Dear Friends
Christ is risen!
How should others see our Christianity? Do we need to demand the right to preach in public, to condemn others for their sin, so that our cross stands out in our workspaces and offices? Many in our society seem to believe the Christian ethic has been lost, diluted or done away with and needs to be restored: perhaps we should be at the vanguard?
And the famous word of the Lord can be brought to mind,
All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Matthew 28:18–20
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.
“We should stand on street corners,” we could easily discern from this passage, “and tell people of the Resurrection.” But this is not quite what we are being tasked to do. A disciple is not a slave, compelled to follow his master, but free to pursue growth in life. Elsewhere in the Gospel we hear,
Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’
Matthew 16:24
For indeed, Christ tells us,
Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.
John 20:21
To ‘make disciples,’ therefore, if we are to do this in the manner of Christ, it must be that we deny ourselves—offering nothing of our own except Christ—and invite those who would also be disciples alongside us to take up their crosses as we take up our own. This was made clear to us in the enthronement address of our Father in Christ, Metropolitan Silouan, whose words to us ten years ago remain vital for our life of faith.
My brothers and sisters, beloved children of this God-protected Archdiocese:
Metropolitan Silouan, Enthronement Address, February 2016.
you have many expectations of me, but I have nothing to offer, except to lead you to Christ, His love, teaching and salvation for you and for all people.
By loving each other first, we show all humanity that we are sons and daughters in Christ. The Son does not disobey the Father, so we, in His image, have to obey His words and example in our Holy Bible, by loving each other freely, willingly, unconditionally, carrying each other’s burdens gently and humbly imitating our Lord in all things.
What is it, therefore, to preach the Gospel? It is to be a Christian fully—feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take in the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick and come to the imprisoned (see Matthew 25:31–46)—while being ready to answer for our faithfulness.
And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?
First Peter 3:13–17
But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. ‘And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.’
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defence to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
For indeed, the hope which is in us is the Resurrection, the hope which is in us is the overcoming of idolatry, the hope which is in us is the denial of sin, the hope which is in us is the defeat of death. Our hope is Life because our hope is Christ.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we must be forever preaching yet our preaching is not in talking but doing: we are called to live the Gospel. Others should not see our Christianity in crosses made of precious metal but in our love and compassion towards them, in treating them with love and dignity, in our acceptance of who they are and our calling that they should repent alongside us. Let us, therefore, be open to our neighbours, our families, our friends, but without meditating on how we can “bring them to Christ,” let us love them without expectation of an outcome, let us serve them as Christ has served us, laying down His life that we may be alive, that we may be more fully members of His Church and inheritors of eternal Life.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
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Sermon
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
Christ is risen!
“Trust me,” someone says to me, and my trust will depend on who that person is. If a doctor I might trust on medical issues but not necessarily on an “investment opportunity,” if a mechanic I might trust on car maintenance but not necessarily on raising children well. If a friend, or an acquaintance, I might give more weight to his words but even then it may well have limits—I might trust a close family member about many things but how about if they encourage me to walk into a lion enclosure or jump from a bridge? Trust, then, depends on who the person is, my relationship with him, and what exactly am I being told to think or to do. Trust me.
The ten had seen the Lord risen from the dead so they said to Thomas, “We have seen the Lord.” But Thomas had been present when the women ran back from the empty tomb,
“Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.
And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.”
— Luke 24:9–11
The Apostle Thomas was being consistent. He was present when the women offered words and, like the other disciples, rejected those words as “idle tales.” The ten, too, are offering words and he maintains his position. “Trust us,” they are saying to him,
…
Read this Sermon, A trust based on evidence.
Archive of Past Sermons.
Services this week
Friday 24th April
Discussion on the Book of Job, 8 pm
Online only
Saturday 25th April
Great Vespers, 6.30 pm
At 3rd URC Scout Hall, Chandlers Ford
Sunday 26th April
Matins & Divine Liturgy, 9 am
At 3rd URC Scout Hall, Chandlers Ford
Online session is via Google Meet: please get in touch 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
webenquiry@orthodoxeastleigh.uk