Lent is upon us. Now, I realize there are those of you who cringe and recoil at the mere mention of Lent - 'high church', something Catholic, 'a tradition of man' you mutter under your breath; but I heartily disagree. Not that the practices engaged in during Lent are commanded by God (nor is brushing your teeth - truth be told), but they can bring about a specific effort toward self-examination against the plumb-line of Scripture (the Christian manual for life) and a dedicated quest in active repentance and spiritual renewal. This is always beneficial because we are so prone to wander.
That said:
Based on Luther's Small Catechism: "...in reality, the First Commandment is the greatest and the only commandment. The other nine are just commentary on it: 'You shall have no other gods."
When I was a little girl (and even a not-so-little girl) I thought an idol (god - little 'g') was a form, a statue, a tangible carving at which one bowed down to worship. 'How silly' I thought, 'we don't have idols here in America. We don't have idols in this day and age.' As I write this, I'm recalling the cinematic grandeur of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS with Charlton Heston. Remember the Israelites - once liberated from bondage in Egypt - making an image of a false god and covering it with gold and worshiping it. That was my notion of an idol.
But as I have matured by the sanctifying grace of reading and studying Scripture, I have come to understand that an idol is absolutely anything we put up as more important than, or 'higher' than God - the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jaco! b...and Jill.
A career can be an idol.
A house can be an idol.
A hobby can be an idol.
A sport can be an idol.
A spouse can be an idol.
A child can be an idol.
A sale can be an idol.
Money can be an idol.
Comfort can be an idol.
Opinion can be an idol.
Security can be an idol.
Pleasure can be an idol.
Peace can be an idol.
Fun can be an idol.
Leisure can be an idol.
Unity can be an idol.
Grace can be an idol.
Law can be an idol.
Ease can be an idol.
Position can be an idol.
I'm sure we can add to this list....
I'll conclude by sharing with you one of the best quotes I've come across recently:
"The person who wants to test the place of God in his or her life might do it this way: Ask whether God is the cutting edge by which you make your life's decisions. Do you ever let your faith interrupt a single cultural pattern? Have you ever seriously asked yourself whether your way of conducting yourself, your attitude toward race, your political philosophy, your response to human need were permissible if you really took your faith seriously? Have you ever once, in the face of conflict, placed discipleship before your household gods? Does Christian service ever take priority over your job, or your children's dancing school? That is what it means to 'Have no other gods before me.' "
~ Dr. Martin Marty ~
The Hidden Discipline - a commentary on Luther's Large Catechism
Serving His Kingdom ~
No comments:
Post a Comment