God’s spirit will call the people from the East to join hands with the people from the West, and the people from the North to join hands with the people from the South and all will seek the other’s good. None will smite [another], nor deal deceitfully. They will sing at their labors, and be thankful for the fruits of the fields and factories. Their soldiers will learn the arts of peace. . . . All will be spared the degradation of making implements of war and the agonizing shame of using them. God’s spirit will join an old man’s wisdom with a young man’s strength and they will be partners for the Lord. They will respect one another, and will be slow to take offense and quick to forgive. . . .

God’s spirit will give eyes to [humankind] with which to see the glory of the Lord. God’s spirit will give ears . . . to hear the sound of his trumpet as well as his still small voice. He will dwell with us and be our God, and we shall be his people. He will wipe away our tears, dispel our doubt, remove our fears, and lead us out. He will heal the brokenhearted, open the eyes of the blind, release the captives, preach the good news to the poor, and usher in the acceptable year of the Lord. He will bulldoze the mountains and fill in the valleys, he will make the rough places smooth and the crooked ways straight. He’ll stand every man on his feet so that all [humankind] may see his glory together.

Clarence Jordan, “The Substance of Faith and Other Cotton Patch Sermons”

Clarence Jordan (1912–1969), a farmer and New Testament Greek scholar, was the founder of Koinonia Farm, a small but influential religious community in southwest Georgia. He was instrumental in founding Habitat for Humanity.