Dear Friends
The history of the human race is the story of passing the blame: a bad harvest, loss of livestock, freak weather, defeat in war have nearly always been attributed to failures of someone else. “They are the problem,” I cry out, “it’s their fault.”
And this has been true from the beginning. When God asked Adam how he knew he was naked and if he had eaten from the tree, he replied,
The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.
And likewise the woman,
The serpent deceived me, and I ate.
Genesis 3:12,13
And we read throughout the first few chapters of Genesis of fall after fall of our race so that we all must live subject to death, sin and idolatry. We want to worship, we need to worship, but we place before our eyes that which does not deserve worship—money, power, possessions, pleasures. Sin creeps in, and as the Apostle Paul writes,
For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.
Romans 7:15
For even though we want to do good we fail, we do what we do not want. And our whole life we live in fear of death—fear of becoming weaker, of living subject to the care of others, fear of dying.
Yet God does not leave us subject to the enemies: he finds Abram of Ur, gives him the name Abraham and builds a new nation from him based on faithfulness. And all the promises to Abraham are fulfilled in the best of our race, for from her parents Joachim and Anna came Mary who could reply to the Archangel,
Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.
Luke 1:38
It was she alone who could answer with all humility, neither bringing glory to herself nor passing responsibility for this great action to another.
And in this Incarnation, this becoming human, of Christ we find one who does not pass the blame despite being blameless, who accepts the consequences of sin despite being sinless, who is crucified with the wicked despite being righteous. Christ, who rises from the tomb and brings new life to all, is our example, our leader, our God.
And we can join his victory: every time we do not pass the blame to another is an act of defiance against the world, every time we forgive even when another has done an evil act against us we proclaim the Resurrection of Christ, every time we reject the true powers of this age—no mere men but demons—we unite ourselves to love and to life.
My dear brothers and sisters, be united with Christ through his Church. Let us not merely know about him but be united to him—through prayer, through giving, through the Mysteries of the Church. And in knowing him he will know us and honour us as heirs of the promises of God.
We have taken the decision to no longer ask those present in our services to wear a face-mask nor take a lateral flow test, though you are welcome to keep doing so if you would prefer. Please consider refraining from attending if you are suffering with symptoms or have had a positive Covid test.
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Sermon
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
“I know what people need,” I tell myself, “they need the Orthodox Church. And I will bring them to it.” And I work to bring people to the Church. But I go about this in the wrong way: “they need me to bring them:” I lie to myself, “they need me.”
Such a focus, dear brothers and sisters, is wrong: they do not need me. The person they need is the one who has authority to forgive sins, they need Christ. Each of us should never lose focus that we should not place ourselves at the forefront, that we should vanish into the background and make room for Christ, make room for God.
Four friends of a man knew this. They knew that they themselves were powerless to help their friend, that they could not do anything save bring him bread so that he might live to the next day, but they knew a man who could. And they heard that Jesus of Nazareth was at home. They took their friend to Christ. And not being put off by a crowd, or by ridicule, or by shouting, or by any other obstacle, they brought him to Christ. …
Read last Sunday’s Sermon, The Centre.
Archive of Past Sermons.
Services this week
Friday 25th March
Prayers of the Salutations followed by a discussion on the book of Exodus, 8 pm
Online only
Saturday 26th March
Vespers, 6.30 pm
At St Francis’ Hall, Eastleigh
Sunday 27th March
Divine Liturgy, 9.30 am
At St Francis’ Hall, Eastleigh
Online session is via Google Meet: please get in contact for the details.
Please join us: all are welcome, come and see.
Attending Church
We will be meeting at St Francis’ Hall, Nightingale Avenue, Eastleigh, SO50 9JA. Come and See.
Can I help you?
I am here for you, you need only ask. Is there a way I can support your life of faith? Get in touch.
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]