Rejoice the work and future of God

January 28, 2023

“The God who wipes tears” — Revelation 21:1-6a “I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End,” declared the One who was seated on the throne in John’s vision (Revelation 21:6). Alpha is, of course, the first letter in the Greek alphabet. Omega is the twenty-fourth and last letter. I am the “A” and the “Z” we might say, though without the grandeur of the Greek. I am the beginning and the end, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. In other words, God is the God of the past, the present and the future. He is the great “I Am.” His kingdom ...

Jehovah’s Witnesses among Nazism’s victims

January 28, 2023

On January 27, the world marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a symbolic date to commemorate the victims of Nazism. Murderous Nazi terror targeted millions for reasons of biology, nationality, or political ideology. But few people know that the Nazis’ victims included thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who suffered for their Christian faith. Jehovah’s Witnesses, also then known as Bible Students, were “the only group in the Third Reich to be persecuted on the basis of their religious beliefs alone,” says Professor Robert Gerwarth. The Nazi regime branded Witnesses ...

Are we glorifying our heavenly father?

January 28, 2023

John 3:16 says that He (God) gave His only begotten Son; and Psalm 2:7 says, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You.” God has existed as three persons from eternity past. Before creation, God the Son was happy and content in His role as the eternal Son of God. In John 17:5, Jesus prayed to the Father, asking Him to glorify the Son with the glory He had before the creation of the world. Jesus seems to be referring to the glory He had before Satan and the angels fell into sin. It would have been a time when God’s glory was untarnished and unaffected by the evil, wickedness, and ...

Local camp re-accredited by ACA

January 28, 2023

MIFFLINBURG — The American Camp Association (ACA) has announced that Camp Mount Luther has received ACA Accredited Camp Status following their site visit this summer. The Keystone Regional Local Council of Leaders of ACA voted to re-accredit the camp last fall. “ACA accreditation means that Camp Mount Luther submitted to a thorough review of its operation from staff qualifications and training to emergency management — and complied with the highest standards in the industry,” said Nancy Hartmann, ACA National Standards Commission. “Parents expect their children to attend ...

For Indonesia’s transgender community, faith can be a source of discrimination

January 28, 2023

The conversation Shinta Ratri, an Indonesian transgender woman, taught transgender people at the Al-Fatah Islamic boarding school she helped found in 2008 that God didn’t care if you were gay or transgender because sincere prayer will be accepted. Located in Yogyakarta, in southern Java, the school provided a safe space in a country where faith and transgender identities are often seen to be incompatible. Even though Indonesia transitioned to a secular democracy in 1998, all adults have to carry an identity card that clearly states their religion. Indonesia is a signatory to the ...

Religion Briefs

January 21, 2023

Editor’s note: To submit a nonprofit announcement to The Sentinel’s Religion section, contact Tom Laub at (717) 248-6741 or by email at living@lewistownsentinel.com. Items also may be faxed to (717) 248-3481 or sent to The Sentinel, 352 Sixth St., Lewistown, PA 17044. Items must be received by Tuesday for publication in the Saturday edition. Submissions will be published as space allows. The editor reserves the right to edit all submissions. ••• UMC to host Bible study LEWISTOWN — First Bakers United Methodist Church will host a Bible study every Wednesday at 7 p.m. ...