Advent 2021: Hope

O come, O come, Immanuel,

and ransom captive Israel

that mourns in lonely exile here

until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel

shall come to you, O Israel.

Imagine having a mentor and friend who is determined to keep you on the right path.  For years, they spent time with you, listened, nurtured you and gave rock-solid advice.  They knew your deepest secrets and still made you feel loved and accepted. They were present in good times and in the bad and provided comfort and peace as only they could. If they knew they wouldn’t be around for any period of time, they sent someone – someone you could also trust – in their absence.  You never felt alone or lost. Then, one day, they disappeared.  You left voicemails, texted, emailed, and even dropped by their house.  All possible ways of reaching them resulted in the same thing – dead silence.  You trusted this person so deeply and you were ghosted. You wondered what you did wrong.  Maybe you even wondered if they were just pretending to have your best interests at heart.

In ancient times, the Israelites had God’s presence with them for thousands of years, whether His physical manifestation or an anointed prophet.  The Israelites had suffered through a division of the nation, multiple invasions from foreign tribes, and were eventually exiled from their home. He promised he would send a Deliverer and, over the centuries, the Israelites were reminded of that hope whenever their focus turned to earthly things or the troubles of the day:

Isaiah 7:13 - Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Micah 5:2 - But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.

Suddenly, God went silent. Wars and invasions assaulted them from every side, and the silence continued for 400 years. To put this into perspective, the pilgrims celebrated their first harvest festival with the Native Americans 400 years ago in 1621. Consider the number of generations and events that have passed since then. The Israelites had to wait and hope in the silence for deliverance.

As Christians, we are also waiting – waiting and hoping for His promised return and restoration of all that is broken. We have the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us and, for more than 2000 years, we still wait.

Hebrews 10:23 – Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful

1 Peter 1:13 - Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Advent is a season of preparation and focus on the coming of Christ.  As we reflect on the birth of Christ and its profound impact on humanity, let’s consider the hope that we have. God sent His promised Deliverer though Israel had to wait a long time and it wasn’t what they expected.

Reflect on the times when God sent you the deliverance or help you needed but it was in a manner or timing you didn’t expect. How does this bring you hope in this Christmas season and for the future?

Letting the Light In: Bethann Miller's Story

Letting the Light in—Bethann’s Story

While many of us may know Bethann Miller as a woman of leadership in the church, a counselor, and the co-founder of Safe Place Ministry, what you may not know is the story of her life that has helped to shape who she is and how she serves.   

Bethann began attending Riverbend Community Church with her husband, Tom, in 2012 when they moved to the Lehigh Valley. Since then, Bethann has served our community in numerous ways, having previously led the women’s ministry, counseled many in the church, and is currently on the teaching team for Sunday mornings.  Throughout Bethann’s life, God’s presence, love and faithfulness have always been her foundations.  Even as a young child, she has a recollection of His presence in her life.  Although there were times when she questioned that love and faithfulness, and even pushed it away, Bethann recalls that especially during those times, He still remained.

 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8  

Bethann’s mother, a member of a convent, left that life to marry her father. As a young child, she remembers attending Folk Mass through the Catholic church and later the Jesus movement of the 1970’s with her mother. This is where the foundation of her faith was laid. 

Bethann recalls several miraculous events in her life where Christ’s power and presence was undeniable.  One such event was when she attended a Women Aglow event with her mom and the speaker talked about Jesus opening the eyes of the blind.  Hearing this impacted Bethann deeply, as she had a degenerative eye disease since birth and doctors had determined there was no restoring it.  But that night, Jesus spoke directly to her through this speaker.  When the speaker asked if anyone needed to be healed of their eyesight issues, she came forward right away.  From that day forward, Bethann no longer needed any intervention to correct her eyesight. It was clear that God had a plan for her life and that she was His.

As a child, Bethann was very excited about her relationship with Christ.  She recalls friends wanting to play sports with her, but before she would agree, they had to listen to her share the gospel.  She had a tract about the end times and the rapture.  She would preach that her peers would repent and be saved so that they would go to heaven.  Only after listening to what she had to tell them, would she agree to play with them.   

Unfortunately, as she moved into the early teenage years, she began to harden her heart.  Bethann began to turn inward.  She would get angry, and her home life became tumultuous due to her internal struggles.  She recalls that this all began around the time of puberty and feels that this is connected to ongoing trauma that she endured during her early developmental years.

As her depression and anxiety worsened, she found ways to try and control the chaos that she felt inside.  Bethann struggled with her weight, truly believing that she was unattractive.  She had a self-hatred that stemmed from her past trauma.  As a means to take control, she decided she was going to change the way she looked.  When she was about 20 years old, she began severely controlling what she ate every day.  She starved her body to the point that she could no longer hold a job, and eventually even getting up to take a shower was such a feat that this was all she could accomplish in a day.  She was diagnosed with Anorexia-nervosa and then later with bulimia. A consistent cycle of binging and purging followed by self-punishment and further starvation along with taking 12-30 laxatives a day, was causing her body to collapse. Her mom, in an effort to try to help, would purchase cases of Gatorade to relieve the terrible muscle spasms and dangerous electrolyte imbalances this caused.

For years, she lived like this. Self-harming, despair and consistent thoughts of suicide were present. In a desperate state, she checked herself into a psychiatric hospital for eating disorders in California. She knew that if she did not do something, she was going to die.  At 23 years old, she came home from that clinic and was determined to live and to make a change.  She was going to fight for her life.  That is how she describes it.  Every day was a FIGHT for her life.  She was on medicine to treat anxiety and depression from a medical standpoint.  She began attending church and two of the Pastor’s wives asked if she was willing to go through biblical counseling with them.  These women would discuss scripture with her, pray over her, and help bring truth and wholeness to her. Bethann would open her Bible and write scripture after scripture down in notebooks using God’s Word as a sword to fight. Unable to concentrate as her anxiety was so high, this is the only way she was able to keep her thoughts on the words.  She found worship music as a tool she could use, too, playing and singing truth into her soul.  

She decided that she was going to let the light in, and bit by bit, that light pushed the darkness out.  God’s Word and his truths and his promises are light to our dark souls, and Bethann can attest to the power of God’s Word.  Writing the scripture, reading it, singing it.  She fought with the power of God’s Word for her life!  Since that time, she has never gone to that dark a place again, but there are still lasting effects to this day.  She compares this to the thorn in the flesh that Paul carried with him throughout his life.  She still struggles with body image and being kind to herself when she messes up.  She still needs medication for her anxiety, but God has redeemed her.  She is no longer a slave to the darkness.  God has invited her to come alongside him to walk alongside others and point them to freedom and the Hope of Christ..   

When Bethann was asked what she would like people to take away from her story, she answered this, “Suffering is real, trauma destroys, intervention is possible, and sometimes we have to fight like hell to break free.”   She wants people to know that light is more powerful than darkness, and as the light comes, the darkness has to flee.  

Hebrews 6:19 “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a HOPE that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.”

Peace Over Despair

“And in despair I bowed my head
There is no peace on earth, I said
For hate is strong
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men”

This Christmas carol has ministered to my soul in this particular Christmas season. With the uncertainties surrounding Covid, social unrest, and the political fanaticism prevalent today, I find myself repeating the above sentiments. Looking at the human condition leads to despair. Even when we find something good that “restores our faith in humanity,” all too quickly we are reminded why we lost faith in the first place.

I am reminded of the story of Peter walking on water (found in Matthew 14:22-33). At first, when his eyes are on Christ, he is making strides without a hitch. Many faith journeys can be similar—at first, we are so enamored by Christ’s invitation to join Him that we don’t see much else. We take leaps of faith and draw close to Him. But, just like Peter, we get distracted by the waves around us. Granted, there is a storm all around us. It’s dangerous—a distraction that begs for our attention. Sickness hits close, unemployment looms ahead, friends or family are fighting with us. The struggle is real.

But when we focus on the storm around us, we can easily be dragged down with it. Life and the problems that come along with it do deserve our attention, but the problem comes when we take our eyes off Christ. As in the song, we can be filled with despair when our focus is on the world around us. Are we focusing on the waves or are we focusing on Jesus?

The grace in this story is what happens when Peter falls. Jesus doesn’t give up on Peter when he gets distracted; He doesn’t abandon Peter to the storm. No, He comes to Peter and pulls him out, and He does the same for us. When we lose sight of all hope, Jesus is there, reaching to pull us out of the depths.

“Then pealed the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead nor doth He sleep
The wrong shall fail
The right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men”

Thank God the peace He offers us isn’t dependent upon our situations. It’s a peace that surpasses our understanding—something we have in the midst of suffering because we know that Christ is victorious over darkness. The Christmas bells in the song act as a reminder of that victory.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

When we focus on Christ’s redemptive power, we can be led through the darkest valleys and come out victorious. Our peace comes from knowing that Love wins in the end. When we live in that peace, we become like the Christmas bells in the song, a reminder to others of the hope that is found in Christ Jesus. We don’t need to restore peoples’ hope in humanity; we need to point people to the fulfillment of that hope.

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:1-5

Practically speaking, how do we focus on Christ when the world around us is in chaos? Prayer and thanksgiving.

“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Peace is our God-given protective barrier, guarding our hearts and minds as we walk through life. We just need to seek Him and unload our burdens to receive it.

*Lyrics from ‘I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,’ based on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, ‘Christmas Bells’

*All verses shared are from the English Standard Version of the Bible with my own emphasis added.