Dear Friends

“Behold,” calls out the Psalmist,

how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Running down on the beard,
The beard of Aaron,
Running down on the edge of his garments.
It is like the dew of Hermon,
Descending upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord commanded the blessing—
Life forevermore.

— Psalm 132 lxx

For it is indeed a blessing to be in unity, to act as one, and in so doing we are in Christ.  But unity is not easy, we need to strive for it, endeavour for it, work for it.  “Now I plead with you, brethren,” says the Apostle,

by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement.

First Corinthians 1:10

But divisions had entered the Church in Corinth.  St Paul continues,

For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.
Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.’
Is Christ divided?  Was Paul crucified for you?  Or were you baptised in the name of Paul?

verses 11–13

But this is a perversion of the Gospel of Christ, the words of King David have been reversed to say,

Behold how evil and how repulsive it is
For brethren to dwell together in disunity! …
For there the Lord commanded the curse—
Death forevermore.

If we want to be worthy of the name Christian, we need to work together—not solely in having the same opinion but in having the same action, the same deed, the same intent.

And this needs to be true in our community, each of us needs to be working towards the same goal that God is glorified.

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.

First Corinthians 12:12

It is not that we must all do the same but that we must work together in love.  For, indeed, the Lord uses this idea of a body and tells us what we must do when we do not work together.

If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Matthew 5:29

And, lest we—ill-advisedly!—decide to dismiss this as just one verse, He says elsewhere,

And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.

Matthew 18:9

But now indeed there are many members, yet one Body.
And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’
No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.
And those members of the body which we think to be less honourable, on these we bestow greater honour; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,
but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honour to that part which lacks it,
that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

First Corinthians 12:20–26

Let this calling be our work, our desire, our destiny, that we be worthy to be called Christians, heirs of the Promise and inheritors of eternal Life.

Come and see!

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Sermon

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.

“Master,” say the leaders of Judea, the priests and the prophets, “we toiled all night and took nothing!” For indeed, from Abraham through to the blessed Forerunner, the people of God have toiled, have worked, have laboured, and were still awaiting the fulfilment of the Promise,

“Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
In your Seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
— Genesis 22:17–18

We, too, toil, we work, we labour, but to us it has been granted—not by our own efforts but by the grace of the Lord—to be witnesses of the Resurrection, to have the fulness of the revelation of God; Christ has let us reap the blessings of Life. But, whereas Peter recognised the great blessing he has received and his own unworthiness, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord,” I remain unmoved. I have received an immeasurable blessing from the Lord and I shrug my shoulders and continue my life unchanged: I have, in the words of the Apostle we have heard today, “accepted the grace of God in vain.”

Yet Judgement awaits. St Paul had already told the Corinthians,

“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.
For we must all appear before the Judgement Seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.”
—Second Corinthians 5:9–11

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we have received a great blessing—Life, eternal Life, Life without end—but we cannot remain as we are: we must recognise our sin that we may purify ourselves, that we may repent, that we may turn again to the living God. “Behold,” says the Apostle, “now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation,” and he tells us how we may do this, which is to say how we may carry our own crosses in the way of Christ.
…

Read this Sermon, We toil, we work , we labour.
Archive of Past Sermons.

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Services this week

Friday 3rd October
Discussion on the Prophecy of Isaiah, 8 pm
Online only

Saturday 4th October
Great Vespers, 6.30 pm
At 3rd URC Scout Hall, Chandlers Ford

Sunday 5th October
Matins & Divine Liturgy, 9 am
At 3rd URC Scout Hall, Chandlers Ford

Online session is via Google Meet: please get indd 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.

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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
webenquiry@orthodoxeastleigh.uk