A Christian Take on Pygmalion

Ephesians 5:
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

I thought it was interesting that Pastor Allen cited the Greek myth Pygmalion in his sermon to illustrate a Bible point about husbands and wives. I have actually heard this point preached on before, that one can tell a lot about husbands by looking at and listening to their wives. It's a very sobering thought to us as husbands, but exactly in line with the thought Paul is developing in verses 26 and 27.

There is an important distinction, of course. The sculptor in the Greek myth was designing the woman for his own amazement, but in the end, he fell in love with her. Venus had mercy on him and brought the statue to life and they lived happily ever after, more or less. Biblical husbands should already love their wives, but the end of our service to them should be to God's glory. And when husbands have done well in serving their wives, they will be truly be amazed, even more than Pygmalion!

Don't worry, ladies; it's a fake!

Perhaps it's a good time to introduce you to a few sites I consult on a regular basis. Whenever I receive one of those astonishing e mail stories, the first thing I do is check it out at Truth or fiction.com. While not as complete as Snopes.com, it is maintained by Christians with a great deal of integrity, and I can be pretty sure that it has been well researched. In the case of the article, "Good Wife's Guide, it was even debunked on Wikipedia, which has (in spite of its critics) become a highly eclectic source of information on just about anything. The thing I appreciate about Wikipedia is that it is so juried and reviewed that it will tell you in a superimposed textbox if some article contains biased language or cannot be verified by outside sources. One of my favorite terms from Wikipedia is "weasel words," which means a claim that the writer could "weasel out of," if pressed, but is nevertheless not objective or verifiable.

I recommend these sites to someone almost every week. In the case of the sermon illustration, it certainly was not relevant whether such an article ever appeared or not, and I wouldn't have known (or cared) whether it had actually been published. I only happened to discover the origin of this story because I was searching the web for information about the magazine which it supposedly came from, in order to write today's blog. But because Christians are looked upon as gullible and naive by the general population, it behooves us not to pass on such e mails without checking them out first.

None of this detracts, of course from the fact that most wives in the 1950's did hold to these ideals, nor does it take away from the value of the story as a sermon illustration. And one can still find books written for Christian wives today which say some of these same things. The notion of a loving relationship between a wife and husband, where both truly seek to serve each other in a biblical manner, is anathema to radical feminists and false egalitarans of all stripes.

When I look around Dove Mountain Church on Sundays, I am thankful that we have marriages in all stages of development, from newlyweds to octagenarians. The story of the courtship of Don and Sharon Jensen which was in our latest missions newsleter was an inspiration to all of us. And we should appreciate Pastor Allen's teaching (from Paul) on a topic which is still so needed in today's society.

John Stott on The Bride of Christ

In his sermon Sunday, Pastor Allen quoted a phrase from John Stott to support his picture of a loving husband. Here is the larger context of that quote:

“On earth she [the church] is often in rags and tatters, stained and ugly, despised and persecuted. But one day, she will be seen for what she is, nothing less than the bride of Christ, ‘free from spots, wrinkles or any other disfigurement’, holy and without blemish, beautiful and glorious.

It is to this constructive end that Christ has been working and is continuing to work. The bride does not make herself presentable; it is the bridegroom who labours to beautify her in order to present her to himself.”

Losungen - Weekly Watchword

A few months back at a Sunday service I mentioned the Losungen, a daily watchword read by over a million believers worldwide. Although published by the Moravian Church, believers from many denominations share in this tradition. If you would like to hear the story behind this practice, you can learn more here. There is also an option to subscribe to a daily update by e mail, as I do.

Incidentally, the photo above left is of a handwork tradition very popular in Europe, called Moravian stars. They are especially used for decoration during Advent.

From the Losungen, here is this week's watchword:

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Watchword for the Week

The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the
Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes. Psalm 19:8

Hail, Farewell, and Godspeed!

Normally, these personal stories will be entitled "Time to Meet..." but in today's case, it's actully time to say "good-bye" - for a while. Here is Marlene Luartes' back story and Dove Mountain addendum, all in one shot:

"My husband Dick and I both felt the call for Christian missions shortly after becoming believers in Christ. We found the perfect place for us in Wycliffe Bible Translators. WBT had been looking for support personnel to work in the printing area. Because Dick had majored in Graphic Arts in college it was a good fit, plus WBT is always in need of bookkeepers! After extensive field training in Mexico and Guatemala, we sailed in October, 1965, for our first assignment in the Philippines. We later served in Mexico, Brazil, and at the home office when it was in Huntington Beach, California. Dick struggled many years with a liver condition and received a liver transplant in 1988. He went to be with the Lord on October 27th, 1997, after 41 years of marriage and 32 years of service with WBT.

In 1995 I began work with the Publications Department of the Mexico Branch at their headquarters in Catalina. In November 1999 I was appointed the Supervisor of Publications, in charge of all print, audio and internet publishing for the Branch. I retired from active membership with Wycliffe as of May 31st 2008, after 45 years of service with WBT. I have three living children, eleven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. I'm looking forward to serving missions again...even for the short time of 3 to 6 months.

I will be working as an administrative assistant in the AIM (Africa Inland Mission) Air office in Nairobi Kenya. I'll be working with the secretary to the director, as well as assisting the flight and maintenance managers with administrative assistant type work. I've agreed to stay at least 3 months, and I may stay an additional 3 months. If you want to know more about the people I'll be working with go here and see their website. I think it will be very rewarding work!

I am so glad that I transfered from Catalina Foothills Church to Dove Mountain Church! It was a hard decision, since I was a charter member there, loved singing in the CFC choir, and had worked at the Welcome Desk for many years. However, I have grown to love our little congregation and our dear pastor, and I'm grateful to be able to use my gifts to serve!"

And we are grateful for you, Marlene, and will be praying for you as you undertake God's next adventure for your life!

Catechetical reminder

Q. 2. What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?
A. The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.



The prominence of this question in the order of the catechism (#2) is a reflection of the priority our fathers in the Reformation had for the principle of sola scriptura: scripture alone. Review this question and answer many times before Sunday. You may be the one called on to answer it!

The Dance of Marriage

(similar to the Dance of Joy referenced last week, but longer with intermittent emotions expressed between joy's triumphs)




Thank you, Pastor Allen for your illustration of man's leadership in marriage: "And I watched my mom and dad dancing, she being pretty and he being cool, and I understood what marriage is all about."