Jimmy Carter gives first Sunday School lesson since diagnosis

Three days after he revealed to the world that a deadly form of cancer had spread from his liver to his brain, an energetic Jimmy Carter shared a short and simple Sunday School lesson about love with a record number of people who started lining up at dawn to hear the former President share his uncomplicated message.

A crowd of more than a thousand people poured into town to hear Carter teach for the 689th time since leaving the White House. That turnout led him to teach twice, once at the Maranatha Baptist Church and once to a hastily scheduled assembly in the auditorium of the old Plains High School.

Carter has been teaching Sunday School since he was 18 years old, but this lesson took on a special meaning. The 90-year-old Carter underwent radiation treatments on Thursday and also began a regimen of a new drug that encourages the immune system to help fight the cancerous cells.

Jan Williams, a longtime friend, is the church pianist and also serves as her neighbor's warm-up act.

She asked people crowded into the pews not to applause, not to stand when he arrived and not to shake his hand. "Feel blessed for being here, for many are not here," she said, referring to folks relegated to the schoolhouse.

Carter came into the sanctuary with his usual smile and usual wisecracking inquiry about whether there were any visitors. He ordinarily opens with an update about what he had been doing the week before and that led to comments about the cancer diagnosis and the radiation.

"Enough about that," he said, promising he would be back in class next Sunday. "I intend to teach at Maranatha as long as I am able."

Sons Chip and Jeff and a squad of grandchildren clustered in pews around their mother, who celebrated her 88th birthday at a party on Saturday night. When the lesson mentioned the Greek word "eros," the former President could not resist poking fun at Rosalynn, his wife of 69 years.

"What does eros mean?" he asked. No one answered. "Come on, it's OK to mention it in church."

Eros refers to physical love, and Carter made peace with his wife by pointing out that their love "did not begin with eros."

Most of the lesson revolved around "agape," the kind of love Jesus displayed. "This is the foundation of the Christian faith," he said.

Before the 11 o'clock worship service began, Carter excused himself to teach the lesson a second time in the building where he graduated from high school.

That was unfortunate, for the Rev. Jeremy Shoulta's words were tailor-made for a person facing the struggles Carter is.

This was the seventh and final message in a series of sermons about the book of Ephesians, so the subject was coincidental. The pastor's text said Christians should: "Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil."

This story was originally published August 23, 2015 at 9:11 PM with the headline "Jimmy Carter gives first Sunday School lesson since diagnosis ."