May 1, 2009
By Chaplain Michael Chaney

"The world is a mess." So say the newspapers and news reports from the states, which are full of gloom and doom. Each passing day brings new details of the global recession, environmental degradation, food shortages (especially rice), poverty, wild weather shifts and homelessness. Yet, while the mood has seemingly grown more grim (grimmer) here recently, we can admit that bad news has always been the staple food stuff that the media has prepared for us to consume. We rarely question what is put in front of us when we zone out to watch television. How can we begin to counteract the messages we receive daily, messages of hopelessness that increase our stress and anxiety and that do nothing to resolve the world’s problems? Just this past Sunday I was reminded by a former attendee that the reason that he did not attend chapel service lately was simply because he had not gotten his life together just yet. The fact was that I should look for him only after he had ironed out the creases in his life. He was sure that it was a matter of time before he lived a wrinkle-free existence. The question that was left unanswered was why was God, even just a couple of weeks after Easter, even needed. I remember fondly the great sense of joy that I experienced in Negishi on that Saturday before Easter that was shared at the All-Chapel Easter Picnic sponsored by the Catholic congregation. Kids were running all over the place, kicking balls to their fathers, while mothers tended to the other siblings. Neighbors were entranced by stories that were being shared by folks who found nourishment during this weekly visitation to share the good news of being alive during this season of cherry blossoms. It was an overwhelming feeling to be outside in the sunlight with friends in a place where denominational affiliation made no difference. It was a smiling and happy community that gathered in the name of our soon-to-be risen lord as we broke bread together. Providing a place of peace and sanctuary for worshippers has always been for the chapel programs a paramount responsibility. Maybe now it is needed like never before as people all around the world are feeling the pinch of this recession. We are called to seek to sustain the strength found through corporate worship. This truth in which we believe is that, by the grace of God, our few hours together each week may enable us to be hopeful in the face of our fears, as we engage the world around us, no matter where you are from or what rank you may hold. God is with us even if our transfer orders are delayed until October. The challenge for each of us in these fearful days is to encourage the faithful to remain calm and strong in their convictions. We are to assist each other daily to find God’s peace deep within us. There we shall live off the joy that God is always present. In the face of the darkness of our time, we must encourage one another to step into every day knowing that God steps alongside us or runs with us as we kick that next ball. In the face of our fears for the future, you and I are called to reach out to our neighbors. We are to seek ways to work side by side, so Christ’s light may shine brightly through the darkness. May you be encouraged this week to kneel before the lord and give thanks for the beauty of this earth and the good people that share it with us each and every day as you see the sun rise and set over Mount Fuji. We are indeed blessed.