MEDUSA!

Today is the first day of a brand-new month - September! The thought of September always places pictures in my mind of the blossoming of new fall colors, I never grow tired of autumn shades of yellow, red and orange. Strange isn't it that science tells us the leaves are turning these beautiful shades of hue because their life is being taken from them. For years I have never tired of making the connection that as we grow older and life seems to more easily escape our grasp we too are meant to grow more beautiful, for we realize that life is much more than daily existence here, but we are living for eternity. I remember a dear, sweet old lady in my first pastorate in Pennsylvania, just to be in her presence the last weeks, and days of her life, was a rare treasure. It seemed that the closer she got to heaven the more often the rest of us wanted to be with her!


Last night I finished Markos's book 'From Achilles to Christ: Why Christians Should Read the Classics.' To say I really enjoyed the book would be an understating it. It took me longer to read than most books [even much larger ones] because I had my Bible right there; in those sentences where the author pointed out linkage to scripture I would make a notation in the edges of my Bible. I was again affirmed in my conviction that long before God chose Abraham he was disclosing to the whole world his coming plan of salvation for all humankind ... he was preparing the way that Elijah and John the Baptist would later call our attention to; he was preparing the hearts of his people everywhere for the true Messiah. I strongly concur with those who believe that this book [if not the classics themselves] should be studied by those who are going into ministry. Mythology was man's attempt to explain the mystery of life and why events happened, it was man's attempt to establish some kind of relationship with the gods that just might establish a hope for eternity ........... and in the midst of all those hopeless efforts God planted little seeds, with just enough truth, so that when Christ did come to redeem us, when the story of good news did spread throughout the world, our hearts and minds would not totally be surprised but there would a crack in the door to our receiving it. I was not aware that C.S.Lewis was a professor of mythology, and he considered Christianity just a modern myth. One day his good friend J.R.R.Tolkien [author of Lord of the Rings] challenged him with this: 'what if the reason that the story of Christ sounded so similar to the pagan tales of dying and rising gods was because Jesus was the myth that came true?'[p.248] Answering this question in the affirmative C.S.Lewis became the great apologist for our faith. Lewis remarked, 'The heart of Christianity is a myth which is also a fact!'
Markos, Louis. 'From Achilles to Christ' Downers Grove, Ill. IVP Academic Press 2007 ISBN: 9780830825936

Last night I watched an segment of the History channels 'Clash of the Gods.' This weeks featured the myth of Medusa. An innocent devotee of the goddess Athena, Medusa was a committed virgin for all her life, no mortal man could ever possess her; her beauty could not be rivaled in all Greece. However the sea god, Poseidon rapes her and now she is unfit to keep serving Athena, and the goddess takes her revenge. Not on the god who is guilty, for gods in that day were thought to often do terrible things for which they would always go unpunished for, so Medusa becomes the innocent object of Athena's rage. For all eternity every man who looks upon Medusa [picture here in the article] is turned to stone. Its quite a story, with innumerable links to scripture. One thought I had was how many times when tragedy strikes their lives people will shake their fist at God, as though he is acting like Athena and taking out his revenge even on those who are innocent. I'm glad that our God transcends the gods of mythology, he doesn't punish the innocent, rather he is their protector.

Closing note: Yesterday I was reading an article about Ted Kennedy and the the letter he had President Obama deliver to the Pope. In it the author comments that as we grow older, those who have been raised in the 'church' have a tendency to return to the church-of-upbringing as we see death approaching. Then I thought 'how sad that so many of us, as we grow older [everyone does] refuse to acknowledge the approaching signs of death. Particularly in our western culture we tend to think we'll live on this earth forever; though in the deepest recesses of our minds we know that's not true. I firmly believe that those who refuse to acknowledge the times are those who suffer most when the tentacles of death began to grasp them; and they are those least prepared, and helpful, when death snatches a loved one of theirs. But ours is a hope that opens the door of eternity. Sometimes explaining that is like trying to encourage parents that once our kids graduate from high school and began to start a new life, the parent-child relationship has a chance to flourish far beyond the former union......our kids go from simply being our kids to our 'friends!' [having Grandkids sure helps!!!!!!].... and that's when family bonds get tighter and richer.

Well, I pray for you a fulfilled day with our Creator in His presence.