Dear Friends
The Apostle Paul, when journeying to Rome to come before Caesar, was caught in a storm in the Mediterranean Sea. And the sailors and those with him, 276 in total, feared for their lives. Seeing nearby land some sailors thought to jump ship, but Paul said to the soldiers guarding him,
Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.
— Acts 27:31
We, my dear brothers and sisters, have been called together in the ship of the Church, and we are sailing through the storms of this life. And it is hard. And we may feel that the Church is preventing our growth, is holding us back, is keeping us from the safety of land that we see. Yet unless we stay in the ship, we cannot be saved.
This says nothing for those outside the Church—the Lord is not limited by memberships nor by legalism. It is not to say that those outside the Church cannot be saved: it is a word to me, outside the Church I cannot be saved.
In the narrative of Acts, all onboard stick together and all onboard are saved from the storm and arrive on Malta. And we stick together too. And in fair weather that is relatively straightforward yet we are called to stick together even in storm and tempest, stick together when we feel beaten down upon, when all seems against us, and in sticking together—living the Christian life together—we can be saved together.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us remain united in faith, united in faithfulness, united in purpose, united in action so that we too, along with the Apostle, will be able to say,
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
— Second Timothy 4:7–8
Let us stay in the ship, remaining faithful together, that we all may be saved.
Come and see!
Catechism & Catechumens
There are several members of our community who have expressed an interest in fully joining the Church, either through Baptism or Chrismation depending on circumstances.
I want you to, I think everyone should be a full member of the Church, but I am also keen not to put pressure on anyone. If you want to join you need to ask.
For me there are two key requirements.
- You are a member of our community. You participate in services as well as the rest of the life of the community.
- You understand The Symbol of Faith (also called the Creed) in the way the Church understands it. Alongside this, you will understand about the Orthodox Church, her history and traditions.
To help with 2., on Saturdays, after Vespers I will start to go through the Symbol of Faith. This will only last up until 7.40 pm (Vespers usually ends around 7.10–7.15 pm).
If you are interested in joining the Church (though there’s no commitment) or are already a member but would like to know more about our Faith, you’d be most welcome to join us.
If you’d like to join the Church, but can’t make it on Saturday evenings, then please speak to me and we can make alternative arrangements for you.
[For those who would like to come to Confession on Saturdays while this programme is happening, Confessions can happen from 7.40 pm: apologies for any inconvenience.]
We 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.
Sermon
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
Darkness surrounds my soul and I am weighed down by my iniquities and am overcome. And I cry out to God,
“O Lord, do not remove Your compassion from me;
May Your mercy and Your Truth take hold of me continually.
For evils without number surround me;
My transgressions overpower me, and I could not see;
They multiplied more than the hairs of my head.”
— Psalm 39:12–13 ʟxx
And not being able to see nor to look up, I am bowed down to face the earth from which I was made and to which I shall return. I long to look up to the high places, to the temples and powers of this age, seeking after healing: yet none of these can offer what I need for my life, freedom from the sin. They would just give me a little more strength to carry more sin but they do not deal with the problem: eventually the extra sin would bow me again to the earth, to death. I need not a helper from the mountains but from Heaven.
“I lifted my eyes to the mountains,” says the Psalmist, seeing the pagan high places and temples as he journeys to the Holy City. He goes on to pose, then answer, a question.
“From where shall my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth. …
The Lord shall keep you from all evil;
The Lord shall keep your soul.”
— Psalm 120:1–2, 7 ʟxx
And the Lord comes before me: he does not give me the strength to carry the sin but removes from me the sin entirely, “you are freed from your infirmity,” which is to say, “you are freed from the powers of sin and of this age.” And I am straightened and I stand tall.
…
Read this Sermon, Bowed to the earth.
Archive of Past Sermons.
Services this week
Friday 13th December
Discussion on the Gospel of Matthew, 8 pm
Online only
Saturday 14th December
Great Vespers, 6.30 pm
At 3rd URC Scout Hall, Chandlers Ford
Sunday 15th December
Matins and Divine Liturgy, 9 am
At 3rd URC Scout Hall, Chandlers Ford
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 3rd URC Scout HQ, Kings Rd, Chandlers Ford SO53 2EY. The Scout hall is behind and to the left of the URC Church. 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 parish?
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]