Fraise Chapel, KAF Afghanistan

31/07/2020

From Chaplain Kearney

Devotion for 31 JUL

Reading: Acts 25:13-26:23

When Paul appears before King Agrippa, Festus raises a concern that we as Christians often share. “They [the Jews] had certain points of dispute with him about their own religion and a certain Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive. I was at a loss how to investigate these questions…”

How do we confirm or refute the claim that Jesus rose from the dead? For the Christian, this is the single most important question of our religion. As St. Paul says in 1 Cor. 15:17, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”

Festus was at a loss for how to investigate this claim. Paul could have pointed to the empty tomb, but that would have raised questions of whether the body had just been moved, as the conspiracy theories had already been put out there on the 1st century dark web. (Matthew 28:13)

Instead, Paul points to his own life. He says, “I not only locked up many of the saints in prison…, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them.” He is saying here that nobody hated Christianity more than he did. But then he had an encounter with the risen Christ. Afterward, he was willing to give up his standing among the Jews, be tortured, arrested, and beaten nearly to death multiple times for the sake of the truth he was given to speak.

Festus thought Paul had gone insane. He says, “You are out of your mind; great learning is driving you out of your mind.” Either Paul was insane, or he actually had an encounter with the risen Christ who called him to preach the Gospel the Gentiles, including Festus.

God uses Christians and their lives’ stories to speak the truth to others. We do well to follow Paul’s example. He doesn’t get angry for being called insane. Instead, he rationally gives a defense for the hope that is in him. That even if he were to die for the truth he proclaims, he has no fear, for God will raise him from the dead just as He raised Jesus whom Paul confesses to be God and Lord. So we too boldly confess the truth of our faith, trusting that God’s Word is worth losing everything for.

30/07/2020

From Chaplain Kearney

Devotion for 30 JUL

Reading: Acts 24:24-25:12

Paul preaches the Gospel to Felix who doesn’t want to hear it. He becomes alarmed when Paul talks about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment.

The Law of God terrifies the sinful flesh. We hear God’s perfect demands and we know we don’t measure up. We can ignore the Law, refuse to listen, and pretend we’re okay, or we can hear the accusations of the Law and repent of our sins for forgiveness.

Maybe we think we haven’t done anything wrong. Maybe we don’t want to listen to the Law because we’re convinced we’re pretty good people who don’t need to have our noses rubbed in it.

But we would be deceiving ourselves. Our conscience speaks truth to the lie that we are good people. Guilt over past wrongs, shame over thoughts, and the fear that people will find out our deepest darkest secrets are all proof that not one of us is truly a good person in our core.

Felix felt this. So he sent Paul away. He didn’t want to hear it anymore. Paul was imprisoned for two years because Felix didn’t want to face the truth of his sin. The irony is that Paul was there to deliver Felix from his sin, if only he would hear it.

Too often we turn from the Word of God when it accuses us of our sins when instead we should dig deeper. God’s Word condemns our sins, yes. But this is only so that we are prepared to receive the forgiveness of sins. Without knowledge of our sickness, how can we receive the cure?

So, even though it is painful, we listen to God’s Word which reveals the deepest darkest secrets of our hearts. We do this so that we can hear God speak those beautiful words of forgiveness to us. In hearing the Gospel, our hearts are cleansed from sin and replaced with the love of Christ Jesus, our Lord.

29/07/2020

From Chaplain Kearney

Devotion for 29 JUL

Today’s Reading Acts 24:1-23

St. Paul tells Felix that the reason he “takes pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man” is that there will be a resurrection of the dead (Acts 24:16). We believe that when Christ returns on the Last Day, all flesh will be raised from death. There will be a judgment. Those who have done good will be raised to eternal joy. Those who have done evil will be raised to eternal judgment. This is what Christians have confessed for over a thousand years since it was put to words in the Athanasian Creed.

What pains do you take to have a clear conscience? Do you, like Paul, take every opportunity to speak the truth? What would that even look like?

In reality, it would be a daily confession of sins. We say with St. Paul that we are the worst of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). If left to ourselves, we would have nothing but a guilty conscience, for nothing we can do can make up for our sins against God and our fellow man. Our deeds are continually evil, even when they look outwardly good. But we can still have a clean conscience. Like St. Paul, we also confess that we are saved by the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (also 1 Timothy 1:15).

We live every day in the new mercy of God. He has given us another day to love and serve Him and to love and serve our neighbor. When St. Paul says he strives to have a clean conscience toward God and man, he is saying that he makes a daily effort to live without sin. And we should as well.

Every day we wake up in the mercy of God. We ask for the strength to live without sin, to perfectly love Him and our neighbor. “Deliver us from evil,” we pray. Then, when we go to bed each night, we ask that God would “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” And because of the Gospel, God removes our trespasses and sees us as perfectly good and righteous toward God and man.

This is the daily life of the Christian. And it is how we strive with St. Paul to have a clean conscience toward God and man. May God grant us such a clean conscience every day.

28/07/2020

From Chaplain Kearney

Devotion for 28 JUL

God orders the world into three estates. There is the church, the home, and the state. In each of these estates we have obligations toward our neighbor’s physical well-being.

In church, there are preachers of the Gospel and hearers of the Gospel. All things are done for the good of the proclamation of the Gospel and the providing for those the world overlooks.

In home, there are husbands, wives, children, and relatives. All things are done for the good of the family, caring first for the spiritual needs, but also the physical needs of one another.

In the state, there are citizens and governors. All things are done for the preservation of civic well-being, and evil deeds are punished to protect people from harm.

We can and should ask ourselves every day, “Who am I to my neighbor? How am I to love and serve God in all three estates?”

In Acts 23, we see all three working together to provide for Paul so that he does not get killed by evil men who set a plot. More than forty Jews had intended to ambush him on his way to the council. But Paul’s nephew heard of it and went to the Roman tribune to appeal for Paul’s safety. The tribune sent over 200 soldiers to protect Paul on his way to Felix the governor, who was to hear his case.

Paul was devoted to preaching the Gospel, even to those who hated him. His concern for their souls was more important than his personal safety. He exemplifies to the church what a preacher should be.

His nephew risked his own life and went to the tribune to warn them about the attempt to kill Paul. His concern for his uncle drove him to risk life and limb and make the dangerous journey to the Roman tribune.

The Roman tribune recognized his responsibility to protect and serve Paul, a Roman citizen, so he sent out his troops to deliver Paul safely to the governor in Caesarea.

All three estates worked together to provide for Paul’s safety. We see this both as an example of how we are to serve one another and also as an example of the great blessing these three estates are to us. God provides for our souls, our bodies, and even for our public good through these three estates.

For Further Reading: Acts 23:12-35

27/07/2020

From Chaplain Kearney

Devotion for 27 JUL

When Paul had made his testimony in front of the Jews at Jerusalem (Acts 22), they wanted to kill him because he spoke of the Gospel going out to the Gentiles. The crowd became so unruly that the Roman tribune came and arrested Paul, thinking he was guilty of some crime.

When Paul was in custody, he appealed to his Roman citizenship to be set free. The tribune recognized his rights as a citizen. The tribune even became fearful that he would be punished for treating Paul in such a manner.

As Christians we can follow Paul’s example and appeal to our citizenship when we need to. God has appointed the government to be a terror to wicked consciences and a comfort to those who are in the right. We do not need to pit our citizenship against our faith.

However, if our faith is challenged by the government, we can and must use the legal means to fight against such injustice. This means that protesters should gather peacefully to protest whatever law or policy they see as unjust. This also means that Christians should gather safely to worship, not neglecting to gather as is the habit of some. (Heb. 10:25) For we must obey God rather than man. (Acts 5:29)

When a person’s God-given rights are infringed, he/she must appeal to the highest civic authority. In Paul’s day, that was his Roman citizenship. In our day, it is the US Constitution. The Constitution does not grant us these rights. Neither did Paul’s citizenship grant him his rights. God gives these unalienable rights. They are enshrined in the Constitution as rights that belong to mankind, not to the government to grant.

A Christian does not sin when he/she appeals to the legal means to resist corruption and unlawfulness. In fact, God establishes the government for precisely this reason, to uphold the good and to punish the wicked (Romans 13). So as Christians, we seek the good of our neighbor. And as Christians we appeal to the God-granted authority placed over us to protect ourselves and our neighbors against unlawful punishment.

May God give wisdom to our civic leaders during this time. And may we in the Church lead the charge against unlawful corruption and abuses that may happen by those in government. Let us do it as Christians, appealing to the legal means, at all times placing ourselves at the mercy of God. He is merciful, He is just. He who is both God and Lord will preserve His Church as He always has. And God will use His Church to pronounce the Gospel all the more as the days grow evil. God grant us peace in Him during these times.

For Further Reading: Acts 22:22-23:11

24/07/2020

From Chaplain Kearney

Devotion for 24 JUL

St. Paul returned to Jerusalem for the last time in Acts 21. He first went to the leaders of the church there and spoke to James. James and the elders of the church gave him the chance to speak, and having heard his testimony of both what he taught and did, they rejoiced in receiving a fellow believer, a brother in the faith.

But when the Jews from Asia saw Paul in the temple, they stirred up a crowd against him. They refused to listen to him. They accused him of defiling the temple by bringing a Gentile in (a crime for which they had no evidence). They had decided that because Paul preached to the Gentiles, he must hate the Law of Moses.

The Jews in Asia would not give Paul the chance to speak because they were afraid of what they might learn. Paul was arrested and brought before the Roman authorities to stand trial for inciting a crowd. Had they listened to Paul at the temple, they might have learned the truth. Instead, they judged him out of hand and had him arrested.

We in the church must learn to speak to one another in love. Baptists have to learn how to talk to Catholics and vice versa. Lutherans have to learn how to talk to non-denominational Christians and vice versa. Rather than pre-judging one another out of hand, we must learn to speak to each other with the language Scripture gives us.

This doesn’t mean that differences in denomination don’t matter. Of course they do! They matter because truth matters. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. We can only have unity in the universal church if we learn to follow Him and learn from Him alone. But we must also learn to talk to one another and listen in order to promote the truth. All too often we dismiss each other out of hand because we are convinced no one else can be right except for me.

We must learn to listen to one another and speak the truth in love. This is increasingly hard to do in a society that judges one another based on the outward appearance and party or tribal affiliation. But the Church must lead by example. Listen to one another. Speak the truth in love. The days are evil, so we must learn to walk in the light. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil.” (Eph 5:16)

Christ learned how to speak to each one of us. He took on human flesh, lived a human life, and died a human death. All this He did out of love for us. We follow His example because He loves us without prejudice. Our Lord communicates to each one of us in human language. And we communicate to one another in human language. The mystery is that in communicating the truth to one another, Christ continues to speak into our lives and into the lives of the whole church on earth.

For Further Reading: Acts 21: 15-36

23/07/2020

From Chaplain Kearney

Devotion for 23 JUL

Do you have to have perfect knowledge to believe? No, of course not. Jesus says that the faith of a child is required to enter eternal life, not the learned faith of a scholar. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t learn more about our faith.

Paul found some disciples in Ephesus who didn’t even know there is a Holy Spirit. This is pretty basic to the faith, yet they were uninformed. Paul didn’t say, “Well, you believe in God, that’s good enough,” then leave them in their ignorance. He taught them. And in teaching them, they received the Holy Spirit.

The Word of God is a spring of living water which gives life to all who drink it. But that doesn’t mean that if we’ve drank from the stream once, we don’t need any more. The Word of God restores life to all who drink deeply. Having had a sip, we become thirsty for more and more. Unlike water in a desert, this water never runs dry. We drink deeper and deeper and receive still more benefits every time we come to the water.

The disciples at Ephesus knew about the baptism of John. They believed in the forgiveness they received through the promise of the Messiah who was to come. Theoretically, Paul could have left them in their ignorance, and their faith in the promised Messiah would have been sufficient to save them. But why on earth would Paul withhold the wonderful good news that Jesus had come and brought eternal pleasure?!? They believed in the good news. Paul had the opportunity to deliver it to them. And in hearing, they received the Holy Spirit.

You don’t have to know everything God reveals in order to attain eternal life. But why on earth would you shut your ears to the good news He has already revealed? Who knows what you may be missing out on here and now! It is true to this day, that all who hear and believe God’s Word will be blessed. This isn’t a one-time offer. It’s an offer given to us every day. So we rejoice in the blessing God gives to us anew every day.

For Further Reading: Acts 19:1-22

22/07/2020

From Chaplain Kearney

Devotion for 22 JUL

In Acts 18:5-7, St. Paul was teaching in Corinth. He spoke the truth plainly. He was not quarrelsome. He didn’t want to “win” the arguments. He knew the truth and taught it plainly to anyone who would listen.

When those who should have known better refused to listen to him, he didn’t lash out, he didn’t call them names on Facebook, he didn’t drag them before others to ruin their reputation. He simply shook out his garments, and said, “Your blood be on your own head! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

By saying this, St. Paul gives an example to the Church today. If someone will not listen to the testimony we give, we don’t get angry with them. We don’t call them names. We simply shake the dust off our feet, give a final warning about their loss of the Way which leads to life, then we move on to those who will listen to our testimony.

Paul was clear with the Jews in Corinth. He didn’t say, “well that’s your opinion.” He warned them that they should hear the Word he speaks, but if they refuse, that’s their choice. The truth comes out in the end.

Paul could have gotten angry with his fellow Jews in Corinth, but that would not have done him nor them any good. The Christian response to unbelief is to continue speaking the truth in love to any who listen. We don’t fret about which soil God gives us to sow the goodly seed of His Word. We simply continue speaking the truth in love in whatever station God places us.

Paul went on to preach to the Gentiles in Corinth. And the Church grew like never before. God’s Word will grow where He wills, not where we want it to. We are simply given the task to speak the truth to those we love. God gives the growth.

Martin Franzmann puts it well in the hymn ‘Preach You The Word’ (hymn on Matthew 13 Parable of the Sower).

“Though some be snatched and some be scorched And some be choked and matted flat, The sower sows; his heart cries out, ‘Oh, what of that, and what of that?’
“Of all his scattered plenteousness One-fourth waves ripe on hill and flat, And bears a harvest hundredfold: ‘Ah, what of that, Lord, what of that!’”

For Further Reading: Acts 18:1-11 and Matthew 13:1-23

21/07/2020

From Chaplain Kearney

Devotion for 21 JUL

In Acts 16:23-34, Paul and Silas are imprisoned for teaching the truth of God’s Word. When they are in prison, they don’t despair. They don’t look back at how the church used to be. They sing hymns. In prison, with uncertain futures, they sang hymns to God. And by singing these hymns, they taught the faith to their jailors who were saved by the Gospel.

We are never sure what the future of the Church on earth will look like. But we do know that the Church of Christ is persecuted. We have lived rather comfortably in the United States, enjoying religious freedom and the opportunity to teach the Gospel publicly. But this is rare in the world and in history. As Christians we should prepare for times of persecution because we never know when they will come.

How do we prepare? By singing hymns. Hymns teach the faith. Good hymns teach the faith well. They encourage us in difficult times. They embolden us for future difficulties. They proclaim the truth of God’s Word in a beautiful way.

Music communicates God’s beauty to the heart. Singing is a perfect way to adorn God’s Word. So we, the Church, sing hymns. And by singing hymns we teach ourselves the faith. And who knows who might be affected by our song someday.

For Further Reading: Acts 16:23-40

A great hymn to learn:

Provided to YouTube by CDBaby Salvation Unto Us Has Come · Higher Things Here We Stand: Singing the Hymns of the Reformation ℗ 2017 Higher Things Released on...

20/07/2020

From Chaplain Kearney

Devotion for 20 JUL

20 JUL

In Acts 16:11ff, St. Luke writes, “And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer,and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.’”

God calls us the same way He called Lydia and her household; by the proclamation of the Gospel. If not for the Word of God that goes out, no one would be saved. No one would come to the knowledge of the truth. No one would choose to believe. But by the preaching of the Word, by the calling of the Holy Spirit, God makes us into believers for the salvation of our souls.

In Luther’s Small Catechism, it says, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him, but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel...” And this is true. “I believe... that I cannot believe.” Apart from God calling us, apart from the Holy Spirit opening our eyes, not a single one of us would believe in the Gospel. Not one of us would choose to follow Christ.

And no wonder. Following Christ in this world does not mean prosperity and peace in our day. Following Christ results in persecution. We should not seek persecution, but we should not be surprised when it comes. It has always come to those who follow the Way.

If following Jesus were a choice we make, we could very easily unmake that choice. But God calls us, and God is faithful. He preserves us during trials and tribulations. St. Paul is a great example. He was nearly killed many times for his faith, but God sustained him until the proper time. And now St. Paul is with the Father, awaiting the resurrection of all flesh.

We pray for the same faith given to us by God through the proclamation of the Word. He will preserve His Church. He always has. We need not worry about the future of the Church. We need simply to hear, believe, and profess the truth we know by the power of the Holy Spirit.

For Further Reading: Acts 16:1-22

17/07/2020

Due to COVID19 there will be no Lutheran or Protestant services for 2 or more weeks. We will update you once the chaplains are out of quarantine.

The chapel is still open for private prayer. Fr. Krische will still be offering Catholic Mass during the week by reservation only.

Thank you for your patience.

03/07/2020

From Chaplain Kearney

Devotion for 3 JUL

The world is very tiresome. More and more I’m finding the people who I care for are just tired. They’re tired of the political fights, tired of the non-stop bad news, tired of COVID19, tired of being in Afghanistan, tired of racism, tired of riots, and tired of hatred in general.

The world is ugly and we can’t help but see that. Hatred and violence seems to be the currency of the day. But in the midst of all this ugliness, we are called to look beyond what we see and look to the beauty that God displays to His children. Psalm 84 says, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts. My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.”

God’s dwelling place is with mankind. He has made a home with His children. And His children are all those who believe in the forgiveness won for them by the blood of Christ.

We, as God’s children, are called to see the world as He sees it. And He sees it through the eyes of love. His love is displayed perfectly in the cross of Christ. There He showed how much He values your neighbor who spits vitriolic words at you. There He showed how much He loves your political enemy. There He showed how much He treasures the life of every man, woman, and child of every age.

The ugliness of sin around us causes us to be tired. But our souls are renewed when we look at the love of God in Christ Jesus. He gives us strength to meet each day with renewed zeal. He emboldens our hearts to follow Him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. As the Psalmist says, “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.”

This life is marred by tiresome troubles. It often causes us to weep. But the tears of God’s saints renew the face of the earth. As we weep and lament the troubles of our day, we offer them in prayer to God. And He renews the face of the earth by speaking His Word to the world through His saints. “As they go through the valley of Baca (weeping) they make it a place of springs.”

Being a child of God not only strengthens you for the days ahead, it also offers the solution to our world’s problems. And that solution is the Gospel, the forgiveness of sins. This Gospel is like fountains of pure water in a desert. Pools of water renew and refresh the desert of sadness and death. All of this is given freely to those who enter the Father’s house.

We stand at the door of our Father’s house and invite in those who do evil to us. People with hatred in their hearts are invited to the place where God removes their hatred and replaces it with love. “I would rather be a doorkeeper to the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

I’m tired too. But God renews me as He has renewed His Church in every age. He continues to proclaim the Gospel through doorkeepers who continually point us inside to the place where God restores, strengthens, and enlivens us with His Word of promise. Thanks be to God for His renewing Gospel!

For Further Reading: Psalm 84