Dear Friends
Solomon the King tells us,
To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance.
— Ecclestiastes 3:1–4
And before us lies a time to repent.
The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.
— Mark 1:15
For the Lord is leading His people to our salvation, to our Pascha, to our deliverance from the Powers who hold us captive. But that we make this our own, that we ourselves are transformed by the strength and victory of the Resurrection, we are called to prepare, we are called to repent, we are called to be Christian in more than name but in deed.
Love does no harm to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilment of the Law.
And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil its lusts.
— Romans 13:10–14
Before us, starting Monday 3rd March, lies Lent, the Great Fast. In her love for you and her love for me, the Church lets us start gently and we are prepared for this: over the following Sundays we will hear the Gospel readings take different aspects of repentance—which is to say changing our minds—that we may make this Pascha ours, that the Satan no longer has power over us since he has been defeated and Christ is victorious.
Repent! Not as an, “I’m sorry that I’ve been found out,” but “I will work to undo the sin I have caused.” And, even better, “I will work to undo all sin, even the sins of my neighbours, because I love them.” We repent by our service to others, we repent by our humility, we repent by honouring God first in our lives. And by this repentance we draw near to Christ, receive the power of the Resurrection, and are made by grace what Christ is by nature, we become divine.
Come. Come and learn to prepare for the Resurrection of the Lord. Come and make Christ the centre of our lives that it is no longer we who live but Christ in us. Come and be transformed into the persons we are created to be. Come and repent.
The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.
— Mark 1:15
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.
All come to honour the appearance of Christ on the earth. The Heavens offer a Star that the Magi—who represent the Nations, the Gentiles—follow seeking the newborn King, the Earth offers a cave, the wilderness offers the wood from where comes the manger, the angels offer their hymn and the shepherds their wonder, while we offer to our Lord the very best of our race, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.
But two things are missing. Kingship is present through the lineage of David, but the rank of Priests and the rank of Prophets are absent.
“At that time, the parents brought the child Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord’) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons.’”
And the Lord submits to obey the Law He Himself has given. And there the Righteous Symeon and Anna, representatives of priesthood and prophets, receive Him that due homage be paid unto Him from all.
Read this Sermon, Behold a priest bearing in his arms the Seed.
Archive of Past Sermons.
Services this week
Friday 7th February
Discussion on the Prophecy of Isaiah, 8 pm
Online only
Saturday 8th February
Great Vespers, 6.30 pm
At 3rd URC Scout Hall, Chandlers Ford
Sunday 9th 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]