November 2007

First Sunday of Advent -Luke 12:13-31  13Someone in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." 14But He said to him, "Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?" 15Then He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." 16And He told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man was very productive. 17"And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' 18"Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' 20"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' 21"So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  22And He said to His disciples, "  For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 23"For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24"Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!  25"And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span?  26"If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? 27"Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28"But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you?  You men of little faith!  29"And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. 30"For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. 31"But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

And let today embrace the past with remembrance
and the future with longing. Khalil Gibran

Pastors Points of Light

Like most businesses and institutions including churches and other establishments the year end is a time to take account and inventory--An analysis of the past to prepare for the future.  Our parish is no different as it closes its books and prepares to present an accounting to the parish membership at the Assembly in the new year.  This accounting is not only good business, it is necessary in order to lay a solid groundwork for the future and to see how the past can help determine the course for a prosperous future. 

Sociologically too the holidays at year end, beginning with Thanksgiving and culminating with Christmas and the New Year are a time of accounting for all the blessings that God has showered us with.  Make no mistake.  Despite popular culture and the re-engineering of society, these celebrations are profoundly Christian.

While even a secularized society may maintain a nominal "observance" of these milestones in the seasons of life, the Christian understanding of Thanksgiving and Christmas place the emphasis on the Present whose past and future are only reference and context! 

The present is the encounter with the eternal God, the Lord Jesus who from the foundation of eternity is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega[1]. 

An emphasis or inordinate concentration on either the past or the future misses the mark and can become an hindrance to what is real, what is true, what is eternal and what is holy.  Christians cannot truly dignify their calling if they are rapt in nostalgia, feelings of remorse, looking for reasons to complain and gripe lamenting lost opportunities, seeing the glass half empty rather than half full.  Looking back with contempt and pessimism is not only sinful but unfruitful and unedifying.  An unnatural concentration on the future too can be equally dangerous, hoping that things might get better, gambling on good fortune or missing the gracious opportunities and blessings of the moment in God's Presence.  Another danger is to sacrifice today by planning for a tomorrow that will never be.  Our days are numbered our breaths are measured[2]. 

As in the parable, where the rich man foolishly reasoned with himself about the future, we too should heed God's pronouncement saying "You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?'[3]  We need to "seize the day" and see that "This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it."[4]  

The story is told of a farmer who had lived on the same farm all his life. It was a good farm, but with the passing years, the farmer began to tire of it. He longed for a change, for something "better." Every day he found a new reason for criticizing some feature of the old place. Finally, he decided to sell, and listed the farm with a real estate broker who promptly prepared a sales advertisement. As one might expect, it emphasized all the farm�s advantages: ideal location, modern equipment, healthy stock, acres of fertile ground, etc. Before placing the ad in the newspaper, the realtor called the farmer and read the copy to him for his approval. When he had finished, the farmer cried out, "Hold everything! I've changed my mind. I am not going to sell. I've been looking for a place like that all my life."

As Christians, we must face the evil of repetitious vanity produced by sin and see today for what it is.  In good and in bad times, we must give thanks to God for all things seeing His Hand and His blessing in everything.  Lamenting not the past nor hoping foolishly in the future, but "In everything give(ing) thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you"[5].  If every moment unites us to Christ and makes His eternal promise present to us then there is no need to ever be anxious or worry[6], but to be content in the Lord.  God knows our every need and fills us accordingly giving us "every good thing and every perfect gift (is) from above, coming down from the Father of lights."7] 

    Dear faithful, these "Holy days" be a blessing to each of you so that                          

you might see the glorious light of God in Christ who "stored up for us Treasures in Heaven"[8].   I pray that we will come to understand therefore that, unlike worldly possessions[9], "godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment"[10], and that life is not "about what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on"[11], but that in thanksgiving we as a family will "know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich."[12] 

It is my prayer that God will provide each the clarity of spiritual sight and fidelity to the Gospel.   Have a very Merry and Blessed Christmas Season.  God bless your hearts and your homes and may the light of Bethlehem illuminate every household of God, in our parish, our diocese, in Armenia and every Christian home throughout the world.  Amen.

If you haven't all the things you want, be grateful for all you don't have that you don't want. Marty Radcliff

In Christ�s love,

Der Shnork