Dear Friends
A theme we have throughout the Old Testament is the dwelling-place of God—variously called Eden, Paradise, the Ark, the camp, Israel or Heaven—and the wilderness. We usually contrast existence with non-existence yet we also see the idea of ordered and chaos. God takes chaos, symbolised through the waters,
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1–2
The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
and out of the chaos draws order and meaning. He separates the land from the waters, bringing forth heavenly stars and planets, plants, animals and, finally, human beings. And the Creation was good but it was not perfected since our race was called to continue to bring order and meaning to the whole of Creation. “Be fruitful and multiply;” says the Lord, but he goes on to give a further command,
fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth
Genesis 1:28
This is not in the sense of control but of bringing order to the chaos of the wilderness. And God shows us what order is like—a Paradise where he dwells with his people—by himself establishing a Garden.
The Lᴏʀᴅ God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed.
Genesis 2:8–9
And out of the ground the Lᴏʀᴅ God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
But instead of bringing order to the wilderness, man attempted to bring chaos within the Garden by eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And this brings a pause to the plan of ordering the world: Israel, God’s people, was to remain separate from the wilderness by remaining inside the camp, inside the nation. And when sin entered the camp it had to be removed and washed away that the camp not become like the surrounding wilderness and that the Lord may stay dwelling among his people.
Until the incarnation, preaching, teaching, miracles, death, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ.
Before these things, Israel was in a passive phase, trying to maintain itself, now the original work of our race may continue. “All authority,” Christ tells us, “has been given to me in heaven and on earth.” And with this authority he commands us to bring order in the wilderness, to extend Paradise throughout the world, to be heralds of the Kingdom.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Matthew 28:18–20
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the Lord is calling us to continue the work of bringing order to the wilderness of the world, to bring faith, hope and love to our town and our region, to bring Life to all. The gates of Paradise, once barred, have been opened and we are invited to the Feast. Let us then, together with one voice, proclaim the Resurrection and become heirs of 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.
Prior to today’s reading the Lord gave the Sermon on the Mount—chapters five through seven of Matthew’s Gospel—which is our best summary of the Gospel and how to live a Christian life: I strongly encourage you, read it and re-read it. Having given the Sermon, the Lord descends the mountain and is approached by a leper (8:1–4) and heals him. And now the Lord enters Capernaum. Having spoken to the faithful remnant of the Jews he comes down to the Gentiles who will be grafted in to Israel through his death and Resurrection, for all who come to him will be strengthened and comforted since Capernaum means “house of comfort.”
And the centurion waits. He does not approach the Lord on the mountain for he knows he is not of the Judeans and he must wait for his comfort to come. And yet he is of great Faith; unlike the four carrying their friend to the Lord, (Matthew 9:1–8; also Mark 2:1–12, Luke 5:17–26) he knows that Christ can command the healing by a word. “Lord,” he calls out, “my servant is lying paralysed at home, in terrible distress.” Christ knows his faith and wants to set him as an example to his disciples—to you and to me—and replies with a remarkable phrase, “I will come and heal him.” Not only that he will heal, he has done that just a few verses earlier, but that he will move himself and come to the one who is sick. And the centurion replies,
“Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
For the centurion has come to realise that he is not worthy that the King of kings enter his dwelling: yet, paradoxically, this statement shows that Christ has already entered his heart. The centurion has pushed out his own ego from his heart—not out of fear or compulsion as he would his military commanders and the Emperor, but out of love for God and love for his own servant. He knows what it is to have authority and power, and recognises that in Christ. And in response the Lord shows his disciples—you and me—that not only the faithful remnant will constitute his Church but that he may call whomever he desires to a life of faithfulness.
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Read last Sunday’s Sermon, Recognise Faithfulness.
Archive of Past Sermons.
Services this week
Friday 7th July
Discussion on the Divine Liturgy, 8 pm
Online only
Saturday 8th July
Great Vespers, 6.30 pm
At St Francis’ Hall, Eastleigh
Sunday 9th July
Matins & Divine Liturgy, 9 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 meet 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 community?
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]