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m Wl)t CI}arlotte ^osJt THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 1997 10A RELIGION John leads way to Jesus Sunday School Lesson Devotional reading: Psalm 42:1-11. Lesson scripture: Luke 2:21-40. It is important to see that John’s brief ministry was actual ly a transition period between the Law and the gospel. Jesus said, “The Law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached” (Luke 16:16; see also Matthew 11:13; Acts 10:36-38). Mark (1:1- 4) says that John’s preaching was “the beginning of the gospel.” That John would pre pare the way for the Lord had been determined by God cen turies earlier (Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1) and had been reaf firmed at his birth (Luke 1:17, 76,77). John did not carry on his work in the sacred city of Jerusalem; he was a man of the wildemess. He roamed the uninhabited and mostly desolate areas of the wildemess of Judea (this more specific location is mentioned in Matthew 3:1), which extended northward from the area north west of the Dead Sea to the southern part of the Jordan River valley. John baptized (immersed in water) men and women who committed themselves to repen tance - a genuine change of mind and heart, leading to a change of life. Baptism seems to be a totally new rite introduced by John. There is no convincing evidence to link baptism to the ceremonial washings and bathings of the Jews, the Essenes (a sect of Jews known for its simplicity and strictness of lifestyle), or the Qumran com munity (the group most famous for producing what we know as the Dead Sea Scrolls). Nor can it be shown that the baptism of converts to Judaism (who were known as “proselytes”) was prac ticed this early. The unusual nature of John's act was the rea son he came to be designated as “the Baptizer.” John's baptism promised a remission or forgiveness, of sins. Evidently submission in faith to John’s baptism granted a for giveness that prepared for Christian baptism, through which a more permanent for giveness, secured by Jesus’ death and resiurection, would be available. John offered a for giveness similar to that secured by obedience to the Old Testament sacrificial demands (see, for example, Leviticus 4:26, 31; 5:16), but which also looked forward emd ceiUed attention to what the Messiah who was to follow him would accomplish. This illustrates John's ministry as a transition fix)m the Law to the gospel. John certainly fulfilled his appointed task of arousing the nation of Israel to righteousness. His unique personality, his pow erful preaching, and his unique rite of baptism combined with the expectant atmosphere in Palestine (Luke 2:25, 38; 3:15) to set the whole region ablaze with excitement. The imperfect tense (indicating repeated action) of the verb were baptized suggests a constant flow of penitent Israelites turning to God in obe dience, confessing and renounc ing their sins. John’s appearance reflected the poor but rugged wildemess man that he was. Dressing like his prototype Elijah (2 Kings 1:7, 8), John wore a coarse, itchy robe woven from camel’s hair, and a leather girdle or “belt” (New International Version) around his waist. John's diet also reflected the lifestyle of the wildemess. Preacher’s wives and more . PHOTO/SUE ANN JOHNSCjN Preacher’s wives Dana Chambers (left) and Teresa Shipman say their roles aren’t easy, especially since they juggle children and careers amid high expectations from many. By Jeri Young THE CHARLOTTE POST Being a preacher’s wife is not easy. “Julia,” Whitney Houston’s alter ego in the blockbuster movie, “The Preacher’s Wife,” sings, dances, and raises chil dren. And when problems get too big for her to handle, she always has her handsome guardian angel, Oscar winner Denzel Washington. Real life preacher’s wives agree that all of Julia’s prob lems are reeilistic. But, they say, there is much more to their lives than por trayed in the African American remake of the Caiy Grant clas sic, “The Bishop’s Wife.” Everyone has an image of what the preacher’s wife is sup posed to be. Always smiling, dig nified. Usually quiet and sup portive. For years she was seen as an extension of her husband. Everything about them was con stantly scrutinized. And, of course, they must always wear a hat. During an interview at Walls Memorial AME Zion Church, two preacher’s wives shared their woes. “They need to give you a pre- entry exam before you get mar ried,” Dana Chambers, wife of the Rev. Ernest Chambers, assistant pastor of St. Luke Baptist Church, says with a laugh. “If you fail, you have to take some classes.” “When I told someone I was going to mairy Ernest, they told me I had better go out and learn to play and sing,” Chambers says. “This is true,” agrees Teresa Shipman, wife of the Rev. Sheldon Shipman of Walls Memorial AME Zion Church. “I don’t play piano, direct the choir or teach Sunday School. That’s the first thing people ask.” And unlike Juha, they rarely wear hats. “That’s more of a tradition among older ladies,” Shipman says. ‘Tm not really comfortable in them.” Jill Briscoe, wife of a Wisconsin minister, edits a magazine for pastor’s wives as part of her personal ministry. “I think people look to a pas tor’s wife as being able to do everything he does and more because she is a woman,” Briscoe says. “It‘s an incredible job for which they usually are neither paid, nor trained.” Chambers and Shipman say the difficulties of their lives in the cloth run from the fear of sudden relocation, to finding time alone with their busy hus bands. Like many of today’s preach er’s wives, they have demanding careers and committments. Chambers manages Beautique Nail Salon. Shipman is the assistant prinicipal at BerryhiU Elementary School.- - The Bhil)mans have energetic;two- year old twins; the Chambers have three children. It is not easy, they agree, but they wouldn’t trade their busy families or careers for anything. Nor their husbands, whose faith keeps them groimded. It takes a special woman to be a “first lady,” the respectful term coined by Baptists. “As far as your own personal identity, you’ve kinda lost it,” Chambers says. “Your hus band’s ministry and what he does is the first thing people think of” “I have tried veiy hard to keep my identity,” Shipman says. “I have a real warped sense of humor. I am Teresa, I will always be Teresa.” Chambers recalled the first preacher’s wife she knew: “She used to come to our house and sneak cigarettes. She had them in a white glove and she would puU them out of a whole in the finger. She was ashamed to let anyone, except us, see her do it.” Loneliness is the No. 1 com- nlaint for preacher’s wives, according Briscoe, wife of the Rev. Stuart Briscoe. Much of her advice column is fiUed with questions on how to cope with the loneliness. “A lot of his time is spent out side of the church,” Shipman sa3fs of her husband. “It is ftnis- trating, especially since the chil dren were bom. Before them, I was with him a lot. I was to go to different speaking engage ments. I really enjoyed that part of his life. He spreads himself so thin.” To combat the loneliness, Shipman and Chambers make dates with their husbands, not that they always work out. The Shipman’s last date was almost ruined when the babysitter didn’t show up. Both manage to spend a little quality time with their hus bands by being creative. The Shipmans eat together after the twins are in bed. The Chambers make dates far in advance. 'The next date is a movie, “The Preacher’s Wife,” of course. A knock on the door intermpts the interview. The twins have arrived in full regalia — a fire man and a constmction worker. They’re cooking spaghetti. “I wouldn’t trade this for any thing,” Shipman says. Tlitu says apartheid confession needed THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WORCESTER, Mass. - The end of South African apartheid was a victory for everyone, retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu said in a sermon of thanks Sunday before baptizing his baby granddaughter. “The miracle of South Africa would have been totally impossible without your love and prayers,” Tutu told about 500 people who filled the pews of 100-year-old All Saints Episcopal Church. “The victo ry over injustice is also your victory.” Tutu’s granddaughter, Nyaniso Lindiwe Burris, whose name means “truth awaited” in the Xhosa lan guage of South Africa, was born Dec. 12. She is his fifth grandchild. Her mother, Mpho Tutu, runs an after-school program at All Saints and directs the South African Children's Advancement Fund Ltd., an organization that helps create day care centers in South Africa. The baby's father, Josenh Burris, is a snorts reporter for The Boston Globe. Tutu, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his work to end apartheid, brought greetings from “the new, .free and Democratic South Africa.” He now heads South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which was appointed to uncover apartheid-era crimes. His commission, however, has had difficulty getting top officials from that era to testify volun tarily about killings, torture and other abuses against gov ernment opponents. The perpetrators of apartheid need to confess their crimes, he told reporters later. “You are almost over whelmed by the extent of evil and then you see people are willing to forgive,” Tutu said. Tutu said he hopes his homeland can be an example to Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Bosnia and Chechnya. “I hope they will be able to hear from South Africa that the nightmare has ended and it can end for them,” he said. “You have only this piece of the earth - make it good.” Church computer puts gospel on internet By Rob5Ti Lontz Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. - The Internet is spreading the word of God from the pulpit to the personal computer. And some area churches have joined the trend of sharing that message in cyberspace. The Rev. William Menzel, of St. Vincent de Paul Church, said he established a home page through Wood County Telephone Co. as a method of connecting with his parish and world. “I see it as one more way of spreading the word of God,” he said. “Not only can our parish mem bers access the page, but a per fect stranger may see it. It is a way of evangelism, but also a way of communicating within the parish and outside the parish.” Menzel, who has owned a com puter for more than 10 years, said he created the Web site himself “I’m not an expert by any means, but I am comfortable with it,” he said. “Until I got onto the World Wide Web, I mainly used the computer for personal work, doing the parish bulletin, word processing, keeping a parish database and financial record keeping." Now, through the home page at www.rc.net/lacrosse/st-vinc. Menzel is sharing his quickly learned skQl with everyone. “I reahzed it wasn't that com plicated to do, and it’s actually fun to play around and see what works best on the page,” he said. The page, which went online a year ago, features information See INTERNET on page 11A Biblical teachings aid weight loss for some By Sandi Kahn Shelton NEW HAVEN REGISTER MADISON, Conn. - It turns out that not only did God create heaven and earth, but he cares about our weight, too. And he doesn’t want us all miserable down here either, counting calories and weighing fat grams and constantly jump ing on the scale to measure how we’re doing. He’d like us to be eating eveiy- thing we enjoy - even hot fudge sundaes, if that’s where our hearts he. This is the philosophy of a rel atively new, biblical-based weight-loss program that uses Scripture to help people who are struggling with problems about food. The Weigh Down work shops were created four years ago by a dietitian from Tennessee, Gwendolyn Shambhn, who suggested that dieters should stop being obsessed with food intake and instead learn to pay attention to their body's natural signals about what and when to eat. Participants attend a 12-week workshop, given through a church, in which they study the Bible, learn behavior modifica tion techniques, watch Shamblin’s videos and are invit ed - but not required - to share their experiences with the group. There are no special diets given out, no forbidden foods, no prescribed exercise programs, no weigh-ins. In fact, partici pants are encouraged to stop relying on their scales to tell them how they’re doing and instead pay attention to how they feel. The cost of the series is $103, which includes aU materials. A second 12-week session can be taken for $55, and after that, participants can attend any ses sion for free, if they wish. It’s worked wonders for Wendy Hackett, a Madison mother of three, who is leading a workshop through Christ Chapel in Madison. “I had tried so many diet plans with no suc cess,” says Hackett. “In fact, I have a freezer full of Jenny Craig diet food that I bought and paid for but now am so relieved to find that I don’t have to eat. Today, in fact, I ate a hot fudge simdae - or part of it, at least. And in the six weeks of doing this program, I have lost 14 pounds.” The key to the weight loss has been that Hackett has learned, through asking God’s help, to tell the difference between when she is truly hungry and when it’s just her head looking for dis traction. “I used to eat from boredom or depression or tension - any excuse,” she says. “And once Id See WEIGHT on page 11A
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