Fr. Joseph Huneycutt's Review of The Forgotten Faith: Ancient Insights for Contemporary Believers from Eastern Christianity (Cascade Books, 2013)

REVIEW: The Forgotten Faith – by Philip LeMasters

January 15, 2014 By Fr. Joseph Huneycutt Leave a Comment

This book is an excellent treatise on the Eastern Orthodox Christian Faith, written primarily for seekers of Truth by a former Baptist, Father Philip LeMasters, a priest of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America and pastor of St Luke Orthodox Church, Abilene. Fr Philip is also the Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Religion at McMurry University and the Corporate Secretary of the Board of Trustees of St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary.

That’s a mouthful of cred about the author – a man I know personally – but I had no knowledge of the man wrote the Foreword:  Everett Ferguson.  This mystery, at least for me, adds to the melody of this work as I will explain later.

Right out of the gate, in the Preface, the tenor is set:

Christianity in our culture is often a mile wide and an inch deep.  It provides a bit of inspiration and moral guidance that prop up whatever way of life particular people happen to want.  Heaven forbid, however, that Jesus Christ should actually require something of us or challenge our preconceived notions about the good life.  This book invites readers to encounter something entirely different … (xi)

The author then lays out the essence and practice of Orthodox Christianity with the straightforward precision of an experienced teacher.  His agenda seems to be:  The better I teach, the more you learn, the fewer questions go unanswered.  The teaching is methodical, practical, and convincing.  Fr Philip loves Eastern Christianity, believes his beloved to be unique and true, and presents his love to you with love.  If you are looking for a book that compares and contrasts various Christian beliefs and traditions, passing judgments on the same, this is not your choice, nor his task.

Then again, as is well attested, if you are looking for a book by an adult convert to the Ancient Christian Faith you have a plethora of sundry titles to choose from these days.  Some have even joked that, upon conversion to Orthodoxy, one’s published testimony seems almost required!  What sets this book apart is the style of the presentation.

When my mother asked me once whether I regretted my religious upbringing as a Baptist, I assured her that I did not.  Orthodoxy is the fulfillment of all the good Christian teaching and formation that I received in the denomination of my youth.  I honestly don’t think that I have rejected anything from my earlier Christian experience, though much has been completed and put in a larger and healthier spiritual context.  (10)

No fears, though, as Fr Philip’s latest book does not include a “Sinners Prayer” or a Pledge Form:

If this book serves to enrich the spiritual lives of those who read it and to encourage them to learn more about Eastern Christianity, it will have met my goal in writing it.(13)

Beginning with Moses and the revelation of God in the Burning Bush, Fr Philip goes about presenting the Holy Trinity in a way that appreciates the mystery but leaves little to be questioned.  By the time the Incarnation appears, readers are already poised to embrace the central tenet of the Ancient Faith. Whether the Trinity, the Incarnation, of the perpetual Virginity of Mary, the key to the mystery is the same:

Our knowledge of God is limited entirely to what he has revealed. (30)

To know him is to be in relationship with him, to experience and participate in his life.(32)

Then, when even “Bible Believing Christians” might be ready to shout Amen, this former Baptist writes:

The Bible is part of the truth passed down in the Body of Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but not the only authoritative witness of God’s truth.  The contents of the New Testament were not formally canonized until around AD 400, but the Church had been worshipping and proclaiming the gospel ever since the day of Pentecost.  The Son of God was incarnate as a human being, not a book.  When controversies arose that required clarification on matters crucial to the message of salvation, such as the Holy Trinity or the two natures of Christ, councils met at places such as Nicaea and Chalcedon.  They produced creeds and pronouncements that also witnessed authoritatively to the Good News.  Councils, creeds, the canon of scripture, icons, liturgy, the lives of the saints, etc., are all sources of theological knowledge in Eastern Christianity.  There is no need to choose one and reject others.  The Bible is part, but not all, of the tradition. (33)

Then, it must be added before leaving this thought, he states:

Orthodoxy never had or needed a Reformation because the Church did not develop traditions contrary to scripture. (34)

Those who are already members of the Orthodox Church will find much here that is previously known and appreciated but here presented in a succinct, quotable form.  Subjects such as the Eucharist, fasting – even sex – are discussed on a down to earth, common sense level.  And, speaking of levels, Fr Philip softens the message on fasting and asceticism:

A good rule of thumb is to stretch ourselves a bit, but not beyond what we can do with some regularity and without being total jerks to those around us.  No matter how pious we may feel, it is not part of Christian discipleship to make other people suffer for our sins.  (49)

The chapter devoted to Mary is a must read for all who seek answers involving the mystery of the Incarnation:  “Our best example of a human being in communion with God is Mary …”  The revelation of the Mother of God, while ultimately incomprehensible, is presented here in a way that anyone with a mother can appreciate.  One of the stumbling blocks for many Protestant seekers is the Orthodox belief that Mary is Ever-Virgin.  Yet, it is true; the Virginity of Mary is fundamental, elemental, and foundational to the Faith.

My Protestant friends are sometimes surprised to learn the Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Wesley all believed in the perpetual virginity of Mary.  Before the Protestant Reformation, hardly anyone questioned this teaching.  In talking with skeptical friends over the years, I have become comfortable with the conclusion that the Church teaches this point about Mary simply because we believe that it is true.  Had it somehow been otherwise, Christ would still be our Savior.  The point here is not abstract theological necessity, but faithfulness to what the Holy Spirit has revealed. (66)

In sum,

There is no reason to be afraid of honoring his and our mother.  (68)

By far, at least for this reviewer, one of the best sections of the book is titled Football, Liturgical Worship, and Real Life.  (An affinity for football here is a plus, but not mandatory.)  Fr Philip takes the common knowledge of American sport and translates it to the Faith “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).

The church is filled with beautiful icons and the sweet smell of incense permeates the atmosphere.  Parishioners make the sign of the cross many times.  During Sunday Matins they normally come forward to kiss a bejeweled book containing the readings from the Gospels.  After Liturgy, they kiss a cross that the priest holds in his hand.  Orthodox liturgy is a multimedia endeavor that appeals to all five senses.  I have noticed that even high school stadiums in my part of the world now fill the senses with video playing on the score board, fake smoke surrounding the teams as they take the field, and an ongoing battle of the hands throughout the contest.  Cheer leaders, drill teams, and band members – as well as the players, of course – wear glitzy uniforms.  Some fans paint their faces, while many more don their school colors and sometimes wave handmade signs to inspire the players.  Yes, it is a sight to behold.  (70)

Granted, such an analogy excerpted here without full context may leave more than a bit to be desired.  As mentioned, it is a whole chapter.  But, suffice it to say:

Like the spectators at an athletic event, however, we take on a shared identity when we gather publicly to serve something (in this case, Someone) larger than ourselves.  We are the Church, the Body of Christ, in communion with people around the world who believe, worship, and seek to live as Orthodox Christians.  This communion extends even beyond this world to include the great cloud of witnesses that have finished the race together with the heavenly host.  We do not paint our faces or twirl terrible towels or yell “kill him!,” but we do become a new community that together prays, proclaims a shared faith, and takes Communion.  Instead of a tomahawk chop, we make the sign of the cross and bow down making prostration before the Lord.  In place of uniforms, the clergy and altar servers wear vestments that reflect the divine glory of heavenly worship.  They do not stand at the altar in their workaday duds, even as players on the field do not.  They have a special role to play that is not of this world.  (71)

Here are a few more nuggets from The Forgotten Faith:

Orthodox clergy are expected to worship during the services.  (74)

We will look in vain for any passage in the Bible that presents confession of sin as a solitary matter between the individual and God.  (78)

No, infants do not understand what happens in the holy mystery of the Eucharist, but neither do they have to know about the nutritional benefits of mother’s milk in order to profit from nursing.  (79)

Since so many Americans assume that being a good Christian simply means being nice, moral, patriotic, and middle class, we could use some holy fools to shock us out of our complacency.  (97)

Of course, given our current time of societal struggle, seekers will want to know  the Orthodox view of the omnipresent discussion of sex:

Surely everyone struggles with unholy sexual passions in one way or another and there is no room for self-righteous condemnation in genuine Christianity.  The Church provides the same compassion to gays and lesbians that it provides to anyone else who struggles with temptation and humbly asks for God’s mercy when they sin.  Orthodoxy is not homophobic in the sense of having irrational fear or hatred of people who find themselves attracted to members of the same sex or somehow disconnected from their own male or female bodies.  When parishioners go to their priest for counseling on how to lead a holy life and grow as Christians, they receive guidance on how to fight their passions and gain the spiritual strength necessary to abstain from unholy sexual acts of whatever variety.  When people stumble and truly repent, spiritual fathers assure them of God’s forgiveness and help them to get back up and move forward step by step.  The focus is on the journey to theosis, not an unhealthy obsession about sexual desires of any kind.  (136)

It’s a good book.  The Forgotten Faith is a pragmatic, sound exposition of the Eastern Orthodox Christian Faith written by an American convert for Americans who are seeking the Truth.  It also serves as a reminder to those of us who have entered into the communion of the Holy Church just what it is that She, and we, are about.

Now, about the guy who wrote the Foreword; I have only a cursory knowledge of him – which was obtained via Google:

Everett Ferguson (PhD, Harvard) is professor emeritus of Bible and distinguished scholar-in-residence at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas, where he taught church history and Greek. He is the author of numerous works, including Backgrounds of Early Christianity, Early Christians Speak, and Baptism in the Early Church: History, Theology, and Liturgy in the First Five Centuries. He was also general editor of the two-volume Encyclopedia of Early Christianity.

Now that’s some cred!  Dr Ferguson, a Protestant, is a member of the Church of Christ.  Here’s a portion of what he says about The Forgotten Faith:

On moral issues Orthodoxy stands in tension with contemporary issues in American life and culture.  On abortion, marriage, sexual ethics, and euthanasia it holds to the common historical Christian positions.  But on these questions as well as on capital punishment, environmental stewardship, and the danger of greed and consumerism the Orthodox operate from theological commitments, not from a philosophical or political agenda.

Which brings me to this:  Many Americans are searching the Truth; indeed we all long for the Kingdom.  Yet our longing is often whetted by merely surfing the internet, scratching the surface, never venturing far from quick answers provided by instant media.  I did the same to learn but a tiny bit about the author of the Foreword.  But that does not mean I know him.  In the same way, in order to know the Forgotten Faith, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Body of Christ, you must present yourself to Her in worship of the Triune God.  Fr Philip LeMasters, with The Forgotten Faith, has issued the invitation.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/orthodixie/2014/01/review-the-forgotten-faith-by-philip-lemasters.html

St. Vladimir's Seminary Trustee Authors Book that Introduces Eastern Orthodox Christianity to a Broad Audience

http://www.svots.edu/content/seminary-trustee-authors-book-about-orthodox-faith-and-practice

Seminary Trustee Authors Book about Orthodox Faith and Practice

15 January 2014 • Off-Campus • Trustees in the News

Corporate Secretary of the Board of Trustees of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, The Rev. Philip LeMasters, Ph.D., has written a new book titled, The Forgotten Faith: Ancient Insights for Contemporary Believers from Eastern Christianity (2013).  “This book has a lot to teach Western Christians about prayer, worship, fasting, marriage, sacraments, the Bible, Mary and the saints, and cultural engagement,” states the work’s publisher, Cascade Books.

Father Philip’s dual vocations as pastor of St. Luke Orthodox Orthodox Christian Church in Abilene, TX and dean of the School of Social Sciences and Religion at McMurry University presented him with the perfect opportunity to write a book about the spiritual discipline and rich liturgical worship of the Orthodox Church, as sustenance for anyone seeking growth in the Christian faith. Over the years, Father Philip had offered a series of well-received talks to groups of university students visiting his parish, and these then provided the impetus and content for The Forgotten Faith. “If this book serves to enrich the lives of readers while encouraging them to explore the Orthodox Faith, I will have achieved my goal,” the author notes in the Introduction.

In an informal rather than scholarly style, Fr. Philip describes his journey from his Texas Baptist roots to Orthodoxy, incorporating references to his personal history as well as to American popular culture. “LeMasters seeks to explain Orthodoxy to twenty-first-century American Christians,” explains Everett Ferguson in the book’s Foreword.

LINKS:

• Father Philip has authored several other books, including Toward a Eucharistic Vision of Church, Family, Marriage, and Sex (2004, Light & Life) and The Goodness of God’s Creation: How to Live as an Orthodox Christian (2008, Regina Orthodox Press).
• Order The Forgotten Faith
• Read Fr. Philip’s recent presentation: "Philanthropia in Liturgy and Life: The Anaphora of Basil the Great and Eastern Orthodox Social Ethics,” offered at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Christian Ethics in Seattle, Washington, January 9-12, 2014.
• Listen to Fr. Philip’s presentation on Education Day, 2011: “Orthodox Perspectives on Peace, War, and Violence”

Light for Those in Darkness: The Good News of the Gospel on the Sunday after Theophany (Epiphany) in the Orthodox Church

           

             John the Baptist plays a very important role in the season of Epiphany, which we continue to celebrate, because it fell to him to baptize Jesus Christ.  Of course, John did not want to do so because he knew that he was unworthy to baptize the incarnate Son of God.  It should been the other way round.  But in humility, he did what the Lord told Him to do.  And it is in that context that the divinity of our Savior was revealed, as the voice of the Father proclaimed “This is my beloved Son” and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove.  The Holy Trinity was revealed at Christ’s baptism, and surely even John, the Forerunner and Baptist, was amazed.

            But as we probably all remember, John the Baptist did not go on to a long and easy life.  He was imprisoned and ultimately beheaded by King Herod for criticizing the royal family’s immorality.   That’s noted in our gospel text, which refers to John’s arrest.  The gospel text also refers to light shining upon those who were in darkness.  Dungeons and torture chambers and tombs are dark places.  That’s where the man who baptized Jesus Christ ended up for his faithfulness in speaking the word of the Lord.

            Likewise, St. Paul reminds us that He who ascended into heaven, who was raised to the glory of sitting at the right hand of God Father, Jesus Christ, is also He who descended, Who entered fully into the dark waters of the Jordan and to the darkness of life in our fallen, corrupt world where sin and death are our all too familiar companions.   “Those who sat in darkness have seen a great light,” the glory of the eternal Son of God lowering Himself to become one of us at His birth and then to be symbolically buried in the waters of a river in order to make a way for us to enter into the eternal light of His life.

            In our culture, it’s common to think of religion as a coping mechanism, as a crutch that helps people deal with their problems.  Religion is like a commodity, something bought, sold, and marketed to meet the needs of particular people often when life is hard and harsh.  Those are understandable perspectives in a time where many believe in their own existence more than in God’s and in which too many of us think that the universe revolves around our own happiness, however we may define that.

            But the Good News of the Gospel is something entirely different.  Christ was not born and was not baptized merely to help us become a bit better adjusted or to give us what we want.  Instead, He came to make us like Him:  holy, blessed, and radiant with the glory of heaven.  Remember that we were created in the beginning in the image and likeness of God with the calling to become ever more like Him.  Jesus Christ is the Second Adam in Whom that calling is fulfilled and we are enabled to become truly and fully human, to grow into the full stature of Christ. And we do not pursue such a journey alone, for St. Paul teaches that we are to do so by building up the Body of Christ, the Church, by faithful stewardship of the gifts He has given us.

            I don’t know about you, but I am increasingly skeptical about the conventional means we hear about for solving the world’s problems.  Whether it’s government, business, or politics of whatever persuasion, whether it is what the scholars think or what popular culture produces in entertainment of the media, there is much more darkness than light, there is more despair than hope, there is more that gives rise to fear, worry, and hate than what inspires faith, hope, and love.

            Whether it is the persecution of Christians in Syria and Egypt, the sufferings of victims of war and poverty in Africa, the senseless violence that snuffs out crime victims in our nation, or the lack of love for the unborn, the starving, and the refugee, there is so much darkness in the world that needs the illumination of Jesus Christ, Who called His followers to be a city set on a hill whose good deeds cause others to glorify and give thanks to the Father in heaven.  In other words, we who claim to be in Christ must reflect His light to the world, must become points of light that point the way to the fulfillment and completion of this world as God’s good creation, as the very stuff of which the new heaven and new earth will be made.

            No, our faith is not here simply to reduce our stress or give us beautiful feelings.  It is not the icing on a cake that is otherwise pretty good by itself.  No, our faith is the way, the truth, and the life, the restoration of the high calling and dignity of every human being since Adam and Eve.  How God deals with those outside the Church is His business, but it is incumbent upon us on whom the light of Christ has shined to do all that we can to radiate that in the world, to manifest and reveal what it means for the blind to receive sight, for the sick to be healed, and for the dead to come to life.

            Of course, that may all sound a bit dramatic for us who do well just to come to church, to pray at home, and follow the most basic teachings of Orthodox Christianity.  But whether we are aware of it or not, the light of Christ shines in and through our lives whenever we put someone else’s interests before our own, whenever we help the poor and needy in Whom He is present, and whenever we play even the smallest and most obscure role in strengthening His Body, the Church.

            The truth is that every time that we spend a few minutes in prayer, every time that we read the Holy Scriptures, every time that we come to Church, and every time that we forgive someone or hold our tongue when we are tempted to speak with anger or self-righteous judgment, we become more truly the people we called to be in Jesus Christ.  Whenever we fast or go out of our way to help someone, we step more fully into the light that has dawned upon our darkened world.  Whenever we live like people who have truly dined at the Heavenly Banquet and are in personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we become living epiphanies or manifestations of the divine light. 

            The problem, of course, is that we are all too comfortable with the darkness and with adjusting our spiritual eyes to a cloudy world of sin and death.  We are masters at making excuses, letting ourselves off the hook, and thinking that God wants only an hour or two of our time on Sunday morning.  God isn’t like that, of course, because there are no limits to the divine blessedness and glory to which He calls us.  There are no boundaries to the blazing light that He wants to shine on and through us.  Nothing is off limits from His call to holiness, even as He held nothing back in His birth at Bethlehem or His baptism in the River Jordan.

            We do not have to flee to monasteries or become super pious in order to do that, of course.  Step by step, little by little, we just have to open the darkness in our lives to the Lord.  We can do that right here, right now, regardless of the outward circumstances of our lives.   He has descended into our corrupt life in order to bring us into His eternal glory.  He wants us to become epiphanies or manifestations of the light that shines even from the murky waters of the Jordan.  If, like John the Baptist, we will in humility obey Him as best we can, we can be sure that He will make up what is lacking.  He will illumine us and enable us to be part of that light that is the salvation of the world.  Of course, we are unworthy of such a blessing, which is why our life in Christ is all about mercy and grace which we receive through faith, love, and repentance.  By ourselves, we are as dark as the tomb; but in Christ, we will shine with the light of heaven.  That is the good news that we continue to celebrate in this season of Epiphany.    

Becoming Like Holy Water: A Homily for Theophany (Epiphany) in the Orthodox Church

         

          The focus of this great feast is the Lord’s baptism in the river Jordan by St. John the Forerunner.  Another name for the feast is Theophany, for it is shown—it is revealed at Jesus Christ’s baptism—that He is the Son of God.  Indeed, the Holy Trinity is revealed at His baptism, for the Father says, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased,” and the Holy Spirit descends upon Him in the form of a dove. 

            The meaning of the Feast of Christmas is fulfilled at Theophany, for now it is made clear that the One born in Bethlehem is truly God, come to restore our fallen nature and to renew the entire creation by uniting humanity with divinity in Himself.  And even as the Son of God entered our world at His birth, He now enters the flowing water of a river in order to make it holy, in order to bring His blessing and fulfillment upon the world that He created.  For the entire creation was subjected to futility because of the rebellion of our first parents.  As St. Paul wrote to the Romans, “the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now” for it also “will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. “

            The good news of the gospel is that the Creator has become part of the creation in order to make it a new heaven and a new earth.   We see at Theophany that nothing is intrinsically profane or cut off from the blessing and holiness of God.  All things, physical and spiritual, visible and invisible, are called to participate in the divine glory that our Lord has brought to the world, to become part of the new heaven and earth of God’s kingdom.   Christ’s baptism demonstrates that we, too, are saved along with the rest of the creation, for it is through the water that we share in His life.  “As many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ.”  In baptism, we receive the garment of light that Adam and Eve lost when they distorted themselves and the entire creation with sin and death.  The incarnate Son of God sanctified our flesh and blood at His birth, and at His baptism He sanctifies the water through which our calling as those created in the divine image and likeness is fulfilled.

            When we bless water at the conclusion of liturgy today, we will participate in our Lord’s healing of all reality, for holy water is a sign that every dimension of creation is to be sanctified, to become holy by the fulfillment of God’s original purposes for it.  Even though we pollute it and it is sometimes our enemy in storms and floods in the world as know it, God created water to sustain us and to bring life to the world.  Christ has restored water to its intended purpose by making it holy through His baptism, which is a sign of His intention for every dimension of the universe that He spoke into existence.

            When you have your Epiphany house blessing this year, I will sprinkle holy water in every room of your house, which is a sign of God’s blessing upon even the small details of our daily lives.  It is also a calling to sanctify every aspect of our life and to recognize that every dimension of who we are as human beings is to be baptized into Christ, dying to sin and rising with Him in holiness. True Christianity is not escape from the world or simply a matter of emotion or morality.  No, we are called to become like God, to participate in His infinite holiness to the depths of our souls in every thought, word, and deed.

            So this Theophany, we should become like the water that we will bless later in the service.  That means responding to Jesus Christ’s great blessing of the world such that we share in His life and become more fully who He created us to be in the first place in the image and likeness of God.  No, none of this is magic. If we do not cooperate with our Lord’s mercy by repentance and growth in holiness, holy water will do us no good.  But if in humility and faith we thirst for the fulfillment of our daily lives in Christ, then drinking and being sprinkled with holy water will nourish us spiritually just like water revives a shriveled plant on a hot, dry day.        

            Theophany makes it possible for us to quench our thirst for holiness, for the divine life for which for which we were made.  This is the joyful, blessed life of the Holy Trinity that Jesus Christ has brought to the world.  This Epiphany, let us all stop dying of thirst for God and instead be filled to overflowing by the mercy, presence, and power of the Lord.  And then, like well watered and nourished plants, we will flourish and bear good fruit for the Kingdom of God. 

Congolese Refugees Become Orthodox Christians!

Family from the Congo joins the St. Luke family

Family from the Congo joins the St. Luke church family

• By Loretta Fulton
• Posted December 26, 2013 at 10 p.m.

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PHOTO BY RONALD W. ERDRICH, ABILENE REPORTER-NEWS

Photos by Ronald W. Erdrich/Reporter-News Nuru Idris, 4, is baptized Sunday at St. Luke Orthodox Church in Abilene. The Idris family are refugees from Congo, the family of eight all became members of the church in a ceremony of baptisms and chrismations, an anointing of oil for those previously baptized.

PHOTO BY RONALD W. ERDRICH, ABILENE REPORTER-NEWS

Ronald W. Erdrich/Reporter-News The Idris family and their sponsors ceremoniously walk in a circle around the baptismal Sunday at St. Luke Orthodox Church in Abilene.

PHOTO BY RONALD W. ERDRICH, ABILENE REPORTER-NEWS

Ronald W. Erdrich/Reporter-News Illunga Idris is anointed with oil after his baptism by Father Philip LeMasters at St. Luke Orthodox Church in Abilene Sunday. The Idris family are refugees from Congo, the family of eight all became members of the church in a ceremony of baptisms and chrismations, which is an anointing of oil for those previously baptized.

PHOTO BY RONALD W. ERDRICH, ABILENE REPORTER-NEWS

Ronald W. Erdrich/Reporter-News Augustine Idris, 13, is blessed by Father Philip LeMasters at St. Luke Orthodox Church in Abilene Sunday. The Idris family are refugees from Congo, the family of 8 became members of the church in a ceremony of baptisms and chrismations, an anointing of oil for those previously baptized.

PHOTO BY RONALD W. ERDRICH, ABILENE REPORTER-NEWS

Two-year-old Ziyada, the youngest member of the Idris family, locked her knees when she was placed in the baptismal Sunday at St. Luke Orthodox Church in Abilene. Father Philip LeMasters uses a measuring cup, rather than immersing the child’s head, to perform the rite while Lisa Maikranz holds her hand. Below: LeMasters blesses Augustine Idris, 13.

Every year, members of St. Luke Orthodox Church adopt a family for Christmas through the International Rescue Committee’s Abilene office.

This year, one of those families turned the tables and adopted St. Luke. On Sunday, just three days before Christmas, all eight members of the Idris family, refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, were received and/or baptized into the Orthodox Church.

The parents, Ilunga and Maria, don’t speak English. Four of the six children are enrolled in Abilene schools, Lee Elementary and Craig Middle School, and are learning English. The two other children aren’t old enough for school but are learning English from their siblings and people around them.

It doesn’t matter. A spoken language wasn’t necessary for what the family discovered at St. Luke. They connected with the icons in the church, the incense, the gestures such as making the sign of the cross, and the touch of the priest, Philip LeMasters, as he offered a blessing.

Most of all, they connected with the love of the congregation at St. Luke.

“God led us over there,” Ilunga said through an interpreter, James Mpawenayo. “Our heart followed.”

As it turned out, the Idris family didn’t have far to go to St. Luke. They live only a couple of blocks away, but they didn’t know that when they connected with church members a year ago at an Adopt-a-Family Christmas party that the IRC sponsors each year.

The main contact at the church is Lisa Maikranz, who has traveled to Africa and fell in love with the people and culture. She was thrilled when a part of Africa showed up in Abilene. She met the Idris family at the Adopt-a-Family party in 2012, just a month after the family arrived in Abilene.

“When I saw the little ones, I immediately fell in love,” she said.

Maikranz and her husband, Edward, are the primary caregivers for the family. With assistance from the church, they provide necessities and sometimes take family members to doctor’s appointments or other places. The couple also are the godparents for the three girls now that they have been received into the church.

It seemed almost like a Christmas miracle a year ago when the Idris family realized they lived a little over a block from St. Luke, the church that had shown them so much love. Members attended the IRC Christmas party and presented gifts to the Idris family.

“A couple of weeks later, they showed up at our parish,” Maikranz said. “They have not missed a service since.”

A year later, that bond has grown even stronger and now the Idris family and the St. Luke family are one.

That bond made the connection between the Idris family and their new home complete. Through the interpreter, Ilunga said St. Luke has proved to be such a welcoming community of faith that his family is delighted to be a part of it.

“We will be happy to stay there a long, long time,” he said.

© 2013 Abilene Reporter-News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 

http://www.reporternews.com/news/2013/dec/26/family-from-the-congo-joins-the-st-luke-family/

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!: A Homily for Christmas in the Orthodox Church

Epistle to the Galatians 4:4-7

The Gospel According to St. Matthew 2:1-12

Christ is Born!  Glorify Him!

            The glorious feast of Christmas is finally here, and what a wonderful and miraculous blessing it is.  For the Eternal Word of God has become a human being, a helpless babe laid in a manger.  Angels sing in His honor.  The lowly shepherds and the foreign wise men worship Him.  A young virgin becomes a mother, not simply of a Son, but of the Son of God.   And kings tremble, for this baby brings to earth a Kingdom not of this world.

            The good news is that Jesus Christ is born this day, not to judge or to destroy us, but to save and bless us.  He is the Second Adam in Whom the corruption of the first Adam is healed.  By becoming one of us, He brings us into the life of God.  We are made holy, we are fulfilled, we are raised to life eternal in Him.

            Our Lord brings His great joy to the world humbly and peaceably.  He does not arrive in the earthly splendor of a king, with the military power of a conquering general, or in the material comfort of the rich. Instead, He takes the lowest, most vulnerable place for Himself:  born in a cave used as a barn to a family that lived under the oppression of the Roman Empire and the cruelty of Herod.  Soon Joseph would take the Virgin Mary and the young Jesus to Egypt by night, fleeing for their lives from a wicked, murderous king.       What a difficult, lowly way to come into a dark and dangerous world.

            But when we pause to consider the glory of our Lord’s Incarnation, we shouldn’t be surprised at all.  For what does it mean for the Immortal One to put on mortality?  What does it mean for the One Who spoke the world into existence to become part of that creation?  What does it mean for the King of the universe to become subject to the kings of the world?  Let’s be clear: it means humility and selfless, suffering love that are beyond what we can understand.  For our Lord, God, and Savior is not a rational concept to be defined, but a Person whose life we are to share.   And so that we could share in His life, He entered into ours, sanctifying every bit of the human experience, every bit of our life, literally from the womb to the tomb that could not contain Him.

            The wise men and the shepherds show us how to respond to the unbelievably good news that God has become a human being:  they worship Him.  Let us follow their example this Christmas season by worshiping Him with our lives, by opening ourselves to the glorious transformation that the Incarnate Son of God has brought to us.  For Christ is born, and the peace and joy of God’s kingdom are ours even as we live and breathe in this world.  Christ is born, and we encounter Him in every human being, especially the poor, needy, weak, and outcast.  Christ is born, and we are made participants in the eternal life for which we were created.

            Yes, this wonderful news really is true.  And the only limits on the blessing of Christmas are those that we place on ourselves.  For the One Who comes as a humble, meek, peaceable baby in a manger never forces us or anyone else.  He is the Mystery of Love made flesh for our salvation.

            This Christmas, let us be like Mary the Theotokos who received Him with joy, like the elder Joseph His steadfast protector, and like the strange combination of shepherds and Persian astrologers who first worshiped Him.  Let us welcome Him into our life, for He has already brought us into His.

Christ is Born!  Glorify Him!

                    

Advent is a Time to Accept the Invitation to the God's Great Banquet in Jesus Christ: Homily for the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers in the Orthodox Church

                                                                     Luke 14:16-24
     Today is the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, when we commemorate all those in the Old Testament who foretold or prefigured the coming of Christ, from our first father Adam to the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. We remember today that the Incarnation of our Lord did not simply occur one day out of the blue, but was the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan to bring humanity into His divine life. No one was forced, of course, to prepare for our Lord’s coming. Today we honor those who responded in freedom to God’s calling, who accepted His invitation to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. And in this season of Advent, we want to be like them, which is sometimes a struggle. For we all face powerful temptations to excuse ourselves from the blessing and joy of the Kingdom.

     Today’s gospel text reminds us of what is at stake. For when a great man invited people to a great feast, they all had better things to do. They turned down the invitation because they had land to inspect, oxen to test, or family responsibilities. So their places at the banquet were taken by the most unlikely of party guests: the poor, the maimed, the blind, and the lame. Strangers from the highways and hedges came to the celebration, but none of those who were originally invited tasted of the supper.

     The Lord often used the image of a great feast for the Kingdom of God. This parable reminds us that many of Jesus Christ’s own people, the Jews, refused to accept Him as the Messiah, refused to accept His salvation, while many of the Gentiles—the mostly unlikely people—did accept Him. But we would miss the meaning of this passage for us if we think that it refers simply to what happened long ago to other people. For we too have been invited to the Heavenly Banquet, to the life of the Kingdom of God. And unlike the people of the Old Testament, we have more than the Law and the Prophets to foreshadow the coming of Christ. We have Him, living in our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit; nourishing our souls with His Body and Blood; we are members of His Body, the Church; He is the Bridegroom and we are the Bride. The Incarnation has already occurred. Christ has united our fallen, corrupt humanity to divinity. He has brought us into the life of the Holy Trinity. We could not ask for more.

     But unfortunately, we often act like those who refused to attend the great banquet in today’s gospel lesson. That is, we get so fixated on the cares and worries of daily life that we become blind to the great blessing and glory to which our Lord invites us. The problem is that we make false gods of our possessions, work, family, relationships, and other cares. Instead, of seeing that these good things have their proper and healthy place only when we offer them to the Lord—and that they all provide opportunities to grow in holiness, we tend to choose them instead of God.

     So we would rather worry than pray; we would rather obsess about our problems and fears than serve our neighbors, forgive those who have offended us, and find healing for the damage that our sins have done in our own lives. Instead of making our life a Eucharist, instead of offering every bit of who we are to the Lord for blessing and fulfillment, we try to live on our own terms. And when we do, we turn away from the greatest blessing of all, from participation in the eternal life of our Lord and His Kingdom. And consequently we shut ourselves out of the great banquet of God and turn away from the unspeakable glory that is ours in Christ Jesus.

     The problem is not with our possessions themselves, or our work, or marriage and family life. These are all blessings from the Lord; no, the problem is with us. As we never tire of saying in the Orthodox Church, we have disordered desires and broken relationships that make it so easy for us to make false gods of other people, of our daily responsibilities, our hopes and dreams in life, and just about everything else. Envy, pride, anger, lust, greed, and other passions tempt us mightily to believe that satisfying our self-centered desires really is more important than loving and serving God and neighbor. And if we are not careful, these temptations will lead us to become like the people in the gospel lesson who really believed that they had better things to do than to share in the great joy of the Lord’s banquet.

     Christmas, of course, is a banquet, a great feast. It is a celebration of our salvation in the God-Man Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God Who became a human being in order to unite our fallen, corrupt humanity with divinity, to bring us from mortality to immortality. No matter how the Nativity Fast has gone for us so far, we all have a choice whether we will use the ten days to prepare to enter more fully into the blessed truth and reality of the Incarnation. And it’s clear what we need to do: to confess our sins and repent, as we do in the Sacrament of Confession that we should all take during Advent; to be generous to the needy and kind to the lonely; to fast in a way appropriate to our spiritual strength and life circumstances; to pray, to open our hearts, souls, and minds to God deliberately and regularly in prayer; to be mindful, refusing to dwell on unhealthy thoughts or to act in ways that do not show the love of Christ; and to say the Jesus Prayer as often as we can, especially when our minds are inclined toward something that we know is not pleasing to the Lord.

     No, these spiritual disciplines won’t make us saints overnight and we won’t do them perfectly. But that’s not really the point. Instead, these disciplines are our way of accepting the invitation of our Lord to the banquet of His Kingdom, of offering our cares, worries, and relationships for blessing and fulfillment. They are how we fight our passions, resist our temptations, and do what we can to prepare to receive Him at Christmas. They are what Advent is all about.

     We have less than two weeks left before Christmas. We could say that the shepherds, wise men, and angels are on their way to Bethlehem. We should be on our way also. The preparation for the feast will soon begin. Will we be ready? Will we accept the invitation to the feast? I certainly hope so. For we stand at the end of a very long line that goes back to Adam, the first-created; that extends through Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Ruth, David, Bathsheeba; Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel; that includes Joachim, Anna, and the Theotokos.

     The good news of Christmas is that in Christ Jesus, the fulfillment of all God’s promises are extended to people like us, who are blinded and sickened with sin, who suffer from the pain, weakness, and corruption of life in the world as we know it, and who are not yet perfect. In the Babe of Bethlehem, even people like you and me are invited to take our place with the Holy Forefathers and Foremothers of Christ in the heavenly banquet and to become participants in the Divine Glory.

     Now is the time to get ready for His coming, to put aside our excuses, to set right what has gone wrong in our lives, and to prepare to receive Him with the fear of God and faith and love at the great feast of Christmas. Unfortunately, some did not recognize Him at the first Christmas. King Herod tried to kill him, and so many who should have known better rejected the Lord during His earthly ministry, even crucifying Him as a blasphemer and a traitor. Yes, some really did turn down their invitations to the blessedness of the Kingdom, preferring political and religious power to Christ’s salvation.

     Nothing that we do will probably be so dramatic, but the same thing is at stake: Will we make our marriages, our finances, our work, our friendships, and our life plans points of entry into the joy of the Lord? Will we accept our Savior’s invitation not to be distracted from receiving the eternal life that He has brought to the world? Our response will be shown by what we do with the last next ten days of Advent.

Jesus Christ is our Peace and Liberation from Captivity in All Its Forms: Homily for the 24th Sunday After Pentecost in the Orthodox Church

Luke 13: 10-17

           Ephesians 2:14-22          

             Even as we hear the words of St. Paul in today’s epistle reading that Christ is our peace, we are reminded yet again by the conflict in Syria that our world desperately needs the Prince of Peace Whose birth we will celebrate in a just a few weeks.  We have prayed for months for the release of the kidnapped Metropolitan Paul and Archbishop John, but this week we have added to the list Mother Pelagia and the nuns and orphans of St. Thekla Convent in Maaloula.  They too have apparently been abducted. Following the directive of our own Metropolitan Philip, we are now praying for them all in every service, and I ask you also to remember them in your daily prayers for safety and freedom.

          Even though they live far away and we do not know them personally, these bishops, nuns, and orphans are not strangers to us, but fellow members of the Body of which we are a part. We are one with them in the Flesh and Blood of Jesus Christ.   As St. Paul taught, the Lord has united both Jew and Gentile in His one Body, the Church.  People from all over the world are no longer strangers and foreigners to one another, but “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”  No matter what language we speak or our national or ethnic heritage, we all “have access by one Spirit to the Father.”

          Our Savior came to bring us true peace, the fullness of reconciliation with God and one another.  His peace is manifest when we share a common life as “a holy temple in the Lord…a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”  Of course, we are pleased when wars cease and enemies learn to live together without open violence and hatred.  But Christ came not simply to make our life on earth a bit more tolerable, but to loose us from the bondage and corruption that our sins, and those of all humanity, have brought about.  That is why He was born at Christmas.

          As the Lord was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath, He saw a woman who was bent over and could not stand up straight.  She had been that way for eighteen years.  Just think how she felt, how limiting and frustrating that illness had to be.  He said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.”  Then He laid hands on her and she was healed, was able to stand up straight again, and she glorified God.

          There were those standing around just waiting to criticize the Lord, for He healed her on the Sabbath day, when no work was to be done.  Christ answered these critics by pointing out that everyone takes care of his donkey and ox on the Sabbath.  “So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”  The truth of His teaching was so clear that those adversaries were put to shame and the people rejoiced.

          We see in this gospel text a beautiful image of what the Son of God has done for us by becoming a human being.  For every one of us is like that poor woman bound with an infirmity for eighteen years, unable to straighten herself up.  We see it so clearly in the captivity of our brothers and sisters in Syria, but it is evident also in our own lives in different ways.  For we live in a world of corruption, illness, pain, and death.  We do not like to think about it, but there are harsh, impersonal realities from which we simply cannot isolate ourselves. The horrors of crime and terrorism; disease, addictions, and other infirmities; cycles of violence, abuse, poverty, and brokenness in families and in society; and the inevitability of the grave. We do not have to look far to find ways in which we are all held captive.

          Of course, we all have diseases of soul, of personality, of behavior, and of relationships that cripple us, that keep us from acting, thinking, and speaking as “fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God.”  For we have all fallen short of God’s purposes for us, as has every generation since Adam and Eve.  We are all bent over and crippled in profound ways in relation to the Lord, our neighbors, and even ourselves.   

          Joachim and Anna knew all about long-term struggles and disabilities, for like Abraham and Sarah they were childless into their old age.  But God heard their prayer and gave them Mary, who would in turn give birth to the Savior who came to liberate us all from sin and death.  Tomorrow is the feast of St. Anna’s conception of the Theotokos which we celebrate as a foreshadowing of the coming of the Lord to set us free from the infirmities that hold us captive and hinder our participation even now in the life of the Kingdom.

          The entire history of the Hebrews was preparatory for the coming of the Christ, the Messiah in whom God’s promises are fulfilled and extended to all who have faith in the Savior, regardless of their family heritage.  Christ did not come to privilege one nation over another, but to fulfill our original calling to be in the image and likeness of God; and, yes, that means to share in the eternal life of the Holy Trinity as distinct, unique persons.          God breaks the laws of nature in order to do so, enabling elderly women to conceive and bear children and a young virgin to become the mother of His Son Who Himself rises from the dead.  Yes, this is a story of liberation, of breaking bonds, and of transcending the brokenness and limitations of life in the world in the world as know it.  

          Fortunately, the Lord did not treat the woman in today’s reading according to her physical condition as simply a bundle of disease, even as St. Anna’s fate was not to be defined by barrenness.  Instead, He gave her back her true identity as a beloved person, a daughter of Abraham.  He treated her as a unique, cherished child of God who was not created for a corrupt, impersonal existence of pain, disease, and despair, but for blessing, health, and joy.  She glorified God for this deliverance, as did those who saw the miracle.

          The good news of Christmas is that the Lord is born to do the same for us and for the whole world, to set us free from slavery in all its forms, including the decay, corruption, and weakness that distort us all.  He comes so that we are no longer defined by our divisions from one another and can leave our bondage behind. He comes to restore us as living icons who manifest Christ’s glory and salvation in unique, personal ways.  Have you ever noticed that icons portray people as distinctive persons, that the personality and character of the Theotokos or St. John the Baptist or St. Luke shines through their icons?

          The same should be true of us.  We become not less ourselves, but more truly ourselves, when we open our lives to Christ’s holiness and healing.  In contrast, sin and corruption are pretty boring.  No matter how creative we try to be, there are only so many ways to hate, lie, cheat, and steal.  You can only say so much about murder and adultery.  Holiness, on the other hand, is infinitely beautiful and fascinating.  For the more we share in the life of the Holy Trinity, the more we see that the process of our fulfillment in God is eternal, that there is no end to it or to Him.  And since our fundamental calling as human beings is to grow in the likeness of God, we become more truly and freely ourselves—as distinct, unique persons-- whenever we turn away from slavery to sin and passion in order to embrace more fully the new life that Christ brings to the world.

          As we continue to prepare for Christmas by prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and repentance, we should remember that these spiritual disciplines are ways of participating personally in our Savior’s healing of our sick and weakened humanity. We should welcome the deliverance that He brings into our lives.  And even as we do that, let us remember the kidnapped bishops, nuns, and orphans of Syria in our prayers.  His peace is for them every bit as much as it is for us.  For together with them, we are by God’s grace “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”   

Regaining our Spiritual Vision During Advent: Orthodox Christian Homily on the Healing of the Blind Beggar (14th Sunday of Luke)

 Ephesians 2:4-10

St. Luke 18:35-43

           If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that there have been times when all that we could do was to ask from the depths of our hearts for God’s mercy.  When we have lost loved ones, when we or our family members have been sick or in danger, or when we have not seen a way out of a very difficult situation, our spiritual vision became focused.  Then we called upon the Lord for help, not as a reward for our merits, but because He alone is our salvation and our hope.  

As we continue preparing to celebrate the Nativity of Jesus Christ at Christmas, we are reminded by today’s gospel text of how we all stand before Him:  blind, weak, and in need of blessing beyond our own power or ability.  For our Lord was not born as a reward for humanity’s good behavior, but purely out of the divine love and mercy for human beings, and the rest of creation, deformed and suffering from our sins.   

That is why St. Paul taught that we are saved by grace through faith “and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, lest anyone should boast.” The blind beggar performed no good work that earned the Savior’s mercy.  Instead, he simply called out persistently, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” as the Lord passed by.  Even though others told the man to be quiet and not to cause a scene, he continued to plead for healing.  He succeeded in getting the Savior’s attention, and He asked the beggar only a simple question:  “What do you want me to do for you?”  The blind man responded, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”  Christ said, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.”  Immediately he could see again and began to follow the Lord and to glorify God.

One of the reasons that we practice intensified prayer, fasting, and almsgiving during Advent is to become more like that blind beggar, for we want to long from the depths of our being for our spiritual eyes to be opened by the healing presence of Jesus Christ.  We want our vision to be focused.  It is hard to cultivate that attitude, however, in such a busy time of year, when we are often surrounded by rich food and a cultural obsession with spending money.  So much in the media tells us that the season is about simply indulging ourselves in whatever we want.  Unless we are careful, we can easily be so distracted by our decadent culture that we will not even notice our spiritual blindness, much less want to be healed from it.  Like too many today, we will forget that Christmas is fundamentally about Jesus Christ and not about money, pleasure, or good times with our friends and family. Yes, we will celebrate Christmas as a season that begins on December 25 and leads to Epiphany, but unless we prepare by spiritual disciplines in these weeks of Advent to welcome the Incarnate Son of God into our lives in a new way at His Nativity, we will not have the spiritual eyes to behold the glory of His birth.   We will risk being blind to the salvation that He came to bring the world.

 Nothing that we could possibly do could ever earn or deserve the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, but we must all do our part if we want to open ourselves to His healing presence, if we want to participate personally in His salvation.  For example, the blind beggar kept crying out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  He did nothing other than to persist in calling for Christ’s help, even when others told him to be quiet.  We do not know about this man’s beliefs concerning the Savior.  As a Jew, he probably thought that Jesus was the kind of messiah expected by his people:  a righteous teacher and leader who would bring God’s blessings upon the Jews, but not the Incarnate Son of God.  Christ does not require an elaborate confession from him, however, but took his persistent cries as evidence of his faith.  That is how the man regained his sight.

 On the one hand, we have great advantages over the blind beggar, because we have already put on Christ in the waters of baptism, been sealed with the Holy Spirit in chrismation, and nourished with the Body and Blood of the Lord in the Eucharist.  We have entered into His Body, the Church, and confessed Him in the words of the Creed. We are able at any moment of the day to show the humble faith of the blind beggar through the words of the Jesus Prayer.  

These advantages, however, may tempt us to laziness, for it is easy simply to take the Lord’s mercy for granted.  Remember that Christ said, “To whom much is given, from him much will be required.”  Our spiritual blindness deepens when we allow our faith to be merely a collection of abstract ideas or beliefs and not personal participation in the Divine Energies such that we become like an iron left in a fire that takes on the heat and light of the fire.  In other words, religious doctrines, practices, and traditions do us no good if we do not grow in holiness through them, if they do not become paths to our partaking of the Divine Nature.  Our souls, bodies, and minds must actually be sanctified by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Our spiritual blindness must be overcome.  Otherwise, we simply judge and condemn ourselves by claiming the spiritual advantages of Orthodox Christians without actually embracing them or being transformed by them.    

The more we participate by grace in the life of the Holy Trinity, however, the more we will develop the deep spiritual insight and focus of that blind beggar.  He was certainly aware that he was blind and could not heal himself.  He had no illusions about where he stood before God or in relation to others.  But when he had his chance, he took it and no one could stop him. He zeroed in on the one thing needful; and then the mercy of the Lord healed him and transformed his life.     I wonder if the same can be said of us?  Given the teachings of our Church and the examples set by so many Saints, we should all be clear on the kind of faith and faithfulness that bring us more fully into the life of Christ.  Orthodox Christianity is not a Gnostic sect with secret teachings for an elect few, but a public witness for the salvation of the world.  As hard as it is to believe, we are all called to become holy.  Christ’s mercy is for you, me, and our neighbors just as much as it was for that blind beggar.

That is why we all need to use the disciplines of this season to help us become more aware of our spiritual blindness so that we will be able to regain our spiritual sight.  In other words, the first step in receiving the Lord’s mercy and growing in holiness is to recognize our sinfulness, as we do in Confession. Prayer, fasting, and generosity to the poor and needy are good teachers of our own spiritual sickness because we usually find them so hard to do and, when we actually do them, we often do them so poorly.  Of course, it is prideful to think that we should be the judges of our spiritual disciplines.  Better to follow this advice from St. Macarius of Optina, “Pray simply.  Do not expect to find in your heart any remarkable gift of prayer.  Consider yourself unworthy of it.  Then you will find peace.  Use the empty cold dryness of your prayer as food for your humility.  Repeat constantly:  I am not worthy:  Lord, I am not worthy!  But say it calmly, without agitation.”

In other words, be like that blind beggar who knew that his only hope was in Jesus Christ.  Refuse to give up in prayer for the Lord’s mercy, as well as in whatever types of fasting and almsgiving you are able to do at this point your life.  Use your weakness in all of these endeavors as food for your humility, and get on with the daily life of faith and faithfulness as the Lord strengthens and focuses your spiritual sight as He sees fit.  Surely, there is no better way to prepare to behold the glory of our Savior when He is born at Christmas.