-Rev. Melissa Fain- :Perhaps you've been watching your favorite sexy devil in Lucifer, or maybe you are more old school, like me, and take a page (literally if you look above) from Dante's inferno. Either way, we all have an image that comes to mind when we think of what the devil is supposed to look like. It seems our imaginations go all over the place when we try to picture an adversary to God. I used to have nightmares about Tim Curry's adaptation in Legend. Meanwhile, George Burns' doppelganger in the Oh God franchise made me laugh. Yet are any of these images biblical? Many have heard the phrase: "The biggest trick the devil ever played was convincing the world he didn't exist."Or, how about this one: "The devil made me do it."I hate these phrases because they take away personal accountability. It's too easy to just blame everything on the devil and never take responsibility for the sins of the self. It's dangerous, but what I find even more dangerous is our instance to believe the "Lucifer" story at all. Now, before I continue, I'm being very specific about the titles. I've talked numerous times about Satan. Legally Speaking, being the most widely read. I've also talked about Azazel and the Scapegoat a couple of times. Most recently being last week. Yet, until today, I've never ever mentioned Lucifer. Why? That answer is multifaceted:
Look, while I am suggesting Lucifer is not a fallen angel, I'm not suggesting evil doesn't exist. Evil is real, and lives in all of us. We can't help it. Anyone who suggests they are as pure as the driven snow is lying. We all fall short of the glory of God. All means all. We should be wary of the devil within us. We are all fallen stars. I want us to see the darkness within ourselves, so we can better care for the light that also resides within us all. We will be at The Daily Grind this Sunday at 2pm for our livecast! We would love to see you. If you can't be there in person, show up online on our Facebook page.
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