Drop Everything

In today’s world our lives are filled with countless opportunities to take up our time with household chores and projects at work. From the moment we awake our mind races from task to task taking us from place to place. We rest only for the momentary chance of eating a few bites of food to fuel another few hours of productivity. And if we dare to take a few hours away from work, we are accused of being lazy and not accomplishing up to our potential.

The reality of busy lives filled with work is nothing new. Even in time of Christ, days were filled with work from sunup to sundown, and sometimes even overnight. The day was for work. That is what makes the story of the calling of the first Disciples so extraordinary. Despite having worked all night long, and though they were mending their nets to prepare for the next day, when Jesus Christ called and said, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch,” (Luke 5.4) Simon and his partners were willing to shove off and give Christ a chance.

It wasn’t without reason, though, since they had prepared with souls to hear His word. We know this from Simon’s answer, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” (Luke 5.5) He called Him Master because they had prepared their heart to hear His word. After a catch that almost sank their boat, they were willing to drop everything and follow Him, ultimately to their death.

We can learn something from this story. The Disciples would never have trusted Christ’s invitation unless they had first prepared their soul to hear His word. The story isn’t meant to lead us to believe that God merely wants our business careers to excel beyond our wildest dreams. The story is about building the Church with faithful disciples who, after preparing their souls to hear the Word of God, are willing to trust Him enough to make following Him a priority greater than anything that occupies their life.

Jesus said to these new disciples, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men” (Luke 5.10) If we are willing to prepare our souls to hear His invitation, and trust where He sends us, our Cathedral will be filled to overflowing, just as their boats were with fish. Are you willing to drop everything and give it a try?

It’s What You Don’t Do that Matters Most

On the Third Sunday of the Triodion, known as “Judgment Sunday” in the Church, the Gospel of Matthew 25.31-46 teaches one of the well known Parables of the Last Judgment. In the story we hear the words, “When did we see you...” both from those in heaven and those in hell. For those in heaven, Jesus says, “I was hungry and you fed me...etc.” and for those in hell, He says, “I was hungry and you didn’t feed me.”  In truth neither actually saw Jesus, so what really is this Gospel story about?

As part of the Triodion and the Church’s effort to inspire us to change our lifestyle during Great Lent, we are reminded that how we treat other people, especially the poor and needy, makes a difference in how we experience eternal life. For those who were experiencing heaven, their life was filled with love and service for others. For those in hell, although they were willing to serve Jesus Christ, when it came to others in need they were unwilling to recognize the need to help. Our Great Lenten journey, which begins in just eight days, will be affected in how we recognize our relationship with others.

In this parable, those in heaven were there not because they did anything incorrectly or acted in a sinful manner. The way the parable plays out, they actually didn’t DO anything at all, and that was the problem. By doing nothing, they kept to themselves when others were in need, in effect not living as human beings. We are only authentic human beings when we are in a relationship with other human beings. When we love, it is because we act with love toward another human being. Anything other than love toward another human being is self-love which leads to hell. This is why those who were unable to see Jesus Christ “in” those in need were experiencing hell.

So what can change? ... WE can change.

We have been given the opportunity by God, today, to change our lifestyle and live with love toward others rather than with self-love. We have been given the opportunity during Great Lent to change the way we look at our fellow human beings, and I’m not just speaking about our fellow Greeks or members of the Church. If we want to find ourselves in heaven, in the end, then we will be able to “see” Jesus Christ in the face of every human being. We will be able to recognize the need for our help for those who are hungry, homeless, sick, or just down on their luck. We will be able to reach into our pocket and rather than seeing only ourselves, see the needs of others. But we will never see Jesus “in” others so long as we are focused on ourselves.

Great Lent offers each of us a unique blessed opportunity to accomplish both. We are invited by the Church to both change our inner soul through prayer and fasting AND change the way we love others by reaching out and helping those in need. In fact we are only saved in both our internal efforts and our external acts of love. How does prayer and fasting help us reach out to others? As Saint John Chrysostom teaches...

When we truly fast, we learn to be without. When we learn to live without, then we learn to not want for much. Then, without being so focused on our “wants” we can truly see the needs of others and serve them with genuine love. We will then see Jesus “in” the others rather than seeing others just as a group of people needing things we would rather keep to ourselves. It is when we do nothing at all that neither our inner soul nor our external actions glorify God. It’s when you do nothing that we will find ourselves in hell.

When You Thank God

It happens all the time. You realize that you need God for something so you call out to Him in your prayers for that one moment of mercy. You pray that He would look at you and cause your trouble to fade into the distance, and for a brief moment you forget your struggle. For that brief moment, your life is totally in focus and all you realize God has never forgotten you. You smile to yourself knowing how much God loves you, and you have two choices.

At that moment when everything is perfectly clear, you feel empowered by God’s blessing and you “charge full steam ahead” with your plans for the future. You forget that just moments ago you were calling out to God for mercy. You forget that just moments ago you weren’t sure where your life would end up. You forget that moments ago all you could think about was the struggle that consumed you. You forget that it was God that blessed you.

or...

At that moment when everything is perfectly clear, you suddenly realize that it wasn’t an accident that you can see clearly. You suddenly realize that just moments ago you didn’t know how you would solve the problems that consume you. You suddenly realize that just moment ago you were calling on God. You suddenly realize that God has blessed you.

There isn’t much difference between forgetting that God blessed you, and realizing just how much He has blessed you because He blesses you whether or not you remember Him. He blesses you whether or not you give Him credit. He blesses you whether or not you return to thank Him. But when you thank Him, you get an additional blessing. When you thank Him you are made well; you are healed from what really affects you.

When you thank God, rather than just receiving His blessing and going about your day, you are raised up to heaven to participate in God’s great joy. When thank God, you are able to continue on your journey to heaven free from the burden and temptations of the world. When you thank God, you are no longer a foreigner, but a member of God’s family, His chosen people.

Today I want you to know that God has reached out and healed you just because you asked. You now have two choices. When you go home, will you forget that it was God had made everything clear, or will you realize how much God loves you? Will you charge ahead or thank God? It is your choice to make, but you should remember that it is only those who remember to thank Him who are made well. It is only those who return to God after He blesses who hear the word, “Your faith has made you well.” 

What will your excuse be?

One time I was sitting around a table with religious leaders from all sorts of different backgrounds. This group included Christians and non-Christians, and we were discussing the importance of hospital ministry. One Christian pastor asked, “Is there anyone who would visit a patient in the hospital and not pray for physical healing?” The question sounded obvious enough since the very reason a patient enters the hospital is to be healed by doctors who have been trained in all the newest technologies. We don’t go to the hospital to die. I was troubled by his question because as Orthodox Christians we approach life from a different vantage point, so I raised my hand. “I don’t!” I let it sit out there for a minute or two. “As an Orthodox Christian I pray they are healed so that they may live long enough to repent.”  A long discussion ensued.

I think it has become too easy to pray for healing just so that we are no longer sick. We pray that God fixes what is broken in our bodies so that we can continue to pursue our dreams of building great dynasties. We pray that God allows us to get up from our sick bed so that we can walk into work another day and close that perfect deal we were just about to wrap up. We even pray to God that we don’t die too soon so that we can enjoy time with our family. Let’s face it; we all have excuses about why we don’t want to die. But if we’re honest the excuse rarely if ever includes time for repentance and confession. We hear something similar in the Gospel.

The Lord compares heaven to a great banquet to which many had been invited. The master had sent word to those who had been invited that the banquet was ready, “But they all with one accord began to make excuses.” (Luke 14.18) The result was that others were brought into the banquet and those who had made excuses were left outside. The master said, “For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.” (Luke 14.24)

The stories in the Gospel are never just stories. They are meant for us today to hear and embrace as a witness to God’s loving promise about our future with Him. That means WE have been invited to the banquet which He calls Heaven. We have been called by His servants, the Saints of our Church, to remind us that He is waiting for us. We have been given the opportunity to accept His invitation to the banquet. It also means that we have been the chance to come up with excuses about why we aren’t ready to attend. It isn’t because we don’t want to attend; we just would rather spend more time doing what we like to do “down here” for a while longer. That’s really why we spend so much energy trying to get healed and leave the hospital. We want more time to check out the new property we just purchased, test the new equipment we just installed, or enjoy time with our family.

The truth of God’s promise is that we don’t know exactly when He will send His servants to “bring us” to the banquet, so we need to be willing to answer the call when the time comes. That can only mean that we must be ‘ready and waiting’ for His call. But when He calls and you aren’t ready, what will your excuse be? Instead of making excuses, be ready for Him. Be waiting for Him. Enter into the banquet together with Him and avoid being left outside the gates of heaven. It isn’t about property, jobs, and family. It is about entering into heaven with God.

We Already Know What to Do

When we were growing up, our parents and teachers spent much of their time teaching us the proper way we were to behave. They taught us how to act in Church, the proper way to sit in a restaurant, and the polite way to remain still and quiet in a library. As we grew older and we forgot our manners (as we often did) our parents would remind us about proper behavior. As we grew even older and still forgot how to properly behave, if we were lucky they would ask, “Didn’t I teach you how to behave? Show me how you are supposed to act in Church.” Since we did remember everything they taught us, even though we didn’t always act like it, we were always able to repeat the rules to them. “We are supposed to sit quietly and pay attention” Eventually we became adults and our parents were no longer constantly reminding us about our behavior because we already knew what to do.

There was a certain ruler, who just like us knew the right way to behave. In fact he had always followed the rules. One day he asked Jesus how to have eternal life. When Jesus reminded him about keeping the commandments he said, “All these I have observed since my youth.” (Luke 18.21) He must have thought he was “good to go” to heaven, since he had always followed the rules. But there was something missing that Jesus pointed out to him. "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." (Luke 18.22) There was only one little problem.....he was very very rich. The ruler walked away from Jesus that day very sad.

You see it isn’t enough to just follow the rules. Rules don’t get us into heaven. There are many stories in the Holy Scriptures about people who follow the rules but still end up losing. Of course it isn’t because they followed the rules that they lost. They lost because they thought following the rules was the key to heaven. They lost because they didn’t understand the purpose behind the rules in the first place. It is the purpose that counts, not just the rules.

When the ruler thought following the rules would be enough to get him into heaven he didn’t realize the rules had a deeper purpose. The rules were supposed to help him love the way God wanted him to love. When Jesus said, “You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,’” He offered a few of the Commandments to remind the ruler that when we want to love like God loves, we would not commit adultery, or murder or steal or lie. Jesus was telling the ruler that the Commandments were supposed to help him learn to love.

Unfortunately for the ruler he was more concerned about whether the rules were being followed and never considered that he was expected to love. How do we know? When Jesus said, “Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor,” He knew that only someone who loved the way God loves would be willing to sell everything. Unfortunately for the ruler, he decided to walk away.

We are blessed because, just like our parents were willing to remind us about the rules, the Church is willing to remind us about the rules. We don’t have to walk away from God. We can still choose to learn from our mistakes. We can still choose to learn to love the way God wants us to love. After all, it isn’t about just following the rules. It’s about learning to love, but then again....we already know what to do.

Lessons Learned

In a society which elevates self promotion as worthy traits, it is difficult to imagine learning a lesson from a woman crawling on her hands and knees to secretly be healed by God. In a society which awards self accomplishment, it’s even more difficult to accept that it is honorable to sit and wait for healing rather than demand immediate attention. Our society, while offering wonderful opportunities for anyone and everyone to express their God-given talents, the last character trait we expect to see highlighted in humility. But it is humility that is our greatest teacher. In both healing stories we hear today in the Gospel, it is humility rather than self promotion and accomplishment that is lifted up by God.

The woman, despite the fact she had been seriously ill for twelve years without a single moment of relief from doctors, came to God secretly almost crawling on the ground just for a chance to touch His garments. By today’s standards she might have been accused of not have enough self esteem to approach God. Some may even ask, “Doesn’t she know God can heal her? All she has to do is name it and claim it!” God makes a lesson of her humility when He brings her to the front, “Who touched Me?” She was forced to admit she had dared to touch the Lord. She had dared to have enough faith that God would heal her. She knew the teachings of the Holy Scriptures. How many in the crowd knew the Old Testament prophecy this woman knew? (See Malachi 4.2) How many understood that when she reached out to touch the fringe of His garments, she was declaring Jesus to be the Messiah? Even so, this woman chose not to teach others the read the Holy Scriptures; she didn’t even want to be seen. It was enough to have simple faith that Jesus was the Messiah. She was healed and God lifted up her humility for us to learn a lesson.

The man whose son was near death begged Jesus to come to his house. This bold statement reflected a man that knew Jesus Christ had the ability to heal. Then while Jesus was on His was to heal the son, He was interrupted by a strange woman sneaking around to delay Jesus by getting healed. It was just enough of a delay that his son died. Rather than getting upset with the woman or going on a rage against the disciples for not keeping Jesus moving, the man was willing to walk away.  Jesus said, “Do not be afraid. Only believe and she will be made well.” (Luke 8.50)

If we were in the place of either the woman or the father in this morning’s Gospel story, would we have had the humility to sit quietly and wait for God’s healing? Or would we rant and rave that we were here first? Would we have been willing to allow the woman to approach Jesus? Or would we have dismissed her as just another member of the crowd? It is easy to follow the lead of our society and promote our agenda as more important than the others in our group. It is more convenient to demand first come first served rather than allow others to receive God’s attention or blessings before us. But then again any lesson worth learning isn’t easy. The path of self promotion and self accomplishment might be the preferred American way, but it isn’t the Orthodox Way. The Orthodox way is the way of humility.

What is Your Demon?

Many times we read the Gospel stories about demoniacs like the one in the Gospel (Luke 8.26-39) and we think there is nothing relevant for us today. Most of us don’t even believe demons are real, let alone know of anyone who may be possessed by them. Of course, they are real, but the truth is, even if we do not suffer from demons we can still benefit from this story from the Holy Scriptures.

We all have demons that control us. They may not be the sort that are described in the Gospel, but the demons that control our life have effects that are just as crippling. Our demons are the passions, temptations, and sins that surround us. Here are a few to consider: depression, anxiety, laziness, various addictions, and various emotional and physical illnesses. These all tend to overpower us and can even take control of our lives, sometimes even leaving us lifeless.

But there is hope for even the most violent and crippling demon. As Christ approached the demoniac described in the Gospel of Luke, He found a man that had so many demons he no longer lived in the city among his family and friends, but in the wilderness among the graves. He had become a complete outcast from society. Sometimes we can feel alone and without family and friends. Sometimes we can even feel totally abandoned and want to call out to God for help. There is always help. There is always God. There is always a way to return home. We only have to approach God and He can help. There is no demon that God cannot heal or remove from our soul if we ask.

Your Soul Cannot Remain the Same Year after Year

In the Parable of the Sower found in Luke 8.5-15, our Lord reveals to us the condition of our souls. Our soul is either hard, filled with the weeds of temptation, blocked by the rocks of struggle, or rich fertile soil. Year after year God, just like the dedicated farmer scatters seed, sends out the Word of God to every soul no matter what condition. If our soul is prepared to receive the Word, our faith bears fruit; if not, our faith withers away.

The work of every farmer, and therefore the work of each Christian, is to continually work the soil either to improve poor soil, or maintain rich fertile soil. Glance at any vacant lot in town and even the riches soil eventually fills with weeds and rocks eventually hardening to the point of being an eyesore. Our soul is no different. We must either work to improve our soul or maintain a healthy Godly soul. If we leave our soul “just the way it is” it becomes just another vacant lot showing the lack of attention.

Year after year we hear the same Gospel stories read to us in Church, and year after year our souls is not in the same condition it was the year or years before. If you want your soul to become more fertile and filled with fewer weeds, it takes work. The more your work your soul, the better the soil becomes and the more fruit your faith with produce when your soul receives the seed and you hear the Word of God. But if you depend on what you learned last year or when you were in Sunday School as a child so many years ago, don’t be surprised when the Word of God doesn’t grow into fruit in your soul. Don’t let your soul become an abandoned lot, embrace the life of Orthodoxy and your soul will become more fertile each year and your faith will bear more fruit. No matter what you choose, your soul cannot remain the same. It’s up to you.

Don’t Look Directly at Miracles

It seems to me that miracles in the Holy Scriptures are different than miracles today. Yes, there are miracles today, but because of our point of view they are seen differently than in the Holy Scriptures. Here’s what I mean. In the Gospel story of the Widow from Nain, a man was raised from the dead by Jesus Christ. This was no ordinary miracle. No miracles are ordinary. This man had died just a few days before and was actually being buried when Jesus came up to him and brought life back to his dead body. The man was the only son of a woman had already lost her husband, a widow.

But I don’t want you to focus your attention on the actual miracle. I don’t want to you dwell upon the fact that the man had been dead a few day when Jesus came to him. I don’t want you to dwell upon the fact that his mother was already a widow. That was the miracle, but not the reason for the miracle.

Too often we go through our life seeking miracles for our family, our friends, our friends’ families, the tragic story down the street we hear about in the news. We ask God to go outside the normal chain of events and heal the sick. There is not thing wrong with healing the sick. Nobody wants to see their loved ones sick and in the hospital near death. But why do we want a miracle? Is it because we think we are special? The widow in this morning’s Gospel was not special. In fact we don’t even know her name. Jesus didn’t bring her son back to life for her sake; He brought him back to life for us.

Saint Cyril of Alexandria reminds us, “But there meets him Christ, the Life and Resurrection, for He is the destroyer of death and of corruption; He it is "in Whom we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28); He it is Who has restored the nature of man to that which it originally was; and has set free our death-fraught flesh from the bonds of death.” Christ didn’t perform the miracle for the widow or the son; He performed the miracle so that everyone watching, and those like us who would read about it for centuries later, could understand that Jesus Christ came to defeat death and to restore what was lost in the Garden of Eden.

When we think of the miracles of God as just a physical healing, then we miss the entire point of Christ’s plan of salvation. He didn’t come so that we would not get sick or die; He came so that sickness and death could no longer control us. Jesus reminded us, “My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.” (Luke 11.4) When we look directly at the miracles of God, we see only the physical, lest we forget that every person that God healed with a miracle still eventually died. The true blessing of any miracle is to be reminded of God’s love and plan for our ultimate union with Him in heaven.

Sometimes God brings us relief on earth from our struggles. Sometimes that relief is a miracle; other times it is a point of view through which we can see the struggle with peace. Sometimes it isn’t even for us but for those who have the eyes and faith to see what God is really accomplishing with us. But when it is a miracle, and they do still happen, just don’t look directly at it or you won’t really see what God wants you to see.

The Christian Life is about Endurance

Let’s face it. Life is hard. It doesn’t really matter what job we have or what privileges and benefits we have inherited from our ancestors, each of us has to wake up in the morning and struggle to make it through our day. Sometimes the struggle might as basic as sorting through the “to do list” for the day, but we all struggle to get through each day. So when we hear that the Gospel of Christ is GOOD NEWS are ears perk up and our attention turns toward the Church. But too often we hear the message of the Church, which is the message of the Cross, and we reject the Church in favor of an easier way. Life is hard enough we think; why should being a Christian be even harder?

If you haven’t at least once considered the life of the Church in this way, then you haven’t really been trying to live as the Church teaches – going to Church EVERY Sunday and on Feast Days, fasting EVERY Wednesday and Friday and SO many other days during the year (over 200 per year on average), taking the time EVERY day to sit a read just a few verses from the Bible, bringing your tithe (10% of your salary) to the Church EVERY Sunday, waking up early enough EVERY morning to say your prayers, taking time EVERY night to say your prayers and give thanks to God for your blessings....and these are just a few things the Church invites you to do as a Christian. With a life like this, it is no wonder so many false teachers have started Churches with much easier requirements. So what is the answer?

Saint Paul teaches us, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.  For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” (2 Corinthians 4.7-11)

Sometimes we just need a bit of a reminder that, even though life has its challenges, the hope of the Gospel isn’t about this life. The hope of the Gospel is in the life that God has planned for us, living with Him in heaven. Saint Paul knew this. He knew the true struggle of every Christian especially in a world that at the time was much less tolerant of Christians that today’s world. For many of us the question still remains, “If life is so difficult already, why does the Church add so much more to the expectations? Why can’t the Church give us an easier road so we can come to Church for peace and quiet rather than more struggle?” Many of us even say, “I don’t want to come to Church and feel anxious. I just want to come and be at peace.”

Is it possible the anxiety we feel at Church is our fault and not the fault of the Church? Is it possible we think fasting, and tithing, and reading the Bible and all the other “jobs” the Church asks us to accomplish, is too much because we simply do not understand why the Church has given us this life in the first place? If the Holy Spirit has been guiding the Church for two thousand years like Jesus Christ promised, then the Church simply put, must be correct. Perhaps we are at fault for not realizing the blessings and hope the Church life offers to us.

Eve depended on her understanding of the benefit of eating the apple rather than on God, and we know what happened to Eve? Saint Paul is trying to remind us, “The transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.” The Church, through the entire life it presents to us, is trying to help us depend upon God rather than ourselves, and that takes endurance. It won’t be easy. That much we know, but it is worth the struggle. Two thousand years of holy men and women have shown us that much as well.

You Simply Cannot Follow Christ Following Yourself

We all struggle with it. We all are tempted by it. We all want to make it happy. What is it? IT is our ego. Ever since Eve turned her eyes away from God and “saw the tree was good for food, was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree beautiful to contemplate,” (Genesis 3.6 SAAS) we human beings have been in a war between following God and following our ego. And we all know who was winning the war....until Christ came 2000 years ago.

When God became a human being, just like one of use “yet without sin” (Hebrews 4.15 NKVJ) He introduced a way we could finally win the war. He gave us the Cross. Jesus said, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Mark 8.34) But before we are able to take up our cross and follow, we must FIRST deny ourselves. The mistake Eve made in the Garden, long before she ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, was that she turned her eyes away from God and followed her herself.

The mission of Christ is to restore what was lost in the Garden, and to complete His original plan for us to be in communion with Him. His part is finished. He defeated death by dying on the Cross, being buried and then resurrected. He join us to His divinity when He ascended to His Throne in Heaven. The rest is up to us follow Him into Heaven. But before we can follow Him we have to stop following ourselves.

Are you saved?

Living in the South, this question has become as common to me as ‘good morning’, but what exactly does it mean? In the Orthodox Christian Tradition our answer is quite different from the Protestant Tradition. Many Protestants, especially those of the ‘Born Again’ tradition, can remember the exact date on which they submitted their life to Jesus Christ. Some can even remember what time is said on the clock when they raised their hands and said the ‘sinner’s prayer’ in Church. Why don’t we Orthodox Christians have this same tradition?

When it comes to ‘being saved’ the Orthodox Church teaches a different understanding of our relationship with God than other Christians. What makes the issue more complicated is that we often use the same terms, like saved, to discuss quite different concepts. So when an Orthodox Christian is asked the question, “Are you saved?” our answer should be, “I was saved, I am saved, and I am being saved.” We do not pinpoint our salvation to an exact moment in time as do many Protestants. For us, the concept is different.

Look at this morning’s Gospel as an example. It includes one of the most famous verses of the Holy Scriptures, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3.16 NKVJ) But the scriptures also says, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3.14-15 NKJV) This image from the Old Testament is given to us by God to recall His Promise which we learn about in the Old Testament.

When we Orthodox Christians speak about ‘being saved’ we are speaking not about a moment in time, but a relationship with Jesus Christ as promised many centuries ago. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall be a guard for His heel.” (Genesis 3.15 SAAS) From the very moment our ancestors were deceived by the serpent, God made a promise to defeat the serpent. To save us from the serpent’s victory, God sent a Savior, Who is Christ. So the first part of “I WAS saved,” is an acknowledgment that God defeated the devil and death.

But the Scripture also says, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3.18 NKJV) So the, “I AM saved and the I AM BEING saved,” is an acknowledgement that being saved from death isn’t the entire picture since we are all saved from death through the birth, death and resurrection of our Lord. But Jesus accomplished more than just defeating death. He united humanity to divinity in Himself. So long as we BELIEVE, being saved from death is not condemnation. But if we do not believe then being saved from death leads to condemnation.

So are you saved? Ultimately the answer is an open question. Time will tell whether or not you really believe. Time will tell whether or not you look upon Christ Crucified (that is the image of Moses and serpent) and believe that He has come to unite you to Himself. You WILL BE saved over and over again, every day if you believe, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3.17 NKJV)

The News is always Good even when it sounds bad

Everyone knows the Gospel is the Good News about Jesus Christ, but not everyone who hears the Gospel hears the news as Good News. On the surface the Gospel may even seem like a dual-personality story. There is forgiveness and there is judgment. There is feeding and there is hunger. There is good and there is evil. And many times both exist in the same story. So why is the Gospel called the Good News if there is so much bad sandwiched between the good?

Take today’s Gospel lesson for example. We see a man who owes a huge amount to the king. He owes so much money that he could never possibly even dream about paying his debt to the king, and the king threatens to throw him in debtors’ prison until the debt is paid. In reality this was a life sentence since he owed more than his life would ever pay, so the man begs for a little more time to pay off the debt. Instead the king forgives every cent he owes and lets the man go free. That same man, just seconds later as he was leaving the king as a free man, bumped into one of his fellows who owed him a small amount. The fellow begged for a little more time to pay off the debt, but the man wouldn’t budge. He threw his fellow in debtor’s prison along with his family until the debt could be paid, about three months. The story concludes with the man being called back by the king who had heard about the situation. The king threw him in prison for the rest of his life.

This Gospel story is about forgiveness. Jesus warns us about not being willing to forgive. He says, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” (Matthew 18.35 NKJV) The story doesn’t sound so much like Good News when you come to end and find the man sitting in prison being tortured. The story is a glimpse of heaven and hell. For the moment the man experienced forgiveness he was in heaven. For the moment he refused to forgive his fellow he was in hell. Same man, same story, same Good News, even if sounds bad.

The point of the Gospel is that God is waiting to forgive us. It doesn’t matter how much we owe him. Even if we can’t pay him back, He is willing to forgive us when we ask. And THAT is Good News. It will always be Good News. But if we don’t return the favor and refuse to forgive ANYONE else, the Good News starts to sound bad. If we cannot see the beauty of God’s forgiveness, then we cannot see the reason to forgive others. Keep in mind, the ONLY reason is sounds bad is because WE are not willing to forgive. The News is STILL Good. Let’s look at it another way.

What if the same man was called by the king and told, “You owe me so much money that even if I put you in prison, you will never be able to pay it off. I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I understand there is a fellow of yours who owes you a small amount. If you forgive his small debt to you, then I will forgive you large debt.” I suppose the man would have said, “Absolutely! I’ll go tell him right now!” It starts to sound like Good News again doesn’t it? It is just a matter of perspective. So long as the man knew in advance that he could be forgiven his huge debt if he forgave his fellow’s small debt, he would be more willing to forgive.

The truth is, we HAVE been given the Good News in advance. Jesus HAS told us, “Go ahead and forgive your fellow and I will forgive you.” There is no reason to hear the Gospel story as bad news. It is always Good News. We just have to change the way we hear it.

Separation of Church and State

It’s election season! You can’t turn on the radio or the internet without being bombarded by political commercials or arguments. There is no secret that many of the issues that plague our society are based on morality, and that morality often pits Church against State in the courtroom and congress hall. This week’s “Ask Father” sermon addresses the questions, “What is our Church view on the state law and our religious law?” This question is especially poignant considering the recent legal battles about sexuality and the public square.

Some believe that as Christians we are obligated to obey the State, no matter what law is passed. This is based upon the misunderstanding of the Scriptures. Saint Paul commanded, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” (Romans 13.1-2) But you can’t stop with this verse. Here is the entire passage:

“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.” (Romans 13.1-7)

Read from a distance, the entire passage speaks about fighting evil, not blind obedience to authorities. The key to understanding our role as Orthodox Christians as members of society is two-fold. First we must live in a respectful manner, always committed to treating others with the Love of Christ. This is what it means when Saint Paul says, “Do what is good.” It is NEVER evil to love your neighbor. It is ALWAYS good to treat each other with respect even if we have differing opinions. Secondly, not that it less important, but equally important, as citizens of the United States we are obliged to participate in the civic process of determining laws and public morals that help to create a stable and good society.

There will be times when the State Law and the Church (or religious) Law are in conflict, such as with the recent debates on sexuality. When such issues arise, it is our duty as followers of Jesus Christ and members of His Holy Orthodox Church to be the voice of Christ in a Changing World. This in fact was the theme of our most recent Archdiocese Clergy-Laity Congress. But being the voice of Christ does not mean forcing others into compliance. Each human being has been given the freedom to choose a life devoted to God or against Him. How can we be the voice of Christ?

We speak the truth in love, and allow each person to freely choose to obey Him or deny Him. But this NEVER means that we as Orthodox Christians have the obligation to follow a State Law that violates the Law of God. But neither does it mean we are free from the political consequences and social pressure to endorse the evil that some may convince the State is instead good. We must never forget that we too have the freedom given to us by God to follow Him or deny Him, and no State can take away THAT freedom.

What is God’s Plan?

Living in the Bible Belt, it has become a daily experience it seems to hear the phrase, God has a plan for you. When good-intentioned people say this, they usually are trying to comfort a friend or family member who is in some sort of transition. A lost job, a serious illness, or even some tragedy, nothing seems to be beyond a friend using the phrase, “It is going to be ok. God has a plan for you.” Let me just say, I REALLY DON’T LIKE this saying, and it is definitely NOT Orthodox.

In this week’s “Ask Father” series we will answer the question, “What is God’s plan?” Every day we are faced with choices, some life-changing, when we deeply depend upon understanding that God does indeed have a plan for us. The problem is contemporary American Christianity tends to view God as handing out material blessings in exchange for our loyalty. This also is NOT Orthodox. We can never forget that God said, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Mark 8.34) Clearly He couldn’t have meant that His plan was to shower us with material blessings.

The proper understanding of God’s plan is crucial to our relationship with Him. If we constantly look to God as the bestower of material blessings, we will doubt Him when those blessings do not come at our requested time. The truth is God’s plan has NOTHING to do with material blessings and EVERYTHING to do with eternal comfort embraced by His unending love. How we choose to accept His plan will not only impact how we live now on Earth; it will affect how we experience His love in Heaven.

What’s in a Translation?

As a continued effort to answer fresh and important questions about the Church, this week’s question is central of understanding our relationship with our Lord. We all know, or at least we should know, the New Testament was originally written (with the exception possibly of the Gospel of Matthew) in Greek. We also know most of the world does not speak Greek, so the Church has been translating the Holy Scriptures into local languages since the earliest days of the Church. Form the moment of Holy Pentecost, the Church has always presented the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the language of the people. As Saint Paul said, “For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?” (Romans 10.13-14)

So you don’t speak Greek and you want to study the Holy Scriptures? All you have to go to a bookstore or online and buy a Bible right? But which Bible should you buy? There are so many to choose from, you don’t know where to start! You aren’t imaging things. In fact there are over 100 DIFFERENT English translations of the Bible in use today. Why so many? How do you pick? Does it even matter? That is the essence of this week’s “Ask Father” question.

The Church has a great deal to offer in this discussion, since the Holy Scriptures are have been established, written, authorized and interpreted by the Church. It is virtually impossible to create a perfect translation from one language to another. Cultural understandings and vocabulary are drastically different from one time to another and from one place to another. That has always been the case, even when the Old Testament was first translated from Hebrew to Greek more than two hundred years before the Birth of Christ. Is there a right or wrong translation? That, all depends on the motives of the translators. Motives are EVERYTHING when trying to sort out a translation of Holy Scripture.

The Who, What, Where, When and Why of Prayer

The Who, What, Where, When and Why of Prayer

As part of our “Ask Father” series I was asked, “Can we pray for people who are not of the Christian faith, for example for the healing from a sickness?” When I was considering this question, it occurred to me that we should speak about prayer in general since it is a central part of our Orthodox Christian Life. The simple answer to this question is, “YES, we should pray for people who are not Christian,” but why might be a better question. For that we turn to the New Testament witness.

Christ Himself addressed the topic of prayer several times within the Gospel, mostly in the context of the act of praying. He was either praying or telling His followers to pray...

• Pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. (Matthew 5.44)
• Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. (Matthew 26.41)
• Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. (Luke 10.2)
• Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21.36)
• When you pray, say: Our Father.... (Luke 11.2-4 see also Matthew 6.9-13)

Who should we pray for? EVERYONE

What should we pray for? SALVATION, MERCY, and PEACE for EVERYONE

Where should we pray? In the depth of your heart, sometimes alone and sometimes with others.

When should we pray? ALWAYS be in a state of prayer

Why should we pray? Because it brings us closer to God and each other

There are times for personal private prayer, and there are times for communal public prayer. We need both to fulfill our spiritual journey to God. If we only pray in the privacy of our secret place, we run the risk of wounding the unity of our Christian family. If we pray only when we come to Church, we run the risk of temptation from the sinful world that surrounds us. 

What are you worried about?

Let’s face it, life is difficult. “Where will my family live?” “What will my family eat?” “How will I send my children to college?” “Will I have a job next week after the merger?” Although we may not struggle about these exact questions, we all know life is a struggle, no matter who we are or where we live. And yet the Lord says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on.” (Matthew 6.25)

This commandment by Christ creates a conflict in our hearts. We wake up every morning feeling with our own hands and seeing with our own eyes the struggle that is before us. Some are tempted to respond by “just sitting back and waiting for God to provide,” because Jesus says, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6.26) But this mentality is not where our hearts should attempt to resolve the conflict. Jesus also says, “For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well." (Matthew 6.32-33)

The birds are not anxious, nor are the birds lazy. They live every day struggling just as we do to make ends meet. They search for food and shelter just as we do. The key my brothers and sisters isn’t to avoid the struggle; the key is to avoid the anxiety. The cure to anxiety is the Kingdom of God, the only place of true peace and rest. Seek the kingdom and the peace of God will settle the anxious heart. Only then can we truly fly high above the earthly cares as the birds.

The Most Dangerous Illness is a Hidden Illness

When we visit the doctor for our regular check-up we expect to hear the doctor tell us about our blood results and any other possible problems that might indicate some sort of illness. But what if our doctor hid our illness from us? What if our doctor knew there were serious complications with our blood work, but refused to share this information with us? Or worse....What if our doctor knew there were serious complications with our blood work, but told us it was normal and we shouldn’t bother trying to change our eating habits and lifestyle? If this happened to us in our doctor’s office, we would be furious!

But this is exactly what is happening in our contemporary society, not physically but spiritually. Every day we go about our routine with spiritual illnesses, but when many either hide our illnesses from us or try to make us believe our illness is normal and there is nothing to worry about, instead of being furious we are thankful. Yet, when we are unaware of a serious physical illness our anger is a result of admitting we would have been willing to change our behavior if someone had only told us before it was too late. But when we find out too late to change, and the illness has overtaken us, we are filled with regret and anger that someone should have told us!

On this Fourth Sunday of Pascha, the Church calls our attention to the healing of the paralytic. “Sir I have no man,” was the voice of regret in the face of illness. Unlike the paralytic we are not alone in our illness. We have the Church to help diagnose our illness, and then to help find the cure. But there remains one final obstacle....many of us listen to the society which is telling us we are not sick, and keeps our spiritual illness hidden from us. Christ was able to heal the paralytic because his illness was not hidden. We cannot be healed if our illness remains hidden, or worse......ignored.

Those who have not seen and yet believe

Eight days after Christ’s glorious resurrection from the dead, He appeared for a second time to His Disciples. This time Thomas was present unlike the first time Christ appeared to them. Just eight days earlier Jesus had appeared to His Disciples, but since Thomas wasn’t in the room to witness it for himself with his own eyes and hands, he found it impossible to believe. Now eight days later, Thomas could see and touch Jesus and he said, “’My Lord and My God’. Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” (John 20.28-29)

The truth of the resurrection is something that without God’s grace and the help of the Holy Spirit, is impossible to believe. God blessed many in the days following His glorious resurrection by appearing to many, and because of those witnesses we have received the Gospel stories of His resurrection. Since the first days, the Church has continued to message the Disciples first said to Thomas, “We have seen the Lord.” (John 20.25)

Now is our chance to respond with the words of Thomas, “My Lord and My God.” We have not seen, and yet we are asked to believe. God has promised blessings for us because of our faith. If you are finding it hard to speak the words of Thomas, consider the other voices – the myrrh bearing women, the Ever-Virgin Mary, the thousands who witnessed Jesus alive after His Crucifixion. Finally consider the Church which has stood as His witness to the world for twenty centuries. If you still struggle to call Jesus your Lord and God, ask Him for help. He will provide what you need to believe. He helped Thomas, He will help you.