Dear Friends
“You are fine by yourself,” our world lies to us, “we can be, all of us, a collection of individuals.” And we do not intrude into the lives of others, and expect them not to intrude on us, as we make our way through life.
Yet this unnatural state is not as we should be: “It is not good,” says the Lord, “that man should be alone.” (Genesis 2:18) And whether as marital, familial, friendly or any other sort of relationship, humanity lives and operates as various overlapping and interdependent communities. I am not an individual, I am a person who needs relationship to discover who I am: I realise myself by relating to another.
But this has consequences, for in communities—large and small alike—we behave differently: the community takes on a life, a spirit, of its own. In schools, in friendship groups, in pubs, in workplaces we are prompted to do things and perform in ways in which we would never elsewhere. And this life, this spirit, of a community—any community—can draw us away from God. The Apostle Paul tells us of this struggle.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12
We live in this age and must take part in it, at least to some extent; what are we to do? We must unite ourselves to Christ through his Church, for through uniting ourselves to Christ we gain the inoculation against “the darkness of this age,” so that the life, the spirit, of a community may face us but not overcome us, so that we may learn discernment when we should stand fast and when we should flee, so that we have standing with us the great company of saints.
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.
Second Corinthians 10:3–4
Our task, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, is to draw close to the risen Lord, to be close to him, that we may have the strength against the strongholds of evil by his power and might.
Our world lies—we are not individuals distinct from one another but persons, interdependent and desiring love. Let the spirit of our community be the Spirit of God from whom we will learn all things, and bring to our remembrance all things that Christ said to us (John 14:26).
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Sermon
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
“Give heed, O my people, to my law,” says the Lord through King David,
“incline your ear unto the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter dark sayings which have been from the beginning.” (Psalm 77:1–2)
And these dark sayings—hidden sayings, secret sayings—have come down to us. For when the Lord speaks in a parable, he is not giving an illustration, he is speaking for those outside Faith, “seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.”
A crowd had gathered to hear the Lord’s Word. The preceding verse from today’s reading tells us, “And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable.” (Luke 8:4) They were not his followers, his disciples, but a throng wanting to see who this wandering rabbi was, if only a glimpse. And they must have been disappointed—this rabbi only spoke of a sower sowing his seed.
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Services this week
Friday 21st October
Discussion on the Apocalypse, 8 pm
Online only
Saturday 22nd October
Vespers, 6.30 pm
At St Francis’ Hall, Eastleigh
Sunday 23rd October
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.
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With love in Christ
Fr Alexander
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