Comments on First Vesper reading.

Genesis 17:15-17, 19; 18:11-14; 21:1-8

06/24 – 07/07 2009. Nativity of John the Baptist.

 

 

Whenever I read the scriptures, I try to “cut to the chase”. You should too. We do not read the scriptures like we read Time Magazine[1], just for the sake of gaining information. Information is useless unless it is used, indeed, unless it is used to increase understanding. The Scriptures and service texts and prayers are always telling YOU something. Many messages are the same every time, since historical events and dogmatic truths are being mentioned, but these truths may touch us in new and different edifying ways every time we read them.

 

Just remember, the Scripture ain’t the newspaper! Read it with expectation, as you are the one who has chosen the good part[2], and is sitting at the feet of Jesus. There is something you need to know today – what is it?

 

I sometimes share some of my personal feelings when I read the scriptures, in order to encourage you to learn to think about the scriptures personally. They will not tell you what school to go to, or whether to look for a new job, but they will tell you intimate, personal things about yourself, things you need to know.  As they say in the car ads, “your mileage may vary”.  The Holy Spirit speaks to us all individually.

 

When I had my short sojourn in the wilderness of Protestantism, all I had was personal interpretations. Without the guidance of the church, it is inevitable that we will fall into false doctrines, ideas and priorities. We must have a proper dogmatic understanding of the scriptures, and then these truths will touch us all in a personal way.

 

The Chase.

 

The OT readings for the Nativity of St. John the Baptist are full of prophesy, Christological meanings, and miracles. Whenever I read about Sarah (and Abraham!) laughing cynically when they were told by the Engel of the Lord that they would have a son, I feel transported into that tent with Sarah. She was barren and past the age of child-bearing. The news she heard seemed too fantastic to believe. There is a lot of news that is hard for me to believe too.

 

For the Christian, belief is action. With action comes hope, which is a certainty of “things not seen”. I know the promises, and that they apply to me, and to my flock, but at this moment, I am living fully according to that promise. There are many more mountains to cross.

 

The following is a short, non-comprehensive! survey of the Vespers readings (parables[3]) for the Nativity of John the Baptist.

 

Reading 1: Genesis 17:15-17, 19; 18:11-14; 21:1-8

 

The reading is actually part of a much longer story; it omits the beginning and skips around a bit. The entire story is summarized here.

 

To get the whole context, one must start at the beginning of the 15^th chapter, and read through chapter 18.  The “word of the Lord” came to Abram (his name had not been changed yet) and promised him that:

 

And after these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I shield thee, thy reward shall be very great. (Gen 15:1, Brenton) 

 

Abraham, true to the Jewish tradition, considered greatness an impossibility, because he had no heir:

 

And Abram said, I am grieved since thou hast given me no seed, but my home-born servant shall succeed me. (Gen 15:3)

 

The Lord makes a first promise that he would have a son:

 

And immediately there was a voice of the Lord to him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come out of thee shall be thine heir. (Gen 15:4 Brenton) 

 

And then makes a mystical reference to the all encompassing salvation of man, which will be wrought through Christ, Who will be of course, a descendant of Abraham:

 

15:5 And he brought him out and said to him, Look up now to heaven, and count the stars, if thou shalt be able to number them fully, and he said, Thus shall thy seed be. 15:6  And Abram believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:5-6, Sept)

 

Note that although Abram  “believed God”, he still had his difficulties along the way. We will see that he also joined Sara in “laughing” when promised a son, as well as assented to Sara’s plan for an heir (see below).

 

Faith for us is not perfect, but it leads to perfection. I think sometimes we make the Saints superhuman. That Abram was righteous is a fact stated by Scripture (and this before the law – St Paul would go to great lengths to point this out in Romans), but he was also a human being, who struggled. I do not know who said it (I believe I read it in “The Orthodox way”), but faith is a “dialogue with doubt”. We should not be afraid of minor doubts and depressions which rush into us, like the wind whistling through the trees. The trees will still stand; as long as we strive for righteousness in spirit and truth, we will not be deterred by the doubts and difficulties inherent in the human condition

 

Lets us skip ahead a little bit and see Sara’s request of Abram:

 

And Sara the wife of Abram bore him no children; and she had an Egyptian maid, whose name was Agar.  (2)  And Sara said to Abram, Behold, the Lord has restrained me from bearing, go therefore in to my maid, that I may get children for myself through her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sara. (Gen 16:1-2 Brenton)

 

Interesting! Abram had been promised to have an heir who would inherit all the land of Palestine, but he did not quite understand. The heir would not come though Sara’s maid, but through their union. So many times, we think we know the right way, but we cannot understand it until Gods reveals it.

 

Here is where your “mileage may vary” – I see a bit of desperation here, in both Sara and Abram. Sara is clearly beside herself because she does not have a child, but nowhere in the Scripture up till now does it indicate that Abraam told her of the promise he had been given. He might have been a little nervous too.  This reminds me of decisions I have been tempted to make in my personal life, or ministry. I am aware of a few that I have not made, and seen as temptations, but as for the ones where I succumbed, time will tell.

 

It is hard to always do things the right way. It gets lonely; there is anxiety.

 

Waiting is usually hard. We have just gone through a long waiting period to get started building our new temple, and I freely admit that I have had moments of negativism, depression and perhaps even a moment or two of stark terror! I know God will prevail; we as a community will do His will if we only pray and work. Because I am human, and still in the process of becoming holy, my passions and sins contribute to an inadequate understanding of many things, but in general, I know myself, and my flock to be on the right path.  

 

We will skip the part about Agar, Sara’s maid, and Ishmael for our purposes today. It is very instructive to read, especially in light of the fact that God’s plan for an heir was different that Sara’s actions. Notice how Sara became jealous and hated Agar. One may chalk this up to simple human weakness, but I think that when we do not trust God, out weaknesses are magnified. The man MOST at risk is the one who doe not trust God and follow His will (even when this will is not understood).

 

This brings us to chapter 17, just before the Vespers reading begins. The “Angel of the Lord” tells Abram that:

 

And thy name shall no more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraam, for I have made thee a father of many nations. (Gen 17:5, Sept Brenton)

 

“Abraam can also be rendered “Abraham”, which means “Father of many” The Septuagint rendering is interesting, because “Abram” differs from Abraam” by one letter only in the Hebrew, which indicates plurality.  “Abram” – “great father” becomes Abraam - “Great father of many”.

 

The first verse of the Vespers reading begins with the Angel of the Lord changing Sara’s name:

 

And God said to Abraam, Sara thy wife - her name shall not be called Sara, Sarrha shall be her name. 16  And I will bless her, and of her I will give thee a son, whom I will bless, and he shall become nations, and kings of people shall spring from him. (Gen 17:15-16, Sept, Brenton)

 

In the Hebrew this change is also accomplished by the insertion of the same Hebrew letter used above letter, and also indicates plurality. The old name means “princess”, but the new one means “princess of many”.

 

There is a general principle concerning names in the OT – they usually mean something! Here we have the name changes of Abraham and Sarah indicting the mystery, ultimately, of the coming of Jesus Christ, Who came to save all men. 

 

 

 

Abraham, “whose faith was accounted to him as righteousness”, even though he had already heard the promise before, has trouble believing it fully this time:

 

Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, saying in his heart: Shall a son, thinkest thou, be born to him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sara that is ninety years old bring forth? (Gen 17:17)

 

Later, Sarah would laugh too – these were cynical laughs, of disbelief, or better, partial belief. It is hard to believe tremendous things, such as an old woman bearing a child, or a sinner, such as us, finally putting off our anger and laziness and other passions, and becoming holy. “Lord I believe; help Thou mine unbelief”.[4]

That Abraham is really having trouble here is exemplified by his next words (omitted in the Vespers reading):

 

And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! (Gen 17:18)

 

It is taking Abraham time to understand God’s will. He is still seeing things from a more mundane, human perspective. So it is with us. He eventually got it right. I have great hope for all of us (and “hope” in the bible is not “wishful thinking”, it is “believing in things not seen” (or understood)).

Remember that names mean something? “Isaac” means “laughing”.

 

And God said to Abraham: Sara thy wife shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him for a perpetual covenant, and with his seed after him. (Gen 17:19)

 

The reading skips the imposition of the circumcision as a sign, and some things about Ishmael (Genesis 17:20-27), since they do not have a direct a bearing on the feast of the Nativity of St John, where another barren woman bore a child.

 

 

It also skips the incident at the oak of Mambre (a plant that still lives to this day!), where the three angels visited Abraham, just prior to the destruction of Sodom. We have an icon of this even, which some call “the holy Trinity”, but more properly is called the “Hospitality of Abraham”. One of those angels is clearly the “angel of the Lord”, which one of the names for the pre-incarnate Christ. That one of the angels IS God is clear from the context:

 

And God appeared to him by the oak of Mambre, as he sat by the door of his tent at noon.  (2)  And he lifted up his eyes and beheld, and lo! three men stood before him; and having seen them he ran to meet them from the door of his tent, and did obeisance to the ground. (Gen 18:1-2 Brenton)

 

Abraham feed the angels and the angel of the Lord again promises Abraham and Sara a son, and Sara again “laughs”. It is difficult to believe that nothing is impossible for God, even when we believe!

 

“And he said, I will return and come to thee according to this period seasonably, and Sarrha thy wife shall have a son; and Sarrha heard at the door of the tent, being behind him.  (11)  And Abraam and Sarrha were old, advanced in days, and the custom of women ceased with Sarrha.  (12)  And Sarrha laughed in herself, saying, The thing has not as yet happened to me, even until now, and my lord is old.  (13)  And the Lord said to Abraam, Why is it that Sarrha has laughed in herself, saying, Shall I then indeed bear? but I am grown old.  (14)  Shall anything be impossible with the Lord? At this time I will return to thee seasonably, and Sarrha shall have a son.” (Gen 18:10-14 Brenton)

 

And Sara denied laughing:

But Sarrha denied, saying, I did not laugh, for she was afraid. And he said to her, Nay, but thou didst laugh. (Gen 18:15 Brenton)

 

We need to be able to admit to ourselves who we are. We “laugh” too, because we are weak. I feel better about possibilities for me and all my loved ones every time I read this account. Perfection is achieved in a million imperfect steps. It will all come together for those who “love God and all called according to His purpose”[5]

 

The reading skips Abrahams fascinating bargaining with the angels and the destruction of Sodom (Genesis 18:16-20:18), and then restarts at the beginning of chapter 21.

 

And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.  (2)  For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.  (3)  And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. (Gen 21:1-3 KJV)

 

How many “Isaacs” do we have in our lives? I preach about “Isaacs” all the time. We believe but we do not believe enough. How to believe more? We live, and struggle, and the murky way becomes light. With gradual moral change comes greater understanding. The Lord will do to us “as he (has) spoken”.

 

So it will be for us too, as it was for Sara, that we will laugh too:

 

And Sarrha said, The Lord has made laughter for me, for whoever shall hear shall rejoice with me. (Gen 21:6 Brenton)

 

Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

 

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Future plans.

Building Permit.

Parish prayer helps everybody.

It is always about morality.

If you cannot stop sinning, at least be kind.

Romans 12:4-5, 15-21

Tomorrow is the Nativity of St John the Baptist. Unfortunately, our parish is still in such a condition that I need to work at least a little every week, and Monday and Tuesday are my nursing days. Someday, God willing, I will stop working regularly (I may work once a month only to keep up my nursing license), and we will have many more regular services. If I could, I would serve liturgy for this happy day tomorrow, but, “if wishes were holiness, sinners would be saints” (or so the saying goes!).

 

We will be a much stronger community when the temple is built. We are getting the permit today. I think I will take a picture of it and post it! We have been waiting a long time. It is my prayer and hope that our little community will maintain its warm, family character, and also expand a little, so we can do more things. I have all kinds of plans, and it remains to be seen which ones are also in God’s plans. I feel confident that a more robust liturgical cycle is among them.

 

We can do nothing without prayer, and regular services not only benefit those who are present, but also help the entire community. I firmly believe that we would not be building if we had not instituted weekly Thursday liturgies. We also pray before the cross on the land every Thursday evening, and this is also crucial.

 

We currently serve at least 5 services a week, on four days, with two liturgies. It would be tremendous if, in addition to our regular Thursday Liturgy, where all the faithful of my little flock are commemorated by name in the Fervent Ectenia[1], we had liturgies for very festive days, such as the Nativity of St John the Baptist, St John of Kronstadt, St Seraphim of Sarov and other saints, the beheading of the Baptist (well, not so festal in some senses of the word), and the names day of any parishioner who wants a liturgy to be served (AND ATTENDS).

 

The health of a parish can be measured in many ways. First and foremost, it should be Christian in word and deed. This is not a “gimme”. I am proud of our little parish, because its people are good, and I am privileged to be their poor shepherd.

 

Other measurements include the liturgical cycle, the involvement of the flock in services and activities, education, parish growth, and a bunch of intangibles that a pastor looks for and rejoices to see, but does not talk about publicly.

 

Another important measurement is income. I am not afraid to mention this anymore, because I heave learned that we need to talk about the elephant in the living room. If we had not asked for pledges about two years ago, we would not be building now.

 

Today we read the “regular” readings for Monday and Tuesday. This is normal practice when a festal service the next day, supplants the regular readings. By “regular”, I mean the readings prescribed for each day, which depend on the time of year. Most readings are dependent on which week after Pentecost it is, and on all days except during Great Lent, we read an Epistle and Gospel selection. During Great Lent, readings are much different, and during the week we read from the Old Testament, and only read the Epistle and Gospel on Saturday and Sunday, with a few exceptions. The readings from Pascha until and including Pentecost are dependent on the liturgical book the “Pentecostarion”. They also include and Epistle and Gospel each day.

 

 

Monday’s Epistle reads like a check list of the ways a Christian should act. It is quite illuminating that the Apostle Paul, who goes to great lengths to explain the law and how we are NOT saved by doing the works of the law, in the same Epistle stresses living a moral life. This is well understood in the mind of the church. We will not be saved because of doing any good work, but we also will not be saved if we do not do good works. The Christian understanding of grace is that God enables us to become what we are “predestined” (another important topic of Romans) to become: holy and perfected, and able to see God as He is because of our experience. We cannot attain to this calling without living a moral life.

 

15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

 

16 Be of the same mind one toward another.

 

Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

 

17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

 

18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

 

19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

 

20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head[2].

 

21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:15-21)

 

 

 

 

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June 21/ July 4 2009. 4^th Saturday after Pentecost

Harsh is death, yet, when thou didst unite Thyself to it, having become divinely hypostatic though the Virgin, Thou didst destroy it. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the God of our Fathers. (Sunday, Tone 3, Matins Canon to the Theotokos, Ode 7, Sticheron 2)

 

 

Almost every service, and especially at vigil, I hear something that I have heard many times before, as if for the first time. Vespers and Matins especially among our many beautiful services, have this marvelous way of restating the truths and dogmas of our faith in new and poetic ways, and sometimes there is a blessed moment, when my poor soul feels completely invigorated, as the body does when it passes from drowsiness to full alertness, and I hear something that has truth in it that is too beautiful for words. My soul knows that however beautiful the poetry is, it is just an approximation of the things to come, because, after all, our poetry is attempting to speak with unspeakable words[1].

 

For some reason, these moments mostly come in the last half of vigil. I think this is because we need to put time and effort into prayers, and only after the body is a little tired, and the mind has been removed from the clamor of the world for a good while, is the soul the most receptive to hearing and understanding holy things.

 

This is one of the reasons I insist on serving vigil. I do not know how I could be saved if I did not serve it, because I need as many moments of spiritual clarity as possible, to enlighten my darkness. As a pastor, I know that I am not so very different than my flock, and they all need these moments too. If I serve, than perhaps I will be enlightened by degrees, and in turn pass something useful to my flock, and some of my flock, if they develop the good habit of standing in vigils, will have these moments without any intervention on my part except for making the service available. It goes without saying that if we did not serve matins this evening, nobody would have had any chance to have a clarifying and purifying moment from the hymns of matins on this 4^th Sunday after Pentecost, Tone 3, 2009.

 

I have many thoughts that go through my mind when something in the service touches me. Sometimes I wish that I could turn some of them off, but I am a pastor, and am always thinking of my flock. I also think these multiple thoughts are related to my unhealed as of yet passions. The more holy we become, the more simple our thoughts are. My thoughts are rarely simple!

Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

 

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Matthew 10:5-7

These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Matthew 10:5-6)

 

Why did Jesus send his disciples to the Jews, and expressly forbid preaching to the Gentiles or Samaritans? Blessed Theophylact explains that this was to deprive the Jews of any excuse, such as

 

“the apostles were sent to the Gentiles and because of this we Jews did not believe”[1]

 

This is not a totally implausible excuse. Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law, and therefore followed it. If He had sent his disciple to the Gentiles or Samaritans first, or even along with the Jews, in the mind of a Jew, He would have been breaking the law. Jesus took pains to not openly do things that appeared to be contrary to the law (or what the contemporary Jew thought was the law), except in certain circumstances (e.g., healing on the Sabbath, talking with the Samaritan woman at the well, and others).

 

One must note here that the “law” in the mind of the Jew of Jesus’ time was much more than the Ten commandments and other ordinances contained in the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Jewish (and Christian) canon, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers) . The Jews had created a bewildering mix of rules that interpreted the original law in the minutest detail. Jesus refers to this when he rebuked them:

 

But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (Luke 11:42 )

 

In this ultra-legalistic climate, Jesus would have been certainly condemned out of hand for sending his disciples to preach to anyone except the Jews.

 

And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. (Matthew 10:7)

 

Blessed Theophylact explains that this phrase: “freely ye have received, freely give” indicates the two virtues, humility and non-possessiveness[2]. 

 

We have the proverb that we should “give with an open hand”. This applies equally well with receiving, since all that we receive from God is a gift (of which we are undeserving). The Christian knows that since all good comes down from God the Father of lights[3], he attributes no good to himself, and does not attempt to “possess” it, that is think highly of himself because he has some virtue, or success or good thing. He receives all God gives with an open hand, ready at any time to freely give to others what he has freely received.

 

.How in practice do we do this? The perfect answer is to become holy! What is the long answer for us not yet, but becoming more holy ones?

 

All sin and virtue begins in the mind. This is the place to start. We must constantly remind ourselves of our condition, and God’s grace. One of my favorite “mindset” verses is Jesus’ instruction to His apostles:

 

“So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” (Luke 17:10)

 

Matthew 9:36-10:8 is read on the 3^rd Monday after Pentecost:

 

     36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. 1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

 

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Simony.

Almsgiving.

A great privilege.

The multitudes and the pastoral heart.

Laborers.

3^rd Monday after Pentecost.

 

http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2009-06-21.htm

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A fundamental principle of the priestly ministry is contained here:

 

“freely ye have received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:8)

 

Actually, this is a fundamental principle of the Christian life, and therefore even more so of the life of a Christian priest. All we have is from the grace of God, which is freely given, without respect to person, because of His NATURE. If we are to know God, then we must become like Him. Therefore, we must freely give of ourselves, without respect to person.

 

For a priest, this means that he must not expect “payment for services rendered.” It grieves my heart terribly to know that there are “payment schedules” posted on walls in churches (I have been told this is the case in some places (but not all!) in Russia, for instance), detailing fees for baptisms, molebens and any other service where a priest may be called.

 

This is a great sin. I think of it as a form of “simony” (which is the paying of money to obtain position or authority in the church). Simon the Magus[1] wanted to pay the apostles to gain the power they had, most likely to make a profit himself.

 

We have many examples of giving without expecting payment. The whole of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ is an example! We also have the example of Elisha (Elijah), who refused payment from Naaman, after he had been cleaned of leprosy by following the commandment of the prophet and dipping himself into the Jordan seven times:

 

And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.  (16)  But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. (2Ki 5:15-16 KJV)

 

And we have the rebuke of Peter to Simon, which falls heavily upon the head of any priest who would dare to charge for something that is without price:

 

But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.  (21)  Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.  (22)  Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.  (23)  For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. (Act 8:20-23)

 

 

Often when I am called regarding a baptism or marriage, I am asked what “the charge” is. I always reply that there is no charge, but they are free to give a donation of any amount if they wish. How can they “freely give” if they are charged? A priest sins twice by charging for services: he sins against the solemn admonition to “freely give”, and he does not allow for others to “freely give” since they are being charged a fee, and to consider the church as a secular institution.

 

I think it is imperative that we give alms with our prayers. A person who has a baby baptized, or a moleben served should give some sort of alms. I have always stated this in my ministry, and by not expecting any payment for anything, I give each person the opportunity to freely give alms.

 

I find that those who ask “what the charge is” are those whom I have never seen, and rarely see again. Why is this? Why are so many who call themselves Christians basically unchurched? It is a great mystery to me why so many people are so little touched by the grace of the services and the Orthodox Christian life, but I believe that a part of the reason is because they have learned to see the church in a secular way. After all, if you want a hamburger, you must pay a certain amount. Why should it be different if you want a baptism?

 

Every time we do anything for anyone, we are privileged to participate in the economy of God! This is a privilege that cannot be valued, as it is priceless. The clergy of today need to be more spiritual, and not secular, and realize that the privilege of being God’s instrument, even though they are a weak and infirm vessel, is payment enough.

 

 

Reading for the 3^rd Monday after Pentecost : Matthew 9:36-10:8 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. 1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

 

http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2009-06-21.html

http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2009-06-21.doc

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In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Today, on the Second Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate the memory of all the saints of Russia who have enlightened that land and shown their light on top of the hill instead of under a bushel.  What is it that makes a saint?  We’ve talked about this last week.  We read part of the same reading today as we read last week also. 

 

When Jesus called His disciples, they left immediately, left their nets, and they didn’t look back. They left with many weaknesses. We can see them. Their warts are shown in the scriptures: they argued with one another, they jousted with one another to see who would be the greatest, they had lack of faith, they even denied our Lord, and not just Peter, by the way; all of them were afraid, even St. John, who followed from a distance.  They all had human frailties.  But they did as the good farmer that our Lord speaks about in a parable: you put your hand to the plow.[1]  And no man who wants to plow a field looks back, because then the furrows will be not straight, and you will not get as much fruit from the ground. 

 

This is the key, brothers and sisters.  Have you left your nets?  Our Lord called James and John, the sons of Zebedee, and straightway they left their nets.   The "nets" are the "world", in this context.  The spiritual, the inner meaning, of the nets is this: all the things which entangle us.  Have you left your nets?   Or do you still keep nets around? 

 

I’m not talking about whether or not you fall into sin.  We are sinners.  We should not be surprised when we sin.  I’m not talking about if you have weaknesses, passions.  I’m talking about your priorities.  Have you left your nets?  Do you understand?  Do you live your life in accordance with the fact that Christianity must be a continual ascent, away from the earth, into heaven? A continual change, a continual changing of one’s mind. Warfare till the last breath. This is what Christianity is. You must leave your nets.

 

If you set your face towards Jerusalem, as the Lord did[2], meaning, if you don’t let the world get in the way of what your life is for, and then God will strengthen you and will help you.  You’ll have many problems.  You might have many sins.  In fact, you might sin wretchedly and continually, but God will help you if you have the right priorities, and if you beg Him to help you. 

 

Christianity is not what we believe; it’s how we act, it’s what we become.  It’s not possible without belief, but belief is only the beginning, just like when the grain of mustard seed is put into the ground.  That is only the beginning.  That is only the start.  Then the seedling starts to grow.  Many things endanger the seedling, but eventually, with care, it becomes a great tree.[3]  This is what we must do.  We must have the priority to grow, to change.  This is Christianity.  This is the essence. 

 

Our Lord called His disciples; they straightway left their nets.  They’d been waiting for the Messiah.  At this point they didn’t really understand.  He was a charismatic man, and there was something about Him. Those with sensitive souls would see such a thing.  They might not understand it, but they saw it and they desired to follow it.  They gave up everything in order to follow it.  Everything.  And they didn’t look backwards.  Now they still brought along their baggage, and their sins, and their passions, and their pride, and … everything else.  But their desire was to change. 

 

And look what God has done, with twelve men!  He didn’t come to twelve kings, twelve princes, twelve great ones, twelve scholars, but twelve simple men, uneducated for the most part.  Simple.  Men of the sea, men of the earth.  And look what happened.  Because they desired to follow Christ, they left their nets.  And anything that was imperfect in them would be, eventually, healed because of their desire. 

 

It is so important to understand the purpose of the Christian life.  We can talk about it, but to really understand it is to live it.  Perfection.  Self-amendment.  Change according to the One Whom we say we love.  Leaving behind those things that shackle us.  As St. Paul says, "We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses."[4]  Let’s leave behind sin which so easily entangles us.  But the first step to leaving behind sin which entangles is to leave your nets. 

 

The sin may still come with.  We see that from the apostles.  The sin may still come with.  The weakness still comes with.  But if God sees a man who wants to change, He will help him.  Grace will descend upon him and will warm him.  This is the key.  You must desire to change.  You must desire to become like Christ.  You must desire to be all fire.  And all these imperfections, they’ll just be a memory some day.   All the things that are wrong with us, they’ll burn away, and all that will be left, if we live according to desire for Christ, will be the pearl[5], all burnished and shining because of our efforts, because of God’s grace which has descended upon us. 

 

Don’t lament so much out of proportion about your sins that you commit and your difficulties with passions; don’t lament about those more than you lament about your attitude and your desire.  A lack of desire, a lack of proper priorities, a lack of faith and belief in the resurrection is what really makes those sins which entangle you still hang around.  They will be burned away by the grace of God, but you must leave them.  You must struggle with all of your might to leave them. 

 

Now after having been a priest for I think over five years now, I am well aware of the great grace of God and the great weakness of men.  Unfortunately, I’ve learned it autobiographically, but also by observing my flock whom I love.  But mostly by observing my own weakness and seeing how God takes an imperfect vessel and bestows grace upon it.  Most of the grace is wasted, and is not made fruitful, like the water that flows into the ditch and into the sewer and is not retained in the orchard.  But some of it is retained.  And I’ve learned, and I wish you to know: God desires your heart, and not so much today that you don’t sin but that you desire to not sin, and that you order your priorities according to what God has done, and the grace the God-man gives us.  If you leave your nets, everything else will follow. 

 

Certainly, God who has created us for a good work will complete it in the day of Christ Jesus.[6]  Of course He will.  But He will complete it for those who endure to the end.  Not for those who make a beginning, but for those who endure to the end.[7]  He will not leave those who struggle with their sins.  And I tell you boldly; He will not leave those who fail when they struggle against their sins, who continue to sin.  He will not leave them, if they struggle, if they desire. 

 

This is the key.  This is the pearl.  This is the inner knowledge a Christian must possess.  God will not abandon you, but you must not abandon Him.  You must struggle to abandon all that is not of Him.  Whether you are successful or not, in this life, in this world, in being free of every sin is not as important as if you are successful in ordering your priorities and your desires.  Leave your nets. 

 

There are many of them in the world today.  Sometimes we think that some of these things, the vices and passions and difficulties, have been invented by our generation.  They’ve been around a long time.  But now we have a terrible affliction in our society: lukewarmness of belief.  It affects us, makes us make excuses, and makes us to have false priorities, to arrange for our retirement, but not for the keeping of the church.  To take care of this, or that, but to not say our prayers. 

 

Don’t be entangled by the world.  The world offers you nothing.  The world pushes you to the abyss, and then you fall off.  Leave your nets.  And then you’ll be like the saints. 

 

We can share in something that they have obtained.  We all, I tell you boldly — every one of us, no matter how sinful, are capable of becoming as the saints.  And that is an arrogant statement; that is the truth.  We are made of the same stuff, and the same grace is shed upon us. 

 

But the reason why we are moribund in our sins, and why there is little fruit in our lives, is because we have not left behind our nets.  We still have the wrong priorities.  Then let us obey the apostle Paul, "seeing that we are compassed about by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside sin, which so easily encumbers us."[8]  Let’s strive for the goal.  Let’s struggle.  Let’s desire.  Let us leave our nets.  God will not abandon us.  God will help us. 

 

This is glorious news.  The saints, you know, are the resurrection in action.  The saints are living examples of the resurrection, and even in our life we should experience living examples of the resurrection, if we are able to turn aside from the sins that once beset us, if we are able to make the right choice, instead of the wrong one that we’ve been making for so long.  This is the resurrection at work in a man.  And it is a glorious thing.  It is a privilege, and an honor to be a creature of God, for He dwells within us, an amazing thing.  Let us leave our nets, and let’s truly experience what God desires for us.  Amen.

Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

 

This and other Orthodox materials are available in from:

 

This homily is at:

http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/pentecost-sunday-02_1999+all-saints-of-russia.doc

http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/pentecost-sunday-02_1999+all-saints-of-russia.html

New sermons, commentaries, etc  are posted on our BLOG: http://www/.orthodox.net/redeemingthetime

Archive of commentaries: http://www.orthodox.net/scripture

Archive of homilies: http://www.orthodox.net/sermons

 

To receive regular mailings of sermons, and scriptural and services commentary and other things throughout the church year, read our blog “Redeeming the Time” (http://www.orthodox.net/redeemingthetime). You may also subscribe to the RSS Feed or receive its postings by email.

 

Our parish Email list (http://groups.google.com/group/saint-nicholas-orthodox-church) also has all the latest postings from our website and blog; everyone is welcome to join.

 

All rights reserved.  Please use this material in any edifying reason. We ask that you contact St. Nicholas if you wish to distribute it in any way.  We grant permission to post this text, if completely intact only, including this paragraph and the URL of the text, to any electronic mailing list, church bulletin, web page or blog.

 

"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven"

 

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Today, the Sunday after Pentecost, we remember all of the saints, and we are inspired by these two readings, I would hope, that contain much encouragement.  How can one not be encouraged when this whole choir of righteous is enumerated by the apostle Paul, and then he says:

 

"Wherefore seeing we are also compassed about by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us.  Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, Who, for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." 

 

This should be like an anthem for we Christians.  The saints are all described at the end of the Gospel reading.  Every righteous one who has ever lived, who has ever pleased God, who has ever struggled with his sins, who has ever truly believed in the resurrection is described today, because our Lord says:

 

"Everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children or lands for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundred fold and shall inherit ever-lasting life.  But many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first." 

 

This describes in microcosm the life that pleases God, the life that we are called to.  We are to forsake that which weighs us down, sin which easily besets us, and even father or mother or sister or brother, if they weigh us down, if they keep us from the kingdom of God. 

 

In most cases that would not be literally necessary; Jesus Christ is not telling us to always leave our father and mother.  Indeed we must love them, and honor them, whether they honor God or not.  But it is a value judgement here; it is a set of priorities.  If we are to inherit what is our birthright, then we must live according to that birthright.  You remember, with Esau and Jacob, Esau had the birthright, but he didn’t live according to it, so it was taken from him. 

 

These readings contain not only the encouragement and this incredible joy that we should feel about the grace of God; they also contain a blueprint, a path of how to live.  Not only how to live, but also how not to live.  The promise is there, that also contains, very, very clearly for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see, what happens when a man does not follow Christ. 

 

Now this is the Sunday after Pentecost.  Pentecost, the out-pouring of the Holy spirit, the gift of the Holy spirit upon all in the church, is what makes us capable of being part of this choir of the saints.  It’s what helps all men to attain to the knowledge of God and to righteousness. 

 

St. Paul says through faith they did this, through faith they did that.  This was in the Old Testament times, before the giving of the Holy Spirit.  Even more remarkable are the exploits of the saints before the coming of Christ, because the Holy Spirit did not dwell within them.  The Holy Spirit influenced their lives, guided them, helped them, but did not dwell within them.  This was meant for a later time.  And St. Paul alludes to this when he says,

 

"And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise, God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." 

 

He is pointing to the coming of the God-man Jesus Christ, and then the bringing of the Holy Spirit after Jesus Christ showed and in actuality did what was necessary for our salvation.  He showed us how to live, and lived according to His commandments, and caused Himself to be risen from the dead.  And then the bringing of the Holy Spirit enlightens us, strengthens us and allows us to do the will of God, and to obtain the promise. 

 

I want to focus on some things that were said in the Gospel - the Gospel is a composite reading, by the way.  It is actually Matthew chapter ten and also chapter nineteen, a portion of it.  It fits together very nicely in context, and that’s why the Holy Spirit must have desired the reading be put together as it was for this day.  Our Lord said,

 

"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven." 

 

This is a fundamental characteristic of righteousness, to confess the Lord Jesus Christ.  And how do we confess Him?  Without lips and with our actions; with our priorities and with our way of dealing with people; with what we say is important and what we show is important. 

 

There are some obvious things that you could have come to mind.  We confess the Lord by showing that we care about Christianity, that we live our life in a moral way.  The entire world has gone off unto Sodom and Gomorrah, but we cannot do this.  We must have the courage to stand against it, to stand against every form of immorality and vice.  This is the confession of Christ. 

 

Now there is a new form of Christianity in name only.  It’s been around now for quite a good many years.  In fact, you really can see the beginnings of it in Apostolic times.  But certainly, in the past few hundred years of the post enlightenment age, it has been codified that this is an acceptable way of life. 

 

This way of life confesses Christ with the lips, but not with action, not with morality, not with the way we live, not with the way we order our lives.  The new Christianity, from which the Orthodox are not immune, has a sort of dichotomy between belief and action.  But there is no such thing.  This is the great lie.  Faith without works is dead.  There is no dichotomy between action and belief.  And if you do not live according to what you say you believe, then you are not confessing Christ.  And we’ve been given everything we need to confess Him.  We’ve been given the Holy Spirit, the comforter, Who lives within us if indeed we make a place for Him, if indeed we clean out our soul, and garnish it and sweep it out with effort and desire.  And He will help us in all things.  But if we do not live righteously we are not confessing Christ. 

 

Christ says He will confess us before His Father, if we live according to His will, and confess Him in this life.  But He won’t confess us before His Father if we do not live in such a way.  For those people who do not live in such a way are reserved the words, "I don’t know you.  I don’t know who you are.  You have no part with Me.  You haven’t become like Me.  Go away.  Go unto outer darkness."  Those words are reserved for those people who confess with their lips but not with the way they live, not with their priorities. 

 

Now there are other practical things.  In our modern society we are constantly in social situations.  Are you afraid to make the sign of the cross before you have your dinner in a restaurant?  If this is the case, you should weep and lament and pound your breast and ask God’s forgiveness for this, and do it the next time.  Are you afraid among your friends or among your business associates or whomever else you come across in your daily walk of life to show your priorities and the Christian way of thinking, or do you change your priorities based upon the vicissitudes of your life, maybe so you are not in trouble, or so nobody thinks badly of you, or maybe just so that you are not inconvenienced?  This is not confessing Christ, either. 

 

This is confessing the Devil, because this is the way the Devil wants us to live.  The Devil is perfectly happy with lipservice to Christianity; he loves that. In fact, I think he prefers it to out and out paganism, because what does our Lord say to those in the church of Laodicea, in Revelations? 

 

"Thou art lukewarm, and I will spit thee out of my mouth." 

 

No, brothers and sisters, we are not to be lukewarm.  We have fire within us.  The Holy Spirit warms us.  That fire should burn things, not burn us; it should burn the sins within us, and it should glow. There should be a light.  People should see it. 

 

I am convinced there are two main  reasons our churches are not full - one is the world is very, very evil, and people are not interested in a Christian way of life.  They are interested in Christian lipservice, but not in actually ordering their lives completely according to Christ.  That’s part of it.  But another part of it is, we don’t shine.  We don’t profess Christ in very aspect of how we live, how we think, how we prioritize.  Every single person in our workplace should notice something about us, or think we’re different.  Some may hate us because it - absolutely and positively.  Some hated Christ.  But there was no one that encountered Christ that did not notice something about Him, that did not have to come to a decision because of Him.  So should it be with us. 

 

We must confess Christ before men.  Don’t live your life according to the priorities of the world.  Don’t let anything get in the way of an all-out assault on your passions, and an all-out desire to follow the commandments.  We have this cloud of witnesses. Look what they did: through faith they subdued kingdoms, they wrought righteousness, they obtained promises, they stopped the mouths of lions, they were sawn asunder, they wandered about in sheep skins and in goat skins.  The world was not even worthy of them.  All of these things were struggles.  None of these things that I just mentioned are pleasant.  All of them were difficult trials.  The Christian life is indeed a trial, a difficulty, it is an arena, it is a life-or-death struggle. 

 

If this causes your heart to contract and be afraid, then you must beg the Holy Spirit to indwell in you more, and be joyful on this day that so many have entered into the kingdom of heaven, so many have endured struggles, and pain, and grief, and endured to the end, and come to the kingdom of heaven. 

 

And they are all examples for us, all around.  And they are poof that the resurrection is real.  The resurrection is true.  And it changes a man.  This news is the best news that can be said.  There is nothing greater.  The resurrection changes us!   Now our life sometimes is filled with bitterness and difficulty.  Some of it is from without, brought on by those whom we know, or whom we don’t know.  Some of it is from within, from our own sinfulness, our lack of belief, our lack of constancy, our lack of good priorities.  But regardless, life is struggle.  Everyone understands this.  But God has given us the tools to endure in the struggle. 

 

God has given us everything we need, and on this day we celebrate the whole panoply of saints that have endured to the end, as an example to us, but also - we must understand, and we must be able to have these two thoughts together at the same time - also as a reproach against us.  They are both a reproach against us, and also an encouragement to us, both at the same time, because they’ve all endured.  They’re made of the same stuff as we are.  They had the same difficulties with sins that we have.  They were given the same grace that we have been given, the same truth, the same God, the same Holy Spirit.  But they fought the good fight, and endured; they finished the course. 

 

And now we ask their intercessions before God, for our sinful selves.  We can attain; we must attain some measure of what they have attained.  We are called to perfection.  Christianity is not just a belief system, or membership; it is the continual, extreme change of a man.  And this is good news.  There is so much wrong with us, so much incomplete, so much that hurts, so much that is imperfect, so much that we don’t know, so much that makes us sad; all of that God will change.  No sadness, no incompleteness, no sickness, no bad thoughts, nothing whatsoever that causes our faces to be downcast, but instead all light. 

 

This is what God wants to give us.  We must live our life according to this promise, aim for this promise, and struggle for this promise.  Then we will truly be called friend by our Lord.  He will call us friend, and we will be able to cry, "Abba, Father."  Such incredible intimacy with God!  The saints obtained it.  And we can attain it.  But only by struggle, only by confessing Christ, only by living according to His commandments. 

 

In the middle of today’s reading it says,

 

"He that taketh not up his cross and followeth after me, the same is not worthy of Me." 

 

We must struggle according to what He has told us to do.  I am continually struck by the lives of the saints, and by the writings of the fathers, by how these two thoughts - our depravity and God’s great mercy - are welded into one.  On almost every page of the Scriptures this knowledge of the condition of man, which is deplorable, and the promise of what man will become, is present.  And we see it in the saints.  We see their righteousness, how God brought them home.  We also see their struggles, and we should compare their struggles to our own, and mix always the knowledge of what God has predestined for us with the knowledge of what kind of person we are.  They always must be mixed together.  And then we will struggle. 

 

The Gospel and Epistle

 

{Heb 11:33}  Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, {34} Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. {35} Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: {36} And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: {37} They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; {38} (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. {39} And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: {40} God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. {Heb 12:1-2}  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, {2} Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

{Mat 10:32}  "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. {33} But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. {10:37} "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. {38} And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." {19:27} Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? {28} And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. {29} And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. {30} But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first."

 

 

Priest Seraphim Holland 2000.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

 

This and other Orthodox materials are available in from:

 

This homily is at:

http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/pentecost-sunday-01_2000+sunday-of-all-saints.html

http://www.orthodox.net/sermons/pentecost-sunday-01_2000+sunday-of-all-saints.doc

New sermons, commentaries, etc  are posted on our BLOG: http://www/.orthodox.net/redeemingthetime

Archive of commentaries: http://www.orthodox.net/scripture

Archive of homilies: http://www.orthodox.net/sermons

 

To receive regular mailings of sermons, and scriptural and services commentary and other things throughout the church year, read our blog “Redeeming the Time” (http://www.orthodox.net/redeemingthetime). You may also subscribe to the RSS Feed or receive its postings by email.

 

Our parish Email list (http://groups.google.com/group/saint-nicholas-orthodox-church) also has all the latest postings from our website and blog; everyone is welcome to join.

 

All rights reserved.  Please use this material in any edifying reason. We ask that you contact St. Nicholas if you wish to distribute it in any way.  We grant permission to post this text, if completely intact only, including this paragraph and the URL of the text, to any electronic mailing list, church bulletin, web page or blog

Two sins that lead to all others.

It’s always about you.

Idolatry.

Sexual immorality.

The delusion of the age.

We must have courage.

Immediately after Pentecost, we begin reading The Epistle of Paul to the Romans. This is arguably the most difficult, theological and “head spinning[1]” Epistle in the New Testament.

 

As with all Scripture, however, there are always simple messages that we can glean , as long as we read with purpose, expecting to be instructed in righteousness[2] by some detail we read

 

Much of the things St Paul says in today’s reading are very simple. It would be good to talk about them now, while we still can.[3]

 

It would be a great mistake to regard Paul’s words as only referring to idolaters and sexually immoral people, whom Paul refers to here:

 

“23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.” (idolatry)

 

“For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.” (homosexuality, or in our political speak of the day, both “Gay” and “Lesbian” relations)

 

The most important part of the entire reading is the first verse, and it’s follow-up, which describe two kinds of sins:

 

“18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;”

 

The scriptures must be read in a personal way. This does not mean that they will tell us what car to buy,  or whether or not to do missionary work in another country, but they will speak to our personal hearts, if we listen. Although Paul goes on to describe some of the more extreme examples of holding “the truth in unrighteousness”, we err greatly if we do not consider this admonition to also refer to us.

 

When we read these words, we must wonder in which way they refer to us. To ponder this, we first must understand what holding “the truth in unrighteousness” is.

 

Let’s define it as: saying we believe something, but not doing what we say. This describes all sin. Now, St Paul’s words are very personal, and should make us tremble!  The Holy Theologian tells us:

 

And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.  (4)  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1John 2:3-4)

 

And:

 

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? (1John 4:20)

 

Do we “hold” the truth, and yet remain unrighteous, with our passions and sins and selfishness and laziness and all the rest? If so, then St Paul’s admonition applies to us.

 

Let us not despair, because if we are true Christians, with the “honest and good heart[4]” that our Savior described, then although we are guilty of sins, we will not  be guilty of the greater sins which St Paul described (which lead to all terrible, immoral sins):

 

“21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools…”

 

I have told many people many times that sin, of itself, will not kill us. If it were absolutely deadly, no one would live. Only unrepentance will lead to death. God will forgive all sin, except that unforgivable sin[5] – to not repent. If we do sinful things, AND justify them, we have become vain in our imaginations and have darkened hearts – and God will not abide where there is darkness.

 

Death from sin is a process, with progression, just as gaining eternal life is a process with progression. All sins lead to death, because, unchecked, sin leads to more sin, and eventually, the corruption of the mind so that we are unable to stop sinning. All righteousness leads to more righteousness, and eventually, we are free from sin. Which way are we progressing, towards Jerusalem, or towards Jericho[6]? The way we live our life, the priorities we have, the beliefs we espouse, our own personal honest and integrity – these will determine which road we walk.

 

St Paul’s admonition censures two great sins which lead to all the rest of the woes and illnesses of the heart:

 

1. Holding the truth in unrighteousness, that is, being sinners.

 

And

 

2. The greater sin, which is one of the heart – to not glorify God, and as a consequence of not carefully attempting to follow the commandments, making excuses for our sins, and becoming vain in our imaginings and darkened in our hearts.

 

As for the first sin, there is repentance, and the grace of God which will help us. As for the second, there can come a time when we are incapable of repentance, because our lack of care regarding personal purity and the following of the commandments will have lead us to have a “hardened heart” like Pharaoh. From this sin there is not repentance.

 

If we fear the first, and struggle against it, we will not commit the second.

 

Now, we must say something about the immoral sins that St Paul mentions.

 

Absolutely, these denunciations of Paul refer to what they appear to be referring to: worship of idols, and immoral same sex sexual acts. Of course, our society tries all day long to find some way to change the meaning of these words, but they are very clear. God considers sexual activity between those of the same sex to be impure, “unseemly” and “unnatural”.

 

We must pause here to make two important points.

 

This passage does not mention adultery, but it is also a grave sin, mentioned at many other places in the scriptures. Also, there are different kinds of sins and weaknesses. We understand that even to “look at a woman to lust after her” is adultery, so the church has always understood, as her High Priest has taught us, that sin can occur, even if it is only in the mind.

 

Any impure thoughts are debilitating to the soul, but when we fight them with courage and not with an attitude of “making excuse with excuses in sins”, we will eventually, with God’s help, be at peace. Sexual lust of all kinds can be a very strong and persistent temptation, and to even have this temptation is a sign to us that we are not yet righteous. We truly fall when we give in to the temptation and act upon it, and make it a thousand times more deadly to our soul when we make excuses for it. Can a person afflicted with sexual impurity (of any kind) be saved? YES, OF COURSE, but only if he struggles against it.

 

Our politically correct age is making it a sin to say there is sin. If we understand sin for what it is – something which debilitates the soul and makes it sick, then we can fight this view. To call homosexuality a sin (and to offer solutions for it) is an act of Christian love. My brethren, do not fall prey to the pernicuous propaganda of our age. All sin hurts, and leads to death. It must be fought, and we must equip others weaker than ourselves to fight it, not matter what our government or major papers or television programs try to tell us.

 

To have a moral opinion of life is not easy, and it takes courage. Many so called Christians are afraid to live this way. May God help us. If we attempt to live moral lives with great effort, we will not be prone to the great delusion that our society is trying to confuse us with. This is only solution for our modern predicament. If we are strict with ourselves, and try to live morally, we will not be confused when the world tries to sell us a bowl of pottage, whether by propaganda, coercion, threats or punishments.

 

 

Romans 1:18-27 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

 

Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

 

http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2009-06-10.html

http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2009-06-10.doc

 

New Journal entries are posted on our BLOG: http://www/.orthodox.net/redeemingthetime

 

Archive of Journal Entries: http://www.orthodox.net/journal

 

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The icon of Pentecost teaches us much more than the fact that the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles in tongues of fire. 

 

Archpriest David Moser[1] explains:

 

“This icon not only visually tells the story of the descent of the Holy Spirit in tongues of flame upon the apostles, but it also teaches us the greater meaning of this event in God’s provision for the salvation of the world. See how the circle of the Apostles is not closed but is open both at the top toward heaven – from which they receive the Holy Spirit – and also at the bottom where we see a crowned figure holding a cloth filled with many blank scrolls.^[2]”

 

Priest Josiah^[3] explains this crowned figure:

 

“The salvation of the world as rooted in Pentecost is shown on the Pentecost icon by the "King" at the bottom of the icon beneath the apostles.  This King is not a historical one.  He is "King Cosmos^[4]"- He is the world, which the anointed disciples are about to harvest. “

 

Fr David further explains the meaning of the scrolls “King Cosmos” holds:

 

“In this we see that the Holy Spirit descended first upon the Apostles for they had been prepared by our Lord Jesus Christ to receive this divine indwelling. But the outpouring of the Holy Spirit does not stop there for the crowned man at the bottom and in the center of the Apostles represents all the kingdoms and nations of the earth. Having received the Holy Spirit, the Apostles began to speak and preach the Gospel in a multitude of tongues which were the languages of the nations of the earth. Shortly after this the Apostles divided up the whole of the known world between themselves and began to preach the Gospel to all nations. The scrolls represent the various nations, each of which would be taken up by one or the other of the Apostles. There he would go to proclaim the Resurrection and the defeat of sin, death and the devil and the freedom of all men from their captivity.”

 

I thank Fr David and Fr Josiah for their consistently excellent writings, which they frequently publish in the Internet. Their wisdom made it easy to explain the significance of the Pentecost icon to my flock. My little partial compilation of the Father’s sermons does not cover all the meaning of this icon. Please read the source documents if you want more information.

 

Fr David’s weekly sermons are available at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/propoved/

 

Fr Josiah has an impressive body of work on his church’s website: http://www.saintandrew.net/ and also publishes edifying thoughts on his Blog, which I receive as an RSS feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/FatherJosiahsWeblog

 

Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

 

http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2009-06-08.html

http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2009-06-08.doc

 

New Journal entries are posted on our BLOG: http://www/.orthodox.net/redeemingthetime

 

Archive of Journal Entries: http://www.orthodox.net/journal

 

Use this for any edifying reason, but please give credit, and include the URL were the text was found. We would love to hear from you with comments!

 

One of my favorite Matins Gospels is read today, today, but not in matins. I marvel at how, no matter how many times I read this gospel, alone, or in church, I am filled with ineffable emotion and hope. It seems to me that St John’s Gospel is filled with hidden instructions to the soul, that I can just get a glimpse of, or even grasp with my fingers for a moment, but the full understanding of the message eludes me.

 

So it is with this story, which I read every eleven weeks in church, and never tire of it.

 

There is a message here for me (and for you), that we can only see if we love.

 

Today I learned a little bit more about why I cannot quite understand the message.

 

Simon Peter loved the Lord, but not perfectly. The Lord showed Him this gently. Of course, the use of the two Greek words for love is significant – The Lord asked Simon if He loved Him with the Love that we should have for God, and Simon, unsure of himself, still ashamed of his previous fall, answered the Lord that He “had affection” for Him. This happened two times. The third time, the Lord only asked Simon if he “had affection” for Him. Peter was hurt, not because the question had been asked three times, but because the Lord had changed the question the third time!

 

Peter’s three responses: as they say: I have “been there, done that”.

 

Peter wanted to love the Lord with all his heart and soul and mind. Only recently he had fallen far short of this virtue, and he was unsure. It was not that he did not want to love the Lord completely, unreservedly, but that he doubted he could!

 

I am a pastor. I want to help my flock and everyone I meet in the one thing needful. That is the ONLY THING I want to do, ALL The time. My fallen and inconvenient humanity gets in the away. I get tired, depressed, unsure, lazy, angry, impatient … and I show in my actions that I “have affection” for the Lord, but not unreserved love.

 

In reading this passage today, how to love the Lord completely just became a little clearer. I cannot will it to be so, but I am accomplishing it more and more each day, despite myself. The key is in the words the Lord spoke to Peter after his tri-fold question.

 

 

18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. 19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.

 

 

Everyday, I am led where I do not want to go. I wish I would go willingly; I need to learn to go willingly. So many things are not the way I want them. I am tired of fighting to build the church. I know it will happen, but not according to my time schedule. I wonder why – is it because of the city of McKinney, our poverty, my sins?

 

Maybe all three, and a hundred and fifty and three other reasons besides, but this does not matter. Being led where I do not want to go is part of the process. I am being taught to be humble, and what meekness really is. I think the best definition of meekness is that a Christian accepts everything in that happened to him as the will of God, with thankfulness and hope.

 

I sure have a lot of stuff happening to me. I accept some of it. I think our Lord’s words to Peter tell me that I must accept all of it, and that there is only one way to accomplish this – by being led where I do not want to go, and learning to accept it.

 

This is love, and I know it in my head and part of my heart.

 

Perhaps before going to church this afternoon, I will stop by the as of now bare ground (excepting a 11 foot cedar cross) in McKinney, and thank God that it is still barren, and that I do not like this. I will kiss the cross, and remember that love is not what I say, but what I do, and what I accept being done to me.

 

Oh, these are hard lessons to learn!

 

John 21:15-25   15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. 19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. 20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? 21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? 22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. 23 Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? 24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true. 25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

 

Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

 

http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2009-06-06.html

http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2009-06-06.doc

 

New Journal entries are posted on our BLOG: http://www/.orthodox.net/redeemingthetime

 

Archive of Journal Entries: http://www.orthodox.net/journal

 

Use this for any edifying reason, but please give credit, and include the URL were the text was found. We would love to hear from you with comments!