Dear Friends
From late winter we have been in the period surrounding Pascha. The preparation period—including Lent, the pre-lenten weeks and Great and Holy Week—have led us to prepare to receive again the Resurrection of Christ. And at its completion, we come face-to-face with the empty tomb and the risen Christ.
And our lives are changed. No more need we fear death for death has been led captive, no more can sin hold us for our bonds have been broken, no more are we trapped by idolatry because all authority has been given to Christ (see Matthew 28:18).
And now, on the fortieth day, we come to his Ascension, the apparent end of his earthly, physical life. And the Apostle Paul invites the Church in Philippi, and invites us, to contemplate the mystery of Christ.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
Philippians 2:5–11
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
It is, for St Paul, the obedience of Christ, completely obedient to the will of the Father, for which reason he is highly exalted. He is equal with God yet came down and became one of the creatures of his Creation, and not only this, accepted the Cross for us.
Yet the Apostle goes on: it is not enough to know this, to “believe the right things” but we must be willing to do something about it. We cannot stop simply with “every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” because this is only half the story.
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Because listening to God, obedience, is expected of us. We must work together with God, we must “work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling,” precisely in the manner of Christ. But this is not a task given to us alone, we have the Church as a guide, to encourage us, to correct us, to guide us, to lead us. Such a task by ourselves would be impossible—the blind leading the blind—but as a community, whose head is Christ, we toil together to obey the will of God.
And the Apostle tells us how we are to do it. It is not through knowing theological secrets, rather we are to,
Do all things without complaining and disputing,
that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or laboured in vain.
We must avoid complaining and disputing—something our society seems to encourage and revel in—and do nothing which would give us blame. We cling on to “the word of life,” Jesus Christ himself, so that what has been planted in our world by St Paul and all the Apostles may not have been in vain.
Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
Philippians 2:12–18
For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.
And the offering of the Apostles, who are the heavenly patrons of our parish, will not be in vain.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, our Saviour is exalted through his obedience; we are given the opportunity to live in the same way, through his Church, so that we may share in his glory: that the Lord may say of us, “blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:28) The Gospel of the Kingdom is not only that Christ is risen but that we—each one of us according to our abilities—join this life of Faith, of Faithfulness, through hearing and acting on his words.
Feast of the Ascension
We were honoured that Fr Joseph and some of the faithful from his communities in Southampton and Portsmouth were able to join us for the Feast today. Fr Joseph graciously agreed to preside at the Liturgy and preach a sermon as well as tell us a little about the life of Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh of thrice-blessed memory after the meal.
We hope and pray the Lord will bless their work and that there may be further opportunities to collaborate in the future with our Orthodox neighbours.
We now serve a meal following the Liturgy on Sundays. All are welcome.
Do you, or someone you know, want to join our mailing list and receive our weekly email? Then let me know.
Singers — Saturday 4th June
We plan to have a singing practice this Saturday before Vespers—all are welcome to come and join. You could come on a non-committal basis. Also, if you would like to sing but cannot attend this would not prevent you—please speak to me or the the singers.
Practice from about 5.30 pm.
All are welcome!
Sermon
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
Christ is risen!
“Who is to blame?” we ask ourselves whenever something evil or unfortunate happens. Whether on the grand political scale or in our daily lives we want to know “Who is at fault? On whom can we look down?” And from our lofty towers we regard humanity set out below us. We judge our rulers, our politicians, our celebrities, our bosses, our colleagues, our servers, our employees—everyone and anyone for their mistakes, their crimes and misdemeanours, their losses and failures. “Who is to blame?” we ask ourselves rhetorically, “Over whom can I now feel superior?”
We are coming towards the end of the fervency of Pascha, for more than a month we have been celebrating with extra vigour the Resurrection of our Lord, and the final Sunday of this celebration, the end of our memory of Christ’s physical and bodily presence here on this Earth, the Church sets before us a Sign of his power. Is it the Voice of the Lord speaking down from heaven? No. Or the calling down of fire, the raising of the dead, the feeding of a great multitude? No. A man, blind from birth, has another come before him, spit on the ground and from the spittle make clay and mould new eyes for him. This was as repulsive then as it would be today. This is the Sign which the Church, in her great love for you and her great love for me, desires to leave us with as we move into a new season of the Church’s life.
What is the Sign, what is the miracle, here in the scene? Is it that the blind are healed? No, we have encountered this elsewhere. Is it that God reveals himself? No, we have encountered this elsewhere. Is it that the Lord has compassion on a human being? No, we have encountered this elsewhere. It is that God—who formed Adam from the dust of the Earth, who breathed life into his nostrils (Genesis 2:7)—would come down as one of us and complete in you and in me the Creation of humanity.
…
Read last Sunday’s Sermon, Who is to blame?
Archive of Past Sermons.
Services this week
Friday 3rd June
Discussion on the book of Exodus, 8 pm
Online only
Saturday 4th June
Vespers, 6.30 pm
At St Francis’ Hall, Eastleigh
Sunday 5th June
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]