Chaplain’s Corner – Joy to the World!

Dec25

“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world” (John 1:9).

The Jews were in a time of Advent some 2019 years ago, even though they would not have called it by that name. They knew the Scriptures, they knew what Isaiah had told them in Isaiah 9:6-7 indicating the coming of a king to “reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom…forever.” However, it was a dark time in the world; even the religious leaders of the day were more concerned about their status with the earthly Roman rulers than they about with their relationship with their own heavenly father. It was a time to lay low, to survive. It would seem that there was no hope. But then, in God’s perfect timing, the prophesies about the coming of a king came true:

“Jesus came to earth that we might go to heaven.  Jesus was born of a virgin that we might be born again.  When you celebrate this Christmas season, may it be with an increased love for a Father who sent His only begotten Son—and a Savior, the Second Person of the Trinity, who laid aside His royal robes and stepped onto earth to become “obedient unto death—even the death of the cross.” No wonder we say that is human history’s greatest event.” (Adrian Rogers)

I wish you the most joyful of days as we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, Light of the World, our Merciful Savior, our Forever Friend, our Eternal King.

Joy to the World*, by Isaac Watts, is my favorite Christmas song. I hope you enjoy this rendition by Pentatonix.

Joy to the World; the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King!
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields & floods, rocks, hills & plains
Repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love.

*based on  Psalm 96:11–12; Genesis 3:17–18; Psalm 98,

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – The Blessed Hope

Dec18

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).

If you grew up in church you probably witnessed many depictions of the nativity. What a rare blessing to be a baby or a young parent at Christmas time and be able to play the part of Jesus, Mary, or Joseph in a nativity play. It’s not too hard for us to imagine that precious family and to sympathize with their plight of having to be out of town and in rustic circumstances giving birth. It’s not too hard for us to imagine Jesus growing up in a small town, learning the carpentry trade. It’s perhaps more challenging to imagine Jesus taking on the life of an itinerant preacher with his group of disciples and friends, speaking in the temple and throughout the countryside. It’s emotionally difficult, but perhaps not impossible, to imagine Jesus last days before his crucifixion. These are all related to Jesus’ humanity, and he is not the only one in history to have had similar experiences.

However, when we get to the part about Jesus sitting at the right hand of God, we have to rely only on biblical descriptions because no one has actually seen such a thing except perhaps in visions. So amazing is the vision of Jesus as described by John in Revelation 19:11-16 “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

This is Almighty God, the omnipotent, all-powerful, reflecting another of His divine attributes along with self-existence and omnipresence that we learned about in last week’s message on Advent. The passage in Revelation is a vision of the truth of the promise made first in Genesis 3:15 and then in Isaiah 45:23 “By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.”

As surely as all the promises that have already come to pass about Jesus’ birth and earthly ministry, we can count on the fact that, at just the right time, Jesus will utterly crush all his enemies for all time. As John writes according to the vision he received of God, seated on a great white throne “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true” (Revelation 20:11, 21:3-5).

It is hard for me to fully grasp these truths—they are just so fantastic! However, it is not hard for me to realize that our current environment is not ideal, that is far from the world that God intended when He created it. I know that God is good and that He is able. While it is our calling to live in this world and to minister as we are called, we know that this world is not our ultimate destiny. We have been given the vision of our ultimate destiny, and it is my prayer that reflecting on these Scriptures will help us all to more fully worship our LORD and Savior during this holy Advent season.

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:11-14).

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Emmanuel

Dec11

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).

In the Chaplain’s Corner last week, we read about the meaning of Advent, which means coming. As a season, it is a time of celebration of the first coming of Christ (Nativity). Officially, it is also a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the return of Jesus as the Second Coming. However, what I really want to focus on in this Chaplain’s Corner is worshipping the God “who is,” which is the first attribute mentioned in the scripture quoted above. I am, of course, speaking of the Trinity:  God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ, son of God), and God the Holy Spirit.

I relate this to how God described himself in Genesis, the great “I am,” which relates to God’s divine attributes of “self-existence” and “omnipresence.” God has attributes that we as humans can aspire to, attributes such as love, mercy, justice, etc. God also possesses attributes that are not humanly possible. These are the divine attributes such as self-existence, omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience.

Self-existence means that God exists eternally. He was not created; He always was and always will be, the Alpha and the Omega. He is not contained by time. He was as present to my great-grandparents as He will be to my great-grandchildren. Moses wrote this beautiful tribute found in Psalm 90:1-2: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

Omnipresence means that God is always everywhere. Not only does God exist eternally, God is also present “geographically” everywhere all the time. What a comfort (for believers) is the truth that is contained in this passage from Psalm 139:7-10:  “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”

To me, this means that we not only worship the historical Jesus or the future Jesus, we also worship the current Jesus, the Jesus of today. When Jesus ascended to Heaven, he promised us he would be with us always. Notice the present tense of this verse: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b). We acknowledge Jesus with our prayers. When we pray with expectation that He will answer, then we are acknowledging the Jesus who is with us today. When we recognize and praise Jesus for answered prayers, we are acknowledging the grace and mercy of Jesus who is with us today.

  • “Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
  • Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Romans 8:34b).
  • “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 1:1-2).

Every day, every moment, realize that Jesus is with you. Earnestly seek Him. Acknowledge Him. Talk to Him. Ask Him. Thank Him. Jesus is not just a historical event that we read about in the Bible, although He was. Jesus is not just a future possibility that we can hope for when we die, although He will be. Jesus is real, He is now. He is the Word, living and active. Jesus is our intercessor, our intermediary, our advocate. He is Emmanuel, God With Us.

It is my prayer that this message will help us all to more fully celebrate and worship our great God, the giver of all good and perfect gifts, during this holy season of Christmas.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – ‘Tis the Season

Dec4

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).

‘Tis the Season – In my opinion, the Christmas Season began the day after Thanksgiving. Not because of Black Friday (I personally do not observe Black Friday; it terrifies me). But because I insist on not taking anything away from Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays of the year. So now, the Christmas season is in full swing, and it is 21 days until Christmas Day.

We also call this the season of Advent, which this year began on Sunday, December 1 (the fourth Sunday before Christmas). What exactly is Advent? It derives from Latin and means “coming.” As a season, it is a time of celebration of the first coming of Christ (Nativity). Officially, it is also a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the Jesus’ Second Coming. As American Christians, we get the Nativity, and I think we try hard not to get too caught up in the secular and to remember to celebrate the birth of our Savior. However, just speaking for myself, I haven’t been as diligent about remembering Jesus’ Second Coming.

Just to be clear, celebrating the season of Advent is not mandated by the Bible; it is not even formally recognized by many Protestant churches. And the meaning associated with its observance has even changed over time. However, it is right to continually remember and celebrate all of the promises of God and what Christ means to us. We know that many of the Old Testament prophecies of Jesus’ birth include a reference to Jesus’ ultimate reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We know that the part of the prophecy about Jesus’ birth has already come to pass. We have no reason to doubt that the part of the prophecy about Jesus’ Second Coming will also come true. We are called to be in a state of constant preparation; we are called to be in a constant state of expectancy.

This passage in the Old Testament speaks to both comings: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this“ (Isaiah 9:6-7).

Then, after his resurrection, when Jesus was ready to ascend to heaven, he gathered his disciples to tell them how he would come back the second time: “…Then they gathered around him and asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’  He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority….’  After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.  They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:9-11).

‘Tis the season to celebrate the gift of salvation, designed by God himself as the only way to reconcile us back to Him and escape the otherwise torment of Hell, and freely given to us through the first coming, death on the cross, and resurrection of his son Jesus. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). But let’s not stop with worshipping Jesus as the baby, or even with worshipping Jesus as the Good Shepherd or Good Teacher. It is also the season to focus on the incredibly important second coming of Christ, through which we will actually experience ultimate deliverance from Satan and his earthly rule.

John receives a vision that Jesus will return, coming with the clouds: “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS“

(Revelation 19:11-16).

In the following weeks of the Advent Season, we will learn more about preparing ourselves for Christ’s Second Coming. I welcome your comments about how you keep Christ at the forefront as you celebrate.

“’Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Thanksgiving

Nov27

Thanksgiving – I don’t know about you, but for me Thanksgiving is either an exhausting day or it’s a day with nothing much to do, and in recent years, it’s been the former much more than the latter.

  • Maybe you will have to work on Thanksgiving Day (just another day).
  • Maybe you will have to work, but it will be a busier day than usual.
  • Maybe you will be hosting family and/or friends.
  • Maybe you will be cooking for family and/or friends.
  • Maybe you will be spending the day with family and/or friends.
  • Maybe you will be able to squeeze in a few minutes with family and/or friends.
  • Maybe you will be traveling.
  • Maybe you won’t want to go anywhere.
  • Maybe you don’t have anywhere to go.

For many of us, it will seem like too much, or not enough. For many, especially us “Martha types”, it can be more about the “doing” and not the “being,” the “being with,” if we aren’t careful. Be careful.

I pray that you will have a perfect Thanksgiving Day. Not perfect as defined by a great meal, prepared perfectly, and where everyone volunteers to help clean up. Not perfect as defined as being with the people you want to be with, and everyone gets along. Not perfect as defined as the best work schedule for your personal schedule. But perfect as defined by knowing that you are in God’s will wherever you find yourself and with whomever you find yourself with.

My prayer is that regardless of how or where we end up spending Thanksgiving, that we will do it with a heart of ministry. I pray that whatever we do, we do it with a heart of love. Whether we are cooking, or washing pots and pans, or going somewhere, or doing our job at NRM, I pray that we will determine to be a blessing, to reflect the love of Christ, in each and every moment of the day. And I pray that our hearts in each and every moment of the day will resonate with the glory of God. May this be your Thanksgiving Prayer: Doxology (a beautiful version by Phil Wickham).

Praise God from whom all blessings flow

Praise him all creatures here below

Praise him above ye heavenly hosts

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Amen.

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Acceptance

Nov20

“But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1-2).

Last week I had a frustrating experience at a restaurant. I went inside to pick up a to-go salad. I’ve done this before, so I knew to go to the special counter for to-go orders. I was pleased as I approached the counter because there was an employee standing beside a large bag I assumed was mine. Great, I thought, I’ll be in and out in no time at all. Just as I got to the counter, she—without making eye contact with me (and I don’t know how she could have missed me)—left the counter to go speak with another employee. It seemed like they talked a good five minutes, and it appeared to be a casual conversation. They had to have seen me, but never acknowledged me, a customer! A third employee happened to walk out and asked, “Have you been waited on?” When I replied “no” they said, “I’ll go get someone for you.” And I finally got waited on. I know that’s not a big deal. But how hard would it have been for that first employee, or the second one, to have acknowledged my presence and to have done the same thing?

Now, I don’t want you to think I’m a prima donna and that everyone should just stop what they are doing when I walk in the door. Not at all. In fact, I’m typically one to assume that even if we have met before that you probably won’t remember me, so I’ll usually re-introduce myself just to be sure and to not cause any embarrassment. And when someone does remember me that I have only recently met, it makes me especially happy.

I think about this because I am trying to be sure that I don’t offend others by my lack of acknowledgement or recognition of them. This could easily happen because I tend to get absorbed in my thoughts sometimes and am not aware of my surroundings. It used to happen more frequently when I was too vain to wear my glasses. When my husband, then my boyfriend, and I would walk across campus, he would say, “Why didn’t you wave back at that person.” I’d have to say I didn’t see them (because I didn’t have my glasses on). While maybe that’s a good excuse, it didn’t make the person I ignored feel any better. I am trying to pay more attention, because while my acknowledging someone might not make an overall difference in their life, to be acknowledged or recognized could make a difference in their day. At the very least I could spare them the negative feeling of having been ignored or brushed off.

I also write about this because I am so thankful to know that our God, the Creator of the universe, divinely omniscient and omnipresent, the Alpha and the Omega, always recognizes me. He knows me. He loves me. He is interested in me in that He always knows what I am doing and thinking. He cares about me and He cares for me. He listens whenever I speak to Him. God not only acknowledges me, He never fails to recognize me as His own. He calls me by name. What a great and good God we serve!

I love the story about the woman in Matthew 9:20-22. When she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, he turned and saw her, and spoke to her with compassion.

Our challenge is to bring praise to God by doing likewise with one another. “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:7).

In Christ,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Be Prepared

Nov13

I was a Brownie Scout in second grade, and I loved it. I wanted to “fly up” to Girl Scouts, but there was no troop nearby, so I bought the handbook and worked through many of the merit badges on my own. My husband was a Boy Scout, and I have jokingly told him many times that he took the scout motto of “Be Prepared” too seriously when it comes to his car. Honestly, I believe my husband could survive for a month with just what you could find in his car at any given moment!

I was a working mom. I began my work career before having children, and then had a baby boy, then another (they were 20 months apart). When they were still young, a coworker came to me in a panic. She was pregnant with her first child, and she asked me “How do you do it?” I told you just had to be prepared for every contingency in advance, and then “go with the flow.” Got to work overtime? Have a backup childcare plan. Sick child? Have a back up work plan. Etc.

“Be Prepared” is a good motto, and it is actually biblical, with at least four applications.

1.  As in the above examples, it is wise to prepare in advance for certain things. We all know the wisdom of saving, storing up necessities, establishing an emergency savings account, saving for retirement, etc. Proverbs 6:6-8 tells us to “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” Of course, we know not go to excess in this. Jesus tells us to rely on him for our “daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). In fact, Jesus tells us not to lay up treasures on earth, but instead to “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). I believe there is an underlying message here that we should do our part to provide for ourselves and our families. However we don’t need to stress over it, trusting that God will take care of us when our efforts fall short. Also, we should not go to extreme and hoard more than we need of anything, but instead put that extra energy to use in working for the Kingdom.

2. I have found that being mentally and emotionally prepared for the day is very helpful. To me, this means prayerfully thinking through the day and asking God to help me to be prepared. Each morning, I try to have two to three major objectives to accomplish every day, whether it is people that I want to see, a report I need to write, or some project to make progress on. Then I make sure I have what I need and also make sure that I have prayed for God’s will in each endeavor. It also means anticipating the various things that might happen. I will think through potential meetings (both formal and informal) and try to anticipate how the conversation will go, what the outcome should be, and what ask God for wisdom to ensure that I do as He wills.

3. Another example of being prepared is in dealing with temptation. For example, I am watching my calories, trying to lose weight. I know when I go into the breakroom that there might be pastries there. I tell myself before I go that I am not going to even look at them. And I have an apple on my desk if I really get tempted (get it?). Because if I don’t do both those things, I will be taken by surprise and probably decide that I am famished and one little pastry won’t hurt. I love what Rick Warren has to say about being prepared to battle temptation: “When the Devil gives us an idea, it’s temptation. You choose every day which thought you’re going to dwell on. You can change your mind by replacing the temptation with truth, and truth is found in the Bible. The Bible says to resist the Devil. How do you do that? By preparing for the temptation. Ephesians 6:17 says, “Accept God’s salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (NCV). There are two things you need to do in order to handle temptation. Salvation is the first step: “Accept God’s salvation as your helmet.” What does a helmet do? It protects your head and your mind, and that’s where the battle is going on. Before you can say no to the Devil, you have to learn to say yes to Jesus Christ. You’ve got to have his power through salvation.The second step is to receive God’s Word to use as a sword. Truth is the antidote to temptation. You can keep your Bible on the coffee table at home, but when you’re at work and you are tempted, what good is it going to do you? No good at all! You need to get the truth that is in that book into your mind.Without a doubt, the single most effective tool to combating temptation is to memorize Scripture. If you don’t have any verses memorized, you’ve got no weapon for the fight! When the Devil comes along, how are you going to counter him? He’s not afraid of your opinion, but he does fear the truth. The sword of God is God’s truth, but it only becomes a weapon when you memorize it.”*

4. The fourth application, and by far the most important, is to be prepared by establishing a relationship with Jesus, ensuring that you know Him, and He knows you. Jesus taught about the signs of the end of the age, and in the 25th chapter of Matthew, he gives the parable of the ten virgins. When they learn at midnight that the bridegroom had come, the five foolish virgins realized that they had failed to prepare themselves with oil for their lamps and had to go the store first before going into the wedding feast. When they finally arrived for the feast, the door was shut. Jesus denied their entry, saying, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.” Don’t be caught unprepared.

If you have not surrendered your life to Christ, here is a simple prayer that you can prayto God: Heavenly Father, I know that I’ve sinned against You. I realize that the penalty for sin is death. Thank you for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die, shedding His own blood on the cross in my place so that I could receive His-righteousness by faith. I now confess my sins to You and ask for Your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died and rose again so that I can be forgiven and live forever with Him. Here and now, I surrender my life, my plans, my goals to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. By God’s strength, I will seek to shareabout what God has done in my life with each opportunity God brings my way. InJesus Name I pray, Amen.

In Christ,

Judy *

Excerpted from Daily Hope Devotional by Rick Warren (November 11, 2019)

Chaplain’s Corner – Victory in Jesus

Nov6

One of the saddest verses in the Bible is from Judges: “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6). It’s sad because we know that it signified departure from God’s will, and we also know that the consequences were always defeat at the hands of an enemy. What is the opposite of doing right in our own eyes? Jesus tells us “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built His house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock” (Matthew 7:24-25). What is the opposite of defeat? It is victory. And how do we obtain victory? By building our house on the foundation of God’s word.

I recently returned from a trip to several countries in Europe. It was an amazing trip for all the reasons that you might expect–beautiful scenery and so many historical sights. I saw windmills and castles, Gothic cathedrals and Baroque palaces. I really like history and knew that I would love seeing things that I had only read about, buildings that were built as early as the ninth century.

What really struck me, however, was that alongside all those glorious buildings were ugly 1950’s era concrete-reinforced bunker-looking buildings replacing acres of towns that had been totally demolished by the bombing during WWII.  In Nuremburg we drove by the staging ground for Hitler’s Nazi rallies, and we saw where the war crimes trials took place. In several German towns we saw plaques memorializing the former homes of Jews who had been taken to concentration camps, and who never returned home.

We ended our trip in Prague, Czech Republic, probably the most beautiful city I have ever seen. Like many European countries, this area has been governed under many, many ruling peoples: Slavs, Huns, Avars, Bulgars, Magyars, Franks, and Mongols; The Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburg Monarchy, the Ottomans and Turks, and the Austrian Empire. It was the Kingdom of Bohemia, then the Czechoslovak Republic. Loyalties were in such disarray that Czech soldiers fought on both sides of WWI. The area was then occupied by Nazi Germany which targeted nearly two thirds of its citizens for deportation or death in order to make room for German citizens. German occupation ended on May 9, 1945 with the arrival of the Allied troops. However, in 1948 the Communist Party took over and Czechoslovakia became a Communist State within the Eastern Bloc.

The country was in turmoil for most of this time.  It was only in November 1989 that Czechoslovakia became a liberal democracy through the peaceful “Velvet Revolution” led by Václav Havel. Since then the country has amicably split into two countries: Czech Republic and Slovakia, and both countries are successful and democratic. As we toured this beautiful old city, we heard people speak of preparing to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their independence, and that is what really stuck with me, even more than the beauty–the fact that these people have been through so many traumatic changes, even as recent as thirty years ago.

The turbulence was not always ethnic. Jan Hus was a Czech religious reformer who predated Martin Luther by about 100 years. He was burned at the stake in 1450. Catholics and Protestants were in conflict all over Europe, including this area. Now this area, as is most of Europe, is largely nonreligious despite the number of beautiful cathedrals and churches which now function more as museums, art galleries, and tourist destinations. More than half of the residents claim to be nonbelievers.* This compares to the United States where 21% have no religious affiliation (according to a Gallup survey in 2017).

Learning just a little of what the people of this country have been through, in my own lifetime, was sobering. I know there are lessons to be learned. Here are some that I thought of:

  1. I am so thankful for the democratic republic form of government of the United States that has remained in place since its founding. Along with that, I am thankful for the peaceful transition of government when we have a change in administration. I tend to take this for granted, but in most of the world this is a time for unrest and potential violence.
  2. I am more motivated to want to know more about the current events in the countries around me, and to pray for them. Christians in Europe are a minority, and I fear that they are in jeopardy and need our fervent prayers.
  3. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men (and women) to do nothing.” (often attributed to Edmund Burke). I am committed to being more firm in my beliefs and to stand up for my beliefs. There is nothing to prevent the United States from eventually going the way of Europe unless we, each of us, is committed to that not happening and to take appropriate action.

I’m not sure what caused all those changes, or maybe the better question is how did this country allow all those changes to occur? Complacency, apathy, fear?? In the swirl of news, fake news, and trash on the internet, I challenge myself and each of us to not look to ourselves or to anyone else as our spiritual leader, but instead always stay tuned in to God, our one true sovereign Lord. Let us be committed to always doing the right thing according to the Scriptures. Let us be strong and courageous, saying with Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). I want to thank Gabe Roberson for reminding me that our best next step is to always make the next right decision. Let us strive always for Victory in Jesus, for ourselves, our children, our grandchildren, and our world.

In Christ,

Judy

*For more information, read this article from Radio Free Europe entitled “Czech Republic: Hussite Church History Mirrors That of Nation.” (https://www.rferl.org/a/1097922.html)

Chaplain’s Corner – Biblical Themes: Speech

Oct30

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue….” (Proverbs 18:21a ESV).

 “Words are not simply sounds caused by air passing through our larynx. Words have real power. God spoke the world into being by the power of His words (Hebrews 11:3), and we are in His image in part because of the power we have with words. Words do more than convey information. The power of our words can actually destroy one’s spirit; even stir up hatred and violence. They not only exacerbate wounds but inflict them directly. Of all the creatures on this planet, only man has the ability to communicate through the spoken word. The power to use words is a unique and powerful gift from God.”*

Think back over your life. I hope you can recall some examples of when someone spoke some encouraging words to you, or when someone took the time to give you some constructive advice. Maybe it’s when someone shared their testimony or the gospel message. What you may recall instead, unfortunately, is when someone said something hateful to you, or maybe even behind your back, and how that made you feel. Most of us carry with us the pain of words that have wounded us. Words can bring life, and they can hurt our hearts. I am thankful for the encouraging words you have been given, and I am so sorry when you have been hurt by words spoken thoughtlessly or from a mean heart.

And brothers and sisters, I think you know where I am going. Who of us is innocent of doing the same thing to someone else? Surely we have been mostly good with our speech when dealing with others, but if you are like me, you have said things that you are ashamed of. I can think of too many instances when I said something I should not have said, or in a way that I should not have said it.

I am reminded of the passage where Isaiah was called to the ministry. Isaiah had a vision of “the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke” (Isaiah 6:1-4). Then, in verse 5, surrounded by such a vision of glory, Isaiah reacts: “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” When in the presence of the King, the LORD Almighty, he realizes with shame that it is his speech that is so condemning (can you relate?). After Isaiah’s confession, his lips are cleansed. “Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” And then God speaks to Isaiah giving him his call to ministry. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” (Isaiah 6:6-8).

Clearly, speech is vitally important. It is how the Bible was brought into existence (Read). “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

And in John 1:1-5, 14 we read that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life  and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Jesus is the Word, and in Him is life. And clearly, as followers of Jesus, we must be obedient in the purity and usefulness of our speech. Just a few examples of the admonishment and instruction found in the New Testament:

  • Jesus said, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36–37).
  • Paul said “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29).
  • Paul said: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6).

Friends, let us be ever diligent to make sure our words are thoughtful, beneficial, and truthful while full of grace. And when they are not all of those things, then I pray that we can just keep our mouths shut, right?

Some of you know how much I like Toby Mac. I hope you will enjoy one of my favorite songs of his which is so instructive. May it just play over and over in the back of your mind as a reminder to Speak Life.

In Christ,

Judy

*Excerpted from an article in Got Questions.Org. https://www.gotquestions.org/power-of-words.html.

Chaplain’s Corner – Biblical Themes: The Journey

Oct23

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

In the Chaplain’s Corner last week, I wrote about wilderness experiences. These are times when we feel lost, when we don’t know what to do or where to go, where we feel as if we are not making progress in the right direction. The opposite of a wilderness experience is when we are on a journey, when we are moving confidently in the path that we believe to be ordained by God.

This message is similar to a devotional I gave last month at the Women’s Fellowship Luncheon, so a few of you might remember it. I said that when I began to pray about the message, the verse above from John 14:6 came almost immediately to mind.

That’s an absolute statement if I ever heard one. You know that some things are flexible, but there is no wiggle room in this statement. We can be vegetarians or meat eaters. We can travel by car, on foot, air, train or any number of ways. But in this verse, there is absolutely no flexibility or option. Jesus is THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE. NO ONE comes to the Father except through Jesus.

And by saying that Jesus is the way, this implies to me a journey, and I have always liked that analogy of life, comparing our lives to a journey. The book Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan, which has been so popular through the years, is an allegory about Christian’s journey to the Celestial City, which is Heaven. Now some of us are on a pilgrimage type of journey—we have a destination and we are working hard to get there. If you are on a journey, but don’t have a destination in mind, then you might be more about wandering in the wilderness, and as we discussed last week, that’s okay, too, as long as we realize it. You can learn a lot about yourself and about God when you are in the wilderness, if you will let yourself.

Last month I had the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. with a friend. My friend has a good innate since of direction, but I do not. She thinks she can’t read a map however, but I can, or at least I thought I could. The first day we were there, we just decided to wander. We didn’t have any tours booked, so we just decided to get the lay of the land. We asked the concierge at the hotel which way to the Washington Monument, which is a central point for all the famous sites. We thought that would get us going in the right direction, and it did. A special feature is that you can see it from a long way off, so that also gave us a reference point. We enjoyed our day, and all the rest of the time we were there. On Friday, our last day, we went to Mt. Vernon by boat, and returned to D.C. about 3 pm. We had plans for the evening, but nothing on the agenda for the afternoon, so I said I wanted to see the Museum of the Bible. It’s relatively new, opened less than two years. We didn’t have a lot of time because it closed at 5, so we Ubered there. It was amazing (that’s perhaps another Chaplain’s Corner), and then it was closing time. We decided to walk back to the hotel.

I can tell you that we were still enjoying ourselves, but our feet were beginning to feel the accumulated stress of so much walking on concrete so we didn’t want to waste any steps on going in the wrong direction. So me, the map reader, gets out the map and says, we are on 4th, and therefore we should cross the street and walk up the block, and if we hit 3rd, we know we are ok. So that’s what we did, and we hit 6th. Uh, oh. We turned around and went the other direction, and then I said we should cross North Carolina Avenue next, but we didn’t. Uh, oh. So we stopped and asked a woman in uniform how to get to our hotel and she said go up the next light and take a right. What? That couldn’t be correct. By my calculation, that would mean we were going in the opposite direction, away from our hotel. But we did it anyway, walked to the next light, took a right, and guess what—the Capitol was right in front of us! Thank you!!!

As grateful as we were to get our bearings, I was also stunned. How could this be? How could I have been so off?

Well, first off, was I using the right map? I’m happy to say that I was. I knew the Museum was on 4th Street. If I had been looking for a map with a 4th Street, many city maps would do. Even a map of Nashville would do. But just because it has 4th Street doesn’t mean that it’s the right 4th Street. I need to be sure that I am using the correct map. That seems obvious, but you know that we often look for spiritual maps based on the qualities we desire; perhaps we look for spiritual maps that worship the idols we prefer to worship. In spiritual terms, that might be like saying I’m looking for a religion that is all about love. Many religions are about love. New Age religion, for example, is more about love of self, and it would be very validating of the way I might selfishly prefer to feel and live my life. But only one religion defines love as first and foremost about a relationship between ourselves and God, and that is the only Truth and our only hope. The Bible is our best map, it is the TRUTH, and it will not steer us wrong.

Well, the good news is that I was using the right map, so again, what had I done wrong? Come to find out, I had calculated our location incorrectly. The Museum of the Bible is on 4th Street, but somehow I had plotted it into the southeast rather than the southwest quadrant of D.C. So my lefts should have been rights, etc. That would be like trying to get to the Women’s Campus on 8th Ave. S, rather than 8th Ave. N. (or Rosa Parks as it is now). The spiritual comparison is ensuring that we are in right standing with God each and every day, before we head out on our journey. Even with the right map, or right belief system about God, we must re-orient ourselves continually with God, through prayer, confession, reading our Bible. These are basics, but they are most important to us as we continue our journey, our pilgrimage, to the Promised Land, the Celestial City, Heaven.

That last comparison I will make is about landmarks and advisors. The way I found out that I had calculated the location incorrectly was when we stopped to ask directions. We found a woman in a Park Service Uniform, so we knew she would be knowledgeable. She had the right credentials. When we were walking around town earlier in the week in the National Mall area with all the monuments, there were directional signs everywhere pointing us to the different memorials. That was very helpful. But I can’t tell you how relieved we were on that last day to see the Capital, just about three blocks away. Even though I knew I was not where I thought I should be, I knew that it was where it was supposed to be, and I could get my bearings. At last, we knew where we were! I love the memorials that are designated in the Bible. The Temple, the rainbow, the 12 Stones from the Jordan River are all tangible reminders of the majesty and power of God and what He has done for us. Weekly worship, and even the things we celebrate on a regular basis such as the Lord’s Supper and baptism are those reminders that help us to be sure that we are going in the right direction, heading toward our final destination.

So, when you are on your journey, be sure that you have the right map—the Bible, that you are orienting yourself regularly through prayer, confession, and reading and memorizing Scripture, and that you are taking advantage of landmarks and directional signs such as belonging to a Bible-believing church where you can participate in life groups and participate in corporate worship with the ordinances such as the Lord’s Supper and Baptism.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

May God bless you on your journey.

In Christ,

Judy