December 2011 New Horizons

Flood of Mercy

by Jamie Dean

For a Christian visiting Japan's capital city of Tokyo, one of the most heartbreaking sights is also one of the city's biggest attractions. The famous Sensoji Temple draws some thirty million visitors each year, including throngs of Buddhists futilely worshipping Kannon—the purported "goddess of mercy." On a hot afternoon near the end of summer, dozens of Japanese visitors surrounded a large fountain near the temple's entrance, waiting to cleanse themselves for worship by ladling water onto their hands and mouths. For children too small to reach the fountain, parents lowered the ladles over their tiny, outstretched hands. Nearby, other worshipers leaned over a smoldering pot of heavily perfumed incense, seeking to rid themselves of misfortune before entering the temple. Visitors then ascended the temple's wide steps and entered through a row of deep, red columns. From outside the vast entrance, one could hear the sad sounds of empty worship: a constant thudding of coins tossed into a giant wooden ... Read more

Lessons from a Savior in a Manger

by Daniel P. Clifford

Big events call for big celebrations—parties, food, balloons, streamers, noisemakers. But when God sent his Son to be born in Bethlehem, he came with much less worldly celebration than you might expect. In fact, many of the circumstances of Jesus' birth, as recorded in Luke 2, were downright pitiable. What does God want us to learn from his sending of his Son in such an unexpectedly lowly way? Here are three lessons from the manger. First, by sending Jesus in a lowly condition, God reminds us of our extreme need. Jesus came humbly because he stood in the place of people who had been brought very low by sin. God's people need a reminder of their lowliness whenever God visits them, because they may be tempted to think that God's mercy reflects well on them. For example, when God appeared to Abraham, he promised to bless him and make him into a great nation. The people of Israel should have been amazed and humbled by these promises; instead, they started boasting that they were children of Abraham (Luke ... Read more

A Pastoral Letter on Paedocommunion

by D. Patrick Ramsey

To the Members of Christ Presbyterian Church: Many of you have felt the winds of paedocommunion that have been blowing in our little neck of the woods these days. So I wanted to take this opportunity to explain the church's position on this issue. Paedocommunion is the practice of serving Communion to covenant children (the prefix paedo - means "infant" or "child") on the basis of their baptism or covenant membership and thus before they are able to understand the gospel and make a profession of faith. The most consistent paedocommunionists administer the sacramental elements to their nursing infants by a method known as intinction. A Communion wafer, dipped into the wine, is placed between the infant's lips, in order to enable the nursing infant to receive a tiny amount of the elements. Other paedocommunionists, however, would argue that only covenant children who can digest solid food should participate in the sacrament. Our Church Standards Paedocommunion is contrary to what our church teaches ... Read more

Breast Cancer Blues

To: JuneMcrea@ustel.com From: KellyTodd@linkmac.com Dear June, Thanks so much for encouraging Kelly in her job hunt. She loves her new job and has enjoyed meeting folks at the OP church near Indianapolis. As you continue to pray for Kelly, please remember Pam from our church. She had a mammogram this week. They found a suspicious lump, so they're planning a biopsy next week. She's in her thirties with a husband and three kids. I've volunteered to drive her older kids to and from school on the day of her biopsy and babysit the youngest, but I'm not sure what else to do. How did friends help you when you had breast cancer? Much love, Rose *     *     *     *     * To: rose@hotfone.com From: JuneMcrea@ustel.com Dear Rose, I'm glad all is going well with Kelly. You and Lincoln have done a great job parenting her. Any news about Pam? She's young for breast cancer. The way ... Read more