A Very Good Day

It was a very good day. It was Sunday. It was a day of rest. This morning we travelled to the next village to attend church, and I was looking forward to seeing the new artwork again. The church has four new icons, all depicting important events in the life of Jesus.

Images, icons, religious art inside a sanctuary may speak words clearer than a preacher. The Lord of creation can use these visual aides to speak to our hearts and minds, perhaps in a less rational way, at times. They are never meant to replace anything.

We arrived just after they had started the first hymn, and I marched towards the front. I wanted to sit a bit close, so I could see some of the details in the artwork.

These icons are contemplative. They bring me into the events they picture. I singled out one in particular, which I interacted with. It was the Last Supper, a Mysterion of the common meal. I was struck by the outsider in the picture, Judas Iscariot. He had no golden halo. He was clearly not part of the saints. This part of the story is dark. Then I looked at all the others. They were all in a fellowship. I chose to look beyond the one, to the centre, to the Christ figure. He knew of the all, but one. He knows our hearts and minds.

It came clear to me once again that God, the King of Heaven and earth, never uses force to cause us to choose right. There is no compelling force; there is always a freedom.

The local fellow who was leading the service and preaching brought a serious, but simple, message. All the texts were about warning against false prophets. Man, could we use this today! It was almost eerie. Yes: we will know the true nature of a prophet by the fruits, about how they live and the ethics they follow. The litmus test is how they relate to Jesus Christ, if they confess Him as true man and true God.

These days we have many false prophets and teachers in the Norwegian Church, but perhaps not only there.  As a believer, it is my responsibility to test what they say, and to speak up from time to time. It is my responsibility towards them and God to state my views. It may cause others to think; it may likewise bounce back in my lap  - and I may have to rethink my own statements. It is the Word of God which is the authority for how we live and what we teach as Christians. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and in relationship with the risen Christ, we will be rightly guided.

It is puzzling to me to realise how much nonsense we humans have produced over the years, how many false prophets and teachers have tried to mess up the message of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ, and still, to this day the message has survived.  It is a great testimony to me about a real and living God, one who is loving and patient with us in our continuous folly. There is hope!

As I said, it was a very good day.

After our service, we had guests over for coffee, and we had good talks. When we meet heresy, what, then do we do? Do we pretend it is not really there and want to keep the unity (at all costs?)