Paul Waaraniemi | The Voice of Zion September 2021 -- “She was nine days short of her forty-third birthday,” Dad used to say when asked how old his wife, my mother, was when she passed away. Everyone said, “She was so young!” though at eleven years of age, forty-three didn’t seem so young to me. Now I have a son older than she was at her passing, and I too say she was so young. My mother’s life was certainly shorter than an American woman’s life expectancy in 1965, and it was also short by our human measurement. Naturally many of her friends – my friends’ parents – lived much longer lives. I must admit that I don’t fully know what I missed in not having a mother for all of those formative years. Surely, I missed not having her at events big and small, and missed her daily presence while growing up. Nevertheless, if not understanding, God granted acceptance of our situation. Life at 425 Penn Avenue took on “our normal.” Recently I’ve pondered more whether mother was shortchanged. But I’ve found solace in the conclusion that despite her relatively brief life, she was not shortchanged. She got the good fortune to be born to a believing mother and father, into a home with many sisters and brothers – love and closeness abounded. Rather than thinking about what she didn’t get to be – mother of the bride, grandmother, a retiree – I consider all the things she was: a daughter, sister, wife, mother, godmother, aunt, student, worker, homemaker, neighbor, confidant, friend. Most importantly as a prodigal daughter who lost the gift of faith in her youth, she received the grace of repentance and again became a child of God. Mom’s life was that of a wife, mother, homemaker. In our time there’s much emphasis on education and career and achievement. I’ve recalled a poem of a Finnish mother and poet, who during her terminal battle with cancer asked her husband, “Is it sufficient as a life’s calling to be someone’s wife and mother to some children?” Her husband answers, “Yes, it’s sufficient.” For our mother, too, it was sufficient, for so God ordained it. It’s true that Mom didn’t see us graduate or get married or become parents. She never held her grandchildren, but we hold her in our hearts and conversations. We’ve passed on to our youngest siblings and now to her grandchildren a sense of her, for she is part of us. The testimony and legacy of a believing loved one are enduring. We recall what they shared with us and speak of their victory and reward of eternal life as the foremost matter. Sometimes that victory is won in the eleventh hour through our loving God’s gracious call. We rejoice over that as the greatest matter connected to the departed one’s memory. Time is fleeting. Reaching senior years has only deepened the feeling that life reels past quickly. But what a marvelous thing it is that heaven is eternal, joyous, bright and glorious – worth far more than the longest, fullest earthly life. God’s children cling with hope and joy to the promise of reunification with loved ones in glory one day. I cling to that too: I will see Mother and other departed dear ones at home in heaven. We are not shortchanged. “I receive a double portion: Grace of grace and hope of heaven. Wondrous is Your love to me!” (SHZ 91:6). ‍

Paul Honkala | The Voice of Zion October 2021 -- The heavenly Father has blessed us with amazing technology. Especially during this unprecedented time of COVID-19, believers marvel how the living Word is preached perhaps more widely than ever before. The Good Shepherd has not forgotten His sheep, but rather He has led them to green pastures where He feeds and nourishes them – even in remote corners of the earth. It’s almost unfathomable how services have been held locally, nationally, internationally, and even inter-culturally. Gathering remotely on such platforms as GoToMeeting and Zoom, our eyes have been opened to see new possibilities in communications technology, all put to use and propelled by pandemic-related challenges. Yet, along with these new opportunities come some key questions: Do these online services replace in-person services? How did online services come about? Why do we listen to online services? It seems important to consider the primary reason for online services. The use of online services increased for the benefit of those who cannot attend in-person services. These service occasions have been of special help to those who are sick, those who are in localities where there are few believers, those in remote locations in service to our country and to those in other faraway places where attending in-person is not possible. It is always important to hear God’s Word. The Lord Jesus taught that “Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it” (Luke 11:28). However, in terms of hearing the Word of God, it is important to consider the place of online technology in one’s own life and in our relationships with other believers. Regarding actual fellowship, the writer to the Hebrews provided relevant instruction in his time about gathering with others. The Jewish congregation’s members had become tired on the journey. They began to drift. They needed encouragement, support and teaching through in-person fellowship with other believers. He wrote, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Heb. 10:25). This instruction, addressing the conditions of the times, was relevant then and is relevant yet today. In our time, believers still carry the old portion, that is, our human weakness. Our old portion can get in the way, such that choosing online services could become our primary way of hearing even though we could gather in-person. The flesh is weak in terms of faith. Do we choose those kinds of speeches that our ears like to hear? Do we choose speeches only from certain speakers? Do we choose them from other countries, such as Finland, thinking that it’s a better sermon? These are important considerations related to listening online. Online services are not intended to supersede the value of in-person services, especially when we are so richly blessed with the opportunity to attend in-person. In our human frailty, we can easily decide to stay home and make a habit of listening to Sunday morning services online. If one begins to feel that online services from different localities, for example, fit his or her lifestyle better than attending in-person services, one may no longer value traveling in-person, hand-in-hand with our fellow escorts on the narrow way. Furthermore, if we no longer attend services, we cannot be escorts to others who live and believe nearby. It is implicit in the word “congregation,” that we physically gather together in spiritual unity, helping each other on the journey. In fact, the original Hebrew word for congregation means company assembled together. God’s Word teaches that the children of God should gather and that in doing so we serve one another. Yet, we understand that if one is unable to attend services in-person it is always good to listen online. The same Spirit that preaches the gospel in-person can also be heard online. When listeners hear the gospel and believe sins forgiven in Jesus’ name and blood, they understand that possessing peace with God is reason for joy. In turn, this joy fosters a desire in the hearts of believers to gather with God’s children in-person. We may also ponder whether a person is able to believe all alone or with his or her family in some remote locality? Yes, they can! God protects and guides. But again, these believers desire in-person services and gatherings whenever opportunities arise. We’ve noticed how when believers move to a new locality they often request that services might be held in their place of watching. The same ardent request has come from lone foreigners who, after receiving the grace of repentance away from home, beg for services upon returning to their homeland. In this way God has accomplished His mission work in our time. The evening devotions that we enjoy hearing at the end of a busy day have been one of the blessings of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the close of the day, the comforting Word warms hearts and relates God’s promises to listeners. I personally feel that if it were possible we would all desire to gather together each evening to sing the songs of Zion and hear the preached gospel. It will come, when time has ceased, that the children of God truly will all be gathered together to sing the praises of our Lord and Savior!

Allen Pirness | The Voice of Zion October 2021 -- Can we respect and even love our ancestors while still recognizing that they were flawed human beings – just as we are? When we look into the past, sometimes we question what people were thinking in making the decisions that they made. For instance, we can wonder why a significant portion of the population defended slavery for a long time. Or why Hitler was allowed to progress so far before the rest of the world stopped his atrocities. These questions can only be answered with a full view of the complexity of the time. Lacking a full view, we may begin to assume too much – we might even think we would not have done such a thing. The Bible warns against thinking we are better, specifically in Galatians 6. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself” (v. 1–3). Indeed, it’s likely that if we were alive in that time period, we would share something of the common view of the day. In recent years there has been discussion about colonialism and the lasting effects of nationhood being established by a displacement and exploitation of the first peoples of the land. We recognize that God has created all people in His image and that it is sin to treat someone else poorly. The evidence of this happening as European settlers were establishing new nations on the North American continent is undeniable. In this, we can recognize the motivations in the corrupt nature of humankind. We only have to look at ourselves to see lust for power, wealth and influence. None of us lived in the past and we are not responsible for any actions of others in the past, but it is useful for us to consider what those actions of the past have normalized for actions and privilege today. It’s not a light or comfortable matter to consider that mistreatment of people in the past has helped to shape continued disadvantages even today. To outright deny mistakes of the past is not productive in the discussion either. It prevents us from accepting that the goal ought to be a future full of the same potential for all people. As citizens, we need to live today remembering what Jesus taught in the Golden Rule: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matt. 7:12). God’s kingdom has been preserved in our lands through the ages by the power and effect of God’s forgiveness, through the merit work of Jesus. The people of God have reached the eternal rest of the righteous because God saw them through the atonement work of His dear Son. They were sinners in their lifetime, but God’s forgiveness preserved them in faith. God’s forgiveness is found in the preaching of the gospel of the forgiveness of sins in His kingdom here on earth. In light of this, it is a dangerous path to remain critical and unforgiving of the sins of others in the past. It shackles us to our own understanding and steals away the freedom from sin that God’s children can own. It is also foolish to pretend that offenses did not happen. It denies reality and puts the wrong light on former saints. We need to remember that they lived of the gospel in their lives, just as we need to today. Perhaps someone brings to our attention that we have offended them. It may or may not be a surprise to hear. Either way, we need to have open ears to hear the sorrow that we have caused through our actions. If we can own our offenses and ask for forgiveness, then Jesus is able to own them for us and we can leave them there. If we are only interested in defending ourselves, then the offense remains an unhealed wound. We can struggle with how to approach an individual about offenses. Perhaps a direct, yet careful approach is best. We can say, for example, “I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to visit with you about this sooner, but we have offenses between us.” Maybe if we have treated someone poorly, we could say, “I recognize that I have treated you poorly and wish to talk about it if you are able to.” When the offenses can be discussed and when the gospel is preached, it’s important to be able to forgive from our heart. If there is something preventing us from being able to forgive the offense, then perhaps it’s okay to involve someone else, mutually agreed upon, to help us converse about it. There are also times when it’s productive to get help from a professional counsellor in order to work through past situations in a healthy way. It’s no mystery why Jesus needed to stress that we love one another. He knew how difficult it is for us to do that. When we consider the pain that humans have caused one another, we can collectively hang our heads in shame. May we always remember Jesus’ example as we approach realities from the past, whether personal or from the collective human experience: He was treated unjustly yet remained forgiving.

Niilo Rauhala‍, Translation: Editors | The Voice of Zion October 2021 -- So little we speak of heaven. Our eyes press shut, darkness fills the room. Children of prayers lie yet awake, not playing together – night’s blanket enfolds unbearably warm. So little we speak of heaven, though the glow of evening is like the arm of daylight yet extended toward us. ‍ Niin vähän me puhumme taivaasta. Silmämme painuvat kiinni, pimeä täyttää huoneen. Huokauksen lapset valvovat, eivät leiki keskenään – yön peitto kääriytyy tuskanlämmin. Niin vähän me puhumme taivaasta, vaikka illan kajo on kuin päivän käsivarsi yhä ojentunut meitä kohti.

Eric Jurmu | The Voice of Zion November 2021 -- Prayer is a significant part of many religions – with its use, people strive to speak to their gods. Yet prayer is often removed from its biblical foundation and misused. In God’s kingdom, we want prayer to remain in its secure, age-old spot, for we teach that “prayer is the heart’s humble and sincere conversation with God” (Christian Doctrine, item 78). In Luther’s teaching about prayer, he makes it a duty which cannot be ignored because it is commanded by God. The apostle exhorts to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). Jesus also commanded in His teaching that “men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). Luther teaches in his explanation of the second commandment, “Not to take God’s name in vain but call upon Him in every time of need, and worship Him with prayer, praise and thanksgiving.” Luther taught that by calling on God in prayer, we honor His name and use it purposefully. Secondly, Luther says we should be impelled to pray because God has also added the promise that our prayers will be answered. The Psalmist writes, “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shall glorify me” (Ps. 51:15), and as Christ says in the gospel of Matthew, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matt. 7:7,8). In prayer we speak with God, and He promises to hear our prayers. How and what do we pray? When the disciples realized that they did not know how to pray, Jesus taught them the Lord’s Prayer, a perfect prayer. All Christians join in this prayer: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen” (Luke 11:1–13). Jesus also taught not to pray as the hypocrites do, standing on the street corner to be seen by others, but rather quietly, discreetly, and humbly, for God who sees in secret promises to reward openly (Matt. 6). Jesus himself would often go away to a quiet place to pray (Matt. 14:23, Mark 6:46, Luke 6:12). Sometimes it may be heard that God only hears the prayers of the righteous, and not the ungodly. One may even use scripture to make this point (e.g., Isa. 1:15, Prov. 1:28). God, in His Word has also warned that He may turn a deaf ear to one who has rejected Him. But how do we know God’s ways? There is danger when we try to insert our will into God’s will. We see in scriptures how God hears and answers prayers in His time and ways. God heard Saul’s prayer when he for three days prayed to God, and Ananias was sent to him (Acts 9). Or when the Ethiopian eunuch, returning from days of prayer and worship in Jerusalem, met Phillip whom God had sent to explain scriptures (Acts 8). Also, to Cornelius who prayed to God always, was Peter sent. In all cases, prayer did not justify them, yet God heard their prayers and sent a messenger, a partaker of the remission of sins, to preach forgiveness. Faith is often born under extreme duress, and often prayer is the only thing which we are left to do. How God hears and answers prayer doesn’t need to be our worry. May we learn to accept whatever God allows. A believer prays from a place of humility: “Thy will be done.” It is a statement of submission to God’s ways and His plans. Jesus prayed this way in the Garden of Gethsemane shortly before His death, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). When our prayer is weak, we have the comfort that the Spirit prays in our behalf. Paul was given to write, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom. 8:17,18). Prayer is powerful, a gift to us from God. Let us freely carry in prayer to our Father those quiet questions and matters in our hearts. God in His time will answer and grant acceptance and peace.

Nina Vanska | The Voice of Zion November 2021 -- The weather forecast calls for extreme winds. Up here in the Mono hills it means more than extreme, because it is always more or less windy here. I scan the yard for anything that may take off in the wind and make sure it is put into the garage or shop. Windy is nice in many ways; I don’t think we have seen more than ten mosquitos per year, and one of my favourite things is hanging laundry to dry on the clothesline. It dries quickly. Or then it takes off with the wind. If the wind takes a break on a summer day, the muggy humid heat keeps the doors closed. On the mid-October days when I call my dad in Finland and he can barely see through the dark and rainy dreariness of a Finnish fall, I don’t miss my former home country. I feel the balmy wind and see the brilliant colours of maples donning the endless hills. But then in winter there are the bitter cold conditions when the northwestern wind combined with the lake-effect snow and polar vortex make one wonder why we are living here in Ontario. Extremes are always uncomfortable. I have come to notice this not only with the weather, but in many areas of life, even when visiting with other believers. We all have our quirks and things we may even feel passionate about, but somehow it is so much easier to be with those who, in their opinions, mellow in the middle. Maybe some are thoughtful enough to keep the stronger opinions about temporal matters under their hats. Not everyone even feels strongly about things like health, politics, lifestyle or even the pandemic we have experienced. Personally, I feel even a bit anxious around conversations about such things as whether to vaccinate one’s children, which party or politician is doing things right or wrong, or if red meat is good for you. Sometimes conversations cause one to feel like an outsider, not belonging, if one disagrees even quietly in their mind. When the wind picks up, and things start flapping and flying, it does get scary. There is going to be some level of damage, I think, as I note the darkening clouds and check my phone for tornado warnings; there is a tornado watch. I usher the children downstairs and hope everyone is safe. I quickly send a WhatsApp message to the ladies’ group: be careful, the storm is heading east. There have been some storms even inside the walls of Zion; we can see the dark clouds from afar, and sense the barometer shifting, even though we have been spared from the eye of the storm. There is danger in the winds in our time: they are shifting, funneling and swirling even unexpectedly. I remember once at the Finnish suviseurat, gazing into the sky with many others, as some camping mattresses, tarps and even small tents swirled in the summer sky above the service area: it was a small-scale funneling wind that had blown through a section of the tenting area and suctioned up light and loose items. It was actually quite funny to watch them swirling and twirling high up in the summer sky. Just as we gather close together at our summer services and other gatherings, it is important in dangerous times to stay close to one another. Let’s leave everything that may drive us apart aside. Could they be those items that can go with the wind? Let’s huddle in our safe place together, pray for God to take care of us, protect us from harm, usher the storms away and allow the soft sprinkling of the gospel to cleanse us, the calm to return. He has promised to care for us; He wants us to be His obedient children: not boasting and strong, opinionated and haughty, but soft-spoken and humble. Going headlong into a storm is never a good idea.

Jouko Haapsaari | The Voice of Zion November 2021 -- Jesus once said, “Men ought always to pray and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). Another time He said, “Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him” (Matt. 6:8). Our human mind might begin to ponder whether it is necessary to pray, if God knows what we are going to ask before we do so. Our mind can argue against God’s Word and say that prayer isn’t so important for us. Why did Jesus encourage us to pray? Why did the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray? What is the benefit of prayer and what is the correct use of it? Can prayer be used wrongly? First, I would like to say that God knew how much we need the gift of prayer. God clearly knows how weak, forgetful and doubtful we are. Jesus had to rebuke and remind the disciples often because of their actions and doubts and we are no different. The gift of prayer hasn’t been given for God’s sake, but for our sake. In prayer we can approach God, speak to Him of our worries, doubts and needs. We can pour out our hearts like a trusting child does to his or her parents. That is the correct use of the prayer. It is our “golden path” to God. The Bible teaches us how to pray and what to pray. Jesus’ disciples felt they needed advice, so they asked the Lord to teach them to pray as John the Baptist had taught his disciples how to pray. That is when Jesus taught His disciples the Lord’s prayer (Luke 11:1). In that connection a little later Jesus told them a parable of a person who received guests at a late hour. That man had nothing to give to his guests, so he went to knock on the door of his neighbor, who gave him what he asked for, although it was very inconvenient for him. Jesus taught that the neighbor helped him because of his diligence in prayer and said that we should do likewise (Luke 11:8). James speaks about praying without doubting (James 1:6), because doubting rises against God’s power and is insulting to God, as happened when the spies returned from searching the promised land (Num. 14:11). I was once taught about this when I spoke to a special-needs child about prayer. I asked if God hears her prayers and she said yes, God hears them. Then I asked if God answers her prayers and this teacher of righteousness taught me, “God always answers my prayers with peace.” I was dumbstruck and felt ashamed for my little faith. God certainly hears our prayers and answers them. Sometimes He says “yes,” sometimes “no” and quite often He says “later.” I am an impatient and forgetful one, and it can happen that when God finally sees that I am ready to receive the blessing I asked for a long time ago, I have totally forgotten that I have ever prayed for it. Oh, what slow and difficult children we are to God! I have thought that my relationship with God is like that of a teenager, who thinks that their parents don’t understand much. I ask for foolish things, forget to thank Him for His blessings and don’t even see all the good that He does for me. Yet He carefully guides and leads my life’s way towards the real object of my prayers, eternal home in heaven. I promise to try to thank Him more often and ask for less. May God help me in that.

Michael Ylioja | The Voice of Zion December 2021 -- Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. – Matt. 11:2–10 ‍ John was born into this world to preach of the coming of the Son of God. His parents were believers, and when he was a boy they taught him of God’s kingdom. When he grew older, he lived in the wilderness of Judaea and survived on locusts and wild honey. His appearance differed greatly from that of the priests in the temple at that time. He was clothed in rough raiment, not soft cloth. This did not stop God’s work from occurring, and it did not stop people from hearing his message and believing it. Although John’s time of preaching was brief, many heard his sermon of the coming of the Lord Jesus. Their hearts were pricked and they repented. John baptized them. We can see through the life and preaching of John the Baptist that only when God blesses and when the Holy Spirit works through the mouths of men can true salvation exist. Although John had preached much of Jesus’ coming, baptized Him and had seen miracles He performed, when he was in prison he began to doubt. He sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus if He truly was the Son of God. Jesus loved John and sent encouragement back to him to remember the miracles Jesus performed, and that more importantly unto the poor the gospel is preached. Jesus reminded John that “blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” Jesus encouraged the doubtful John that He, Jesus, is Messiah and to continue battling the good fight of faith despite being imprisoned for preaching God’s Word. Jesus instructed those that were gathered, hearing about John. Did they go into the wilderness to hear the man’s words? John was not like a reed shaking in the wind. His words were not here for today and gone tomorrow. He was the messenger that was sent before to prepare the way for Jesus. He was clothed in rough raiment, not soft cloth. This is the same yet today: God’s messengers are people like anyone else. Jesus pointed out how John had a very important duty given to him, but it did not give him an elevated position in God’s kingdom. All believers are equal before God, despite the fact that we are given each of us our own lot to live, our own place to serve. The sermon of the enemy of souls reached John in his lowly prison cell and caused him to doubt the foundation of his faith. The threefold enemy works yet today, causing us to question and doubt our salvation. As we prepare for the celebration of Christmas, it is easy to lose focus on the significance of Jesus’ birth. We can let the cares of this world overcome our joy of believing. We need to prepare our hearts daily and nourish the gift of faith. Only through living by the gospel of the forgiveness of sins will we see heaven one day.

Rick Nevala | The Voice of Zion December 2021 -- Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. – Matt. 10:16–22 God’s children are called to faith by the grace of God. We are the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:26; Rom. 1:7). It’s a wonderful feeling to know grace and peace. It is offered in the gospel of the forgiveness of sins. When by faith we believe that sweet message, we are most fortunate of all people. As we have been called into faith, so also have we been called to witness, to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Pet. 3:15). Jesus’ disciples were eyewitnesses to His public ministry and His death and resurrection. They spoke openly and poignantly about the things they saw and heard (Acts 10:39–41). Nevertheless, to have simply known things outwardly and temporally is not sufficient to witness for Christ. A true witness of Christ is a bearer of the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit reveals all things and guides us to truth. God’s grace order is to use those that have the Holy Spirit to witness – to preach His Word (Luke 24:46–49). Strength to Endure Suffering In our text, Jesus reveals what we should expect when we witness for Him. We will be hated, for His name’s sake. He was hated without a cause (1 John 2:11). If we endure through the hatred until the end, we will be saved! Moses chose to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than to enjoy pleasures of sin for a season, “For he had respect unto the recompence of the reward” (Heb. 11:25,26). When we lift our gaze to the reward awaiting us in heaven, we receive strength to endure whatever befalls us. We should also expect to be brought before governors and kings. Jesus tells us to “beware of men.” He states that brother shall deliver up brother to death, the father the child, and children even shall rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. As a parent, it is unthinkable to deliver up a child to death, or to have our own children deliver us unto death. The battle between light and darkness is difficult; it knows no boundaries. Faith, in the end, is personal. We cannot believe for one another, not even for our own family members. When we are witnesses of Christ, the enemy may be so close as our own family – these strongest bonds of love can be broken by others. Even so, Jesus prompts us to fear not! When rejected by family for the furtherance of the gospel, we have the comfort of Christ and His Word. He Will Be with Us Jesus has promised to be with us. He will speak through us: “For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.” Jesus will give words. We don’t need to worry or fear, but we can trust in Him. “Take no thought how or what you shall speak, for it will be given you in that same hour what you will speak.” Jesus also affirms that we will be called names when we defend the gospel and witness of it. The strongest name is perhaps Beelzebub, the name of the devil. We may be called servants of Beelzebub for Christ’s name’s sake. There is nothing new under the sun: humans resort to labeling when there is no way forward, to bullying and denigrating others. Jesus reminds us that one day everything will be revealed and not hidden. His will may appear to be hidden by the craftiness of humans and their words, but in time God will reveal to them their error. Again Jesus says, do not fear! An End to Our Trials Our text concludes by reassuring us that he or she who endures to the end shall be saved. Jesus doesn’t leave us to endure alone. He provides instruction and counsel. In our text He says to be wise as serpents, harmless as doves, to beware of men and have no care what you shall speak. We should not, however, needlessly expose ourselves to the dangers around us. Let us be wise as serpents, who defend themselves and position themselves for their own safety. They take shelter in rocks and grasses. Jesus Himself was an example of this: He avoided places and events where the enemy was until the hour came when He was to be captured and put to death. Jesus also reminds us to be harmless as doves. It is not a coincidence that the Holy Spirit has been pictured as a dove. Its fruits are enumerated in the letter to the Galatians: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (5:22,23). There will be an end to our trials. We will be gathered into the bosom of Abraham. Our defense and witness of the gospel will be left behind. We will not be asked to return. Our salvation shall be before us as a golden city with golden streets. We will be with our brothers and sisters, God’s children. We who were afflicted for a moment on earth will be in the much greater eternal glory (2 Cor. 4:17). Dear sisters and brothers, let us say as Apostle Paul did in the letter to the Romans: “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (1:16).

John Stewart | The Voice of Zion December 2021 -- It was wintertime. As the day faded into evening and passed into darkness, the air became crisp and still. Stars twinkled overhead, and across the expanse of a wide field muffled sounds from a flock of sheep echoed in the distance. The small, nearby village of Bethlehem, also called the City of David, overflowed with people who had come to register for a taxation commanded by Rome. Several miles to the north on higher ground lay the larger city of Jerusalem – the site where, on the Temple’s immense altar of hewn stones, many of these sheep would later be sacrificed. Shepherds dwelled in Bethlehem’s surrounding pasture areas and kept watch over the flocks. Especially as evening approached, and at night, the shepherds sang or hummed peaceful songs in low tones that comforted and calmed the sheep. It was a scene of quiet solitude. The Angels Bring Tidings This pastoral setting, however, was suddenly and dramatically transformed in a miraculous way. An “angel of the Lord” descended upon the shepherds’ field with the glory of God shining round about. Naturally, great fear gripped the herders’ hearts. Yet amid this shocking change, the angel brought a wonderful message! The tidings were of great joy and peace, a heavenly peace – a serenity and a hope that would surpass any temporal or earthly solitude. It was a message to all people: the message of Christmas peace. To the lowly shepherds the heavenly messenger proclaimed comforting and reassuring words: “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:11,12). The miraculous moment for the shepherds did not yet cease. But rather, as their fear began to abate, they experienced great wonder, hope and awe when, “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” (v. 13,14). Believers in our time remember the angels’ miraculous visit in song: “The angels once sang of the triumph of heaven on Christmas night. They sowed into mother earth’s sorrow a radiant starfilled night” (SHZ 28:1). The heavenly event faded, the field quietened, and the shepherds again found themselves alone with their flocks under the silent night sky. Yet, under the canopy of heaven, moved with awe and wonder, these shepherds began to discuss their experience among themselves, saying: “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us” (v. 15). Thus carrying heavenly tidings, and guided by the Holy Spirit, the shepherds quickly and excitedly made their way across the fields to the stable. There, just as the angel had described, they found the baby lying in a manger. Mary and Joseph were close by. Shielded from the busyness of crowded Bethlehem, the lowly few nestled round the Christ Child’s bed of hay. Hope and a deep heavenly peace filled the heart of each one present. The Word Offers Peace After the shepherds had seen the child described by the angel, they returned to their daily calling in the fields. They were not able to contain their peace and joy. They began to spread abroad the tidings of the heavenly angel. The shepherds brought a message that was not their own, nor was it a message of earthly or temporal peace. It was the Word of a joyful, heavenly Christmas peace through the work of the Holy Spirit. Today this same Word continues, ceaselessly, from believers in God’s kingdom, just as it did from the lowly and poor shepherds. The gospel Word always offers Christmas peace – even amid personal trials, in temptations, and during struggles and battles of the journey. Through faith the child of God experiences true Christmas peace.