August 20, 2023 Wisdom 13:1-13, Romans 14:13-23, Matthew 16:1-12

As preached by Sister Cecelia
Holy Wisdom Church

Early peoples were so impressed with creation that they made gods out of what had been created: fire, wind, water, sun, and moon among a host of others. God’s imagination has created creatures that run, walk, swim, slither, waddle, hop, and fly. We witness on this earth profuse expressions of our God creating life. That is why Scripture summarizes the wonder of God’s creation with these simple words: God is Love.

To be fashioned in the image of God, as Scripture says, means that we are gifted with this potential. We are not merely consumers; we are life-giving creators. We can create peace and justice. We can create connections between diverse peoples. We can create art and music. We can plant, grow, and cultivate life.

Metanoia, conversion, is an ancient concept. Early seekers went to the desert to escape the spiritual aridity of the cities, the lack of love within these cities. Their “flight from the world,” and their separation from the systems and corrupted values that drove the world around them, was fundamental to the conversion of seeking purity of heart and single-mindedness in their contemplation and search for this God of love.

Changing the way we go about the externals of life is not all that difficult. Real change is changing the way we look at life. That is the stuff of conversion. Monastic life is very helpful, but any kind of community living can be beneficial to our conversion.

We do not need to leave where we are in order to contemplate God. Jesus—the healer, the prophet, the teacher—was surely contemplative as he walked the dusty roads of Galilee surrounded by the sick, the children, the disciples, and crowds of the committed and the curious.

“Flight from the world” is not about leaving any specific location. It is about shedding one set of attitudes, one kind of consciousness for another. We need a different state of mind. We have to be in our workplace with the good of the whole world in mind. We have to be in the home with the good of those we live with as our first concern. Is that self-denial? Perhaps. Jesus does tell us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him. It means denying our false self. The true self recognizes who I am in relation to God. Losing my life means surrendering day after day.

Love then is not just a warm fuzzy feeling. It is a mindset, an approach, a behavior, a decision, a choice. It means opting to treat others well and to do right by them out of an open-minded, open-hearted, and open-handed spirit of goodwill.

What makes prayer and the contemplative inner life so compelling is that it is a progressive initiation into a mystery that has been unfolding throughout the ages and in our own life span. The mystery is such that it can never be taken in fully at once. It takes patience, as it is revealed more and more through time, expanding its scope, through the Spirit helping us to see and perceive how limitless is the love that draws all creation into the very life of God. 

Nothing is forever. Change happens. Learning to live in the now, realizing the value of the present makes for a fullness of life. 

Christ is in our midst!

 

Sermon 190 August 15, Lk 1:39-55, Gal 3:26-4:5, Gn 28:10-17 Dormition

 

As preached by Brother Luke

Holy Wisdom Church

 

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

 

       I remember when my mother died, one of the letters of condolence that I received began: "Mothers are special." Of course, everyone is special. Special to us and in God's eyes. But mother's are in a rarefied category. And it is no surprise that the Mother of God should be in a special category all by herself. But not out of touch with us.

       On this day of special remembrance of the Theotokos, her passing into the life beyond this life, we should take time to consider what she has meant to us as Christians and why her example of faith can still teach important lessons today.

       To begin with, she is one of us. She is 100% human. She doesn't just identify with our circumstances, she participates in them throughout her life. So when believers pray to her for help she knows the human condition. She also shows us faith and courage at a young age. Sometimes we now say that young people today have to grow up fast. Imagine facing the decision she had to face as a young girl? But she agreed to God's plan and thereby made possible the incarnation, which opened the door to our salvation.

       As a mother she cared for her son for the 30 years he lived with his family. As all mother's would, she worried for his welfare, notably when he seemed to be lost in Jerusalem. She listened to her son and pondered in her heart what he said and what was said to her about him. And when her son began his ministry, she was with him, notably at the Wedding at Cana where she prods him to act to save the married couple embarrassment. And she says to the servants: "Do whatever he tells you to do." A message for us as  well.

       She was with those friends who followed Jesus in his ministry. She stood with him through the trials he suffered, right to the very end, including standing by him as he died on the cross. She is the ultimate example of a person of faith, steadfast in fidelity to Jesus. And he to her. Jesus commended her care to St John and then he received her into his arms at her passing as the Dormition icon portrays. So we can learn from her life of faithfulness to Jesus and his gospel message. Her passing forecasts the destiny to which all believers are called. No wonder she has been an essential part of Christian piety since the beginning.

       Next time you visit our Transfiguration Temple, take a few moments to contemplate the calendar icon on the south wall. It is the one from Russia that has images of saints for every day of the year. But you might also notice that surrounding the calendar of saints are 36 images of the Theotokos, each one a recreation of a famous icon of the Theotokos. The message is remarkable. The Theotokos has been a present help and supporter of all the saints throughout history. Her manifestations in various times and places, surrounds this cloud of Christian witnesses as it does all of us who inhabit this world of time and space. And each image of the Theotokos, as is traditional in Orthodox iconography, includes Christ. This is a double reminder of the human and divine nature of Jesus. And the ultimate message of our faith is at the top of the icon, an image of the resurrection of Christ. And none of this Christian history happens without the Theotokos.

 

Most Holy Theotokos, pray for us!