increase)
Bless me indeed (I pray for increase)
This was one of my favorite songs. I mean, who wouldn’t pray for blessings and increase? I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want God to enlarge their territory. I don’t know anyone praying for God to shrink their territory. All that said, “Bless Me” was my jam! It could be the anthem for the Uncommon Favor of God!
However as I matured in my faith, I recognized that this song was as much a call to responsibility and accountability. This song requires uncompromising faithfulness. What do I mean? Well, when God blesses us, it is important that we steward those blessings well. When God enlarges our territory, there is more for us to manage and take care of. When God grants increase, there is increased responsibility required on our part.
Which brings me to this. When we sing, “Bless Me” it should always follow Milton Brunson’s “Lord, I’m Available to You” on our playlist. For as I shared on Sunday, “Uncommon Favor of God is the result of the Uncompromising Faithfulness of God’s people.”
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
Uncommon Favor!
Happy New Year! I declare that for the disciples of the First Baptist Church of Englewood that this will be the year of Uncompromising Faithfulness and Uncommon Favor!
You may be wondering how I came to make such a declaration.
As I was prayerfully preparing for 2025, keeping in mind God’s vision for our church to go higher in worship, deeper in study, and wider in fellowship for far reaching impact for Christ, God revealed to me that In order to realize the vision, that our focus needed to be on stewardship. When I think of stewardship, the parable of the talents as recorded in Matthew 25:14-30 comes to mind. As I ruminated on the passage, the Spirit spoke to me clearly In Matthew 25:20-21:
Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
In this parable, we find one who has been entrusted to the care of their Master’s belongings. They took excellent care of what was entrusted to them. They were uncompromisingly faithful. They had a determination to take good and proper care of their master’s belongings. They were given five talents to care for and returned ten talents to the Master. They gave the Master a return on his investment. Likewise, God Is calling us, individually and as a congregation, to take good and proper care of what He has entrusted to our care. For the sake of our community and the Kingdom, 2025 is the year where we are charged to give God a return on God’s investment. Be clear, this more than about money; We are called to be uncompromisingly faithful in every aspect of our lives.
And the good news is that when we are uncompromisingly faithful, God shows us, what Coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks called, “Uncommon Favor!” In the parable, the Master looked kindly upon the faithful stewardship of the one and blessed them with good words and also showed them an abundance of favor, inviting them into joyful living and greater responsibility. I firmly believe that by the end of this year, if we do our part as faithful stewards, that the uncommon favor of God will rest upon every aspect of our lives and every aspect of our ministries!
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
The Best is Yet to Come!
This year has arguably been the most challenging year of my life. Many of you have a similar testimony. We have, in the words of the hymn writer, come through many dangers, toils, and snares from national insecurity to personal struggles. Life has surely had its way with us as the Death Angel worked overtime.
It would be easy to cling to the challenge as we enter into the new year. It would be easy to let the residue of despair blanket the new year. It would be easy to go into the new year with low expectations as the ceiling of possibility, especially given the state of our nation and world. And while all of that would be easy, it would certainly not exemplify our most holy faith in a God who has plans for us filled with hope and a future. Succumbing to the ease of clinging to challenge would also be counterproductive and self-sabotaging, assuring that 2025 was simply a repeat of 2024. And I can’t speak for anyone else, but I certainly do not want a repeat of 2024.
So instead of being marked by the challenging past, choosing the easy route of low expectations, I am choosing to enter the new year guided by the sagacious poetry of Sonya Sanchez. In one of her most notable haiku, Sanchez wrote:
What is done is done.
What is not done is not done.
Let it go… like the wind.
I invite you to join me in this endeavor. Over the next couple of days, before the clock strikes midnight on January 1st, make time and space to sit in quiet reflection with God. Consider all that you did and said, and the impact it may have had on you and others. Consider what was left undone and unsaid, and the impact it may have had on you and others. Reach out for reconciliation If necessary and possible, and then, take all of it, what was done and what was not done, and let the wind of God, the Holy Spirit, carry it away so that you can begin the new year with a clean slate and a fresh start because, beloveds, the best Is yet to come!
Growing in Christ
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
Expansive Love
My absolute favorite dolls to play with growing up were my Cabbage Patch Kids dolls. I had five Cabbage Patch Kids. These dolls were created in the late 1970's, however mass production on the dolls began in 1982 leading to them becoming wildly popular. By the end of 1983 a reported 3 million Cabbage Patch Kids had been “adopted” with many being “readopted” for as much at 100 times the adoption fee.
I received my first Cabbage Patch Kid for Christmas in 1983. I was seven years old at the time. I was absolutely overjoyed that Christmas morning. My sister recently sent me a video of an ABC7 Eyewitness News report of the Cabbage Patch Kids riots that hit stores during Christmas 1983. Parents lined up hours before the stores opened, pushing, shoving, and arguing just to secure a Cabbage Patch Doll for their children. My sister had a caption that accompanied the video, “I was there!” I didn’t realize the great lengths that my mother and sister went to for me to have that doll.
As I reflect on their love for me, evidenced through their willingness to endure pandemonium to secure a toy that I desperately wanted, this Christmas, I cannot help but think about the love of God and the great lengths that God went to to secure our salvation and reconcile us back to God, which humanity so desperately needed. In Isaiah 9:9, the prophet affirms God’s promise, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
I do not remember the names of my Cabbage Patch Dolls, but I am sure of the name of Jesus. I do not even know where those dolls are now, but I am grateful that Jesus Is Emmanuel-God with us. On this Christmas, may we all be reminded of the expansive love for God toward us through Christ Jesus.
Growing in Christ
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
Rest for your Best Self
I interrupt our Advent messages with an important message about rest. I am writing this week’s entry from a posture of rest. Last Tuesday I was buzzing around the office excited about Giving Tuesday. I was gearing up for Bible Study when I felt a tickle in my throat. I can usually nip a cold in the bud with Tylenol, so I took two and kept on buzzing. Things escalated quickly and the tickle in my throat turned out to be COVID-19 and my buzzing became a break. This woman was down.
I fare well when I schedule downtime; a spa day or lunch with friends. I even fare well when I have extended downtime; vacations and such. But, when I am sick, downtime is tough for me, especially when there are things to check off my to-do list, emails to respond to, texts to send, graphics to create, services to plan, meetings to prepare for...all that I can do from the comfort of my bed. But this downtime was different. I couldn’t do much of anything. It was as if the pace of life and the weight of grief were like magnets pulling me to lay down. So I did.
But once I started to feel better and was ready to buzz again, I heard the Spirit say, “Aht, aht! Have you not learned anything?” The Spirit showed me that my immune system was indicative of a pace that was not sustainable. So I decided, with some urging from pastor friends who know the guilt that comes from sitting still, to listen to my body and to trust God to take care of the things that are Gods, namely my family and the church. I decided that for the sake of my own thriving, the thriving of my family, and the thriving of this church to lean into the wise words of author Olivia Butler who wrote, “Take your time and your rest seriously. When you are your best self, you can create the best change.
I write this entry not to garner sympathy, but to invite all of you to, in the words of Butler, “take your time and your rest seriously.” Because when we do not take our rest seriously, I am a living witness that our bodies will show us just how serious it is for us to rest. I also write this to invite all of you to join me in this endeavor of intentional rest, so that God can use our rested bodies and minds to do amazing things!
Growing in Christ
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
The Joy of Salvation
The arrival of the Messiah, or Christ, was a greatly anticipated assurance that God would save God’s people from the Empire. In Matthew 2:1-2, we learn that after seeing the star that signaled the coming Messiah, wise men traveled to Jerusalem to see the Savior and celebrate what God was doing in the life of Israel. Before entering the place where the Christ child was, the wise men experienced joy like never before. When actually in the presence of the child, perceiving God’s plan of salvation before their eyes, the wise men lavishly worshipped, generously bringing themselves and their gifts before God.
The news of the Messiah did not invoke worship for everyone; King Herod, whose power and position were in jeopardy, devised a scheme to thwart God’s plan of salvation using the wise men as pawns. What I find remarkable is that after being in the presence of the Christ child, the wise men heard from God in a dream. They did not return to King Herod as instructed, rather they discerned the will of God and went back home by another road.
Salvation is an invitation for all to come to Christ, an invitation to experience the overwhelming joy of knowing and being known by God. In the presence of the Savior, we are transformed, bringing ourselves and our gifts to the one who saves us from sin and eternal death. Because Christ has come and will come again, like the song that we sing, believers will not leave here like we came in Jesus name, but will live with joy, worship in spirit and in truth, offer our gifts to the service of the Kingdom, and obey the voice of God.
For the wise men, this was a one time event. For the believer, anticipating Christ’s return, this is a lifestyle of worship, discernment, obedience, and transformation.
Growing in Christ
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
The Hope of Advent
“In days to come the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised up above the hills. Peoples shall stream to it, and many nations shall come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more; but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.”
Micah 4:1-4 NRSV
Imagine living in a time rife with internal and external oppression. Imagine living in a time of social, political, and economic upheaval. Imagine living in a time rife with idolatry and corruption in every facet of public life, including religious life. The Bible tells us, in the first three chapters of the Book of Micah, that this was the state Israel found themselves in.
The truth is, we do not have to imagine; We are living in this state. From systemic injustice to individual acts of evil, we see spiritual and moral decay in high and low places. Not only are we living it, but stained by our sin nature, we also participate in behaviors that miss the mark of who God created us to be and how God intended for us to live.
But there is good news. In the time of Micah’s prophesy, disobedience, obstinance, and spiritual and moral decay were not the last state God’s people found themselves living in. Micah says, “In days to come…” God had more for His people. Those evil days were not the last days, but there were God ordained days ahead filled with life, freedom, peace, nourishment, and community in the presence of God.
This is the hope of Advent. The birth of Christ—God with us to do what we could not do for ourselves—initiated the days to come where God’s house was established, people of all nations were drawn to relationship with God in Christ, and God’s people will live peaceably according to the word of God. And though we have yet to witness and experience a sustained and unending peace, God gives us glimmers every day, and we keep our hopes set on Christ’s return and a time where sin is no more, injustice is no more, evil is no more, spiritual and moral decay is no more, and we will worship in the light of God’s countenance forever and ever, Amen.
Growing in Christ
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
Count Your Blessings…
It is easy, particularly in our current personal and political reality, to fall into the habit of complaining. To be sure, I am not only talking about other people. As Paul describes himself as “chief among sinners” In 1 Timothy 1:15, I can be honest enough to say that at times, I am chief among complainers.
I do not deny that there are plenty of things that we could complain about, but the Bible exhorts you and me in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
For this reason, I have always loved the hymn, “Count Your Blessings.” This hymn names the reality of trials and tribulations--the things we could complain about, while also naming that we have more to be grateful for than to complain about. I am especially drawn to the first and X verses:
When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
So, amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.
So as we approach Thanksgiving, despite our current reality, I invite each of us, as the song says, to “Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done. Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.”
Growing in Christ
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah
God Is For Us!
I had the task of preaching the Sunday after the 2016 election. It was that historic presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. At the time I was an Associate Minister at the New Hope Baptist Church in Metuchen and November 13, 2016, just happened to be my turn in the preaching rotation. I knew well in advance that I would be preaching, but I also knew that while the election results would not change the Gospel, the results would determine what kind of message God’s people needed to hear on that Sunday. So I prayerfully selected a text, Romans 8: 31-31, where Paul raises the question, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things?” It was a valid question regardless of the outcome of the election, however I did not start working on the sermon until after it was confirmed that Donald Trump would be the 45th President of the United States of America.
Through feelings of personal and communal despair, disappointment, and dancing at the brink of hope and hopelessness, I wrestled with the question, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things?” Ultimately, I found great comfort in the answer that Paul provided, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” This answer carried me through Trump’s presidency and the tripartite evils of racism, sexism, and classism that have been openly going to and fro seeking whom it may devour since his presidency. We survived what we thought we couldn’t because God is for us!
Still, like many of you, I find myself with amplified feelings from 2016, I believe that God being for us, evidence of God’s faithfulness, God’s power, and God’s justice, will carry us through the next four years and whatever lies ahead. For as Paul continues later In that same text, “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.”
Growing in Christ
Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah