Dear Friends
Christ is risen!
The modern secular man wants to create the best possible world and is willing to do all to create it. So he comes up with programmes and ideas, strategies for success. “We will create better hospitals and schools so that the population can be healthy and educated, we will provide training to upskill workers so they can get higher paying jobs.” Some will promise “big government” while others “small government,” but both with the aim of helping us live, survive and thrive. All is up for grabs to create this “better world,” this progress towards utopia, in which humanity may live: even religion can be co-opted for this task, to produce more well-rounded citizens.
The religious man rails against this. He remembers the words of Solomon,
“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher;
“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”
What profit has a man from all his labour
In which he toils under the sun?
One generation passes away, and another generation comes;
But the earth abides forever.
The sun also rises, and the sun goes down,
And hastens to the place where it arose. …
There is no remembrance of former things,
Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come
By those who will come after.
— Ecclesiastes 1:2–5, 11
Life is headed towards death. For the religious man, what is important is to prepare for death, for judgement, for an after-life away from the futility of this world. While we should do good in this life what is of value is in the next and we should use resources and energy to achieve that. While the secularists manipulate religion to get the best possible world, religionists want to escape this world for what is spiritual, mystical, esoteric and beyond.
The Lord reveals to us,
I have come that they may have Life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
— John 10:10
And both the secularising and the religionising cannot deal with this. The secularist wants “a better life here and now” with no reference to suffering, dying and death, whereas the religionist wants “a better after-life.” The former tries to ignore death while the latter is obsessed by it—the former’s solution to enduring suffering is euthanasia while the latter believes it to be “living purgatory” for a better heavenly existence.
But Christ came that we may have Life, abundant Life, eternal Life: Life to its fullness. And while the secularist sees dying as a release once pleasure-seeking is no longer possible and while the religionist sees dying as pathway to a better life, the Church shows us that dying with faith in the Resurrection is the ultimate act of Life: we stare down Death and say to him, “You are defeated, Christ is risen!” And while we accept that we will die, unless the Lord returns first, we never accept Death.
The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.
Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal Life.
If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour.
— John 12:23–26
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we must work for a better world but not without faithfulness to the Resurrection, we must prepare for dying but not at the expense of the world. We need to stand independently from the secularists and the religionists—dependent only upon the Lord—for He died for us that we may have Life. And for this He has become the living Bread which He offers as food for the faithful,
I am the living Bread which came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he will live forever; and the Bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the Life of the world.
— John 6:51
Christ comes to save us, to redeem us, to lead us to Heaven, that we may abide in Him.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
— John 15:4–8
We fear not Death for he has been defeated, we fear not dying for it gives us the opportunity to glorify God, we will neither be ensnared by the deception of the secularists nor the false promises of the religionists: rather we will follow Christ Who has called us to be faithful to Him, repent of our sins and abide in Life.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
Come and see!
I was honoured to be asked to give a talk at the annual Pilgrimage to Barking.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Christ is risen!
It is an honour for me to speak to you today.
We greet one another with the Paschal Greeting, Christ is risen! We greet one another with the joy of the Resurrection, that new Life has been brought into the world. Our world was headed towards death, now Life has exploded; our world was headed towards annihilation, now towards fullness; our world was headed towards chaos, now towards renewal.
But what effect does the Resurrection have on our daily lives, how do we live differently because of the Resurrection? Is greeting our “church friends” with the Paschal Greeting for a little over a month it? How do we demonstrate our fidelity to Christ and His Resurrection?
It seems that Christianity is on something of a rise in numbers in Britain, there has been anecdotal evidence for a while but the Bible Society has this year produced a report, The Quiet Revival, which states,
…
This may be viewed on our website: The Church of the Resurrection and of Joy.
Alternatively, a PDF is available from our Archdiocesan Website.
There has come an opportunity to establish a new mission community in Chichester. Once running, we hope to serve a Liturgy there on certain Saturdays. Our Father in Christ, Metropolitan Silouan, has blessed this outreach and has entrusted it to the heavenly patronage of the Holy Great Virgin-Martyr and Vanquisher of Demons Margaret of Antioch (feast day 17th July).
If you are interested in supporting our parish’s mission, please let me know, and I will update you as we make progress.
Holy Mother Margaret, pray to God for us!
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.
Christ is risen!
All was lost, the disciples had fled. The One whom they believed would bring about the restoration of Israel was left hanging on the Tree, carrion for vultures. Nothing more was to be gained. And Joseph went to Pilate. Jerusalem was always as a powder-keg, ready to blow, at Passover: Pilate and the Romans were used to extreme measures to put down any possible insurrection, and still Joseph went to Pilate. He went because it was the right thing to do, he went because the Body should not be left out through the night, he went because his love for Christ did not stop with death.
And I reflect on my life. Would I have shown such boldness and love? Or would I be cowering with disciples? I am there for the good things—the celebrations, the miracles, the feasts—but where am I in the challenging times, in the difficult times, in the times of trials and tribulations? For the Eleven, when they received the Holy Spirit they went out with boldness to the ends of the earth: for me, having received the Holy Spirit in baptism and chrismation, having had the witness of two thousand years of the Church, the martyrs, the confessors, the ascetics, the saints; for me, having received everything, what is my excuse?
The Myrrh-bearers, too, had nothing, but they did not let that stop them. They went to the Tomb at early dawn not knowing that they would greet the living Lord but that they might serve Him one last time without any reward. And while I want assurances that everything I do for Christ counts in my “good list,” they went expecting nothing in return, they went out of love for God.
…
Read this Sermon, What is my excuse?
Archive of Past Sermons.
Services this week
Friday 9th May
Discussion on the Prophecy of Isaiah, 8 pm
Online only
Saturday 10th May
Great Vespers, 6.30 pm
At 3rd URC Scout Hall, Chandlers Ford
Sunday 11th May
Matins & 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 the risen Christ
Fr Alexander
[email protected]