Dear Friends
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the Light of the World. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the Light of Life.’
— John 8:12
This familiar verse declares Christ to be Light, both of the World and of Life. Christ is Light.
The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great Light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a Light has shined.
— Isaiah 9:2; Matthew 4:16
And Light cannot be hidden: hiding a flame risks it either going out or causing a fire. But Christ does not remain alone as the Light, he calls us to be Light with Him.
You are the Light of the World. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Let your Light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.
— Matthew 5:14–16
But do I really want this? Or do I want just a quiet religion, an unobtrusive faith, where I can perform my obligations in secret without others knowing? May it not be so! For what it is to let our Light so shine out is “that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.” And our good works are to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take in the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned. (see Matthew 25:31–46)
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, our proclamation of the Gospel, our letting the Light shine forth, is achieved through our service to others. But there is more, it is not only doing the good works but that we also must give glory to our Father in Heaven. Christ tells us,
Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.
Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
— Matthew 24:40–42
Two may be doing exactly the same thing, yet for one it is for the glory of God and for the other it is for his own glory. So the key is our watchfulness, our ascribing the honour and glory to God.
So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’
— Luke 17:10
Let us, therefore, as unprofitable servants of the Lord, seek to do His will while offering Him the glory, that we may be Light-bearers in the world and inheritors of eternal Life.
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.
I am in darkness and in want. Alone at the roadside, in my blindness I beg for food, for money, for any charity which the passers-by will give. And this existence I am eking out, outside the Jericho of this world, is a world away from the Jerusalem above, upon Mount Zion. Pilgrims walk past yet I fear to ask them to help me climb to the Holy City, so I remain in the shadow of death, fearing evil and alone. (cf. Psalm 22:4 ʟxx)
And there is a commotion and a buzz, a large crowd walks past. And I call out, half-heartedly, “Give me something,” I beg. But another blind man, on the other side of the road, cries out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And I am in shock, never has he asked for mercy! Some in the crowd rightly rebuke him, “Be silent!” they command—they largely ignore me—yet he calls out with all his voice, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
You and I, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, are sat blind by the road. Blind to the extent of our sin, blind to our poverty, blind to how far we have descended away from the City of God. And the Lord passes us by. The Lord comes and meets us in our low estate but we have to respond to His passing by. And we could ask for food, ask for money, ask for clothing, ask for anything and everything to make our lives more comfortable; or we could ask for mercy. For St John Cassian, our prayer should
“contain no petition for riches, no thought of honours, no request for power and might, no mention of bodily health and of temporal life. For He who is the Author of Eternity would have men ask of Him nothing uncertain, nothing paltry, and nothing temporal. And so a man will offer the greatest insult to His Majesty and Bounty, if he leaves on one side [the] eternal petitions and chooses rather to ask of Him something transitory and uncertain; and will also incur the indignation rather than the propitiation of the Judge by the pettiness of his prayer.”
— St John Cassian, Conference 9, Chapter XXIV
And the Lord passes us by. Will we learn as did the blind man to ask for mercy? Or will we demand acts of charity to pacify us as we remain by the Jericho roadside? Will we become angry and aggressive when we don’t get what we believe we not only want but deserve?
…
Read this Sermon, And the Lord passes us by.
Archive of Past Sermons.
Services this week
Friday 6th December
Discussion on the Gospel of Matthew, 8 pm
Online only
Saturday 7th December
Great Vespers, 6.30 pm
At 3rd URC Scout Hall, Chandlers Ford
Sunday 8th 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]