12.2011

Chaplain’s Corner
By Doug Graham   - From the Dec. 2011 Edition of the CHIT CHAT

“Mary Had a Little Lamb”
The only Gospel that referred to Jesus as a lamb was John‟s.
Speaking of John the Baptist, John wrote, “he saw Jesus coming
toward him and declared, „Here is the Lamb of God who takes away
the sin of the world!‟” John 1:29 (NRSV). As we celebrate Jesus‟ birth
this month, thinking of Jesus as a lamb may help us get in touch with
his life. I once had the privilege of helping a sheep farmer during
lambing season. Ewes often need help giving birth, so I slept in a barn
in the cold night air of early spring. We are not told in what season
Jesus was born, but it must have been cold, since one of the first
things Mary did after his birth was to wrap him in “bands of cloth”.
Jesus was most likely born in a stable, since Mary “laid him in a
manger”. The Lamb who would take away the sin of the world was
probably born in a barn! Jesus is later referred to as a lamb by the
Apostles Paul and Peter speaking of him as being a sacrificial Lamb.
Jesus‟ life ended like that of a lamb being led to slaughter. If the story
ended there, it would be tragic; but it didn‟t. The apostle John picks
up the story of the Lamb again in Revelation, where we are given a
glimpse of heaven: “there was a great multitude that no one could
count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with
palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying,
"Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the
Lamb!" Rev 7:9-10 (NRSV) Later in that chapter we are told that those
who worshipped before the throne of God had “washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,” and “the Lamb at
the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them
to springs of the water of life.” Celebrate the birth of “the Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world.”

11.2011

Chaplain’s Corner

By Doug Graham -- From the November 2011 Edition of the CHIT CHAT

“Here We Go Again”
The phrase, “Here we go again,” may conjure up feelings of
reluctance to go through an experience that we have been
through before. (“Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.) Some
of us may be using that phrase this month to bemoan the fact
that the holiday season is soon upon us, and we are not looking
forward to it. However, “Here we go again,” can mean something
completely different. I can remember going to amusement parks
as a child, and enjoying certain rides so much that when the ride
was completed, we would hop off and run from the exit gate to the
entrance gate to wait in line again to get back on the ride; and
when we got back on the ride, we would look at each other with a
smile of anticipation on our faces saying, “Here we go again!”.
What would it take, for those of us who are not looking forward to
the holidays this year, to turn that phrase into a positive one, like
the one used at the amusement park? Perhaps the Apostle Paul’s
advice to the Church in Philippi could help: “Don’t worry about
anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need,
and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s
peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will
guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

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