The False Elephant

What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ." ...  (1 Corinthians 1:12) The Son is the reflection of God's glory and the exact image of his being.  (Hebrews 1:3; 2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15; John 1:14). Thoughts:  A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form. Out of curiosity, they said: "We must inspect and know it by touch, of which we are capable". So, they sought it out, and when they found it they groped about it. In the case of the first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, said "This being is like a thick snake". For another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan. As for another person, whose hand was upon its leg, said, the elephant is a pillar like a tree-trunk. The blind man who placed his hand upon its side said the elephant, "is a wall". Another who felt its tail, described it as a rope. The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is hard, smooth and like a spear. This is a famous parable began in the first millennium BC on the Indian subcontinent- popularized by Buddhism and claimed by Jainism and Hinduism.  John Godfrey Saxe popularized it in America by a poem describing religions- pointing out that no one really knows God.  But there is a real problem here (that Leslie Newbigin and others have pointed out).  The problem is that we think we see the elephant.  We easily put ourselves in the position of someone who knows better than all the blind people and we can see they only see a part of the story- while we see the whole thing.  Thus, instead of helping, we are only creating another viewpoint.  Truth is, we all are blind to God and we need God to reveal Himself to us- to open our eyes.  We do not deserve such healing, but God is gracious.       Christians believe in Jesus- the Word made flesh.  He came to help us see who God really is.  He is, as scripture says, "The exact image of the invisible God."  He is the Word made flesh.  God did not leave us in our blindness, but in love came down so we could see what He is like.  He would have us point others to this healing of the eyes of our soul.        Jesus shows us that the creator of our eyes is also able to open the eyes of the blind.  The Apostle Paul knew this and changed from a persecutor of the church into its biggest advocate.  As John Newton put it- "I once was lost but now I'm found, was blind but now I see."  Prayer: Open my eyes, Holy Spirit, to yourself.  Help me to humbly and graciously grow in knowledge and love for you.

By Illustrator unknown - From Augusta Stevenson, Children's Classics in Dramatic Form, Houghton Mifflin (Boston), From Charles Maurice Stebbins & Mary H. Coolidge, Golden Treasury Readers: Primer, American Book Co. (New York), p. 17., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4581188

Postmodernism and Temptation

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil....

Thoughts; Certainly part of the Lenten discipline is to think about what tempts us and to resist that temptation.  This is why fasting or giving up something for Lent comes from.   For Christians the reality of evil and thus the possibility of our slipping into it by giving into temptation are very real.
     Yet for the secular west, this is seen as not a universal reality but only an individual or group reality.  In an effort to tolerate everyone, we have become "value neutral."  Value neutrality is basically the idea that you do your thing and I'll do mine- and lets not hurt one another.  But value neutrality is a value in and of itself.  It elevates neutrality and tolerance above any truth that any religion or value system may have.  It closes its ears to listen and sits as an arbiter of fairness.  It is not "fair" for one religion to have precedent over another therefore all religions are alike.  But this in itself is not fair to reality.  It basically means that there are no false religions.  So anyone can make up anything- I can say my worship of the great pumpkin is as good as your worship of Jesus Christ.  The Machiavellian philosophy of lying to get ahead- is seen as just as good as the Christian virtue of honesty at all costs.  But the other thing that value-neutrality (or postmodernism) does is that it says "it really doesn't matter."  This is the true problem.  For it says there is no ultimate meaning- thus no ultimate purpose- thus no ultimate goal- thus no ultimate hope.  To say there is no ultimate God- is to say there is no ultimate truth- (or another version is we cannot know God or know truth- this is the same result- pragmatic atheism).  Despite all the comforts of life- low unemployment, being among the highest wage earners in the world- there is a sad hopelessness found in our society.           
     Postmodernism is a reaction to our differences- but it has itself divided us- because it does not value love.  Christians are to hold the truth in love and hold it humbly.  We are to remember that all people are by their creation worthy of our respect as a life- made in the image of God.  We are to remember that all people- even the worst of us- has the opportunity to be redeemed by what Christ did for us on the cross (none of us deserve that).  So Christians are to respect post-modernists, and people of all different kind of faiths- and work with them for the good of where we mutually live. 
     Lead us not into temptation takes on new meaning if we think there is no such thing as ultimate evil or even real temptation.  Jesus did not flinch at pointing out the reality of evil in this life.  Believers believe in our hope and our goal of honoring and enjoying God.
    Postmodernists main temptation is to give up because there is no hope.  It is easy to say the goal is unachievable or unknowable therefore we should give up pretending to be good and live by our own feelings.  This reflects in the number of people in the secular west who give up on life (suicide) or duck out of life (drug abuse).  Or the other temptation is to pretend to have the answer- when even such pretension is just a play.  To believe you have the answer- when you do not is a kind of false hope and false pride.
     Christians admit there is a way to be lost and hopeless- but we have been rescued from it by God's grace.

A Lesson from Patrick

I arise today through
God's strength to pilot me, God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to see before me,
God's ear to hear me, God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me, God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me, God's host to secure me – 
against snares of devils,
against temptations and vices,
against inclinations of nature,
against everyone who shall wish me
ill, afar and anear,
alone and in a crowd...
Christ, be with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit,
Christ where I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.
Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of the Christ.
May your salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.  (Patrick's Breastplate Prayer- summary)

The Lord will watch over your going in and your coming out from this time and forevermore.  (Ps. 121)

6After the Holy Spirit prevented them from speaking the word in the province of Asia, they traveled through the region of Phrygia and Galatia. 7And when they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not permit them. 8So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.

9During the night, Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10As soon as Paul had seen the vision, we got ready to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.  (Acts 16:6-10)

Thoughts: Patrick's story was amazing.  He had been kidnapped by pirates, taken as a slave for six years, then escaped back home.  That should have been the end of his adventures.  But he had a vision of the Irish speaking to him asking him to "come and walk amongst us."  This is similar to Paul's vision to come to Europe for the first time with the Gospel.  He went back to those who enslaved him as a missionary. At the end someone said, "When Patrick came there were no Christians, when he left there were no pagans."  He was a missionary to the people in the neighboring country.  We should care about people in the next area from ours - that they too will have to gospel. Patrick risked everything to go back, and he faced fierce opposition.  But he had such a heart that these people living in darkness would see the light of Christ.  He baptized thousands, spoke boldly, built monasteries all ove.  

Prayer: Lord, protect me so that i might make a difference in my life for eternity in the lives of others.  

Lenten Devotional through Easter

LMPC has designed a Lenten Devotional book called, "Hope in Lent"

Click here to go to a PDF version that brings you a devotion through Easter. 

The Transfiguration

1After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

3Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus. 4Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, I will put up three shelters: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

5While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” 6When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown in terror.

7Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” He said. “Do not be afraid.” 8And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.  (Matthew 17:1-8)

Thoughts: The Transfiguration is one of the great Christian holy days.  It remembers Jesus is both human and divine.  It notes that Jesus is greater than both Moses and Elijah who were also told to "listen to him" by the voice of the Father.  On Jesus the shekinah glory of God shown.  Hebrews 1:3 says that the Son of God (Jesus) is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being.  John, who witnessed this would later write (Jn. 1:3), "We have seen his glory- the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father. 
     But it was from this point that Jesus set his face like flint toward Jerusalem, knowing He must go there to fulfill His purpose to die as the Great Passover Lamb who takes away the sins of the world (Jn. 1:29).  At His baptism Jesus also heard the same voice saying, "This is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased" (Mt. 3:17).  The voice at the Transfiguration adds, "Listen to Him" as a reminder that even Moses and Elijah representing the Law and the Prophets were to listen to the Word of God incarnate.  Both Moses and Elijah went on a mountain to experience the face (presence) of God.  Moses came down with his face glowing in reflection- so that they had to put a veil over him.  One day in heaven there will be no sun or moon light nor light of a lamp or bulb but God's shekinah glory will be lighting the way (Rev. 21:5).  

Prayer: Lord, transfigure me after your image.  Change me and make me a new creation.  

Raphael's Transfiguration