David Bahn – Reflections

Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? ²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. ²³ But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. ²⁴ Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. ²⁵ Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶ But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷ For it is written,

“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
    break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
    than those of the one who has a husband.”

²⁸ Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. ²⁹ But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. ³⁰ But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” ³¹ So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

We took a sidecar tour of Havana on our first night in Cuba. It was quite an experience. One of our Northwest Houston Photo Club members has friends in Cuba who are members of the Sidecar Club there. They ride Russian motorcycles with sidecars that they continually piece together with parts they salvage and with the help of tools Jan brings them when he visits. This last time he brought two suit cases with 70 pounds each full of tools and parts for the club. They were happy to take us around. And we were happy for the adventure.

A highlight of our tour was a trip to the large Christ Over Havana statue that overlooks the city. I was struck by the fact that it was actually there. I was led to believe that there were few if any Christians there, and that they were not allowed to express their faith openly. Someone, however, didn’t get that memo, and the statue stands lit at night and overlooking the city.

I love the idea that a depiction of Christ stands tall over the city of Havana. I’m sad it is only a symbolic statue, and not a reflection of the faith of more of the Cuban people.

As Paul wrote to the Galatians he was pointing them to the freedom they had in Christ. They didn’t need to add any other religious rituals or ceremonies in order to be authentic Christians. Jesus has done it all for all of us.

Statues and crosses may remind us of our Christian faith. They may be quite helpful to focus our minds and hearts on Jesus’ sacrifice and God’s love. They may also, in the case of the saints, remind us of the examples of those who have gone before and beaten the path hard for us to follow in the way of Jesus. I am reminded of John Baillie’s prayer for the morning of the fifth day of the month:

O you who were, and are, and are to come, I thank you that this Christian way in which I walk is no untried or uncharted road, but a road beaten hard by the footsteps of saints, apostles, prophets and martyrs. I thank you for the sign-posts and danger-signals with which it is marked at every turn and which may be known to me through the study of the Bible, and of all history, and of all the great literature of the world. Beyond all I give you devout and humble thanks for the great gift of Jesus Christ, the pioneer of our faith.

– Diary of Private Prayer, by John Baillie

I thank God for those who light the path and point us toward Jesus. I pray that some may be moved to repentance and faith in him through this statue so beautifully expressing Jesus’ lordship over Cuba and his kindness and grace he so freely gives.

If you wish to see some of my photos from this trip, you may see them in my smugmug gallery.