Signs of the Times

with contributions from Stephen J. England, Sidney M. Berry

Stephen J. England in Front Rank St. Louis, Missouri

What a matchless tribute it is to the infinite richness and grandeur of our Lord's character that all should aspire to become like him! He is the ideal for youth and for age; for women and for men... Surely no person who was, and is, less than the Son of God could provide such a diverse ideal.

What, then, is it to be like Christ [Jesus]? It is to possess certain attitudes: the lowliness that sets a right value...on oneself; the disciplined submission to the will of God that brings poise and calm; the patience that knows that the endless ages are at God's disposal, and that He works in His own way; and the forgiveness that is based on love. ...These work out to achieve, in human relations, the unity of the spirit in the bonds of peace....

The tendency of our Christian faith, Paul said, is to unite men with each other, because it tends to unite men to God.... The objection will be raised that we are so different that we cannot unite. Paul admitted the truth of diversity, but not that it meant separation and disunity... There is room and need in the church for all the diverse abilities that men possess. How much more true this is in our individual lives!

Our differences in talent must not separate us; God needs the humblest as well as the greatest abilities. As we grow in Christ likeness we shall not become uniformly alike, for to become Christ like is to grow as God intends us to become. Our diverse talents will be caught up and fulfilled in the splendor of the glorified Christ... Paul says to be Christlike is to be mature.... To be united to each other, within Christ, is spiritual adulthood.

The Reverend Sidney M. Berry, D. D., in the Sunday Times London, England

Faith and magic have fought their running combat with each other through all the centuries. Faith means discipline—the discipline of disappointed hopes and long waiting until the unconquerable assurance is born within the soul. Magic promises short cuts, "the wreath without the race," the goal of the journey without the effort of traveling...Magic colors our prayers, and if we do not get the thing we ask for we wonder if prayer is of any avail. We ask for the magic of sheltering wings instead of the normal equipment of courage and strength in the conflict. We need to be continually on our guard that magic does not usurp the throne from which faith should guide and govern.

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