hodgepodge

In last weekend's sermon, we were reminded that the worldview from which the Ephesian Christians had come was one in which people picked from a wide variety of beliefs, gods and goddesses.  It was a worldview based on a strong belief that both evil and good spiritual forces were at work in every area of life and the way to control these spirits and bring about the best possible life for yourself was through magic and manipulation.  In Christ, of course, all of this has changed.  Our victory over these "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" is found in Christ, not in magic or in using the right formula.

Our world today is similar.  We may not always understand the spiritual forces at work in our lives, but we do all understand that we live in a society in which we have many choices.  We can, like the Ephesians, pick and choose from a hodgepodge of religious, pseudo-religious and non-religious beliefs by which can, what we might call theological pollution.  Maybe you aren't all that tempted to bow down and worship the goddess Artemis or any of the other up to 50 gods or goddesses embraced by the city of Ephesus, but we all still live amid the theological pollution that is our society. We still face temptation to put our trust, our faith in lesser gods and goddesses all the time - as if they had anything to add to the finished work of Christ on the cross and risen from the tomb.


Today, take note of the "gods and goddesses" around you.  Where do you find them?  Where are their temples?  Who are their devotees?  What do they claim to offer those who bow down to them?  What does Christ offer instead that is better, more complete and unequalled?