Hope College Devotions

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9:2–7

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The wait is over. It’s Christmas morning. My 11-year-old legs race down the hallway and into the living room. The stockings, empty hours ago, are now bulging. I yell to my slumbering family, “It’s Christmas!”

Soon my two sisters and my parents join me in the living room. I am particularly eager. For months I’ve dropped hints for an X-Wing Fighter. The X-Wing is a small fighter of the Resistance against the Empire responsible for taking out the Death Star in the movie Star Wars. 

My sister, who plays Santa, passes out gifts. She places a box on my lap. I rip open the wrapping paper. There it is, my X-Wing. For the next month all I did was fly it around the house, making swishing sounds and blaster noises at the dog. 

Years later, I realize my desire wasn’t for a toy, but to participate in a bigger story where light overcomes the darkness; to find myself inside a story where darkness is defeated by a threat so small it goes unnoticed. In this way, the X-Wing may be responsible for preparing me for the real gift of Christmas. 

Isaiah describes a world living in deep darkness, who receives the gift of an overwhelming light. This gift is a child born for us. He enters our darkness small and humble, yet with the power to penetrate the empire of darkness, and establishes a new reign of peace for all the world 

Today, we recognize the name of this child as Jesus, who is the Christ. He is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Jesus is the gift of light shining the way forward for all living in the land of deep darkness. For he is not only the way, he is also our destination. Amen.

The Rev. Dr. Trygve D. Johnson is the Hinga Boersma Dean of the Chapel at Hope College.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

On your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have set watchmen;
all the day and all the night
they shall never be silent.
You who put the LORD in remembrance,
take no rest,
and give him no rest
until he establishes Jerusalem
and makes it a praise in the earth.
The LORD has sworn by his right hand
and by his mighty arm.
“I will not again give your grain
to be food for your enemies,
and foreigners shall not drink your wine
for which you have labored;
but those who garner it shall eat it
and praise the LORD,
and those who gather it shall drink it
in the courts of my sanctuary.”

Go through, go through the gates;
prepare the way for the people;
build up, build up the highway;
clear it of stones;
lift up a signal over the peoples.
Behold, the LORD has proclaimed
to the end of the earth:
Say to the daughter of Zion,
“Behold, your salvation comes;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.”
And they shall be called The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the LORD;
and you shall be called Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.
Isaiah 62:6–12

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Have you ever visited a building that has been deserted for some time? Once vibrant and full of life, now unkempt and uncared for? An old Disney short, The Old Mill, shows one such story. Set to music, the animals who live inside the abandoned mill are fearful and in danger when a storm comes. My four-year-old son would ask, “Why is that mill broken?” Without care and attention, things naturally fall into disrepair. 

In Isaiah 62, God declares that Jerusalem will no longer be The Forsaken City (v. 4). Israel’s capital city has been under the control of the Babylonians. But God loves Jerusalem and she will be redeemed by her Savior. In fact, watchmen have been posted and called to pray both day and night (v. 6), urging the Lord to complete the promised work (v.7). Although Jerusalem has fallen into disrepair and Israel has been held captive by her enemies, the Redeemer is coming. And in preparation for Him, the people are called to pray faithfully, to go out and prepare the road, so that the people of Israel can return to Jerusalem (v. 10).

Where in your own life with God have things fallen into disrepair? What roads need to be cleared, what banner might be raised, to declare that you are part of The People Redeemed by the Lord? Perhaps your worship, prayer, reading of scripture or devotional life has been neglected lately. Perhaps you have not been actively and intentionally loving your neighbor. Perhaps you have not honored your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps your gifts of intellect, athleticism, or artistic ability have not been offered to God and the world around you. The Redeemer is coming. God will complete His redemptive work. How might you prepare the way before Him? 

Dr. Lindsey Root Luna is an associate professor and the chair of the Department of Psychology at Hope College.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad.

Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like streams in the Negeb!
Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
Psalm 126

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As we prepare for Christmas, it seems for me that I am always more stressed about all that is going on around me than ready to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. Family stresses, rushing to get to the next event, family dynamics, along with the constant pull of the world create opportunities for less joy than what God intended. In today’s scripture we see what brings joy. The ability to look back and to celebrate all that God has done. 

“We were filled with laughter, 
and we sang for joy.
And the other nations said,
“What amazing things the Lord has done for them.”
Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! 
What joy!

Psalm 126:2–3 (NLT)

In celebrating the amazing things He has done for us, the Lord promises to not only bring joy to us but also to allow others to see the joy in us. Our celebration of the goodness of God multiplies out and impacts those around us.

So today I would challenge you to do one thing. Stop rushing, stressing, running for just a few minutes and take time to look back on all God has done for you — and celebrate!! Whether your year has been filled with unexpected blessings or sorrows, the Lord has done great things, and taking the time to celebrate will bring joy.  

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22–23

Tim Schoonveld is the director of athletics at Hope College.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.

For I the LORD love justice;
I hate robbery and wrong;
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Their offspring shall be known among the nations,
and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;
all who see them shall acknowledge them,
that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed.

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD;
my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise
to sprout up before all the nations.
Isaiah 61:1–4, 8–11

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Isaiah reminds us that the coming of Christ is world-changing. Christ is proclaimed to be good news for the poor, the brokenhearted, the captives, the prisoners, those who grieve, and those who mourn. Millennia of pain and injustice are put on notice; this is the beginning of the end for the old order. God’s cosmic promise is to make all things right. God sees the evil, has given it strict limits, and we are coming up on its end.

This passage is a source of personal hope and encouragement. By December of every year, those of us in the north see too little daylight, the winter gets long, and the weight of the year’s toil and disappointments can feel overwhelming. God assures us that this world is not as good as it could be, not as good as it is supposed to be. All of those things that make life terrible really are terrible. There is real evil, and we don’t need to rationalize it, we don’t need to learn to live with it. God mourns with those who mourn and promises that the mourning will end. God’s anger is kindled against injustice, and so the captives will be set free. I take comfort knowing that Christmas is the announcement that we can hope for something better.

The final metaphor that Isaiah offers is that of soil in a garden. This is how the incarnation changes the world: through an underground, subtle shift in the direction of humanity. When God lives among his people, good things grow. In his soil, lives change, and hearts lean toward righteousness and praise. God has chosen to include our lives in the working out of his cosmic plan to bring justice and goodness to the whole world.

Dr. Steven McMullen is an associate professor of economics at Hope College.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation.

2 Peter 3:8–15a

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Advent season never fails to remind me to slow down. Maybe as I’ve reencountered this passage in the final stretch of the semester, faced with lingering uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and continuing news reports of racial injustice, I am drawn to the repeated references to patience in this passage: “The Lord is patient toward you… that all should reach repentance… We are waiting for new heavens, and a new earth… The patience of our Lord should be counted as salvation.”

Then, the very end of this passage says, “… be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” I’m not sure how I’ve missed the “at peace” part of this command. Historically, I’ve read this passage and focused on being found by the Lord without spot or blemish; a perceived call, on my part, to be a “better” person, to be “more” righteous. 

In this prolonged period of waiting, I find myself wondering, can I be at peace in a season of waiting? Can I not wish myself through yet another month, but instead be patient in the busyness? Aren’t periods of waiting and anticipation where change and growth occur? “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you.” In His patience, I can experience growth. I can experience repentance. I can experience transformation. 

This brings me comfort this Advent. I do not have to magically be better through my own, doomed-to-fail efforts at being without spot or blemish; rather, as I wait in peace and in expectation for the Lord, He is patient toward me. In this season of Advent, anticipating the birth of Christ, can I find comfort in the waiting for answers to God’s promises? Can I be patient, waiting for a new world where righteousness reigns? In this season of hopeful expectation and waiting, be patient, and be at peace, friends. 

Dr. Lauren Berkshire Hearit is an assistant professor of communication at Hope College.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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LORD, you were favorable to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
You forgave the iniquity of your people;
you covered all their sin.   Selah

Let me hear what God the LORD will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints;
but let them not turn back to folly.
Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
that glory may dwell in our land.

Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Faithfulness springs up from the ground,
and righteousness looks down from the sky.
Yes, the LORD will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him
and make his footsteps a way.
Psalm 85:1–2, 8–13

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This psalm begins with a declaration of God’s forgiveness and favor extended to His chosen people after they had experienced, for a time, the consequences of their sin. Furthermore, God brought about restoration of what had been lost when His people turned away from Him. We see this pattern being replayed over and over again as we read the historical accounts recorded in the Bible.

In a few days, we will celebrate the birth of Jesus, Emmanuel — God with us. In Him, steadfast love, faithfulness, righteousness and peace dwell. Like the Israelites of old, even when we “turn back to folly” (v. 8) and do things our own way, we too can experience the forgiveness and restoration the psalmist proclaims when we humble ourselves before God and acknowledge that He knows better than we do.

But more than that, we can enjoy a deeper relationship with God because of the coming of Jesus. He came to reconcile mankind to God at a deeper level. Those who accept the offer of salvation Jesus brings are like the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament of the Bible: vessels in which God dwells through His Holy Spirit! 

May this truth bring us to our knees in wonder and worship.

Prayer:

Almighty God, thank you for your gift of salvation through Jesus! Forgive us for all the times we turn away from you and grieve your heart. Help us to humble ourselves before you and live lives that glorify you. May your peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) and your joy that is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10) fill our hearts this Christmas season and beyond. May we live from day to day with thankful hearts and look to the future with hope. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Dr. Omofolakunmi Olagbemi is an assistant professor of computer science at Hope College.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the LORD blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.

Go on up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good news;
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news;
lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Behold your God!”
Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.
Isaiah 40:3–11

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The mortality rate for human beings remains steady at the alarming rate of 100%. “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass” (Isaiah 40:6–7). Our mortal flesh is fragile. It passes away like grass: here for only a brief season before it withers away. While this may seem like a morbid reflection for Advent, this is, in fact, the beginning of Wisdom. “Teach us to number our days,” the Psalmist prays, “that we may gain wisdom of heart” (Psalm 90:12). 

God did not want us to live in the Garden forever as fallen human beings. Mortality is one more of God’s mysterious blessings. The horizon of our life encourages us to take life seriously, to live it with purpose. It gives our actions gravity and meaning. It makes life poignant: my beautiful two-year old daughter, sitting on my lap as I write this, with her golden curls and mischievous smile, will blossom into a lovely young woman but will eventually fade like the rest of us. 

But, withering and fading are not the last word! “Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might,” Isaiah cries, before he changes the imagery. “He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom” (Isaiah 40:10–11). We are fragile flesh destined to pass away, yet we are also sheep whom God will feed, gather, and carry close to his heart. 

How does this make sense!? Only in the mystery of Christmas. Only in Jesus Christ, the eternal Word of God become our fragile flesh, who through his human fragility gives us the gift of eternal life. 

Dr. Jared Ortiz is an associate professor of religion at Hope College.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake — for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning — lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
Mark 13:24–37

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Traditionally, Advent draws our attention both to the Second Coming of Christ and to Christmas. The Church has long considered these Christophanies — these revelations of the person of Christ — to be mutually illuminating. Thus, as Mark’s Gospel speaks of the end times it affords us an opportunity to better appreciate the annual festival of Christ’s birth.

The image presented is one of dying light. The sun darkens, the moon wanes, the stars fall from the sky, and the very heavens convulse as if in death throes. But, as the celestial bodies fail, the true Heavenly Body, the God-man, bursts forth in the brilliance of his glory and draws his faithful to himself.

In the context of the liturgical year, the diminishing of sun, moon, and stars corresponds to the shortening of days that begins in midsummer: Christmas (in the northern hemisphere) occurs in the darkest time of the year. But, in the darkness and coldness of winter, the sun is on the move; the sun approaches.

Such is the comfort that Christ offers us. Whatever the dark and chill of our lives, whatever our sins and brokenness, the Son is on the move; the Son approaches. His light cannot be overcome by our darkness; rather, he draws us into true life even as the creaturely consolations we had relied on fail and fade away. No matter how ugly or disfigured our lives become, the living God can transfigure us.

Indeed, Christmas confirms that even when we do not feel it, God’s hidden Providence is ever active. The Nativity is not the Incarnation, but its revelation: for nine months, in the warm darkness of Mary’s womb, God has been knitting together our redemption. Every moment is the hour of the Father’s judgment — and mercy: Jesus awakens us to see God’s closeness.

Dr. Kevin Kambo is an assistant professor of philosophy at Hope College.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall become straight,
and the rough places shall become level ways,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
Luke 3:1–6

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Like John the Baptist, I, too, spend a lot of time in nature. I feel at peace in the woods or by a body of water. The stresses of the day-to-day seem to dissolve. I hear God speaking through his creation. 

So, how would I respond if God gave me a sudden calling to “Go! Prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight”? Baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? What if I needed to leave that safe haven at once and bring the Word of God to new places that were very different? Similarly, what if a co-worker asked you to write an Advent devotional for the entire Hope community? And, typically you stick to art and design – not the writing portion. 

If I were to be totally honest with myself (and you), I would most likely deny I heard the call correctly. “That can’t be meant for me to do…”  I would also most likely make up a bunch of excuses of why I’m not equipped. I would think “someone else who has more experience” can do this more effectively than I can. 

Well, I listened to God’s calling this week and stepped out of my comfort zone. I pray that my honest words and response to this passage speak to your hearts like it did to mine. It is easy to stick to our normal surroundings and behaviors. But, God likes to pick unique characters — ones that may be a little more unexpected.

Let us all prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight. Let us share the good news of Christ the Lord with everyone, so that they may repent and receive the forgiveness of sins.

Samantha Bruin is a graphic designer at Hope College.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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But let your hand be on the man of your right hand,
the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!
Then we shall not turn back from you;
give us life, and we will call upon your name!

Restore us, O LORD God of hosts!
Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Psalm 80:17–19

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When I was about 5 years old, in the summer of 1986, I sat with my dad in the living room of our third floor, unairconditioned apartment on Maverick Street in East Boston. He walked over to our record player and thumbed through a collection of albums he had carefully organized on a rack on the living room floor. He played me some of his favorite records, some of which I liked, others of which puzzled me. I especially liked his Springsteen records. I could feel an intensity and earnestness that I would only later understand was driven by his commitment to exploring the tension between communal life and individual freedom.

Technology has pushed us out of communal spaces into ever more private ones. The shared living room stereo system with wall-to-ceiling speakers perfect for full-family enjoyment (or groaning) became the iPhone with a pair of Beats to help teens “keep down that racket.” The movie theater with a whole audience of viewers became the family room television, which has now transformed into Netflix on a tablet with the aforementioned pair of Beats. Four people in the same room now inhabit entirely different worlds. On top of all that, social media curates content for us through complex algorithms that, in the end, do little more than match you and me with companies selling us Metamucil or yoga pants or sandals with surgical precision.

We are now in the midst of, perhaps, a fourth wave of a global trauma. It has affected different people, different cultures, different countries in vastly different ways. In the early stages of the pandemic, we all retreated to those private spaces we’ve been inhabiting more closely. Social distancing. Masking. Our rugged individualism has experienced a communal trauma.

The speakers of Psalm 80 offer a communal lament in an effort to find comfort in a community reckoning with an irretrievable loss. They don’t know what to do or where to turn, when we experience something beyond our control, we turn to the Lord. When God’s hand is on us, we can succeed in what we do. God makes us strong enough to bring our community back to life.

As 2021 hurtles to a close, I find myself praying that we can find some communal life: “Restore us, O Lord God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved!”

Dr. Stephen Maiullo is an associate professor of classics and chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Hope College.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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