Tuesday, October 27, 2009

THE FOUNT OF WORSHIP

DEUTERONOMY 4: 28 There youwillworship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell. 29 But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Tonight's Yahoo!News featured Iceland and the closing down of the only three McDonald's in the country due to the weakening of their currency. But this blog isn't about the world's economy. I just feel fascinated with Iceland as a country and it's identification as a Christian state having a national church. In addition to being a worship pastor, I also teach worship studies and Church history adjunctively in a Bible college. Hence, the fascination.

As early as the 9th century AD, Christianity is believed to have reached the island. Some of them were monks from the British Isles seeking solitude. But a vast majority of the island's settlers coming from Norway were pagans and thus within a generation, Christianity had died-- blame celibacy (monks do not marry, remember?) and extreme solitude!

In 999, Thorvald Konradsson came to Iceland accompanied by a German Bishop (German Shepherd) named Fridrek, of whom little is known. Thorvald and Fridrek began the evangelization of Iceland. Their efforts were fruitless and they had become subject of ridicule-- what kind of a Norseman would believe a God who died on a cross anyway?

It was under King Olaf Tryggvason when the Christianization of Iceland became a serious business of the Norwegian crown. Olaf sent an iceland native Stefnir Thorgilsson to begin the work. But Stefnir had a totally different technique. He violently destroyed every altar and idol he found in Iceland. Stefnir was outlawed by the Icelandic people and was exiled back to Norway. Olaf sent a priest named Thangbrand whose missionary efforts won many to Christianity in the Faeroe Island. He was relatively successful in winning some Icelandic chieftains but he also murdered three in an effort to win everyone. Olaf took weirder measures- he banned Icelandic seafarers from Norway, and taking hostage Icelandics living in Norway, some of whom were relatives of chieftains. Olaf threatened to murder the hostages if Iceland will keep refusing Christianization!

Paganism and Christianity came to a point of rivalry in Iceland and threatened civil war. During an Althing (their primitive version of parliament), Thorgeir Thorkelsson, a pagan priest spoke and convinced the assembly that Iceland embrace Christianity as its official religion. His decision to favor of Christianity was made after a day and a night of silent meditation under a fur blanket. As an agreement, pagans could still practice their religion in private, and be Christians by name in public!

Not long after, Thorgeir took his household gods and threw them into the godafoss (waterfall of the gods). The people followed suit and within the next few weeks, the entire Icelandic population decided to be baptized.

A 10th Century Image of the god Thor

A 10th century image of THOR, the thunder god.

Now Iceland has a national Church of the Lutheran branch of Christianity with which 80+% of the population identify and baptized into.

hallgrimskirkjaProfile

The Hallmigur Lutherna Church, Reykjavik, Iceland

But according to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005,[5]

  • 38% of Icelandic citizens responded that "they believe there is a God".
  • 48% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force".
  • 11% answered that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force".
  • 3% responded that they "don't know".

The worship of Christ and conversion to Christianity cannot be forced upon someone or a community. It is a personal decision of obedience to the initial call of the Holy Spirit-- conviction of sin, realizing the need for a Savior, and being gifted with faith, trusting Christ alone for salvation. That's when Christianity begins! That's the genesis of worship.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

NO MORE NIGHT

Another quick note. I feel as busy as an ant!

I had been busy in fact that I realized just this morning that my grandmother's birthday (mom's mom) was last Thursday. Does it matter? Well, probably not as much when she was still living. But I want to write something about her.

She was the greatest opponent to my mom's conversion to the evangelical Christian faith. And although she never disowned my mom she had so much distaste for anything "Protestant." I remember my mom crying one morning during her devotions. She was praying for my grandma's salvation. Having felt led to make another attempt to share the Gospel with her, my mom went to visit her only to return disappointed! Another failed attempt. It was when my mom gave up when she received a phone call one afternoon. It was grandma telling my mom that she had just received Christ as Savior and Lord. My mom went to the nearest Christian bookstore, bought a Bible and gave it to grandma! It was my mom's happiest day!

My dad used to refer to my grandma as "Hitler" due to her very grumpy attitude! But Christ made a whole lot of difference in her life following her conversion. She became so positive that even in the last days of her life all she wanted was to make sure all her surviving kids know Christ. She died in 1988. My mom died in 1996. Today all her surviving children and many of her relatives are serving Christ!

My mom and grandma are both enjoying their heavenly rewards in a place where there is no more night, no more pain, no more tears, all they do is sing praises to Christ the king.