“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the powers,
against the world forces of this darkness,
against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Eph 6:12
In this first Prior’s Report to be submitted by me to the Priory each week for the next two years in a series of 104 reports, I wanted to be sure and clearly articulate the spirit of my time as your servant leader. I wish to establish this theme as a battlefield, for that is what it really is. As our forefathers spent their lives on a different kind of battlefield, so we shall spend ours on a new one in this distant century. And yet, as the verse above clearly attests, the 21st-century battlefield is exclusively a spiritual one, for we are called to transform the enemies of the Cross through Christ’s supernatural love. We leave our homes for the battlefield each day with the “Sword of the Spirit,” which is the Word of God. And our prime mission objective is love. Without that Christ-centered love, we do not represent Him.
Our battlefield is huge indeed! Did you know that the Temple Church encompasses a geographical area so large that, driving at highway speeds in good traffic, it would take 11 hours without stopping just to drive across the footprint that lies under our responsibility? Today we stretch from southern Alabama all the way to Key West. Inside The Temple Church footprint live more than 22 million souls. Here, by the sovereign hand of our Lord Master, we have been assigned to accomplish the ministry of the modern 21st-century Templar that has little changed in the more than nine past centuries. I don’t know how you may feel about this, beloved, but to me, this is a staggering responsibility! And yet, I know that our “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7) And now, to we who have been given the incomparable honor to have been selected to go to work on this very real and very expansive battlefield, it is our assigned duty to build the Kingdom of God as Christ so directs each of us.
As you can see on the lead graphic above, there is a Templar Seal that bears two Latin phrases. Following is their meaning and history.
The first is: “Alea iacta est” which means “the die is cast.” The early Roman historian Suetonius credits Julius Caesar as having said this on 10 January 49 B.C. when he led his army across the Rubicon River in Northern Italy. The phrase “crossing the Rubicon” means to pass the point of no return. And so it is that we as Templars who have accepted the accolade, must now meet the spiritual enemy on this battlefield and press on to victory – for turning back is not an option.
The second phrase, “Aut Viam Inveniam Aut Faciam,” is translated as “I will find a way or make one.” It is attributed to Hannibal when his generals told him that it was impossible for him and his army to cross the Alps in 218 BC. With his indomitable courage and will, this became one of the most astonishing feats in military history.
Thus, we must eye Temple Church’s territory, encompassing more than 66,000 square miles, with just such a resolve. We will accomplish our sacred duty by finding a way or making one – with the certain help of our Lord!
Today, I wanted to set the tone and clear direction for The Temple Church during the next two years, which I will continue to describe next week as framed in one clearly expressed four-word phrase: “Enhanced Engagement and Sustainability.” More on that next week.
Finally, as we face the reality of a maturing organization (the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem), we must strategically change if we wish to meaningfully impact it. That is not just our responsibility, but it is our pathway to success. If we ignore the powerful social forces shaping our culture, it will inevitably harm us. But under my watch, we will not disregard these forces – we will adapt and we shall thrive!
As SMOTJ inevitably ages, allow me to close with this verse from Dylan Thomas (1914-1953):
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
In The Temple Church, we shall not go gentle into that good night, but we shall indeed rage, rage against the dying of the Templar light!
And among us, the Light of Christ will shine brilliantly into a world that needs that Light so desperately. It is our sacred duty!
Alea iacta est. Aut Viam Inveniam Aut Faciam.
Chev. Dr. Dennis Chamberland, GOTJ
Prior VII
(321) 537-8914
Deus Est; Deus Est Omnia
God is; God is everything.