Share the blessings God has given to you

Today the Church commemorates the memory of Saint Joachim and Ana, the parents of the Virgin Mary. According to Holy Tradition, the parents of the Theotokos were elderly and childless, which in the ancient days was considered to be a sign of unrighteousness and punishment by God. They prayed fervently to God that He would allow them to give birth and eventually the Panagia, the All-Holy Virgin Mary was born. The Church celebrated her nativity yesterday.

The Gospel lesson for today is quite telling... Gospel Reading: Luke 8:16-21 (RSV) The Lord said, "No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hid that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light. Take heed then how you hear; for to him who has will more be given, and from him who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away." Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him for the crowd. And he was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you." But he said to them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."

The Nativity of the Theotokos can be viewed as a lamp being lit. Joachim and Anna had the choice to cover that lamp, by keeping their new daughter “to themselves” or they could share the Light and offer her to God for His glory. They dedicated her to the temple (celebrated November 21^st each year) and God’s Light shined for all the world to see in the eventual birth of our Savior. We should be thankful to Saints Joachim and Anna for their willingness to share the light with the world.

The next time you receive a blessing from God, consider how you can share that blessing as the light of God for others to see His glory. Has God given a talent to you? Offer that talent to God through His Church so others can see His glory. You don’t know when the blessing you are willing to share with others will be to the glory of God.

Hail, O Bride Unwedded

On the fifth Friday of Great Lent the Greek Orthodox Church, and some other Orthodox Churches, celebrate the service known as the Akathist to the Theotokos. The service, built upon the service of Compline (the service I wrote about yesterday), includes a complete acrostic canon in honor of the Theotokos. According to Church Tradition, the hymn was originally written as a prayer to honor the protection of the Theotokos after the City of Constantinople was spared from being destroyed by invaders after the city processed in prayer around the city walls with the Holy Icon of the Theotokos.

An acrostic poem is a poem (prayer, etc) in which the first letter of each verse combines to spell a particular word. In the case of the Akathist to the Theotokos, each verse begins with the next letter in the Greek alphabet. Thus, there are 24 verses in the entire canon. The canon is divided into four stanzas, each sung separately the first four Fridays of Great Lent. On the fifth, the entire canon is sung. Each alternating verse ends with the praise, “Rejoice, O unwedded Bride” and “Alleluia”. Between each stanza is sung the hymn, “O Champion General” the Kontakion which commemorates the victory of Constantinople.

“O Champion General, I your City now inscribe to you Triumphant anthems as the tokens of my gratitude, Being rescued from the terrors, O Theotokos. Inasmuch as you have power unassailable, From all kinds of perils free me, so that unto you I may cry aloud: Rejoice, O unwedded Bride.”

While we might now have stone walls that protect our souls from evil invaders, we can still be protected by the prayers of the Theotokos. As you stand (Akathist means “not seated”) tonight during Church, remember to ask the All Holy Theotokos to protect your soul so you can honor her and her Son, our God with prayer and fasting the rest of the Great Lent.

An Elderly Joseph, the Virgin Mary and Sexuality

Each year I find myself reminding people, and quite frankly becoming exasperated, about the truth of Joseph and Mary. As Orthodox Christians we teach that Joseph was a righteous old man in his seventies when he, by lot, was blessed to be the caretaker for the Panagia, the Theookos and Ever-Virgin Mary. Furthermore the Church AFFIRMS that since she was a virgin before conceiving Christ, while she was pregnant with Christ, and after Christ was born – why we call her Ever-Virgin – Joseph and Mary NEVER HAD SEXUAL RELATIONS.

This idea of ever-virginity is difficult for most western Christians to accept since, for at least 200 years, the west has considered Joseph as a young man engaged to Mary “just staring out their life” when he discovered she was pregnant. The west uses as their defense for their position that so-called brothers of the Lord mentioned in Matthew 12.47 as evidence that Mary “must have had” sexual relations with Joseph. How else could He have had brothers? The west ignores Christ’s reply whey He says, “For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12.50)

Without this verse, there is no scriptural evidence that the Panagia, the Ever-Virgin Mary, and Joseph had sexual relations; the west is left only with the emotions of a young man starting out his life alongside his young wife. Who could possibly doubt they were sexually active? What young seventeen year old boy and thirteen year old girl, a “newlywed” couple, would remain virgins? By today’s sexual standards, this would be unheard of, especially in the context of such a high teenage sexually active society as we have today.

I then return to the ANCIENT teaching that Joseph was an elderly widower with children who had been chosen by lot from among the righteous men to be betrothed to the Panagia. In recent years even Orthodox Christians with whom I have spoken struggle with this notion of an elderly Joseph, but not from any sense of spiritual piety or historical evidence. Many today simple cannot stand to see an old man being betrothed to a young girl despite the ancient writings of the Church.

Our society has become so hyper-sexualized that many, by their own admission to me, are grossed out by seeing and elderly Joseph appear in Christmas plays. Refusing to break from the contemporary hper-sexualized society we live in today, and consider that Joseph was righteous and holy, many today prefer to visualize Joseph as a young man. Many are more comfortable “expecting sexual relations” between a young Joseph and “Virgin” Mary than a celibate elderly Joseph caring for an EVER-Virgin Mary.

Ah, the ever present “Christmas Pageant” produced by Sunday Schools around the country. Orthodox Christians have felt the need to “fit in” so terribly with our American culture, we insist on annual Christmas pageants, forgetting that the Protestant West “needs” them since they have no liturgical or iconographic life in their Church. Without the annual Christmas Pageant, most Protestant Churches look and sound “no different” during Christmas than any other day of the year. Without the richness of Orthodox hymnography and iconography, Protestants are left with “the stage” to experience Christ.

The theological fall-out of Christmas Pageants is that most are written by and for Protestants, perpetuating Protestant theology and tradition. And what is left, are Orthodox Christians holding on to traditions that teach our youth incorrect history and theology, when all we needed to teach was Orthodox Tradition in the first place. And if seeing an elderly Joseph walking up the Church aisle during the Christmas Pageant is uncomfortable, a better option would be to acknowledge just how far away from God our contemporary idea of sexuality has come, but at least our youth would know the truth about Joseph and the EVER-Virgin Mary.

Salvation Requires Free Will

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, when the Archangel Gabriel invited Mary to accept God’s challenge by becoming His Mother. Of course, that isn’t how it’s written in the Bible, but that IS the essence of what took place.

Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people." Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. "Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. "For with God nothing will be impossible." Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1.24-38)

I choose my words VERY carefully here to illustrate that God indeed invited the Virgin Mary to accept this challenge. There should be no doubt that Mary exercised her free will by her response, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.” She could have said, “NO!” Thank God she didn’t…

If Mary, the betrothed of Joseph, had rejected the Archangel’s offer, we might still be under the curse of death, as God may not have taken on human flesh and become a human being for our salvation. You might say, it was only possible for God to take on human flesh BECAUSE Mary said, “YES.” If Mary had chosen her own comfort and acted in her own self interest, Jesus may not have been born. If Jesus had been born, we would still be dead today…..BUT thankfully, she said, “YES.” This explains not only the Archangel’s greeting, but also the hymn of the Feast, in which we are invited to also call out to her.

Today is the summary of our salvation, and the revelation of the age-old mystery. For the Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin, and Gabriel announces the good news of grace. Therefore, let us join him, and cry aloud to the Theotokos: "Rejoice, Maiden full of grace! The Lord is with you."

But it wasn’t only Mary’s free will that was able to limit our salvation. Just as we are invited to call out the Virgin Mary with the words of the Archangel, we are urged to mimic the Virgin Mary, and responding to God’s call for us. Using OUR free will, God allows us to join the Virgin Mary and say, “YES” to God’s invitation to follow Him into heaven. And just like her, we are required to use our free will to either submit ourselves to God or reject His invitation.

Today, on the Feast which honors the Virgin Mary’s free will acceptance of God as her master, we are reminded that our free will can either save us or condemn us. God could not save us without her free will, and God cannot save us without our free will acceptance of that salvation. Don’t let her freedom go to waste. Say “YES” to God today!

On the Second Day of Christmas

The Church has a wonderful tradition of celebrating “main characters” of Feasts the day after major feast days. The day after Christmas, the Church celebrates the Theotokos. We shouldn’t look at this chance as a way to recognize “those left out” in the shuffle, since we NEVER consider the Panagia as one who has been left out of any celebration. In fact the Church insists on linking her to Christ as a way to keep the focus on Him.

It seems to me a popular trend, albeit not a healthy trend is to consider our friends and relatives on their feast days sometimes to the exclusion of the saint. For example, on the Feast of Saint George, many will call their brothers, cousins, and friends, but won’t go to Church to thank God for the Saint the Church actually is honoring that day.

So, how many Christians do you think “celebrated” Christmas without actually going to Church to thank Him? Maybe you are one of them.  If you ask me, Christmas without Church is just another day with dinner and presents. Of course, I understand some people in positions like police, firefighters, hospitals, etc., are sometimes unable to attend Church for Christmas. I’m not thinking about those who are UNABLE to attend Church.

I suppose our secular society has commandeered the celebration of Christmas. We are told by so-called celebrities that Christmas is about families putting aside their differences and coming together. Christmas includes giving gifts, decorating homes, listening to Christmas carols, and even having a HUGE feast with family and friends. But where does the Church – you know the place where God actually dwells on Earth – fit into our celebration? I know of several families who “couldn’t come to Church” because their families were visiting from out of town. If you ask me, that isn’t Christmas without Church!

Living a new life in Christ includes having Christ in your life. It includes attending Church to thank God for blessings He has given you, whether you recognize those blessing or not. It includes honoring those who have lived their lives dedicated to Him and His Church. It includes dinner with family and friends, giving gifts, decorating your house, listening to Christmas carols, but it ALSO includes singing Christian hymns, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, Holy Confession, attending Divine Liturgy and the other Church services.

Which Christmas did YOU celebrate?

You are “A” Holy of Holies

Today is the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos (Bearer of God) in the Temple. According to the Holy Tradition of the Church, when she was about three years old she was brought to the temple by her aged parents Joachim and Anna to live. You might compare this practice to the Virgin Mary becoming a “Temple Virgin” and living among the other virgins within the Court of Women. Upon entering the Temple, according to the ancient Holy Tradition, she dwelt within the Holy of Holies and was fed by the hand of the Archangel Gabriel. Much of this story is included in the Protoevangelium of James, commonly attributed to Jesus’ half-brother, a son of Joseph. I encourage you to read the whole selection. You will be inspired. Most, including so-called cradle Orthodox, are not totally aware of the depth of the Holy Tradition about the Holy Virgin, most of which, though not Scriptural, helps us better grasp the awesomeness of the “Christmas Story.”

So the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, entered into the place reserved ONLY for the High Priest (and then only once per year) to offer the Atonement Offering. It was within the Holy of Holies that, by the grace and permission of God, humans and God could commune. It was only natural that the Most Holy Virgin, who was chosen by God as the first human to physically commune with God through the mystery of the Divine Incarnation, would be welcomed into the Holy of Holies.

But YOU too are a Holy of Holies of sorts. When you were baptized (if you have been) you became the Temple of the Living God. (2 Corinthians 6.16) Since that moment, God has lived in you through His Holy Spirit. Every time you receive Holy Communion, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, you commune physically with the Incarnate Word of God.

When God commanded Moses to construct His Holy Temple, He commanded that only the finest materials be used. The Temple was the dwelling place of God where humans and God would interact. It was a place of reverence and holiness. You can read about the construction of the Temple in Exodus 25-31.

If God commanded respect and reverence for the Temple made of stone, how much more should we care for the Temple not made with hands? We seem to forget that our bodies ARE temples of God. Would we desecrate the Temple of God with graffiti? Would we use the Temple of God to store tools for cleaning out sewers? Yet, every time we treat our human body with anything but the utmost respect, we are desecrating the Temple of God – the Holy of Holies.

Something to think about…

This post is written for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge sponsored by the Preachers Institute. You may find other blogs participating in this challenge. I hope you enjoy this year’s Advent journey.

Don’t Miss Out on All That Great Inspiration

The other day, I was discussing this year’s Christmas program for our Sunday School. Every year our children “perform” a mini-play featuring the story of Christmas. Now, on the surface this is no different than so many other Churches throughout the country. You know how it works, a young boy and girl play the parts of Joseph and Mary and the younger children play angels, inn keepers and various barnyard animals. But I wanted our program this year to be different. As we searched for an answer to our dilemma, it occurred to me that we have never portrayed the Christmas story according to our Holy Orthodox Christian tradition. In keeping the script to the Holy Scriptures, we were limited to including very few details of the events leading up to and culminating in the Nativity in the Flesh of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ.

But…….we’re Orthodox, so we aren’t limited to just the information in the Holy Scriptures. We have a greater tradition that includes writings of the Apostles, Holy Fathers and Holy Mothers of the Church. Here are just a few things you may not know…

Most Christians consider Joseph to be a “young bachelor” looking for a wife, BUT according to the ancient Holy Tradition of the Church, and lasting through more than a full millennium, Joseph was an older man, most likely in his 70’s and a widower. He was chosen by lot as a righteous man to care for the Holy Virgin who had been raised in the Temple. As a widower, Joseph brought along his children who assisted in the journey to Bethlehem with the Holy Virgin. At the time of the Nativity of the Lord, Joseph went in search of a midwife who was needed to help care for the Virgin Mary and the about-to-be-born Christ. Her name, by-the-way was Zelomi.

Of course, all these parts of the Christmas Story are never covered by your average Sunday School Christmas Pageant since most are based solely on the Holy Scriptures. However now you realize just how much you miss if you limit yourself to “just” the Bible. There is so much more just waiting to be explored.

There are many other things that are known to us that are not available in the Holy Scriptures, such as the name of the Archangels. Only Michael and Gabriel are listed in the Holy Scriptures, but the Church also names: Raphael, Uriel, Salaphiel, Jegudiel, & Barachiel. They are listed in the Book of Enoch, which is not part of the Holy Scriptures, but known to the Church.

Now I’m not suggesting you stop reading the Holy Scriptures. I AM suggesting that there is additional beneficial information that will assist you in your journey toward Christ. This information has been available in the Church since the beginning, but has been discarded mainly by the Protestant West as part of “Sola Scriptura” movements.

One VERY famous belief of virtually every Christian is that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are “of the same essence” and undivided. BUT the word ομοούσιον (same essence) actually does not exist in the Holy Scriptures and was debated by the ancient Church for that very reason.

As we draw near to the Nativity of Our Lord this year, I encourage you to look into the wider Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church as a venue to further your understanding and appreciation of Christmas.

Here is a link to a GREAT resource in English that compiles much of what the Church knows about the Theotokos. The book includes an extended section leading up to and including Christmas. The Life of the Virgin Mary