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Written by Trần Nữ Vương Linh from the Village Church

There have been many people who passed through my life – friends, teachers, students, colleagues. Some appeared briefly and faded. Some once felt close but are now only memories. Life moves this way, reminding us how temporary everything can be. And yet, there is one presence that changed my understanding of permanence: my child. Watching him laugh while playing with small toys, I realize that love is not something we own – it is something entrusted to us. His existence did not erase life’s uncertainties, but it filled the quiet spaces of my heart with a peace I had never known. Scripture says: “Every good and perfect gift is from above.” (James 1:17) A child is not just a gift. A child is a living reminder that hope still enters the world every day. Even when the future is unknown, the simple grace of waking up and sleeping beside someone we love is already a miracle. Lord, teach us to recognize the sacredness hidden in ordinary moments. Help us cherish the lives entrusted to us, and let our love become a shelter where others feel safe, seen, and held.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created. [James 1:17-18]

Written by John Reynell Wreford (1800-1891), an English minister, songwriter, r and author.

When my love to Christ grows weak,
When for deeper faith I seek,
Then in thought I go to thee,
Garden of Gethsemane.

 When my love for man grows weak,
When for stronger faith I seek,
Hill of Calvary, I go
To the scenes of fear and woe.

Then to life I turn again,
Learning all the worth of pain,
Learning all the might that lies
In a full self-sacrifice.

 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”  [Mark 9:24]

Written by Joel Stucki, a contemporary writer.

It is more pleasant to focus on the result of Jesus’ death than the actual event, or to focus on the resurrection instead of the crucifixion (disclaimer: I am not downplaying the resurrection here; please bear with me!). It may be nice to imagine a world without the Fall of Man. But if we do not engage with pain as pain, if we deny or trivialize the evil that Jesus overcame, then we dilute the gospel message itself. If we speak only of the apparent defeat, then we speak as those who have no hope. But if we speak only of the victory of the resurrection, we deny the evil, the pain, and the suffering of Jesus and of those who followed him. That is sentimentality at its worst. Consider a time of suffering in your own life. Were you ever truly lifted from it by some pithy axiom like “every cloud has a silver lining,” or “when God closes a door, he opens a window?” Probably not. More likely you were helped by someone who was willing to enter your pain and walk through it with you, rather than someone trying to cheer you up right away. We must be willing to absorb the horror of the depths to which the love of God will descend in order to redeem. We need to live in the moment of the scriptural narrative instead of constantly indulging our desire to “fast-forward to the good stuff.” Why? Because that’s life. That’s reality. That is the world that Jesus Christ came to save. If we do not engage with and understand our need for him, and the world’s need, then how can we properly value what he offers?

In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. [Hebrews 2:10]

Written by Wade Johnston, a contemporary professor of history and theology and writer.

God has set us free in love to love. Therese of Lisieux is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. She was called the Little Flower…She had a great saying: “Do small things with great love.” Christ has done great things with great love. His body on a cross and not in a tomb has worked our salvation and demonstrated his love for all who walk this earth. All that is left is small things now. Do small things with great love. Love because you were loved first. Love with great love because you are greatly loved. See Christ in your neighbor because you have seen Christ on your cross. You need not search far and wide for people to love. Love those God has put in front of you. Love in your callings. Love Christ who has loved you, and loves through you.

We love because he first loved us. [1 John 4:19]

Written by Jason Zuidema, a contemporary ministry director and David Rozeboom, a contemporary chaplain.

In the Old Testament, it was not unusual for people to be terrified and in awe of God’s presence. For example, in Exodus 20, when the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.’” The people were afraid because they knew they were sinful and that God is holy and awesome, with power beyond imagining. The book of Hebrews helps to explain the significance of Jesus’ death for our sake. When Jesus died on the cross, he experienced the same separation from God that so terrified Israel. By paying for our sins and reconciling us to God, Jesus cut through that darkness forever. The terror of being in God’s presence is no longer there because we can approach God through Christ, the one he loves and accepts. Hebrews urges us to approach God at any time. Through Jesus, God made himself accessible to all people, regardless of their situations or circum­stances. God loves us all, and he is ready to give grace to anyone who comes to faith through his Son.

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm. . . . But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. [Hebrews 12:18-22]

Written by Arlene Stamper from the Village Church.

I’ve thought many times that it took a major incident in my life to turn my life over to Jesus. But when I think back I also think God was dropping hints all along my way. When I was very young and my mother was ill, I leaned on Jesus in prayer asking over and over for her healing. My family were not church goers but still I prayed.  I wanted to believe but when my mom died, my belief died too. I married and my dear mother-in-law would share her faith with me.  I also unknowingly began to surround myself with friends who had deep faith. I was in awe of them, wanting to believe like they did but couldn’t.  Wouldn’t. But then I faced a life-threatening medical condition. My friend gave me a prayer quilt that her church members had said prayers over. For me. My friends put me on their church prayer lists and I was deeply touched by people who didn’t know me but would pray for my healing. Jesus all through my life kept sending me messages that he was there for me but yet I doubted.  I was like Doubting Thomas.  Such a stubborn person I, am!  But then, I started to pray and ask God to give me faith. Please give me faith.  And one day I was invited to go to The Village Church and trembling, I went.  And was welcomed by a wonderful church family but most importantly, welcomed by Jesus on the Cross. He had given me faith. Thank you, Lord!

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  [Ephesians 2:8-9]

Written by Billy Graham (1918-2018), an American evangelist.

What glory is there in the cross? It was an instrument of torture and shame. Why did Paul glory in it? He gloried in it because the most selfless act ever performed by men or angels took place upon it. He saw-emanating from that rough, unartistic beam upon which the Son of God had been crucified—the radiant hope of the world, the end of the believer’s bondage to sin, and the love of God shed abroad in the hearts of men. A lone man dying on a cross did more to restore man’s lost harmony with God, his fellowman, and himself, than the combined genius and power of earth’s mighty. With my finite limitations, I cannot fully comprehend the mystery of Christ’s atonement. I only know that all who come to the cross in simple, trusting faith lose all their guilty stains and find peace with God.

As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. [Galatians 6:14]

Written by Doreen May from the Village Church

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. [Psalm 100:1-2]

Written by Stanley Mast, a contemporary pastor and teacher.

Putting Jesus first in our lives can cause real pain. Jesus calls that our cross—not just the pain that is common to humanity in a fallen world, but the unique pain that comes from following Jesus so closely that we lose something precious. Is there a cross in your future? When you are tempted to shy away from your cross, remember Jesus. He was the “biggest loser” in history. He invested his life in preaching the kingdom, doing acts of love, teaching a radical way of living, training disciples to change the world, risking everything for the cause of God. And they killed him. What a loser! No, says the gospel. It was precisely by losing that he won. By losing his life, he saved ours. And his resurrection proclaimed him the biggest winner in history, by proving that he was who he said he was, that he did what he said he would, and that he can be trusted to keep his word. Trust is what we need in order to overcome our fear of the cross in our future—trust in Jesus and his work and his word. The world says that putting Jesus first is foolish. The cross says that putting Jesus first is the way of salvation. So what will you trust—the wisdom of the world or the wisdom of the cross? Will you trust yourself or Jesus?

And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. [Luke 14:27]

Written by Bobbi Capin from the Village Church.

In 1971, while stationed in Camp Lejeune, NC, I attended a Bible study with a friend. I took my 18-month-old, and she took hers, both going off to the nursery. The next morning, I was unable to awaken my daughter. She was running a very high fever of 106. I called my Bible study friend whose husband was head of the Pediatric division of the hospital, and she advised me to take her in immediately. After many tests they finally gave her a spinal tap and she was admitted to the hospital with H Flu bacterial meningitis. Where to go, what to do., For we who believe in a loving, faithful God there is nowhere else to go but to the Lord. I found myself kneeling at her crib with deep prayers for healing. We were in need of assistance to help with our older daughter so that were freed up to be at the hospital. Neighbors, though understanding, were fearful of transmission. In 1971 there was no inoculation for this disease. My Mom (Helen Downey) to the rescue. She flew down on a moment’s notice to help out for a number of days. My husband was required to sign a paper indicating that the outcome may not be what we had prayed for. Pam was in isolation and quarantined; put on antibiotics for 10 days and cared for by a loving staff. My friend’s doctor husband was a Christian who cared deeply for others. Each night he would go to Pam’s room before going home and lay hands on her with sincere prayers for healing I wasn’t much into the laying on of hands at the time. You needn’t ask me how I feel about that now. This was our time to surrender control and trust our God. Though this was a huge setback, there were much needed positive outcomes as well … changes in priorities and a deeper appreciation for the daily blessings our Lord provides. Pam came home a happy toddler and is now a wonderful speech/language pathologist with a family of her own and assisting youngsters with their needs. Praise God for answer to prayer. Through this setback we were also provided the opportunity to grow, to depend wholeheartedly on God’s will, and to be grateful for His daily provisions.

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. [Psalm 121:1-2]