Dear Friends
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.
Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
And one cried to another and said:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!’
— Isaiah 6:1–3
The Prophet beheld the glory of God, enthroned and surrounded by His Counsel, into which he had been called and commissioned to bring the Word of God to the people of Judah. An amazing sight, glory filling the entire scene and surrounded by the Thrice-Holy Hymn of the angels, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!”
And an aged man waits in the Temple. He waits in hope, in faithfulness and in anticipation. He waits in the knowledge that he will not see death before the Lord’s Christ. He waits and behold, the Throne of the Heavens enters the Temple bearing in her arms the Christ. And the Son of God deigns to be carried in his arms, for to Simeon is a greater blessing given than to the Prophet Isaiah—the prophet beheld “the Lord sitting on a throne,” the Righteous Simeon himself became the throne of God, carrying in his arms the Creator, the one Who defeated Pharoah in the Red Sea, the Lawgiver, the Saviour.
And to us is a greater blessing still. For we not merely bear Christ, it is given that we receive Christ, partake of Christ, be changed by Christ, receive Life though Christ. Christ is the Light, “A Light to bring revelation to the Nations, And the glory of Thy people Israel,” (Luke 2:32) and so we are called to ourselves be Light,
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
Let us then, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, be ourselves Light and shine out through the world as did our God and Saviour,
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
Let us be as the Righteous Simeon and await eagerly our God Who has promised us Life and union with Him, let us bear Him aloft in the temple of our hearts that we become Light, that we become Beacons of Hope in this world which is so in need of its Saviour, let us rejoice in the Lord who has delivered us from death and has given us an inheritance of eternal Life.
Come and see!
House blessings
I would be honoured to come and bless your home. We accept that sin has power but we bless our homes so that it no longer has power over us and where we live so that we are alive in Christ.
Please speak to me to arrange a convenient time for me to come.
If your home has never been blessed it needs blessing!
If there has been any sin in your home since it was last blessed it needs blessing!
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.
By a tree, Adam sought to open his eyes and be like God, knowing good from evil. (Genesis 3:5) And by his disobedience he was cast out from Paradise into this world. He was there, dwelling with God, yet became a stranger to Him.
We discover God on mountains. Moses went up Mount Sinai to encounter the Lord, it was on a mountain that fire from heaven consumed the offering of the Prophet Elijah and the Lord himself ascended Mount Tabor and was transfigured before His disciples. And Zacchaeus hears of the presence of the Lord in his town, and he too ascends. But all he could find to encounter the Lord was a sycamore tree: this is a type of fig tree. Adam knew of fig trees.
“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.”
— Genesis 3:7
So the fig tree, the sycamore tree, is a symbol of the sin, of fallenness, of disobedience away from God. Adam sought to eat the fruit to be independent from God, Zacchaeus climbs the tree—actually trampling down the symbol of sin—to be close to God. We too must trample down sin and climb, we too must ascend towards the Heavens, we too must prepare for an encounter with the living God. And when we do this, having trampled down our sin and climbed the tree, we discover that the Lord has come down to the earth. The Lord does more than meet us, He has lowered Himself even to our everyday, our level.
Read this Sermon, Today Salvation has come.
Archive of Past Sermons.
Services this week
Friday 31st January
Discussion on the Prophecy of Isaiah, 8 pm
Online only
Saturday 1st February
Great Vespers, 6.30 pm
At 3rd URC Scout Hall, Chandlers Ford
Sunday 2nd February
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]