“For many are called, but few chosen.” (Matthew 20.16)

New Testament Challenge – Day 4
Matthew 19-24

In today’s chapters we hear over and over again the warnings from Christ against complacency. Whether we are the servants who “says in his heart, ‘my master is delaying his coming,’” (Matthew 24.48) or the wicked vinedressers who bore no fruit and were destroyed (Matthew 21.33-46) our Lord is warning us to be vigilant in our daily works for Him. “Blessed is the servant whom his master, when he comes will find so doing.” (Matthew 24.46)

The ancient Church lived as if the Lord was coming in their lifetime. Every action and thought revolved around being ready for His return. The realty that Jesus Christ has not yet returned in over 2000 years has created an atmosphere of complacency in the Church and society in general. In times of crisis, such as the death of a child or other tragedy, we are forced to realize that we don’t know when the end will come. As I like to say, “Either He is coming for us or we are going to Him. Either way, we don’t know when that will be so we should be ready for it.”

Complacency in spirituality is more dangerous than in other aspects of life because it has eternal results. Are we ready to greet the Lord today? He may come before you finish reading this blog entry. Are you ready for Him?

Well……GET READY!

“The field is the world.” (Matthew 13.38)

Among many miracles and parables in today’s reading Jesus opens with comparing the Word of God with seeds and the world as a field planted. We can even say that WE are the field and Christ is the seed which the Father plants in us. The beauty of seeds is in how they transform. As seeds they are small and insignificant like a mustard seed, “which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree.” (Matthew 13.32)



If we embrace that a seed of faith has been planted within us we will also embrace that how are today must transform as the seeds grows within us. If not, the seed dies and we become mere dirt. It also implies that we are never done growing as the seed continues to blossom into the tree it is destined to be. Likewise our life is destined for greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven if only we nurtured the seed of faith and let it grow.



He who has ears to hear let him hear.

“Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.” (Matthew 11.20)

New Testament Challenge - Day 2
Matthew 8-12


In this reading of Matthew we hear the Lord speaking difficult words of rebuke to those whom, although He had blessed them, did not repent from their sinful lives. There are two points in this passage that we should take special note of:

1. Even sinners receive and witness blessings from God

2. God expects a new life of repentance in thanksgiving for His blessings

Here the words of Saint Paul ring loudly, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5.8) Haven’t we been blessed by God? Isn’t there anything in our personal life that we can recognize as a blessing from God? Too often we can’t think of things, not because we have not been blessed, but because we can’t see that our good fortune and health are gifts from God. We somehow think that we are to be credited with the greatness that we have accomplished in our lives. The reality is that each one of us has been blessed by God, in ways we don’t always understand.

The reality of our blessings brings great cause for reflection over point #2 above. We cannot thank God for the blessings if we don’t recognize His hand in them. In this case we don’t live a life of repentance either because we don’t think we need to repent or because we don’t recognize God’s love acting in our lives.

Here is our deepest challenge….to see the love of God acting in our lives and then to offer Him thanks by living new lives. If we can learn to see our blessing for what they are, giving thanks comes a great deal easier. And when we live a life of repentance then God will not rebuke us as He did those in Chorazin or Bethsaida.

Why I Blog? - 40 Days of Blogging Challenge

Today begins the New Testament Challenge and with it the 40 Day Blog Challenge. In the very opening verses of today’s Challenge we read of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. This reading of the beginning of Christ’s earthly lineage together with the beginning of the blog challenge allows me the chance to ponder on the beginning of my blogging experience and why I choose to blog as an Orthodox Christian Priest.

So here are a few thoughts about why I blog….

For over three years I have been maintaining a public blog. “Be Transfigured” is dedicated to expressing thoughts and sermons on Orthodox Christianity. In my blogging experience I have come appreciate and benefit from the use of this valuable technology and I pray that those who take the time to read the blog are also somehow blessed by God. It isn’t so much that I believe my blog to be so fantastic. On the contrary my posts are simple and often short statements that challenge the normal everyday American concepts in which the Orthodox Church find herself. I strongly believe the blessing is gained not be reading but by contemplating the challenges I routinely lay out for my readers. I find this possibility a great blessing to me as a Christian specifically and as an Orthodox Christian Priest in general. But I receive a much greater blessing by my blog experience.

As part of my weekly sermon preparation I often take the time to blog thoughts during the week as reactions to something I read, whether from a Church Father or the Holy Scriptures themselves. Sometimes I blog a few thoughts about something I heard on the radio or even saw on the side of the street. The fact is, that each week, as part of weekly sermon preparation a general theme begins to develop (based upon the Sunday Gospel lection of course) that directs not only each of these blogs, but bible study preparation and reflections that I must offer during the various meetings in which I find myself during the week. This theme tends to frame everything I read during the week.

This process has been a great help directly in sermon preparation because it has helped to focus attention thematically each week narrowly. The most obvious benefit to this focus is seen (or heard really) each Sunday as I am blessed by God with the opportunity to ascend the Pulpit and proclaim the Truth of the Gospel of Christ. By the time Sunday arrives, the theme for the sermon has been internalized to such an extent that, by the grace of God, words flow.

A common challenge for any preacher is to subdue the, “preacher voice” that is lurking beneath our lapel microphone. To the extent that I have been somewhat successful in subduing this voice, which I must admit still plagues my weekly sermons more than I would like, the permeating of this general theme developed during the week has allowed the sermon to sound more “conversational” rather than “preachy.”

Over the next 40 days I invite you to stop by and take a few moments to reflect upon the challenges as we travel the Advent journey toward Christmas. I welcome any comments on the thoughts I present and pray that together we will enjoy a brief dialogue on the importance of living a life transfigured by the Light of Christ.

Until then….

Showing Mercy is a Ticket to Heaven

When our Lord as asked, “”Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10.25) He offered the story of the Good Samaritan along with the commandment, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10.37) God has made perfectly clear to us through His Gospel how we are supposed to live if we desire to live forever with Him in Heaven. The problem is….we just don’t understand the fullness of the Good Samaritan story because we don’t understand mercy.



When most of us think of mercy we think of “being let off the hook” for some poor behavior, but if we study the Lord’s words in the Gospel, we see mercy as an outward expression of compassion rather than some poor behavior being forgiven. This is also at the very core of our constant pleading for mercy during the Divine Liturgy. We are not begging God to simply forgive our poor behavior; we are asking Him to show us compassion and heal us for our spiritual and physical illness.



According to the Good Samaritan story, when we stop what we are doing, paying special attention to the needs of someone else, even if under normal situations we might not even talk to that person, and show them compassion and assist them in their weakness, this is showing mercy. But it is deeper even then this….



To show this type of compassion, to put the needs of others ahead of our needs and wants, is only possible by the power of the Holy Spirit and the love that comes from a relationship with God. And THAT essentially is why showing mercy can get us to heaven.

Humility and Patience Go Together

In the Gospel (Luke 8.41-56) we witness both the patience of a devoted father and the humility of a real leader. As a leader of the synagogue, Jairus could have expected special treatment when he approached Jesus Christ to heal his daughter. He could have expected Jesus to drop everything and come at once to attend to his dying daughter. He could have expected the crowd to clear the way for Jesus to pass quickly so his daughter would not die. But he didn’t.

After Jairus had approached Jesus and begged Him to heal his daughter, and while on the way to Jairus’ house, Jesus was delayed. “As He went, the people pressed round Him. And a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years and had spent all her living upon physicians and could not be healed by anyone, came up behind Him, and touched the fringe of His garment; and immediately her flow of blood ceased.” (Luke 8.42-44) Because of this delay, Jairus daughter died.

Jairus could have given up hope. He could have left Jesus and crowd “defeated” and depressed. He could have blamed the young woman for the death of his only daughter. He could have become angry. But he didn’t.

Rather than demand special treatment Jairus was humble in the Lord. Rather than lose his temper he remained patient. Jairus is an example to us of great Christian humility and patience. I say Christian humility and patience because both these traits rest in knowing that Jesus Christ is God and has greater love for us than we know.

Don’t you want to be like Jairus?

Say NO! to Evil and YES! to God

Today with luncheons, speeches, parades, and programs throughout the world we honor the bravery of Greek heroes that stood up against invaders to their homeland. OXI Day, for Greeks and non-Greeks alike, is a day that represents a people’s dedication to freedom and liberty; a concept given by God Himself. Today honors the dedication of a nation that not only stood up to invaders, but a nation that proceeded to defend their freedom and the freedom of others. Their willingness to ACTION was honored throughout the entire world as an icon of bravery. Their “no” was not passive; they followed it with their YES to freedom and proceeded to defend their homeland.


Today we are called to the same level of courage to protect our homeland…..our soul. Every day we are confronted with invaders that tempt us to abandon our faith in God in exchange for increased wealth and decreased morality. We must stand firm to protect the homeland of our souls from these evil invaders who whisper lies into our ears. They bombard us not with dynamite but with spiritual temptation meant to confuse us into believing that God’s ways of life are not worth living. They tempt us with our own pride and ego to convince us that we know better than God. We must defend ourselves!



The devil and his demons are attacking us every day tempting us to ignore the commandments of God: to love our neighbors, serve others, and worship Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The invaders suggest that it is better to fend for ourselves, despise others especially if they are more successful than we are, and to enjoy a day of luxury, rest and relaxation rather than attending Sunday Divine Liturgy or the other services of the Church.



The time has come for us to defend our souls and say OXI (NO) to the devil and YES to God.

Let Your Light Shine!

I came across this inspiring thought in a great book. I thought I should share it.....

“So God can use any kind of personality, any kind of person; He only made one of you, and He has a plan for what you will be. The one light of Christ is like a flame shining out through millions of lanterns. But each lantern is made of different colored glass. You are the only person God made who is exactly like you; and if you fail to be filled with the light of Christ, you will eternally deprive the kingdom of God of one particular shade of radiance.” Frederica Mathewes-Green in “The Jesus Prayer, The Ancient Prayer that Tunes the Heart to God”

As I thought about this again I was reminded of the University of Colorado (where I received my BA) official seal which bears the motto, “Let your light shine” honoring the call of Christians to shine as the light of Christ. As stated in the University’s history, “ In 1893, University President James Baker stated, "The new University seal bears the Greek Motto chosen from the volume of Christian Teachings to mean `Let your Light Shine'." This is a clear indication of the open acknowledgement of Christianity in our nation’s history even within state governed and funded institutions. So what happened??????


In a nut-shell I suppose we, as fallen human beings claiming our God-given freedom, have chosen to dim the light of Christ in our lives. Using Frederica Mathewes-Green’s image, we have changed our glass from the color the God chose for us to our own design altering how the light of Christ is experienced in our lives. There can really be no explanation as to the change in our willingness to acknowledge our Christianity in the public square. This has been accomplished, at the pleasing of the devil, by our slowly relinquishing our light.

Our Lord said, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.” (Mathew 5.14-15) I fear we have indeed placed our light, if it still shines at all in our life, under a bushel for the sake of not offended others. In turn we have offended God. Let YOUR light shine!

Are Demons Real? YES!

In the healing of the demon possessed man from Gadarene (Luke 8.26-39) we hear a vivid depiction of the cruelty that demons can place upon the soul and body of one they possess. For some people in 2010 this story sounds so fantastic as if it were some science-fiction movie produced by Hollywood. The image of so many demons living inside a human being and tormenting him to the point of living naked among graves brings to mind the visions of many horror movies so popular during the month of October. It all seems a bit too unbelievable…..or does it?



In the Gospel lesson the city folk were so afraid of the destruction done by the demons on their herd of pigs, they chose to chase Jesus Christ out of their town rather than acknowledge His authority as God. They didn’t even recognize the healing and blessings upon the man who they knew lived among the graves. How could this be? They must have thought that if such forces of demons were truly possible and Jesus Christ was God and had the power to either allow or not allow the demons to ruin the city income (the herd of pigs) maybe they were being punished by God. If on the other hand the demons weren’t real, any number of reasons could have led the pigs to rush off a cliff. Without God in the formula, the people were not being punished. Instead the pigs’ death was an unfortunate coincidence.



Many contemporary scholars believe the idea of demon possession in Holy Scripture to be speaking of mental illness and not some evil force. I believe the same logic applies as with the city folk from Gadarene. If there are no demons, then people don’t have to fear them. Unfortunately if they are real and people don’t acknowledge them, greater harm can come because we refuse to protect ourselves from the danger. While it is true that we understand more about mental illness today than 2000 years ago, if we take the consider all demons just a case of mental illness we will not take the proper precautions against them in our lives.

He Who Has Ears to Hear, Let Him Hear

In the Gospel of Luke we hear the parable of the Sower. (Luke 8.4-15) In this parable the Lord gives us a glimpse into His plan to reach out and save the world. As part of His explanation, He describes four categories of people:

• Those who hear the Word of God but the devil takes it away so they cannot respond
• Those who hear the Word of God but the Word does not take root in their lives
• Those who hear the Word of God but the cares and temptations of life distract them
• Those who hear the Word of God and receive it as richness and bear much spiritual fruit

Which are you? This may seem like strange question because we each like to believe we are the rich fertile soil when in fact we may be like the stone path that does not allow God’s Word and Gospel to take root in our lives. The reason this is important is that God, the sower of seeds, broadcasts His Gospel to the entire world, no matter who is hearing it, but only those who have properly prepared their hearts will allow the Word to take root and bear fruit for the glory of God.

 

Jesus Christ also says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” If we are willing to hear the message of this Gospel, then we will look at our lives honestly and decide not only which type of “soil” we are but how we can become rich fertile soil. Like any earth that is left untilled, a hard surface develops where seeds cannot penetrate. Only after difficult labor can a farmer break-down the hard soil to eventually sow seeds. Without that hard work, the soil remains unusable.

 

If we find ourselves hardened to the Word of God we are not usable for God’s harvest. We must work our hearts like a farmer works his field to soften it to receive God’s Word. Lucky for us, we don’t have to take shovels and plows to our hearts. We only must pray, fast and do works of charity and, like the hard soil, our hearts will soften and become rich fertile soil that will bear much fruit. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

 

God Doesn’t Wait for Us to Ask, He Just Loves Us

In the Gospel we hear Christ bring back to life the dead son of a widow. “Behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow.” (Luke 7.12) The grief of this woman must have been overwhelming because it seems that she didn’t even notice Christ was nearby even though He was being followed by a huge crowd. Her grief, like that of any mother who has lost a child, consumed her. I imagine if she had known Christ was nearby she would have begged Him to help. But He didn’t wait for her to ask: “When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her.” (Luke 7.13)


God doesn’t wait for us to ask before He shows us how much He loves us. “When we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5.8) Just as He knew the mother’s grief, He knows our hearts and knows better than we do what we need. There may be days when we think our struggle can’t get any worse or that we can’t seem to find the strength to even ask God for help let alone feel like we deserve His help.

It is just then that God acts in our lives and blesses us. It is just then that God shows us His power to solve any problem, even death. When we see these blessings, it’s our job to respond, “God has visited His people” (Luke 7.16) and give God the credit He deserves. It’s that simple…

“For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6.45)


Tuesday of the Third Week of Luke,

Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. And He spoke a parable to them: "Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye. For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6.36-45)

Our Lord begins today’s Gospel lesson with a warning not to judge others and end with a statement that our mouth speaks our heart. How convicting! As Americans we spend the better part of everyday judging other’s motives while never questioning their actions. I often find it odd that people, knowing full well that NOBODY knows their situation but themselves (and God), insist on questioning the motives of others; all the while ignoring and even condoning immoral behavior with the pretext of “judge not lest thou be judged!”

But there is a better angle…

This reading follows the Golden Rule in Luke’s Gospel, so taken in that context we see the real intent of our Lord: “Since you want others to give you the benefit of the doubt, you should give others the benefit of the doubt. If you don’t want to be condemned by others, then you should not condemn them etc. for with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Our Lord never suggests that we should look the other way and condone sinful behavior. Saint Paul says, “Those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. For in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself.” (Romans 1.32-2.1)

Our reading ends today with a bold condemnation of our actions. Our mouth truly speaks our heart. If our heart is full of love our mouth expresses it. If our heart is full of judgment our mouth expresses that too. Before we rush to judge other’s motives we should remember that our motives are known to God and to us but nobody else. Our mouth is what betrays what we feel in our heart.

If you want your heart filled with love, speak love.

Be All That You Can Be…Not Just What You ARE

We have all heard that God loves us no matter what we do or say or believe. He loves us no matter what mistakes we have made in this life. He loves us even if we don’t love Him in return. It comes as no surprise then that whenever the question of Christian lifestyle comes up in a conversation, I often hear, “God loves me just the way I am.” This is all true, but it is not the end of the story.

Jesus Christ says, “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.” (Luke 6.35) The way in which our Lord teaches us here seems to say that we should love because God first loved us. Our Lord says, “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those love them.” (Luke 6.32)

God is calling us to a higher standard as Christians. While it is true that God loves us no matter how we believe or act, it is quite clear that He wants us to return this love by loving others. “Just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them.” (Luke 6.31) If we have been loved with no strings attached by God, then according to the Golden Rule, we should love others with the same expectation. It is not enough to simply be what we are, we must become all that God WANTS us to be, sons of the Most High.

“Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” (Luke 6.36)

Desire Is What Drives Us….But Where?

Our Lord says, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Mark 8.34) This simple statement requires us to consider two questions. Where is Christ going that He wants us to follow Him and do we in fact desire to follow Him there? We cannot answer the second without understanding the first. Some may think Christ is speaking literally since He was known to travel from city to city and spend time in villages and on the seashore teaching. Yet if we dig a bit deeper into the Gospel we discover the answer: “Assuredly, I say to you, that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.” (Mark 9.1)
If we understand that Christ is on His way to be with His Father then the question is: Do we want to follow Him there? God has blessed humanity with freedom: the freedom to follow Him or to deny Him. He doesn’t force us into submission but calls us lovingly like a father calls his children. “Please, come and be blessed,” and as any parent knows, if a child doesn’t want to follow there’s no forcing him. God gives each of us the same choice today.

If we desire to follow Christ to Heaven then we will willingly give up our loyalty to earthly passions in exchange for heavenly. This will not be an easy task since the devil will never stop trying to convince us that following God is for “those religious types who don’t know any better.” We will suffer for Christ, maybe not physically, but sometimes being humiliated by our neighbors can be more painful than being cut by a knife. Saint Paul says is best: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8.18)

Come on! Let’s go follow Christ to heaven together, as a Church and see the Power of God.

If God Said It, It Must Be True – Let the Healing Begin

Throughout history God has revealed to the world that He means what He says and that just because He says something will happen, it will. There are three very similar examples of where God’s logic conflicts with our worldly logic. Abraham, Joachim and Zacharias were each old men when God declared to them that their wives would have children. In each case so long as the men believed in God’s promise a child was born. We know these three children to be Isaac, the Theotokos, and John the Baptist. In each case God proclaimed a truth and it came to be and life came into the world.

There is another famous instance when God declared sometime to be true that required faith. In the Old Testament we read in Numbers 21.4-9 about the Jews and their struggle in the desert. Because of their unbelief, “so the Lord sent venomous serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people died…Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a serpent for yourself and put in on a signal pole, and it shall be, if a serpent should bite someone, when the one bitten looks at it, he shall live.’” Its difficult to imagine that merely looking at a copper serpent on a stick would cure the poison of a snake, but “it happened, when a serpent bit anyone, and he looked at the copper snake, he lived.” (Numbers 21.9)

This testimony of faith should be an inspiration to us. God has declared that if we believe Jesus Christ and “confess with your [our] mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your [our] heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you [we] will be saved.” (Romans 10.9) It’s just like the Jews in the desert. It might sound impossible, but God said it, so it will come true. All we need to do is believe it…and then ACT ON IT!

We have all been bitten by the serpent, the devil, and we are all in need of some healing – whatever healing that may be. If believe God will heal us, He will. Why not put our faith in Him and let the healing begin?

Three Little Words, One Big Blessing

It Never Fails. I’m always receiving a blessing when I’m the one “doing the blessing”. Of course we all know that it is God that does the blessing when faithful Christians seek His blessing, whether clergy or non-clergy, but this evening I can honestly say I was the one blessed and inspired by someone’s deep faith. I was invited to bless the home of someone this evening that had just moved into their new home. Their home is new because their old home was destroyed in a fire in 2009. While getting to know the couple the wife shared with me the terror and anxiety of the night the fire took place. What inspired me this evening was the faith the wife had in Christ in the midst of such tragedy. As she shared with me, she was on the front lawn watching her home burn to the ground and began to panic about lost pictures and valuables. Realizing that such panic would only make things worse, she told herself, “Its only stuff.” With these three words, she was comforted that God would take care of her family and that “stuff” can always be replaced. Inspiring enough? NO! She then informed me that all the things she had begun to panic about losing were some of the few and only things salvaged in the fire. Many of the things that were saved were in the attic, which was nearly destroyed, in a plastic bin. Days later when she was allowed back into the home to assess the reality of the disaster, the bin was found in the attic charred but intact; her family photos and other precious memories were saved.


I firmly believe that God was present with this family in their tragedy, as He is with everyone during hard and good times, but His gift to this woman was to protect her “stuff” just as she was willing to not be bound to it and allow Him the help her. Maybe it was His way of saying, “Ok, now that you have given your heart to Me, I want to let you know you’re not alone.”

We can all be inspired by stories such as this and I pray that my sharing it here this evening will bring joy and peace to someone who is reading this but not quite sure that God is near to help. He is. He’s just waiting for you to let Him take over.

Glory to God for all things!

It’s Time for a Change of Perspective

Sometimes in life we have to change the way we look at things. This is true not only in the arrangement of furniture in the Den, but our spiritual lives and September is an excellent opportunity to do this. When we look differently at our furniture sometimes we see things we never noticed before; and sometimes this can be a scratch in the sofa or a stain in the carpet. Whenever we take the chance to look at things from a different angle we are able to improve and sometimes repair that which is damaged.


Since September is the beginning of the New Ecclesiastical Year, I encourage each of you this week to change your perspective, not of your furniture, but of your life in Christ. Look at your spiritual life from a different angle…look at it from Christ’s point of view.



Would our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be pleased with the way you treat others at work, in the store, on the street, in our Church? Would He be pleased with your level of commitment to Him or would He want more from you? Have you prayed as much as Christ would like? Have you fasted? Have you been charitable to others and His Church? Have you taken the time for your spiritual growth by spending a few moments each day away from the hustle and bustle of daily life?



God wants our hearts but He knows that sometimes our hearts are torn. He knows that sometimes we spend more time away from Him than with Him. He knows that sometimes we forget to pray and serve others. He knows we’re not perfect. All He wants is for us to try harder and He has given us Holy Confession for us to repent (change our behavior) to get closer to Him. Consider making an appointment for Holy Confession and change your point of view to God’s Point of View.

From God’s Perspective, Everything Looks Different

As a boy I spent many Saturday mornings in front of the TV watching cartoons. Among my favorites was The Road Runner! I still chuckle when I think of that poor coyote especially when the Road Runner finds himself in mid-air hovering over a deep cliff holding the sign, “I know I’m defying the law of gravity, but I never studied law!” The scene is always followed by that poor coyote falling hundreds of feet to the canyon floor. As kids we always knew we couldn’t defy the law of gravity because we were real and the Road Runner was just a cartoon character. Here on Earth, the law of gravity is the law of gravity and there is no lawyer that can talk his way out of that law! Did you ever wonder why the Road Runner could do it and not Wile E. Coyote, Super-Genius? You’ll have to ask Warner Bros. since they wrote it.



In this morning’s Gospel, our Lord asks the Pharisees a seemingly simple question. “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22.42) He asks this question as a follow-up to their inquiry just moments before: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” (Matthew 22.36) Unlike my favorite childhood cartoons, the Pharisees did know the Law very well and were known for always following it to the very letter! It makes me wonder why they even bothered to ask the question.



Fortunately for us, St. Matthew tells us up front the reason for the lawyer’s question. The Gospel says, “But when the Pharisees heard that He [Jesus] had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him.” (Matthew 22.34-35) The lawyer had no desire to actually hear what our Lord had to say but wanted instead to trap Him into some nuance in the Law. What they didn’t expect was that they were asking the author of the Law about the Law.



God is the Author of the Law and there isn’t anyone who would dare challenge the author of a law as to its meaning so why challenge God? I believe the answer is in the lawyer’s inability to recognize Jesus Christ as God. The Pharisees and Sadducees were so wrapped up in being superior to commoners, such as carpenters (such as Jesus was) they were blinded to the truth. And the truth is, God’s Law rules above all other laws, but just as its strange to see the Road Runner standing in mid-air, it is strange seeing God’s wisdom and Law from our perspective. From our perspective as fallen human beings in need of healing, God’s Law just doesn’t make sense.



“Jesus asked them saying, ‘What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He? They said to Him, ‘The Son of David.’ He said to them, ‘How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool’’?” (Matthew 22.42-44) Of course Jesus, being God, knows exactly how this can be, but because He wants to lead the Pharisees and Sadducees into the Truth, He invites them to take notice of the (what I would call) lack of common sense revealed in David’s Son being His Lord. But they couldn’t see the Truth because they wouldn’t let go of their earthly logic and laws of nature. In their pride, they refused to see how someone’s son could also be their lord.



In their pride they were unable to go to the only logical conclusion: “With man this in impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19.26) Saint John Chrysostom says, “For those men gained nothing, taken captive by vainglory and having fallen upon this terrible passion.” (Homily LXXII on Matthew)



Now back to the Law. “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments, hang all the Law and Prophets.’” (Matthew 22.37-40) Immediately we begin to understand just why the Pharisees and Sadducees may have been confused. They asked which law, which single law, was the great one; and Jesus answered with two laws and then says the Law rests one of the Laws. How could the entire Law rest on itself? There has to be some greater authority than the Law itself. It’s kind of like asking why the Road Runner could float in mid-air and not the coyote. The statement, from their perspective, just made no sense.



The Bible is full of statements that, from our fallen human perspective, just don’t make sense. “Whoever shall lose His life shall gain it.” (Matthew 16.25) “He who desires to be the greatest shall be the servant of all.” (Mark 9.35) “Ask for a drink you and shall never thirst again?” (John 4.14) And don’t forget, “He who comes after me was before me.” (John 1.30) From our perspective none of these statements make sense; so when Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves, we just add that to list.



But God’s Law DOES make sense. We just have to change our perspective. We have to begin looking at life from God’s point of view. We must stop placing our trust in what the world and “worldly logic” tells us makes sense and beginning to trust in God’s Word and see things from His point of view. And what is God’s point of view? The Lord says…

"For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery. Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5.20-48)

 

You see my brothers and sisters in Christ, from God’s perspective He WANTS us to be perfect. He doesn’t want us to settle for what makes sense from our worldly perspective. It is worldly perspective that gave the world hundreds of wars and the Holocaust of World War II. It is worldly logic that has created the worst economy since the Great Depression. And it will be worldly logic that keeps us away from God when He calls us into His Kingdom just as it was worldly logic that kept the Pharisees and Sadducees from recognizing Jesus Christ as God – the Author of the Law!



It’s time for us to change our perspective. It’s time to start looking at life the way God looks at it. It’s time to give up our pride and vainglory and actually hear the Word of God. “Wisdom arise! Let us HEAR the Holy Gospel.” (from the Divine Liturgy) My brothers and sisters, God doesn’t want us to just listen, He wants us to HEAR it with our hearts.

Beware the Price of Pride

Today we are honoring the gruesome martyrdom of “the greatest man ever born of a woman,” (Matthew 11.11) as a warning against pride and greed. John the Baptist stood as a bold and public defender of truth and morality when he reminded Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." (Mark 6.18) Later as Herodias’ daughter danced for Herod, he was so taken by her beauty that he swore to give her anything she wanted. Since it was Herodias that Herod desired, and whom John the Baptist reminded that he could not have, Herodias convinced her daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. As if this was not enough, scripture says, “And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.” (Mark 6.26) Herod allowed his lust, pride, and ego to dictate his actions. According to the Scriptures Herod did not want to kill John the Baptist, “knowing that he was a just and holy man.” (Mark 6.20)



How many times do we allow our pride and ego to dictate our actions? Too many times! What is the worst thing that would have happened if Herod had refused Herodias’ daughter and saved John’s life? He wouldn’t have been able to have an affair with her for one thing, but Herod’s lust could not allow that to happen.



We must watch carefully because our passions lurk around every corner to urge us to some immoral act, but we must deny the passions and remain faithful to God and His commandments. We must control our passions rather than allowing our passions to control us. This is why we must fast! Today the Church calls for a strict fast day in honor of the martyrdom of John the Baptist and also as an opportunity for us to take control of our passions. Is it too much to fast today, or is eating meat more important than controlling our passions? We know the result of Herod’s passions…what will be the result of our passions?

Are We Lucky or What? We Have Inherited God’s Kingdom!

Just the other day, like happens so often, I was asked who I was. This time the conversation went something like this:

Young Man: “Are you a preacher?”

Me: “Yes, I’m the Priest from the Greek Orthodox Church on Cashua.”

Young Man: “Where?”

Me: “You know….the Church across from CreekRats.” His friend new exactly where that was…

Young Man: “I don’t know where that is.”

Me: “Where do you go to Church on Sundays?”

Young Man: “###Church.”

Me: “Where is that?”

Young Man: “I don’t know. On Palmetto I think.”

Me: “But you go right? So do you know where it is?”

Young Man: “I don’t know where it is. I don’t drive.”

Me: “Oh, as long as you go.”

A few minutes later the young man approaches me again…

Young Man: “So what is the Greek Orthodox Church?”

Me: “The original Church. You know…before Baptists and Protestants. The first Church that the Apostles started.”

Young Man: “What’s the difference.” This is a question I always get more often than who am I.

Me: “Well, in a nutshell….” And I spent about two minutes explaining that all the other Churches are in some way changes to the original but that the Greek Orthodox Church hadn’t changed ever.

Young Man: “I’ll have to stop by some time.”

Me: “Please do. You are welcome to come anytime.” And we parted ways but not before saying a polite goodbye.

I have conversations like this almost every day but what made this one stick out was that I was working on today’s sermon. That’s when it occurred to me that this morning’s Gospel is actually the answer I should have given the young man.

Our Lord begins, “There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.” (Matthew 21.33) This in essence is the answer to this young man’s question. The Orthodox Church is the vineyard planted by God and we have been given the Church, as a gift, until He returns.

This gift we call the Church has a very long and grand history. The Church was established by God in the Garden of Eden when He created humanity. When He originally created humanity, it was His desire for us to live in total communion with Him but we fell short. Almost immediately, humanity fell to temptation in the Garden and the rest of history is the story of God’s rescue mission to restore us to our original glory: to live in communion with God.

And I bet you thought the Church was started only 2000 years ago by the Apostles. I even used those same words with the young man I was speaking with the other day. But in fact, the Church was started by God in the Garden long before Peter and Andrew the rest of the Apostles met Jesus Christ. That’s what makes this morning’s Gospel so amazing. Just listen to this…

“Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.” (Matthew 21.34-36) These servants were the Holy Prophets and Righteous of the Old Testament. Despite every effort they were unable to rescue the fruit from the vineyard. The fruit is us, humanity – men and women, which God has been trying to save ever since the devil tricked us in the Garden of Eden.

The Lord continues with the parable: “Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.” (Matthew 21.37) And we all know what they did to His Son! And STILL God didn’t give up trying to save us. “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their season.” (Matthew 21.41)

That’s where we come in! Ever since God started the Church as His mission to save humanity from death, He has never given up nor forgotten us. Even after they killed His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, God never stopped trying to save us from death. We, Orthodox Christians, have been given the vineyard to care for until His returns. What an awesome gift! We have inherited something priceless from the Jews, the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God has been described in many ways by Christ: A field of seeds; a mustard seed; leaven; hidden treasure, a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, a fishing net, a king who wants to settle accounts, a landowner who went to hire laborers for his field, a king who arranged for the marriage of his son, a man traveling in a far country. (Matthew 13.24-52, 18.23, 20.1, 22.2, 25.14) Do you see what a great inheritance we have? The Church is the Kingdom of God in all these ways and we have been given the gift of taking care of it until He returns and finally we are saved from death.

If the Church is the vineyard, then WE are the fruit and just like any other vine we have to be watered and nurtured so we can produce good sweet fruit. Jesus says to the Jews, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruit of it.” (Matthew 21.43) Just think of what this gift really means.

Throughout human history, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3.23) And still God never stopped, He never gave up, He never let our sins get the best of us. He continued, and still continues to today and will continue until He returns, with His mission to rescue us from death. Saint Paul really set the record straight when he said, “God has passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3.25-26)

Faith is the only thing God asks from us. Not “do-nothing” faith but active faith. All the images Jesus gives for the Kingdom of God are active images: a working king, fishing net, a traveling man. None of these images suggests that our faith is lazy. We are a vineyard and if we are going to bear fruit for God we have to work! But at what?

We must cultivate our fruit – the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5.22) If we are going to bear fruit for God we must cultivate these traits in our lives and we only have until God returns to produce fruit!

Don’t be afraid my dear brothers and sisters. We human beings have been making mistakes for thousands of years and we will continue to make mistakes. I know I have made more than my share of mistakes. But God is good and He will never give up on us.

So the next time someone asks you what the Orthodox Church is remember…we are God’s vineyard – the Kingdom of God, and we have been given this great inheritance…are we lucky or what?