December 28, 2023, Mrs. Willa C: Consumed with Passion!
“Passion for God’s house will consume me” (John 2:17 NLT)
At one point in the town’s history well into the mid-1960s, there was a 9 O’clock whistle on Saturday nights which was a siren the authorities blew to warn Blacks to clear off the downtown streets. This is well documented in a film produced and directed by 95-year-old retired English teacher Willa Cofield Johnson. Here is the trailer for the film: The Nine O’clock Whistle documentary trailer on Vimeo
I was surprised to learn recently that Mrs. Willa C is still active in the work she was so passionate about in the 1960s. She is writing a companion book to supplement the documentary film cited above. When you are passionate about something, it consumes you lifelong, and you do it with all your heart, soul, and strength. This is illustrated in Scripture through Jesus’ passion for His Father’s house.
On two occasions, Jesus cleansed the temple, His Father’s house, of money changers and merchants He called thieves. He did this at the beginning of His ministry (John 2:13-17), and again near the end just before He was crucified (Matt. 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:45-48). Earlier, when Mary and Joseph lost Him for three agonizing days when He was only 12, He passionately exclaimed in response to Mary’s question, “Didn’t you know I must be in my Father’s house?” or “about my Father’s business?” Since the Father’s House is in each one of us, Jesus was saying that He is consumed with passion for you and for me! “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost” (1 Cor. 6:19). You are the Father’s house and His house shall be a house of prayer (Luke 19:46).