“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6)

I have two brothers, and between them and our Dad, our house in my childhood was rather rambunctious to say the least, and often full of conflict, with fighting, yelling, etc. My sweet mother suffered through all of this and begged for peace. She would have been happy if everyone just stopped yelling and fighting. However, as a mother myself, I know now that what she really longed for was not just the elimination of conflict but the restoration of love and reconciliation between all the members of her family. Maybe you can relate at some level. As a mother, I am most happy when all my children are together and truly enjoying each other. It is then that I feel whole, complete. I hope you can relate. That sense of wholeness is the essence of “shalom.”

“Shalom” is the Hebrew word for “peace,” but it means much more than the absence of conflict. It means restoration or reconciliation, completeness or wholeness. Many times in the Old Testament we have seen reference to peace treaties after a time of war. We have seen peace treaties in modern world history. Typically, there are conditions and regulations to ensure not only a ceasefire, but to instruct how to live in harmony with each other.  We know these peace treaties are legally binding, but not always long-lasting. But when Isaiah prophesied the birth of Jesus in Isaiah 9:6, he revealed God’s promise of reconciliation, not primarily between people, but between people and God.

Ever since God sent Adam and Eve from the Garden, we have felt the consequence of our sin which separates us from God. It is only through the mediation of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, that we are not only spared the wrath of God but allowed back into God’s presence. It is only the sacrificial horrific death of Jesus on the cross that has gained for us the ability to rest in peace with God, eternally in His presence, whole and complete in His love. We celebrate Advent, the first coming of Jesus, because he is the Prince of Peace, our mediator to reconcile us and restore us to God’s holy eternal presence.

May you rest in His peace forever. Shalom.

“Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne  and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it  with justice and righteousness  from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty  will accomplish this” (Isaiah 9:7).

In Christ,

Judy

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

This is the season of Advent, and during this first week we will focus on hope. Hope has many definitions, but the one we use is a person. Jesus is our hope, our blessed hope as the above scripture reveals.

What’s your plan for Christmas? Mine tends to read like this: decorate the house and tree, get the Christmas cards mailed, make candy and cookies, buy presents, plan the family gift-giving and eating gathering. It’s no wonder then, that when it’s over, I’m exhausted. I dread putting up the Christmas decorations, I dread getting the pounds off that I put on with all the candy and cookies, I dread seeing my credit card balance from all the spending, and I’m worn out from all the celebrating. That just sounds awful, doesn’t it?  Why would we put ourselves through it? We say we do it for everyone else, because it’s expected of us. Really?

Now I know some people don’t go in for all that. They don’t decorate, they don’t participate in gift giving or family gatherings. But the people I know who are like that usually have less than positive reasons—Christmas is a depressing time for them, and they just want to get through it, ignore it and hope it goes away uneventfully. I can see that, and I understand. Really, I do. But it sounds equally awful.

What if we celebrated Christmas another way? It might only take changing our mind about what we are doing. What if our mindset was totally on celebrating the birth of the Christ Child, the arrival of the Savior of the world? If so, then:

• We might still decorate, but we are decorating for the most important birthday party in the history of the world. We are honoring our Savior by putting out our special beautiful seasonal décor, our best things that we save for such a time as this.
• We might still cook, but we are preparing these foods to offer hospitality and our most delicious treats in honor of our King and to welcome others into His presence.
• We might still send Christmas cards, but the purpose is to remind others of the coming of the Christ Child, which we can do with nativity-themed cards and messages, and even religious-themed stamps.
• We might still give gifts, but it’s all in recognition of God who loved us so much that He gave us His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not die but have eternal life.
• We might still celebrate with family and friends, but we do so with the intention of sharing the gospel message through our love, words and deeds.

So, again I ask, What’s your plan for Christmas? Is it to follow the culture? Or is it to be intentional?

I pray that you will enjoy Christmas for all it’s worth. I pray that the Holy Spirit guide you and strengthen you as you dedicate this season to the celebration of Jesus, who as God incarnate, the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, came to save his people from their sins. Our blessed hope. What a gift!!

In Christ,

Judy

Hope is traditionally one of the themes of Advent. The season of Advent ended on Christmas Day, but I was led to write about hope on this day after Christmas. After all, isn’t hope really the point of the birth of Christ? In fulfilling the promise of the first Advent of our Savior, God demonstrates his love for us and promises us the second Advent during which Jesus will return to earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords to reign in power and glory (Revelation 19:11-16).

 “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).

My real understanding of biblical hope came to me as a graduate student at seminary. Now I have always been in church and consider myself knowledgeable about the Bible. I accepted Christ as my Savior around my tenth birthday and have always had a relationship with Jesus. However, I admit that I have also been a child of my culture and not immune to teachings of nonbiblical writers. I became infatuated with worldly definitions of success, love, power, comfort, entertainment, and security.  The world view that is prevalent in our culture today denies the existence of absolute truth and good versus evil, and it encourages us to value worldly pleasures over the desire to please God.* These views have so infiltrated our thinking that they seem like truth—at least until really examined through the lens of the Scriptures. That is what Seminary did for me—it opened my eyes to the Truth. And here is the most important Truth that I learned (deep down I knew this, but I had really let the noise of current culture dilute it until it just wasn’t even obvious): Christ Is Our Only Hope in Life and Death.

In this context, hope is not “wishful thinking,” as in “I hope so.”  The hope we have in Christ is defined as “confident expectation.” When we say, “Christ is our only hope in life and death” we are not saying that maybe Christ is the answer to our problems. No! We are instead saying that we can confidently believe what Jesus tells us in John 14:6 when He says: “I am THE way and THE truth and THE life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Hope is believing that Jesus is who he says he is and that he can do what he says he can do. Biblical hope is built on faith (Hebrews 11:1).

Words are not sufficient to convey to you how transfixed I was as I sat in class discussing this truth in the context of dealing actual counseling situations, especially when those situations reflected issues in my own life. I can’t tell you how broken-hearted I was as I realized how toxic the culture is that we live in, how Satan has made so much headway in our schools, our laws, our environment, and how convicted I felt that I had bought into so many of these lies. And I cannot express the joy and excitement and relief that flooded my soul as we read these Scriptures and I really heard these Scriptures expressing the hope we have in Christ. Any teaching or counseling that does not include this confident expectation is, well, hopeless. Subscribers to this “hopeless” teaching and counseling are hopeless victims.

I am convinced that through Christ, we can redefine what it means to be joyful, successful, and secure; and to know that true joy, success, and security come from ^“…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

We know that Jesus not only authored our faith and through the gift of the Holy Spirit helps us to persevere and grow in our faith, He also seals our faith. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14). This, my brothers, and sisters in Christ, is why we have hope. This is why our mission at Nashville Rescue Mission is “Hope for Today, Hope for Tomorrow, and Hope for Eternity.” This is why “Hope Lives Here” at Nashville Rescue Mission. This isn’t just a nice sentiment, it is literally why we exist.  Just like the old gospel hymn “Rescue the Perishing”, the mission of the Mission is to proclaim the hope we have in Christ and His power to save. Shelter, food, clothing, case management, and programs are a merely a means to that end.

In the first Chaplain’s Corner of Advent, I wrote about the Promise of a Savior. Then I wrote about the Peace and Joy that we have in knowing that Jesus is our Savior. Hope is what unites us with the Promise, and Peace and Joy are the resulting fruits of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. My prayer for you, as we are ending 2018 and moving into 2019, is this: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less (lyrics by Edward Mote)

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
And I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, his covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in Him be found!
Dressed in his righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!

On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

In Christ,

Judy

*For more information on this topic, read: https://www.barna.com/research/competing-worldviews-influence-todays-christians/

Luke tells us about the birth of Jesus:  “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger’” (Luke 2:8-12).

Joy—the angel says that he brings good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Just as we use the word “joy” often in our daily language, there are also many references to joy in the Bible. What is joy? Joy is a feeling, or emotion. Many things can give us joy–a good meal, a visit from a friend, reuniting with family, obedient children–you get the idea. Spending time with my grandchildren makes me especially joyful, as do flowers, a good book, and those Hallmark Christmas movies that always end “happily ever after.” However, all these things are fleeting. What if the next meal isn’t forthcoming or especially good, what if the friend doesn’t come back, what if after reuniting there is dysfunction, what if the children then disobey? Sometimes good things happen and we still can’t appreciate it or summon a feeling of joy. Sometimes we have to use some kind of artificial stimulant to bring the joy. I know myself that I can feel very joyful one day and not so much the next, even though my circumstances have not changed. The fact is that feelings, or emotions, are unstable. God tells us in Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

So what is this good news that will cause great joy? We know that the good news is that “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” The long-promised Messiah has come. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14)….”the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)….”has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” 2 Timothy 1:10.

This is the good news that causes great joy, joy that is not dependent upon the fickleness of our hearts or the actions of any earthly being or thing! When we rest the in the life-giving love and glory and majesty of Jesus and obey his commands, we are secure in the only thing that really matters.  Our joy is real and it is complete.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:9-11).

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete” (1 John 1:1-4).

 During this season of Advent, let us proclaim to the world our joy for the gift of our Savior and the fact that our Savior reigns as the King of Kings and LORD of Lords.

I hope you will click on the link below—I promise you will be blessed by this rendition of one of my very favorite songs:

Lyrics to Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (words by Henry Van Dyke, music by Ludwig Van Beethoven)

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before Thee,
Op’ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and heav’n reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Flow’ry meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain
Call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Wellspring of the joy of living,
Ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother,
All who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the joy divine.

Mortals, join the happy chorus,
Which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o’er us,
Brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward,
Victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward
In the triumph song of life.

In Christ,

Judy

The night Jesus was born angels appeared to shepherds keeping watch over their flocks. “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, `Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men’” (Luke 2:13-14 KJV).

Peace – what a potentially misunderstood word for Christians. My mom (a faithful Christian) frequently expressed a desire for some “peace and quiet.” I can’t imagine whyJ. We often hear prayers for world peace; however, Jesus teaches his disciples that his second coming will be preceded by war and persecution. “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come” (Matthew 24:6).  In other words, it seems that a desire for world peace is contradictory to a desire for Jesus’ return. So peace as defined by the absence of conflict and war is not realistic in the view of a Christian. Of course, that doesn’t mean that Christians are in favor of war, just that it is the reality of the end times we are living in.

That said, it is important to note that the heavenly hosts accompanying the angel were actually God’s Angel Army (see the Chaplain’s Corner from April 18, 2018). Among other duties, God’s Angel Army has been commissioned to engage in spiritual warfare with Satan and his demons. We read about their work in Old Testament passages (examples 2 Kings 6 and Daniel 10). Can you imagine how the heavenly hosts must have felt to be assigned to announce the birth of the Prince of Peace, knowing that at long last the end of war was in sight? To me, it would be similar to being in a time of turmoil, maybe like an interim period between pastors at church or between leaders at work, and finally the new pastor or leader is announced and we have hope that everything will be good now. These heavenly hosts know that there will continue to be spiritual warfare for a time, but there is a new “general” in charge. Although he is a tiny baby now, he will be the King of Kings and LORD of LORDS, and that is why they are singing so joyously about the peace that is to come.

And then, Jesus himself tells us in in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” What is this peace that Jesus promises to us, this peace that is not of this world? In this verse from John 14 is the promise of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is explaining to the disciples about his pending departure, and here he is promising that God will send the Holy Spirit to be with them in his physical absence. This is a wonderful reference to the triune God—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The three persons of the trinity were perfectly reconciled to each other. Jesus came into the world to reconcile us with God, our Father, and he has asked that God also send the Holy Spirit to each of us. Ultimate peace is peace with God. We had alienated ourselves from God through our sin, and it is only through Jesus’ death on the cross that we can hope for reconciliation and peace with God, as Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (NIV):

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

 There is war and discord going on all over the world—war between nations, between ethnic groups, between political parties, between individuals. There is a key principle in overcoming these conflicts–this lack of peace–and that is to realize who our enemy really is. This war and discord is but a symptom of the spiritual warfare that is being waged between God’s Angel Armies and Satan and his demons. The enemy of peace is Satan; our common enemy is Satan. As we strive to make peace with God and with our fellow man, let us pray for wisdom and strength to resist Satan and engage in spiritual warfare, calling at all times on the Holy Spirit.

During this season of Advent, let us praise God for his promise of ultimate victory over Satan and peace “that is not of this world” through the coming of his Son: “Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you” (Romans 16:19-20).

Lyrics to “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” by Edmund Sears

 It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:
“Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,
From heaven’s all-gracious King.”
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come,
With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats
O’er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains,
They bend on hovering wing,
And ever o’er its babel sounds
The blessèd angels sing.

Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing.

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!

For lo!, the days are hastening on,
By prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever-circling years
Comes round the age of gold
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.

In Christ,

Judy

There’s a lot not to like about December. It’s cold. It’s often wet. It’s often wet and cold. It can be dreary. The days are getting shorter, and the traffic seems to get worse. But over the years, I have learned to love December for many reasons. Here are a few:

1. As much as I love to garden and see things grow, December affords me some time to clean out my gardens and to rest along with the ground.
2. I try to appreciate the cold crisp air, contrasting it with the hot and humid days of summer when I was wishing for a break in the heat.
3. With the leaves off the trees, I can see through the trees into people’s back yards and even further. I can see through the trees into the fields beyond as I am driving along the interstate. I know that sounds weird (please don’t judge me), but it’s just fun to see what is usually hidden by the trees and other undergrowth of spring, summer, and fall. And you are more likely to see hawks and other similar types of birds when the leaves are off the trees.
4. I love homemade soup, chili, and other hearty meals. They are just better when it’s cold outside.
5. I love “cozy.” Cozy is just a wintertime thing and it’s so comforting.

I think that December is also a great month because of Christmas, of course, and because I know that the New Year is right around the corner, with its promise of new beginnings.

Maybe promise is the best reason of all to love December, because December is a month of resting on God’s promises.

• We know that December won’t last forever, that spring will always follow winter. “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease” (Genesis 8:22).
• We know that light followed darkness. “…the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Matthew 4:16).
• We know that eternal life is promised to all who believe. “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).

The Season of Advent began this past Sunday. It runs from the fourth Sunday before Christmas through Christmas Eve. During Advent, we plan and prepare for the second coming of Christ just as those in Jesus’ day anticipated the first coming of Christ. Let us celebrate the fact that we can both look back on how God fulfilled his promise beginning in Genesis 3:15 with the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ, as well as look forward to living each day in community with the risen Lord and our fellow believers.

In Christ,

Judy