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01
Dec '19
Pastor’s Corner – December 2019
01
Dec '19
“Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants!” — Psalm 90:13
The Christian calendar begins, not with January 1st, but instead with the first Sunday in Advent. It’s an interesting decision that the early church fathers made in doing this. Interesting because the Christian year begins not with resolutions and activity, but with waiting. Advent is an intentional season of preparation and pause, a time to reflect and prepare for the celebration of the coming of the Lord’s Messiah, Jesus Christ. There is great wisdom in this decision, particularly for our current times. We live in a culture of hurry and rush and activity, the last thing we want or like to do is wait for anything.
By starting the year with a season of waiting, we are invited to settle into a different rhythm of life and living, a rhythm that is ultimately about trust. Trusting in the God who created Time, trusting in the One who has set His plans in motion and will see them through, trusting that there is One who knows and understands more than we do, trusting that He is good and that He is love.
So the Christian calendar begins with a reminder that there is a holiness and a righteousness in waiting. But there is a hard-ness and challenge in waiting as well. The Psalmists cry out, with great regularity, “How long, O Lord?” Even as they wait on the Lord, they express their frustration, their discontent. And in that we are shown that there is such a thing as a holy discontent.
But as much as we are waiting to celebrate the birth of our Savior, the season of Advent points to an even more significant event, an event most of us usually forget is yet to and actually is going to happen. The Hebrews waited over 500 years for the Messiah to come the first time. We’ve been waiting nearly 2,000 years for him to return. May our lives be lived with the faith that comes from knowing our Savior’s return is imminent, with the hope that comes from knowing that what is broken will soon be made right, and with the love for those who don’t yet know that their Messiah has already come once and will come again.
“He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” — Revelation 22:20
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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01
Nov '19
Pastor’s Corner – November 2019
01
Nov '19
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Col. 2:6–7)
“Continue to live in him, rooted and built up, strengthened in the faith as you were taught”
Each year, as part of my benefits package, I am given two weeks of study leave. This isn’t two extra weeks of vacation; it’s an intentional time for pastors to do exactly what Paul says in this verse, to be ‘rooted and built up [in Christ], strengthened in the faith.” Just as we need exercise to keep our bodies healthy, we also need to be intentional in strengthening our faith. That is what study leave is meant to provide. I spent the time reading several books about pastoring in our current cultural reality, meeting with a spiritual director for my own spiritual growth and well-being, and sketching out a sermon plan for next year. Thank you for letting me have the time away, and I look forward to sharing with you what God has been sharing with me!
“Overflowing with Thankfulness”
Thank you, also, for the wonderful cards and expressions of appreciation you all shared this past weekend. What an unexpected surprise to receive upon my return from study leave! One of my greatest joys is being able to tell others about what a blessing you all are to my family and me and how thankful we are to get to serve alongside you. So many pastors serve places that are hard and challenging, but serving Northminster is a joy and delight. We truly are “overflowing with thankfulness” for each one of you.
For what are you “overflowing with thankfulness”? In the midst of the craziness of the holiday season, it can be easy to forget to reflect on that question. I encourage you to be intentional in taking time to reflect on the things for which you are thankful. Yes, expressing gratitude in the moment when we’ve received a gift is somewhat easy, but to “overflow with thankfulness” requires intentional thought and perhaps even prayer. How different might our thanksgiving celebrations be if we take as much time to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for as we do cleaning, cooking and preparing for those celebrations?
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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01
Oct '19
Pastor’s Corner – October 2019
01
Oct '19
Here’s something I’ve been thinking about lately:
What difference does Jesus make in your life?
Not long ago, I came across an interview with a pastor who said that it wouldn’t affect her faith in the least if there were definitive proof that Jesus Christ never existed or wasn’t resurrected from the dead and certainly wasn’t God. In fact, this pastor argued, such belief takes greater faith than holding to the orthodox beliefs about Jesus (that he is fully God and the second member of the Trinity, born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, died for our sins, was raised from the dead on the third day and is now seated at God’s right hand, to name a few). The Apostle Paul has some pretty strong words for such a view:
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain… And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Cor. 15:13–14, 17–19)
Everything we believe and are as Christians hinges on the resurrection of Christ — in this life and the life to come. For a long time, much of Christian hope and faith was placed in the promise of eternal life with God in Heaven. Over the past century or so, however, that focus has shifted toward the benefits of believing in Christ in this present life. That, in my opinion, has been a necessary correction. However, now it seems even that is fading away. It seems to me that there are a lot of people who claim to believe in Jesus, but for whom Jesus makes no practical difference in their daily lives whatsoever. I wonder if in losing our focus on the former (our hope for eternal life), we started to lose our focus on the latter (the change in our daily lives).
But think about what Jesus said about why he came: “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” (John 10:10) Our faith in Christ brings us “real and eternal life.” It’s absolutely about the life to come. The greatest hope of our eternal life is that we will see God face-to-face. Holding to that hope, through Christ we are able to have “more and better life than we’ve ever dreamed of” in this present life. How I live my life today is formed and shaped by the sure knowledge that one day, because of Christ, I will see God face-to-face.
There’s an old saying that someone is “so heavenly minded, they’re no early good.” We’ve all known people like that. But that’s not how it actually works. If I’m focusing on eternity rightly, then the present is molded and shaped by it. It is that sure and certain hope that enables me to live sacrificially and fully for Christ today. The saying should more be like, “I’m only earthly good because I’m so heavenly minded.”
It is my prayer that, because we know we will one day see Him face-to-face, we would all know Jesus so fully and deeply that we can’t imagine living a day or a moment without Him.
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
Rev. David Garrison
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01
Sep '19
Pastor’s Corner – September 2019
01
Sep '19
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1 Tim. 6:10)
My parents raised me to believe that there are three things you don’t talk about in polite company: religion, politics and money. We can’t (and probably shouldn’t) avoid talking about that first one in church, and while this usually hasn’t kept me from talking about the other two, but every time I do, I hesitate…particularly when it comes to talking about money. Especially when it comes to preaching about money. Not only do I not like preaching about money, I’ve never met a church member who likes or wants to hear sermons on money. As someone once told Bob Mills after a sermon, “Now you’ve gone from preaching to meddling.”
However, there are two truths about money that I think ensures it’s worthy of our time and attention on a Sunday morning. First, the reality is that everyone is always talking or thinking about money. As Carey Nieuwhof writes, “People talk about it, argue about it, and try to make their plans around it. Almost everyone in your church and community thinks about money daily and talks about it daily. They may even struggle with it daily. It’s just that few people step up to help them with it” (underlined reference links can be found in the online version of this article). If it gets that much of our mental energy and time, isn’t it something we should seek biblical guidance regarding?
Which leads us to the second truth: Did you know that the Bible talks about money more than any other subject? As an article at crosswalk.com points out, “It is worth noting that money is such an important topic in the Bible that it is the main subject of nearly half of the parables Jesus told. In addition, one in every seven verses in the New Testament deals with this topic. The Bible offers 500 verses on prayer, fewer than 500 verses on faith, and more than 2,000 verses on money.” As the article states, “Why such an emphasis on money and possessions? There is a fundamental connection between our spiritual lives and how we think about and handle money.”
So for the next six weeks, beginning September 8, we’re going to be talking about money. We’ll spend the first three weeks talking about the connection between our spiritual lives and our focus on money and the second three weeks understanding what the Bible says about why and how our giving to the Lord is an important part of our growth as disciples of Jesus Christ. While certainly a subject no one wants to talk or hear sermons about, I think we’ll find a way to a deeper, richer life in Christ as a result.
But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. (1 Tim. 6:11)
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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01
Aug '19
Pastor’s Corner – August 2019
01
Aug '19
“Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3:18)
Summer doesn’t officially end for another month and a half, and given that we live in central Virginia, it won’t begin to feel like fall until sometime in October, but with kids going back to school in just a few weeks, it seems like fall is already here. And with the fall comes the harvest season. In our summer sermon series, Do Something, we’ve seen that James uses the image of the harvest a lot throughout his letter.
I’ve been amazed at the way the flowers and plants in our yard have absolutely blossomed and exploded this year. As much as we’d like to take credit, this isn’t really because of anything my wife and I have done. Someone else put these plants in the ground long before we moved in, and last year’s incredible rainfall nourished the soil richly over the winter and into the spring. We put a lot of effort into weeding and mulching early on, but haven’t done a good job keeping up with it.
“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” (1 Cor. 3:5–9)
Such it is with our spiritual lives. Often we find that spiritual growth happens, regardless of what we do or don’t do. But some simple truths are still central. First, you harvest what you plant. Second, while the seeds grow naturally, there are things we can do to encourage their growth, such as watering, weeding and fertilizing that create an environment conducive to their flourishing.
Much of what we seek to do here at Northminster is help you with those two aspects of your walk with the Lord – planting seeds of faith and spiritual growth, and cultivating the soil of your heart and soul to nourish those seeds. As we head into the harvest season, be on the lookout for opportunities to check the health of the soil of your soul as well as opportunities to “do something” with the growth that God has been doing in you. If there is a particular way you’d like some help in your spiritual growth, be sure to let one of our elders or me know.
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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01
Jul '19
Pastor’s Corner – July 2019
01
Jul '19
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?” (James 2:14)
One of the central truths of our faith is that we are saved by grace alone, that there is nothing we can do to earn or merit our salvation. It is the free gift of God through Jesus Christ. This is the hallmark of the Reformation and essential to what we believe as Reformed, protestant, Presbyterian Christians. It is also the doctrine that separates Christianity from all other religions on earth. Every other religion involves humanity having to earn their salvation. What they do determines whether they are saved.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Gal. 5:22–23)
But that doesn’t mean we don’t have to do anything with our faith. In fact, the things we do become even more important. We don’t seek to do acts of love, mercy, kindness and justice so that we can be saved; rather, because of the salvation we’ve been given, we serve God and others. Just as the health of a tree is shown in the fruit it bears, our acts of love and service are the fruit of our salvation.
“But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” (James 2:18–19)
Over the first 400 years or so, the Christian faith grew through a radical and counter-cultural love for others and service to “the least of these.” It wasn’t “radical” in the sense of being offensive, but a kind of loving others that was so profoundly different from what anyone expected. The early Christians sought out the loveless, the rejected, the despised, the hopeless and offered them love, relationship, presence, identity, hope – in short, they offered them Jesus Christ. Those acts of love transformed their communities and the world. Their works, their deeds, proved the real change that salvation by faith through Jesus Christ brought about in their lives. We might grieve the loss of cultural influence we’re experiencing in our time, but it is also an opportunity to get back to the roots of our faith and do something to love others in Jesus’ name in order to share the hope and life that can only be found through Him.
As we head through the ‘dog days of summer,’ look for opportunities to love and serve others. It doesn’t always have to be something big. Sometimes the greatest act of love we can do for someone else is to give them a glass of cold water on a hot summer day.
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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01
Apr '19
Pastor’s Corner – April 2019
01
Apr '19
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” — Matt. 11:28-30 THE MESSAGE
Out of Rhythm
About 5 years ago, my kids and I were swimming at a friend’s house and I found I couldn’t catch my breath. Even sitting still, I was breathing heavily and my heart was racing. I had no idea what was going on. Erring on the side of caution, my wife took me to the ER and we found out my heart was in atrial fibrillation. The ER staff took great care of me, and a few hours later we were on our way home. A couple of years later, my family went to Sliding Rock in North Carolina (pictured). I’ve never experienced water as cold as that. Hitting that water was such a shock that it not only knocked the wind out of me, it sent my heart into a.fib a second time. Just like the first time, I couldn’t catch my breath even standing still and my heart was racing. Having experienced it before, I knew immediately what the problem was. This trip to the ER resulted in an overnight stay, and somewhere around 15 hours later, my heart returned to normal rhythm on its own. Fortunately, other than these two instances, I have a very healthy heart and haven’t had any further issues. Some folks go into a.fib and aren’t aware of what’s going on for several days. When your heart gets out of rhythm, it affects everything else.
Life Arrhythmia
I think many of us spend our lives in a kind of “life arrhythmia.” Our lives are out of rhythm and we often don’t even realize it. We live and move and work in something of a semi-frenzy, desperately trying to keep up just enough to catch our breath every now and then. We yearn for rest, but find that even in the moments of rest (whether a couple of hours or a week of vacation), we still can’t catch our breath. Our souls weren’t meant to live like this, and when we spend our lives out of rhythm, it affects everything else. Sometimes we know what the problem is; often we don’t. If we continue to try to force ourselves to live according to the rhythm of the world around us, we’ll never get in sync and will be constantly racing to keep up. We need to look for a different way.
The Unforced Rhythms of Grace
That different way is the way of Jesus and of grace. This is the natural rhythm in which we were created “to live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). It is a rhythm that enables us, as the passage above says, to find true rest. Following the unforced rhythms of grace isn’t about another burden, or rule, or expectation placed upon us, but rather finding ourselves synchronized with Christ in such a way that we are able to live freely and lightly regardless of the rhythm of the world around us. A part of our goal in our worship services is to provide an opportunity to get out of the frenetic pace of our lives in order to connect with the unforced rhythms of the grace of Jesus Christ, if only for a few moments. Initially it feels discordant, even boring. But as we take the time to settle into the moment, we begin to feel the new rhythm and experience the rest and freedom Christ offers.
As we continue to move through this season of Lent and prepare for the joyous celebration of Easter, may you hear the gentle invitation of Jesus to ‘walk with Him and work with Him — watch how He does it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace’ and find yourself living freely and lightly.
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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01
Mar '19
Pastor’s Corner – March 2019
01
Mar '19
“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you;he will never let the righteous fall.” — Psalm 55:22
Teach Us To Pray
Over the past several weeks, we’ve been exploring the Lord’s Prayer, asking Jesus to do the very thing He did for the disciples: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). We have seen that this somewhat simple and very well-known prayer is loaded with depth and meaning. The Lord’s Prayer is incredibly profound, especially considering how succinct it is, and it certainly provides an excellent template for our prayers, let alone making it part of our daily prayer routine.
More Than Knowing How
But knowing “how” doesn’t always get us to the point of actually “doing.” We all know how to eat well, but still eat too many French fries. We all know how to exercise, but we still watch too much TV. Over time, we get stuck in routines and habits that unintentionally create hurdles and obstacles that keep us from doing what we know we ought to do. Or we find ourselves facing a difficult situation (like a large pizza) that keeps us from doing what we know we ought to do (not eat an entire large pizza). There comes a time when we need to hit a “reset” button and start over. Cultivating a habit and lifestyle of prayer is no different. It’s far too easy to allow the busy-ness and stress of our daily lives to fill our schedules, leaving us with the feeling that we’re too busy to pray. Or we run into a situation where we really have no idea how to lift up in prayer.
A Spiritual “Reset” Button
That’s one of the reasons why Lent is one of my favorite seasons of the liturgical year. It’s an opportunity to hit that spiritual “reset” button. Lent is an Old English word that means “springtime.” Spring is a season where we clean up the muck of the past year to prepare our yards for new growth and to freshen and straighten our homes. Spiritually, the season of Lent provides the same opportunity. It’s an opportunity to restart some old habits that have been lost or begin new habits out of a desire to clean the spiritual muck out of our hearts and souls to make room for the new spiritual growth the Holy Spirit has in store for us. We take advantage of this season by setting aside some bad habits that are keeping us from praying, or starting new habits to enable us to pray more effectively.
On Sundays during Lent, we’ll use the prayer book of the Hebrews, the Psalms, as our guide to praying through some of the more challenging things that come up in our lives. Over the course of this series, we’ll look at the problem of prayer, how to approach the Inapproachable, how to pray when we’ve done wrong, how to cultivate a trust that never stops, how to pray when there is no hope, and what rejoicing really looks like.
May this season of Lent and our time spent in the Psalms nurture and encourage your soul.
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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28
Feb '19
Hope Springs Eternal
28
Feb '19
Tomorrow is March 1st. Here in Central Virginia, there’s a Winter Weather Advisory for tonight and talk of a couple of possible snowstorms both early and late next week. Next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent. This is almost as late as Ash Wednesday can be, so usually by this time we’re a few weeks into Lent and already looking forward to Holy Week and Easter Sunday. Lent is an Old English word that means “springtime.” Apparently, spring is taking it’s sweet time coming this year.
I’ve found that it doesn’t take much to give me hope. Did the sun come out in February? Time to break out the shorts and t-shirts, even if the temperature is in the 30s and there’s snow in the forecast. Did the Redskins score a touchdown? Pretty sure they’re going to the Super Bowl. Did the Cardinals win a spring training game? The World Series is a lock. I could go on, but I think you get the picture.
There’s a great story in the Bible about this kind of ridiculous hope. Israel has been locked in a nasty drought for about three years. Elijah has just won an incredible victory over Ahab and the prophets of Ba’al, and then this happens:
And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees.“Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked.“There is nothing there,” he said.Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.”So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” (1 Kings 18:41–44)
I wonder how many times over those three years of drought had folks looked and seen a cloud, the size of a man’s fist, on the horizon and wondered if this might be the cloud that brings the rain. But no rain came. And I wonder how the servant felt being told to go look seven different times. But then there is a cloud, and Elijah knows that the rain is coming – torrents of rain, in fact (1 Kings 18:45-46). I am sure that Ahab, Elijah’s servant and everyone else thought Elijah’s hope was ridiculous.
Of course, God had already told Elijah that the rain was coming, so his ridiculous hope was grounded in knowledge and trust (1 Kings 18:1). But is our hope any less so? Far from it. Well, hoping the Redskins will go to the Super Bowl because they score a touchdown…yeah, that’s ridiculous. But seeing a new crocus plant breaking through the snow and being hopeful for spring? That’s a hope grounded in knowledge and trust. As the prophet Jeremiah writes,
Because of the LORD’S great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. (Lam. 3:22–26)
Much like feeling a warm breath of wind on an otherwise cold winter day, or seeing the tulips beginning to break forth out of the ground, or the leaf buds on the trees, it is right and good to wait and hope for the salvation of the Lord. This is the way God often works. Spring has started long before we see any signs of it, even while everything we see is locked in the frozen cold of winter.
You may find yourself yearning for spring in your life, but locked in the frozen cold of depression, or the hurts of life, or a mess that maybe you had nothing to do with but swallowed you up anyway. Right now, trying to hold on to hope might seem ridiculous to you. But I promise, God is at work in ways you can not yet see and spring is coming. “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:18) Don’t give up hoping and trusting in the Lord – He hasn’t given up on saving and healing you.
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25
Feb '19
What 21st-Century Christians Can Learn From The Early Church – A Lent 2019 Table Talk Series
25
Feb '19
Those who study and observe the ebb and flow of culture say that we are no longer a “post-Christian” culture but have actually returned to a “pre-Christian” state. If that is true, we would do well to take a closer look at the Early Church and see what we can learn in order to more faithfully live and effectively share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Table Talk meets each Wednesday from 5:30-6:45pm.
Here’s what each week of this series will focus on:
March 13: “How the Early Church Was Made”
Acts gives us the “formula” for how the early church was made: the ministry of prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit. This first session will look at God’s blueprint for the church as laid out in scripture and illustrated in the first century. In matters as diverse as apostolic authority, church organization and discipline, and the confession of doctrine through creeds and hymns, we’ll explore how the “apostolic” and “sub apostolic” church was established. Whether it’s making a church, growing a church, or running a church, the divine formula is still the same today—prayer and the Holy Spirit.
March 20: “Going, Loving, Dying: The Missionary Church in Action”
The early church was a missionary church. It was a church that went to the ends of the earth, just as Jesus had commanded. The early church was also known for its love. In a groundbreaking study in 1996, American sociologist Rodney Stark argued that the early church grew in direct proportion to its love for others. Finally, the church evangelized by dying—that is, through the ultimate witness of martyrdom. Just as Jesus had commanded, the first believers “took up their cross” and followed Him. Christians today have been called to the same missionary task of going, loving, and dying to self.
March 27: “Lessons from the Catacombs”
Were you taught that the catacombs were places of refuge in times of persecution? Did you learn that the fish symbol was a secret message? Well, think again! There are many persistent myths about the catacombs. These burial places did, in fact, serve an important purpose in the early church—but it’s not entirely what you think. This session will explore the surprisingly rich world of catacomb art that will model for us a dynamic way of reading and applying scripture as we live for Christ in an ungodly world. The message of the catacombs is the message of Easter: Christ has triumphed over death!
April 3: “Contending for the Faith: Heresy and Orthodoxy”
The battle over “sound doctrine” was the defining challenge of the early church. To this day, we recite creeds that were formulated in direct response to false teachings. Docetism, gnosticism, Arianism—these heresies struck at the very heart of the gospel by redefining the person and work of Jesus Christ. In this session, we’ll not only explore these heresies in their historical setting; we’ll also see that these ancient heresies continue to rear their ugly head in the contemporary church in America. Christians today, no less than the earliest believers, have been called to contend earnestly for the faith.
April 10: “Constantine: The Church’s Worst Nightmare?”
On the evening of October 27, 312, Constantine was standing near the Milvian Bridge in Rome. As armies positioned themselves for a decisive battle, the emperor saw a vision that forever changed his life, the Christian Church, and the western world. But did he really see a vision? To this day, historians debate the facts and the significance of what happened—but the results were unmistakable. Constantine dramatically “converted” to Christianity and the status of the western church would never be the same. This session will explore what happens when the church makes common cause with politics.
April 17: “The Death Throes of Paganism”
By the end of the Roman period, Christianity had triumphed over paganism in Europe. Temples and idols were destroyed. Pagan institutions were shut down. Profane literature was censored and burned. But paganism proved to be remarkably resilient. The goddess Venus was repackaged as the Virgin Mary. Devotion to the pantheon of gods was replaced by prayers to the saints. This session will explore how Christians of every age must be vigilant in defending the purity of the church. This is particularly true for 21st-century Christians, who find themselves living in an increasingly neo-pagan society.
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