Greed Always Hurts the Innocent

Since the first days on earth humanity has been plagued with the danger of greed. Adam and Eve expressed their greed when they ate the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, because they were convinced they deserved something that God had told them was bad for them. Their children, beginning with Cain and Abel were born into a harsh life of struggle and pain because of the greed of their parents. It was because of greed our ancestors constructed the Tower of Babel to “reach to heaven; and let us make a name for ourselves.” (Genesis 11.4) It was because of greed that Abram took Hagar to bear children rather than Sarah. They disobeyed God’s desire and the innocent child of Hagar was forced to flee for their safety. Around Christmas each year we hear of another horrific example of greed. It was because of greed that Herod slaughtered over 14,000 innocent children in an attempt to kill the newborn Christ. Throughout the centuries greed has been at the center of every political conflict between nations and tribes, and the innocent always suffer. And today the world continues to its assault upon children in the name “reproductive freedom” by aborting hundreds of thousands of innocent children each year.

This week the Lord gives us a fresh chance at a better way. While Herod was trying to trick the Magi into revealing where Christ was to be found, the angels of God instructed the shepherds to go home a different way. The shepherds were rewarded for their love and obedience to God and they returned home “glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen.” (Luke 2.20) The shepherds revealed their humility rather than greed. It was because of their humility that Herod was unable to kill Jesus as an infant, and His Mother and Joseph were able to bring Him to the Temple on the Eighth Day according to the Law to be circumcised and receive the name “Jesus” as was commanded by God. It was because of humility that Mary and Joseph “returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him,” (Luke 2.46) because they had left Him behind at Passover. Humility always brings comfort. It is the opposite of greed.

The past two weeks have been filled with opportunities to expresses either greed or humility. Constant advertisements and sales attempt to feed greed and convince you to purchase more gifts and spend more money than you have. Some families spend so much on Christmas they struggle to pay regular utility bills. It is because of greed that Christmas drives many into depression and loneliness. Every time we want more of something we do not have, even if that “something” is a good thing, we risk the danger of greed. How do we attempt to recover from Christmas greed? We pack into the mall for the ‘after Christmas sales’ and return lines to exchange the gift we received for the gift we ‘really wanted’ in the first place, never thinking how the feelings of the person who gave us the gift in the first place might feel if we rejected their gift.

The gift of Christmas isn’t under a decorated tree. The gift of Christmas is God Himself, Who came to be one of us so that we could be freed from the constant battle between greed and humility. The gift of Christmas is freedom from sales and special offers at department stores. The gift of Christmas is a life lived in unity with God as He originally intended. But the only way we can receive the gift is to choose humility rather than greed. Greed, just like it has for centuries before, will always lead us away from God’s desire for us. Greed will always bring pain and suffering the innocent lives that surround us.

Today is New Year’s Day, the day we all make ‘resolutions’ to live better lives. This year we can resolve to live humble lives rather than suffer through greed. This year can be different. As Jesus said to Mary and Joseph, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2.49) His Father’s business is our freedom from sin and greed. This year should be the year we are also about the Father’s business.

It’s Just SO Hard to be a Christian

The world is constantly pulling at you. Your friend keep asking when you are going to get a new job so you can make more money, and your boss keeps asking you when you are going to take your job seriously because he needs you to  make more money. Politicians keep telling you that unless you make more money, you are lazy and need to go out and try to make more money. On top of all that....this week is Christmas, so EVERY story and online shopping warehouse is trying to get you to spend more money by convincing you that your family will only think you love them if you spend...you got it.....more money on THEM! All you want to do is think about Christ at Christmas but everywhere you turn, all anyone seems to care about is money, money, money.

Check out today’s Gospel Reading: Mark 10:24-32 (RSV) - The Lord said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for these who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." Peter began to say to him, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many that are first will be last, and the last first." And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.

Worrying about money isn’t anything new. What’s new is your willingness to put God above money. What’s new is the freedom that you have to escape the constant torment from society about money. What’s new is Christmas. Jesus Christ became one of us, the same in every way except sin (see Hebrews 4.15) SO THAT you would no longer be a slave to money. It’s your choice to truly honor Christ during Christmas this weekend. It isn’t easy, but it is possible.

Don’t Allow your Greed to Send Christ Away

After Jesus cast out legion demons from someone, the demons entered a heard of swine. As a reaction to having the demons enter, the entire heard ran off a cliff and drown. The demons were so violent and oppressive, the swine just couldn’t handle the presence of so many demons. Demons have a nasty effect on people, but there is always a limit to their abilities.

During the exorcism prayers of every baptism, the Church recalls this Gospel story, as the demons are cast out of the new infant or adult who is seeking to join themselves to Christ. The demons are obligated to obey the Church and depart, just as they were obligated to depart from the young man in Gospel. So if demons have been cast out of our lives at our baptism, why does the Church offer this Gospel story? In the story, the man from whom the demons were cast out glorified God, but the same cannot be said for the owners of the swine, and the town folk.

“Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.” (Luke 8.37) For the town folk, it was easier for them to witness the young man completely tormented by demons, than to lose the money they had invested in the swine. They had grown comfortable with their fellow citizen being tormented, but could not tolerate losing their investments. They had become so greedy; the presence of God was more of a torment for them than the torment of demons on their fellow human being. 

It’s Not about Love....It’s about MONEY

With yesterday’s SCOTUS (that’s the Supreme Court of The United States for those like myself still behind in the acronym game) decision that same-sex marriage will now be completely legal in all 50 states, it occurs to me to share a few words. I offer my words, simple and few, to the many and complex of others in responding to the court decision.

It isn’t about love. When I turned to social media yesterday, it seemed my screen had been taken over by rainbows – rainbow flags, rainbow corporate logos, rainbow pictures of The White House; there’s even a Facebook app to shade your profile picture rainbow. Just short of the rainbows was the slogan “Love Wins” running a close second. I’ve got news for you.....it isn’t about love. The LGBT community has been allowed to love anyone they wish since the beginning of time. No law legalizing marriage changes that fact. The LGBT community had been celebrating “non-legal” marriage for quite some time in several mainline Christian Churches. No law legalizing marriage changes that fact. The ONLY thing that really changed yesterday was the money.

It’s all about the MONEY. I have several friends who have been fighting for LGBT rights since I knew them in college, and I can remember quite vividly being told, “We don’t want to be allowed to marry, we just want to visit our friends in the hospital.” This mantra ended shortly as the demand for inheritance rights and other “end of life” issues seemed (to my perception) to consume the LGBT community which at the time understandably was falling victim to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. But then things changed...

Our society began to respond to the call of LGBT community activists by changing various laws which previously had limited financial equality among the LGBT community. A term had been coined, “Civil Unions” which allowed for insurance companies and the like to extend health care and survivor rights etc to LGBT partners. But it still didn’t end with civil unions. Very quickly it became about the legal status surrounding the term marriage and it’s privilege in the tax code. Those who were married, and therefore only heterosexual couples, could take advantage of various deductions and other tax benefits. Something had to change! And change it did yesterday.

But the money doesn’t stop with the LGBT victory at the Supreme Court. The pendulum is always moving. Already yesterday various high profile columnists within the LGBT community had already pushed ahead with posts warning others that the fight was not over. There have been, and I expect will continue to be, calls for Churches which refuse to support the new law to be stripped of their tax exempt status. See.....? It’s all about the money.

Because I don’t recall reading ANYWHERE that those who support traditional marriage offering to give up their various tax benefits. I don’t recall hearing of a single Church offering to pay property taxes in order to be allowed to not support same-sex marriage. It’s ALWAYS about the money. Well, maybe not always, but I haven’t witnessed many times when it has not been about the money. Let’s face it. How many Christians in 2015 love God enough to continue financially supporting their Church if their donation wasn’t tax deductible? How many Christians who, WITHOUT COMPLAINT, would forgo their vacations, beach houses, flat screen TVs, and other luxuries, in order to logarithmically increase their donations to the Church in order for the Church to pay property taxes? If the lack of financial support for Orthodox Churches today, and that is WITH all our tax benefits, is any indication, I believe we have our answer.

I wonder.......if there was no money on the table, if we would even be having this debate... 

Trust Leads to Peace

In the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12.16-21) we witness the result of a life void of peace. Rather than trusting that God would provide for his family, the rich farmer panicked, tore down his already filled barns and was about to build new larger barns when God called him. When we are unable to trust in God’s willingness or abilities to provide for the needs of our family, we run the risk of living in fear rather than peace. God has given us numerous reasons to trust Him, even offering us the chance to test our trust in Him. This week’s episode offers a chance to learn to trust God, and experience for yourself, that trust leads to peace.

When Politics Becomes Spiritual

There is a temptation in American politics to separate our spiritual lives from our political lives. It is growing ever popular to hear self-proclaimed devout Christian politicians championing policies theoretically in opposition to their personal spiritual beliefs. There is no limit, politically speaking, to this trend as it exists “on both sides of the aisle” of Washington, D.C. But have you ever wondered what would happen if politics DID become spiritual?

Realistically speaking it is impossible for our spiritual journey NOT to interfere with our politics, but political hypocrisy may not be as rampant as some may think. Every human struggles with the same fallen reality, and the temptation to please the self rather than God and others. It is why Jesus Christ commanded us to deny ourselves if we desired to follow Him. Until we can stop the focus on ourselves, we cannot begin to focus upon Him. The “self” is where ALL POLITICS is spiritual.

Politicians are nothing more than a skilled sales force, and the product they are selling, is power and control. Everyone seems to want it, and will do anything to get it. So, when a politician offers it, the votes just come rolling in. Who could blame a sales force for altering the sales pitch if product isn’t moving off the shelves? And who would blame a manufacturer for making changes to a product to keep it “fresh” in front of the consumer. Shoe styles change, so why shouldn’t political styles. Sales is sales.

Over the years certain products “go out of fashion” and are ultimately removed from the marketplace. When was the last time you saw a LeCar driving down your street? The consumer is in total control over what product remain popular. The more the consumer wants to buy, the more items are made. They call it supply and demand in business school. THAT’s where you and I come in...

You are I are the consumers of politics. If the sales force is successful in moving product, it is because we are the ones buying it. Consider the last the political movement that you purchased. Was it not in some way a bit of control and power over something or someone? And this is why politics is spiritual...

Since we continue to struggle with our fallen condition, and serving our selfish desires, what we “buy” in politics is integral to our spiritual journey. If we seek power and control, we will purchase more of it from the “sales force” offering more of it on the ballot. Every candidate is selling it, so what brand we purchase makes little difference to the sales force. Of course, every sales pitch comes with incentives. Power and control with a bit of “cash back” thrown in, and the shelves empty - the trifecta of politics.

As Orthodox Christians currently in the Nativity Fast, and with Thanksgiving just a few days away, we should take more seriously our spiritual struggle of selfish desire. This is the perfect opportunity, through increased prayer and fasting and serving to poor, to work to defeat our selfishness rather than sell it to the nearest politician. Something to think about during the Fast.

Greed is Spiritual Cancer

In the parable of the Rich Fool, Jesus teaches us the deadly result of a greedy heart. Faced with full barns and a banner crop, the Rich Fool panics because he has no place to store his growing wealth. “I will do this,” he says, “I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.” (Luke 12.18) Unfortunately for the Rich Fool, that was the night he would die and face judgment for the condition of his heart.

Greed is a cancer that eats away at our heart, one dollar at a time. Each of us has been blessed with material gifts from God. Each of us is faced with considering how we will make use of the wealth that God has given us. Will we panic and attempt to store our wealth for tomorrow thinking we will enjoy comfort for years to come? This was the mistake of the Rich Fool when he said, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” (Luke 12.19) Will we be grateful for the blessings that God has given to us and use them for His glory helping and serving others?

 

Greed is a cancer that turns the heart inward toward darkness rather than upward toward the Light of God. Once our heart has been affected by this cancer, it begins to spread to every other part of our body. A greedy heart fills our minds with hate for our fellow human beings. A greedy heart recognizes only cold, hard cash rather than the warmth of fellowship. A greedy heart sends the cancerous poison of selfishness to our minds, hands, feet, and eventually our very soul dies in darkness.

“So is he who lays up treasures for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12.21) Lucky for us...we still have time to be thankful. Something to consider this year for Thanksgiving.

End of Summer; End of Self

September 1^st is the first day of the New Ecclesiastical Year, and with it a sense of newness. A new calendar, a new series of Gospel lessons, a new cycle of Feast of Christ and the Theotokos, but most of all it brings us a sense of reflection on the end, not of summer but of our time on earth.

The Gospel lessons at the end of summer are filled with reference to the end of time, the kingdom of heaven, and eternal life. “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19.16) This all-too-often question initiates a conversation with Jesus during which some people are filled with joy, while others “went away very sorrowful” (Matthew 19.22). What could cause such a drastic difference in the reaction to Jesus message?

The common denominator EVERY time someone departs Jesus sorrowful is, SELFISHNESS. It was because King Herod was selfish for power that he murdered thousands of innocent infants after he heard of Jesus’ birth. It was because the Scribes and Pharisees were selfish for the power of Rome that they betrayed their own Savior to be crucified. And it was because the rich man “had great possessions” that went away sorrowful at the words of Jesus.

Selfishness ALWAYS gets in the way of our relationships, between us and God, and among our fellow human beings. It was to help us defeat selfishness that God first established the commandments. So when Jesus answered, “If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments,” (Matthew 19.17) He wasn’t suggesting that merely keeping a set of rules would get anyone into heaven. It was THROUGH following the commandments that selfishness is defeated. THEN, once we have defeated selfishness, we can enter into eternal life free to love God above all others.

Suicide is the Ultimate Sacrifice at the Altar of Self

I’ve been holding off, trying not to really, blog about the recent news of the suicide of popular actor and American hero Robin Williams. It was quite clear in the minutes and hours that followed the news of his death that anyone who dared to speak harshly about him or suicide should be prepared for a plethora of criticism with statements such as:

“You don’t know anything about depression.”

“How can you say such cruel things at a time like this?”

Some of the comments I’ve seen online have been downright cruel against anyone who chose NOT to honor the man for taking his life. HONOR? That’s what I said. Let me explain...

In a prepared statement his widow said,

“Robin's sobriety was intact and he was brave as he struggled with his own battles of depression, anxiety as well as early stages of Parkinson's Disease, which he was not yet ready to share publicly.”

From this statement we are to understand that his suicide could only be characterized as part of his brave fight with depression and other struggles. That is when I realized I had something to say. Giving up hope is NEVER brave.

But I don’t want to write specifically about Robin Williams. I only mention his situation since it was his suicide that brought it yet again into the public conscience. What bothers me deeply, and has for quite some time, which if you read my blog might be obvious, is that our society continues to run full speed ahead into a world dedicated to self.

People celebrate abortion as an expression of self rights.

Sexuality has devolved into pleasing the self through pornography, gender reassignment, same-sex marriage.

And now suicide is a brave example of self expression in the throngs of depression and other illness.

In a society which honors the self above all other relationships, I suspect we shall see an increasing trend toward this horrific end to life. And why not? After all, for almost thirty years life itself has been a matter of personal choice. Why not death? And if the media coverage of Robin Williams is any indication, it shall be seen as just another example of how we have the right to do whatever we feel is in our best interest. If we don’t want to suffer; no problem. It wouldn’t even surprise me if suicide became part of health care “management” to assist those who no longer want to suffer.

Christ said, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me” (Mark 8.34) That includes suffering and especially NOT thinking of the self above all other relationships.

So why did I finally decide to blog about this? If you have any love for your family and friends, you will fight the temptation to characterize this suicide as anything other than what it really is; a tragic and cowardly expression of the loss of hope. It is NEVER brave to give up hope. Our hope is in Christ who conquered death for us, so that we might live with Him in a place where there is no pain, suffering or sighing, but life everlasting. Anything else is just simple selfishness.

Of course I would be remiss if I ended this post without reminding you the Church teaches that the state of our heart when we die is permanent. If we enter into death in a state of desperate hopelessness, THAT will our eternal condition. This is just one reason why the Church frowns upon suicide. We don’t what anyone to be eternally hopeless. That would be, and is already, hell.

Being Christian in a Pluralistic Society Requires Love

We live in a post-modern, many suggest post-Christian world. Without doubt, we live in a secular and pluralistic society, which includes Christians of ALL denominations, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Atheists, Baha’i, Humanists, Wiccan, and many more I don’t know the name of. For centuries, Christians have been the recipients of legal protection of their way of life from governments of all sorts. But times are changing.

With the growing reality of our secular and pluralistic society, it has become fashionable to declare “Christian persecution” and “intolerance” of our Christian ideals. I can’t speak for everyone, but we must admit that there does exist persecution and intolerance, but is it warranted? Is it government sponsored? Just because a growing number of Americans believe that marriage should be redefined, doesn’t mean Christians are being persecuted. If anything, we are feeling the sting of no longer being the majority moral followers of our nation. I suppose that could “feel” like persecution, but it isn’t really.

Living in a world with other people requires a deeper Christian love than we might need living in a Christian compound.  As Christians we believe that God has given us free will, and with that free will, come consequences. As Saint Paul reminds us, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful.” (1 Corinthians 6.12) Just because people have the free will to live their life, doesn’t mean their choices will be helpful in their relationship with God.

But I don’t want to write about other people today, I want to write about us, Orthodox Christians. WE are called to use our free will to live according to the commandments of God. WE are called by Christ to a life of holiness dedicated to God. “The body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 6.13) But most importantly, WE are called to love our neighbor as ourselves, and when we love, we have to allow the same free will that God allows.

Loving others doesn’t mean condoning or endorsing their behavior. It means that we allow them the same opportunity to exercise their free will that God has allowed to us. It also doesn’t mean forcing them to live according to our Christian way of life. The benefit of a so-called Christian society supporting our moral codes hasn’t been about us forcing our way of life upon others. It has been a result of mutual respect for a minority to live in a society based upon foreign moral standards, while remaining privately dedicated to their chosen way of life. And we are slowly becoming a minority.

Sexuality, while possibly the most popular moral shift of our times, is not the only difference in our moral codes, but since it is so popular, I use it as an example. There are many other morals standards which the Orthodox Church frowns upon that are upheld by our society, not the least of which is abortion. While we as Orthodox Christians teach against such behavior choices, we cannot lose sight of the fact, that until WE are forced to behave according to such standards, we are not being persecuted, even though such behaviors are endorsed and sanctioned by the society at large.

So how do we coexist in such an environment? As members of our society, we each have a say in the common moral codes of our society. This is the rich blessing of living in a democratic society. We cast our votes and debate in the public square, but once the votes have been cast, we agree to accept as lawful while not helpful, the decisions which we, in our private lives, would never endorse. This is not selling out. Rather, it is an expression of love to allow free will.

On the topic of same-sex marriage, it might sound like, “No, I don’t agree with same-sex marriage. I know it’s legal, but we don’t believe it is proper, but I can’t stop you for expressing your own free will.” I try to remind faithful Orthodox Christians all the time, “Legal does mean moral.”

But there is another difficulty in our coexistence. As with the recent attempt in Arizona to “protect religious freedom”, many confuse tolerance with acceptance. Part of this problem is a natural result of the western concept that certain sins are worse than others. In Orthodoxy, ALL SIN separates us from God. Whether someone falls to sexual sins, greed, gluttony, etc., ALL SIN is seen by God as against His will. So if we would “do business” with greedy fat people, we should be willing to “do business” with skinny gay people.

Again, Saint Paul has great advice,

“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner -- not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges.” (1 Corinthains 5.9-13)

It isn’t a betrayal of Christian morals to photograph a gay marriage any more than it is to bake a cake for fat people.

Where this get’s a “little murky” might be IF you are in a certain profession in which you are required to PERSONALLY ACT in a way that is against the will of God. This is often the difficulty in medical circles in regard to abortion. So, until an Orthodox Christian Priest is ‘ordered’ to perform a same-sex marriage, the legal status of such marriages is not a matter of persecution.

Will it ever get to this point? I suspect it will. Jesus said,

“If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15.19)

The day will eventually come when Christians are forced to act against Christ, and the blood of martyrs will once again flow through the streets. It is already happening in other nations. But until it does…remember what Jesus said,

“In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16.33)

The Purpose of Great Lent

Great Lent is just a few days away, and the Church reminds us today of the purpose of the coming fast.

“Now, therefore," says the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." (Joel 2.12)

Though we have already begun our fast from meat, the Church still urges us to a deeper appreciation for the coming fast as a time for repentance. The themes over the recent weeks have caused us to reflect upon the condition of our hearts. We are not the human beings God desires us to be – NONE OF US – and the sooner we realize that we must repent and return to a Godly life, the better our hearts will be prepared to meet the Lord when He comes into His Kingdom.

Repentance is more than just a matter of our mind. It isn’t sufficient to merely stop hording our goods, we must share them with others. It isn’t sufficient to merely stop hating others, we must love them. It isn’t sufficient to merely say we forgive others; we must avoid the grudge in our hearts. True repentance requires a physical response to the Love that we CHOOSE to fill our hearts.

As the Prophet Joel continues…

So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. (Joel 2.13)

Are you ready for Great Lent? It’s almost time to begin your journey of repentance.

The Pain of Coming to Your Senses

In the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15.11-32), Jesus tells us of the journey of the youngest son of a father, who wants to go out on his own. He demands to collect his inheritance early and strikes out on his own. His father, loving and supportive, allows his son to leave the safety and comfort of home. Aside from the demand for an early inheritance, many of us can relate to, and maybe even admire, the courage of a young man going out on his own. But that is where the story takes a turn for the worse.

The young man took his inheritance and, “journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.” (Luke 15.13) After losing everything he possessed, he was left to eat pig slop, “and no one gave him anything.” (Luke 15.16) All those he knew in this far country were no help in his pain. He was suffering from some very poor choices. Jesus said, “He came to himself,” (Luke 15.17) and chose to return to his father, not as a son, but as a servant. At least he would have food in his stomach and a roof over his head.

This young man expressed humility by returning to his father, and his father “ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” (Luke 15.20) He had been welcomed back to the family and FULLY restored to his original place in the family. The young man’s humility gave him not just a roof and food, but a family and a home.

This man represents each of us and the choices we make in life. Many times we find ourselves suffering from the poor choices we make, and none of our friends helps us. It only takes the willingness to humble ourselves, admit our poor choices through Holy Confession, and we will be FULLY restored by Christ to His family – The Church! We will not receive simply food and a roof, but we will have Communion with God in Heaven! We don’t have to remain with the pigs, when our Father welcomes us home.

Why I don’t preach on specific sins

Recently I received a request for a sermon that dealt with anger. I realized, after looking through my sermons online, that I don’t remember ever preaching about anger specifically. Then I realized I don’t recall, although I may have, ever preaching on any sin in particular. I have blogged about one sin or another on occasion, but never preached a sermon. You might wonder why.

Anger is really just like any other sin. We get angry because we feel an injustice, normally against us, by another, normally considered inferior to us. Anger, just like the other passions, is an expression of our ego. Some people struggle with anger, while others struggle with lust, avarice, gluttony, listlessness, or pride. With each of these passions, our ego if left unchecked will lead us to sin.

The Orthodox Christian struggle is the struggle to overcome our passions. In other words, we are charged with not allowing our passions to govern our actions. As Orthodox Christians, we struggle to allow the will of God, rather than our will, to govern our actions. A proper Orthodox Christian ascetical life or prayer, fasting, almsgiving and full participation in the Sacraments of the Church assist us in choosing God’s will over our passions.

Consider anger, for example. Why do we get angry? “Normally” it is because we don’t get something we either desire or determine we deserve. In both cases, it is our ego which drives this passion. If we could recognize that we don’t deserve special treatment, we are less likely to become angry about not receiving special treatment. If we could recognize we can’t always have what we want, we are less likely to become angry about not receiving it, or better yet less likely to want it in the first place.

So, now you understand why I don’t preach about particular sins that often. Sin is sin. Passions are passions. Our goal is to overcome the passions and sin, at whatever cost. Just focus on prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and the Sacraments; and the rest will take care of itself. 

A “New” American Heresy

I spend a good amount of time in the car, especially this time of year, going from home to home for house blessings, so I tend to listen to the radio. What I listen to tends to go in cycles, ranging from podcasts and liturgical music to local radio.

For months now I have been intrigued by a commercial for the “Biblical Money Code” and its assurance of guilt-free, God-endorsed, wealth building. The man who discovered this code, according to the radio commercials, used to be a Christian Pastor and “NOW DONATES MORE THAN 50 THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR!” There is no hidden message; follow the code, and become filthy rich. And…..by the way, when you’re rich you can finally give a lot of money away.

I have so many difficulties with this premise; I’m not really sure where to start. We live in a society consumed with money; how to get it, how to spend it, how to save it, and how to get more of it. How any Christian Pastor can endorse a system of wealth building which is rooted in the Sacred Scriptures, seems counter-intuitive to the message of Christ.

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6.9-10)

And yet, when a rich man confronted Jesus with the question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life,” Jesus said,

"If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 19.21-23)

Ultimately, what Jesus desires is our entire love and devotion. He asks us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. (see Mark 8.34) Jesus says, “Seek first the kingdom.” (Matthew 6.33) If we seek wealth, we cannot seek Christ and His Kingdom.

So where is the heresy? The most dangerous heresies are those based upon partial truths. (Check out my post on "Partial Truth is More Dangerous") The so-called Prosperity Gospel contends that Jesus actually desires us to be wealthy, comfortable and “enjoy life,” which brings us true happiness. Many I have heard, base this heresy on a short passage in the Old Testament.

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. (Malachi 3.10)

It is perpetuated by New Testament quotes such as,

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (2 Corinthians 9.6)

I suspect this is also why the radio commercial makes a point to proclaim how much the former pastor is now “able” to donate. His presumed guilty conscience is soothed by a charitable donation, just as a promised donation is rewarded by God.

But how is this reconciled with God’s commandment for us to be willing to die to the world, and lose everything, just for our love for God? It can’t be, but that is nothing new. 

The Greatest Man Born of a Woman

Today is the Feast of Saint John the Baptist, of whom Jesus said,

Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (Matthew 11.11)

Today the Church honors this great man of whom the Church sings,

The memory of the righteous one is praiseworthy; but for you it is enough to be the witness of the Lord, O Forerunner; you have been truly revealed as greater than the prophets, for you were also found worthy to baptize in water Him Who was announced; therefore you fought most valiantly for the truth, joyfully proclaiming even to those in Hades that God had appeared in the flesh, taking away the sin of the world, and granting us the great mercy. (Apolytikon of St John the Baptist)

Today the Church honors a man who says of himself,

There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. (Mark 1.7)

Today the Church celebrates the Divine Liturgy in honor of a man who said about God,

He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3.30)

There is so much we can say about John the Baptist that I hesitate other than to say; he is a worthy model for every Christian life. When he was exalted, he lowered himself. When we was praised, he deflected all praise toward God. When he was honored, he humbled himself as not worthy of honor.

And yet…

WE grab all the glory we can get. WE demand to be exalted by our peers at work. WE claim all the credit for any accomplishment in our lives. WE honor ourselves and humble God and His Church with expressions like

• GOD doesn’t need all that Gold……but we sure do enjoy it!
• GOD doesn’t need money…but won’t stop until we have all of it!
• GOD doesn’t want us spend all that money on His Church…but I sure do LOVE spending on me!

If we REALLY wanted to be great, we would become more like John the Baptist. Ironic that he didn’t want to be considered great, and yet he was. Something to think about today.

2013 New Testament Challenge – Day 34 (Reflections on 1, 2, 3 John, Jude, and Hebrews)

Every year I participate in a special effort called the New Testament Challenge sponsored by a priest of the Orthodox Church in America. He encourages Christians to spend the Christmas Fast, also known as Advent) reading the entire New Testament as a preparation for Christmas. Each year I have done this, it has been blessing to me and I pray this year will be no different. As part of the New Testament Challenge, I endeavor to blog a bit about the reading for that particular day. I may miss a few, but I pray for those who follow this blog (NOW ALSO ON FACEBOOK) it will be a blessing.

Greed is a very old passion. It must have been, because Saint Paul was often reminding the faithful to

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13.5)

It is a good reminder this season for us to keep focused on what matters most in life, we are called to be children of God.

Until tomorrow…..Saint Paul’s advice is worth keeping!

Idolatry

How appropriate that the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge has given us this topic on a “Sunday” during football season. I strongly believe, that for many Americans, football has become an idol. Just think about it. God commands, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6.5) God also says, (about having idols) “you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.” (Exodus 20.5) But isn’t that what we do when we place such an unbalanced importance upon football that it keeps us away from our prayers, or from attending Church on Sundays?

It isn’t just football. Idols come in many forms:

Sports

Careers

Money

Statues

Politics

Relationships

But the biggest idol we tend to worship is OURSELVES! When was the last time you put yourself ahead of God? I bet it was today? In fact, our ego and pride are the worship services for the SELF. It isn’t a coincidence that Jesus said we had to deny ourselves in order to follow Him.

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.

How much is enough?

2013 New Testament Challenge – Day 20 (Reflections on 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus & Philemon)

Every year I participate in a special effort called the New Testament Challenge sponsored by a priest of the Orthodox Church in America. He encourages Christians to spend the Christmas Fast, also known as Advent) reading the entire New Testament as a preparation for Christmas. Each year I have done this, it has been blessing to me and I pray this year will be no different. As part of the New Testament Challenge, I endeavor to blog a bit about the reading for that particular day. I may miss a few, but I pray for those who follow this blog (NOW ALSO ON FACEBOOK) it will be a blessing.

With the emphasis on materialism so common during the so-called “holiday season”  it seems good that today we read,

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6.6-10

It doesn’t get any more than that! Be content with enough, and allow ‘others’ to pursue wealth.

Until tomorrow…..Consider how much is REALLY enough

Selfish Gift Giving

Have you ever wondered how a gift can be selfish? When most of us think of giving a gift, we presume the ACT of giving a gift would eliminate the concept of selfishness. However, if our heart is focused upon us and NOT the recipient of the gift, then our gift has become a symbol of our selfishness. This is most obvious when we are attempting to please ourselves in our gift giving.

For example, when I give a gift to my wife I want her to have, say… the newest telephone technology, and I don’t even consider her needs or desires, is my gift for my benefit or my wife? She may not desire a new phone. Another, more subtle example, but I believe a worse example, is when we give a gift SO THAT we are acknowledged as generous, isn’t our gift selfish, even if the gift itself is not a direct benefit to us? Sometimes even social custom creates the obligation for us to give a gift. Someone gave us a gift, so we are OBLIGED to give a gift in return. Otherwise we might be considered selfish. How ironic, we act selfish in order to not be considered selfish.

The act of selfish giving is also present in charitable giving, such as giving to the Church at Christmas. There are two ways we can give, financially speaking, to our Church. We can either give the Church a donation with the instruction, “Do with it as you wish,” or “Here is my gift, but you MUST do THIS with MY gift.” Which is selfish? Which is a genuine gift vs. a purchase of influence?

Christian is often called the “season of giving” but I wonder what the condition of our hearts might be in the gift giving. Are we focused upon US or the one to whom we give the gift? Something to think about when you go out this year Christmas shopping.

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.

Holiday Depression

Today’s topic from the Preachers’ Institute for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge is “Holiday Depression.” The holiday season can be exciting, fun, filled with family, and fulfilling. It can also be lonely and depressing. One of my childhood friends is a firefighter/paramedic who has worked many holidays in his career, which have oftentimes included suicide attempts. Sometimes, too many times, the attempts had been successful. But holiday depression is not limited to those without family. ANYONE can feel lonely or depressed during the holiday season.

First, I would like to address the term itself – holiday season – before I attempt a few words about depression. When and what is the holiday season, and whose description do we allow to influence our outlook on life? The commerce-driven society has only one goal – to make money. It only cares about how much money is in our bank account, and (maybe more importantly) how it can separate it from OUR bank account and transfer it to THEIR bank account. Yesterday, as part of our family Thanksgiving tradition, we watched Miracle on 34^th Street, during which Mr. Macy says, “We’ll be known as the store with a heart….and consequently we’ll make more profits.” If we depend upon the society to determine the length (and priority) of the holiday season, we will inevitably find ourselves neither satisfied (since the department stores are never satisfied), nor full of joy. If you doubt this reality, take a moment and research the shopping trends of Americans as it pertains to Christmas.

So, what does the Church say about the holiday season? Beginning with November 15^th, the Church asks us to fast, increase our daily prayer, Scripture reading, and charity. It is a season, through prayer, in which we PREPARE our souls to receive the Good News of Christ’s Incarnation in the Flesh. It is a 40 day period, similar to Great Lent but less intense, of focusing on God rather than ourselves. It is a complete opposite emphasis than the retails stores.

Here I must take a moment to clarify that, while I am NOT a trained psychologist (I had a few classes), I do not ascribe to the opinion that depression is as wide-spread as society suggests. I personally believe our society has created a “syndrome” mentality, where moods and mentalities which are well within the normal human experience, create the need for treatment. I also think this mentality is perpetuated by the idea that we must always be “happy,” a characteristic of our general desire to please ourselves. If we are not pleased, then we are not happy.

I think this is the struggle we must engage as Orthodox Christians. The reason the Church invites us to fast, is to teach us that life is not about pleasing ourselves, but pleasing God. If we can embrace that difference, when we find ourselves without certain pleasures or material “things” in our life, we can better appreciate this as a “normal part of life” rather than a failure of life. It might be a failure for the retail stores to separate us from our money, but it is in no way a failure of life.

If you find yourself every year during the holiday season feeling like a failure or wanting more than you can either afford or secure, please consider the difference between these two priorities. Do you want to follow the priority of the retail stores or the Church? Which priority do you think has YOUR best interest in mind? Which priority do you think is better for your soul? Which priority do you think will better keep you from being depressed this holiday season?

I do not discount the reality of a neuro-chemical imbalance which can create a clinical depression. Science has blessed us with a better understanding of the human brain, and we are blessed when we embrace this science. Check out the CDC website for more information about depression.

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.