Sunday sermon and Scripture Readings. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. Sunday 6/10/2013

7/27/2019 Sunday sermon and Scripture Readings. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. Sunday 6/10/

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EEPPIISSTTLLEE RREEAADDIINNGG(2 Cor. 4: 6-15)rethren, it is the God who said,"Let light shine out of darkness,"who has shone in our hearts to give the

light of the knowledge of the glory ofGod in the face of Christ. But we havethis treasure in earthen vessels, toshow that the transcendent powerbelongs to God and not to us. We areafflicted in every way, but not crushed;perplexed, but not driven to despair;persecuted, but not forsaken; struckdown, but not destroyed; alwayscarrying in the body the death of Jesus,so that the life of Jesus may also bemanifested in our bodies. For while welive we are always being given up todeath for Jesus' sake, so that the life ofJesus may be manifested in our mortalflesh. So death is at work in us, but lifein you. Since we have the same spirit offaith as he had who wrote, "I believed,and so I spoke," we too believed, and sowe speak, knowing that He who raisedthe Lord Jesus will raise us also withJesus and bring us with you into Hispresence. For it is all for your sake, sothat as grace extends to more and morepeople it may increase thanksgiving, tothe glory of God.

Patience is the queen of virtues(St John Chrysostom)

RREESSUURRRREECCTTIIOONN AAPPOOLLYYTTIIKKIIOONNhen you went down to death, O immortal Life, then you slew Hell with the lightningflash of your Godhead; but when from the depths below the earth you raised thedead, all the Powers in the heavens cried out, Giver of life, Christ our God, glory to you!

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ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATEARCHDIOCESE OFTHYATEIRA & GREAT BRITAIN

BBUULLLLEETTIINN OOFF SSPPIIRRIITTUUAALL EEDDIIFFIICCAATTIIOONN3rd SUNDAY OF LUKE

6th October 2013Plagal of the 2nd Mode. No. 1304

6 2013. . . 1304

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GGOOSSPPEELL RREEAADDIINNGG(Luke 7:11-16)t that time, Jesus went to a towncalled Nain, and many of hisdisciples and a large crowd went withhim. As he approached the gate of thetown, a man who had died was being

carried out. He was his mothers onlyson, and she was a widow; and with herwas a large crowd from the town. Whenthe Lord saw her, he had compassionon her and said to her, Do not weep.Then he came forward and touched thebier, and the bearers stood still. And hesaid, Young man, I say to you, rise! Thedead man sat up and began to speak,and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fearseized all of them; and they glorifiedGod, saying, A great prophet has beenraised up among us! and God hasvisited his people! -, ,

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KKOONNTTAAKKIIOONNrotection of Christians that cannotbe put to shame, unfailingmediation with the Maker, do notdespise the voices of us sinners as wepray; but, in your love, be quick to helpus who cry to you with faith: Hasten tointercede, make speed to entreat, OMother of God, for you ever protectthose who honour you.

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SSEERRMMOONN OONN TTHHEE GGOOSSPPEELL RREEAADDIINNGG

et us think on the compassion Christ showed a widowed woman, now a childlessmother. Christ, the Author of Life, the Only-begotten Son of the Father, and HisMothers only Son, was clearly moved by this mother mourning her only child, the fruitof her womb. Her son was her very life, her only substance. Yet Christ tells her not toweep: He alone knows that she need not weep, for He will restore her son to her aliveand well.

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The familiar words, weep not, are in fact Christs call to us to have faith in Hisomniscience and omnipotence, whatever our personal tragedy. He calls us to turn toHim in faith, to trust him completely, and to find peace in His perfect knowledge ofwhat is perfect for our salvation. How do we enter into faith of this quality? We admitthat, at least some of the time, we are woefully lacking in faith. We are fearful, self-reliant, too proud to depend fully on His compassionate providence.Weep not for me, says Christ on His way to Golgotha, to the women whoaccompany Him lamenting, whose love for Him led them to witness His Passion. But Headds, Weep rather for yourselves and for your children. The circumstances seeminfinitely tragic, and Christ, Who had infinite faith in His Father, Who was lovinglyobedient to Him unto death upon the Cross, knows the desolation of the women.Perhaps He saw that their wailing was rooted in fear and impending loss, and in theirinability to believe that He would rise again. But His great desire is that we should allpartake, through the Holy Spirit, of His own exemplary faith and obedience, so as togrow into that love which is the beginning of eternal life in Him. Perhaps we must forourselves because the key to trusting Him and obeying Him is repentance. Throughrepentance, we come to know Gods infinite mercy and compassion.The widow had indeed wept both for herself and her child. Her maternal love isa reflection of the pure and selfless love of the Gospel, and this love prepared her forthe knowledge that love is stronger than death. Gods great gift to man is the death inhuman flesh of His Only-begotten Son, Whose Resurrection, Whose power over deathbrought eternal life to the world.As mortal human beings, our bodies are subject to physical death. But if we liveaccording to the life-giving commandments of the Lord, we discover repentance, whichis the foundation of everlasting life in Him. Repentance means dying to the passions,dying to whatever separates us from Him, that we may turn the more whole-heartedlyto Him. But how do we die daily, like the Apostle Paul? We die by loving daily in oursmall way; we die by loving God and our brethren rather than ourselves. We take upour cross to lose our life for the sake of His Love, and this gives us Life in Him. God soloved us that he sent His Son to save us from a life without love, that we might berestored to our ancient glory.In His love for His Father and His love for man, Christ is our example. His savingdeath is the perfect sacrifice, the perfect expression of Love. If we unite ourselves toHim in loving sacrifice, we will be granted the energy of His grace in order to bear ourown cross lightly. And we become one with Him by invoking His Name, by inviting Himto be present in our lives, by imploring Him to come and help us bear the weight of ourfallen selves. We declare war on the passions which bind us. We struggle to be pure inheart and, as we bury our old man in the tomb of our heart, we look forward to theday when this tomb will stop beating, because our desire is to be born into theblessed fellowship of the pure in heart, of those who see God.If this seems beyond our reach, let us take courage. The widow asked nothing ofthe Lord. She wept and His loving compassion was more than sufficient to overcomethe death of her only-begotten son, and to bring him back to life. Her weeping ceasedwith the knowledge of Christs dominion over death. He is our resurrection and our life.Let us rejoice, for the Lord desires nothing more than to raise us from death and makeour empty tombs His eternal dwelling-place.

Archdiocese of Thyateira & Great Britain, 5 Craven Hill, London W2 3ENTel.: 020 7723 4787. Fax: 020 7224 9301. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.thyateira.org.uk

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Sunday sermon and Scripture Readings. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. Sunday 6/10/2013