I John 4: God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. ¹⁷ Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. ¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. ²⁰ Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. ²¹ The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. ^[1]

 Our time in South Africa is winding down.  We are finishing our last day in Cape Town.  Tomorrow we fly back to Johannesburg and will go directly to a game reserve about two hours outside of the city.  I am looking forward to seeing the really big animals in a natural setting.  Today I traveled with a small subset of our group to the South African wine country which is about an hour away from Cape Town.  On the way back the bus driver pulled into the entrance of a prison – the prison from which Nelson Mandela was finally released after his final two years of incarceration.  For our small group it was a moving experience.  There is a statue outside of the prison with Mandela raising an arm as he left the prison.

After returning to the hotel some of us made arrangements to go to dinner.  We asked the hotel to call a cab.  As we waited for the cab our conversation centered on preparations for departure.  Some in our group said they had been told by the hotel staff that they had prepared for our arrival for weeks in advance.  I suspect it was a combination of things.  Our group of 61 persons is relatively large.  Another thing about our group that evidently stood out is that the economy of Cape Town is supported by black service staff, but the people spending the money by in large appear to be white.  Other than blacks who drive taxis I have not seen any blacks behind the wheel of many cars in Cape Town.  We saw this in the restaurants, tours, hotel, everything and every place we went.  To be black consumers of a tourist economy appears to be unusual in this city.

 At 7 AM each morning the hotel restaurant seems to come to a standstill.  The head waitress turns down the music, the waiters hold up delivering food as we read the bible out loud, share thoughts and prayer- often ending with the Lord’s Prayer.  I like this waitress.  She is small in stature, but carries a big stick.  The day we arrived she had words with the hostess, who was a tall blond woman who told me and Denise the kitchen was closed.  The little black waitress handed me a menu and told the hostess that she had already spoken with the chef and he agreed to feed us.  The two women had cross words with each other, but in the end, the little black waitress won out.  Every morning after devotions I give her a tip, smile at her and tell her that she obviously is the strongest woman in all of South Africa.  When she returns my smile it seems like she knows what I am talking about.

  When we finished today, two white South African men rode the elevator to my floor and got off with me.  They wanted to know where we were from and seemed to be quite interested in how we found South Africa.  Each day when we conclude devotions at least one white person comes up to me and says something like, “God bless all of you.”

In a ironic way I think we are having an effect on the hotel and some of its staff and guests.  I get the feeling that they are impressed with such a large group of African American Christians who are spending money, acting with class and dignity, but relating to the staff in a humane manner.

The text I am going to use for tomorrow’s devotional is the one printed at the top of this page.  In particular I want to focus on the section where John says, “there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear.” (vs. 18)  The more I consider the amazing transition of South Africa from apartheid to independence and equality for all persons, regardless of color, the better I understand John’s observation that “perfect love casts out all fear.”

Fear of black independence is what perpetuated apartheid.  Fear of freedom has prevented some black South Africans from exercising their full potential.  Fear of love produces hate.  An unwillingness to hate produces love.  And, perfect love casts out all fear.  All week long I have wondered how white South African’s have handled the demolition of apartheid.  I may never know the answer to that question, but what I do know is that blacks and whites alike in South Africa seem to be stepping out into the darkness of faith, not knowing what the future will hold, but having seen enough of a glimpse of the future to walk bravely through the night into the gentle light of a dawning sun.

Blessings and peace to you.  I continue to be faithfully,

Yours,

Nick

Rev. Dr. Nicholas Hood, III

Pastor and Senior Minister

Plymouth United Church of Christ

600 E Warren Ave.

Detroit, Michigan 48201

www.puccdetroit.org