Dear Friends
Creation is renewed when Christ descends into the waters of the Jordan. The Lord has come and been announced to the world, to magi and to shepherds, to Herod and all Jerusalem, and now he comes to fulfill his mission, to free us from the slavery to demons—slavery through death, slavery through sin, slavery through idolatry.
Thou didst bow Thy head to the Forerunner, thereby crushing the heads of the dragons. And having stood in the streams, Thou didst illuminate the whole creation. Wherefore, let it glorify Thee, O Saviour, Thou Illumination of our souls.
Hymn after ‘Glory’ (Doxasticon) of Vespers
The demons which were defeated here—called dragons in this text from Vespers—were those that live in the water. They have been encountered by many cultures through history: Yam appeared to the Canaanites, Marduk to the Mesopotamians, Poseidon to the Greeks, Neptune to the Romans and even Leviathan appears in Scriptures themselves, along with many others to many other cultures and nations.
And Christ descends into the waters. “The Sea saw it and fled; Jordan turned back.” (Psalm 113:3 lxx) They are on the run, Christ has come and driven them out: the icon of Theophany often has their defeat depicted by small demons in human form, or sometimes as sea monsters, at the bottom being destroyed by Christ’s baptism.
It is this that we participate in at Theophany. We, at the end of the Liturgy on Sunday, take part in the defeat of the pagan gods—the demons—by blessing the water. We take part in the ritual and Christ’s Victory of two thousand years ago does not remain a thing of the past but is part of our present reality, your victory and my victory, today and now.
Come, take part in that Victory and take the water which leads to life, abundant life, eternal life.
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Sermon
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
You, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, and I together are called to emulate the Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John. The one who is greatest among all the prophets, of whom the Lord says “among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist.” (Matthew 11:11, see Luke 7:28) The Evangelist Mark, in quoting the Prophet Malachi, says “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way;” (Malachi 3:1) note my dear brothers and sisters, the messenger is before the face of God, that he is therefore in the presence of God, and goes out before him.
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Read last Sunday’s sermon, Emulate the Forerunner.
Archive of Past Sermons.
Services this week
Friday 7th January
Discussion on the book of Genesis, 8 pm
Online only
Saturday 8th January
Vespers, 6.30 pm
At St Francis’ Hall, Eastleigh
Sunday 9th January
Divine Liturgy, 9.30 am
At St Francis’ Hall, Eastleigh
Online session is via Google Meet: please get in contact for the details.
As part of our measures against Covid-19, we strongly request all who attend our services to take a lateral flow test prior to attending.
Please join us: all are welcome, come and see.
Attending Church
We will be meeting at St Francis’ Hall, Nightingale Avenue, Eastleigh, SO50 9JA. It is presently a requirement that you wear a mask unless exempt. Come and See.
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Can you help the mission?
Yes, absolutely. Offer yourselves to the Lord: pray! Make available to him all your talents and ask him how he would like you to use them — listen for his reply.
Your prayers!
With love in Christ
Fr Alexander
[email protected]