Why "Reflections?"

I have been asked why I call these e-mails "Reflections" and why my blog shares the same title. So, I thought I would share my answer. As you might predict, it begins with a bit of history. 

The ancient city of Corinth was positioned off the Mediterranean sea. It was the gateway into Greece and the West. Trade routes from Africa and Asia would traverse the sea and dock into Corinth where merchants would then acquire goods from all over the world in order to sell them in markets throughout the known world. 

Aside from tangible goods like salt and clothing there was also art, music, cultural rituals, politics, military tactics, etc. were also traded. Corinth, thus became one of the central hubs for the global exchange. Mirrors were also one of those items traded throughout the empire. As any culture discovers, when you have the free time to explore philosophy and art, you have time for vanity. So mirrors became particularly popular among the elite who had the financial resources to pay for elaborate clothing and make-up. If you spend a fortune on items that will make you look good, mirrors were one way of knowing for sure. 

Made from melted silver and dried on the flattened edges of crudely cut rocks, these ancient mirrors were certainly not as polished as they are today. The reflected image was cracked an impartial. It would only stay clear for a limited time until the silver got scrapped up.  The crude mirrors would travel the world and appear in nearly every culture and land in the known world. 

Paul picks this image up to his congregation in Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 13:12 he writes. "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known," In other words, even with deep conviction and trust in God, Paul recognizes that on this side of life, our vision and understanding is limited. 

Therefore, when it comes to interpreting scripture or wrestling with theology, I must recognize that I too am seeing the world and God through a murky mirror--limited, and less than perfect because I am limited and certainly imperfect. Reflection, therefore, is different from absolute conviction. There is room to confess that I could be wrong. Reflection is thoughtful consideration based upon as much information as one can acquire. 

In a divided world, and politically severed nation, it might be helpful to think of those ancient mirrors. We all see dimly into our future. No one can see perfectly, and if they do perhaps they aren't really looking at all. When our certainties drive us to hate rather to love, then we are more confident in our own insights than into the Holy Spirit. For Paul continues the very next verse by saying, "And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love." Despite our finite and limited vantage point, we are called to have faith, confirm our hope, and perfect one another in love.