I meant to post this weeks ago, but had some trouble... I hope you find it useful all the same, a video commentary on what we end up watching during the Holiday season...
It has become customary as we bring the old year to a close, that we take stock of our lives in preparation to begin the next year. I confess, I've wondered at times why there ought to be so much fuss over what seems to be arbitrary numbers on a calendar? After all, I didn't vote for this! Why should the date on the calendar have anything to do with how I live my life?
Of course, that sort of selfish individuality is just the kind of thing that the liturgical cycle of the Church calendar is meant to combat. True, the secular calendar seems to be a haphazard mishmash of religious holy days, patriotic commemorations, and nilquetoast, wishy-washy new traditions, such as Earth Day. It seems that in our attempt to scrap all the old traditions, that we have only managed to construct a new list of traditions that lack a sense of true meaning because we lack a sense of history (what can you expect when you jettison the old in favor of the new?). I am finding, however, as I have begun digging into the calendar of the ancient Celtic Church, that there is a rhythm of life that is missing in the typical 21st century schizoid lifestyle. In a world where time is no longer reckoned by looking up into the sky, where our lives remain at a comfortable 72° no matter the weather outside, where we can go to Wal-Mart any time of the year and pick up a ripe, red tomato, I think we have lost touch with some important touchstones regarding the rhythm of life. I'm not complaining; I'm glad for air-conditioning, grocery stores, and not having to worry about starvation and disease every winter. My point is that the Church Year is a powerful tool to break me out of my own selfishness, my own rhythms of doing what I want, and to align my lifestyle with other believers, not just in the present, but also with the ancient saints of ages past. My new-found, feeble attempts to follow the liturgical year, of trying to maintain fasting periods and commemorating feast days as something other than an excuse to stuff my gob, of praying the hours, of trying to plan out my time instead of flying by the seat of my pants is often inconvenient, and often uncomfortable. And it's SUPPOSED to be that way. How often do we hear, "Well, you should trying leaving your comfort zone so you can truly experience life." Well, that's what this is, realizing that my time is not my own, and that if I love Jesus, I must consider being part of His Body, the Church, a priority in my life. But what are the benefits? Well, I have experienced some truly beautiful worship services that were not an attempt to create a beautiful worship service for the purpose of entertaining lil' ol' me; but were simply the Church doing what the Church has always done: praising God and entering into Communion with Him without caring who is watching or what will be said. I am gaining (slowly) some spiritual discipline and fortitude: the muscle, bone, and sinew of a spiritual life that will make me more of a real person than I am now. In learning the lives of the saints, I meet and befriend true heroes of faith that are every bit as real as the other great heroes of faith in Scripture, because they follow the footsteps of those heroes in Scripture. I am forced every day to consider that my life isn't my own, but that I am part of something much bigger than my own desires. So, as I begin 2016, I do so not with a list of resolutions for weight loss and self-actualization, but with the prayer that the Lord Jesus will help me to live in the way He has Purposed for me. I have a feeling that in the process, I might just lose a few pounds, live better, and be happier in the process; but those are the merely side effects of a life well lived. May God bless and keep you in the new year. David Andrew, Cele De We are excited about developments in our attempts to gain a chapel. We will keep you posted as we are able. Meanwhile, we still function as a "house church"; but we are eager to gain space so we can grow, and serve the community.
Please pray for America. I fear we are nearly at a point of civil war, as our citizens tear each other apart, with rainbow flags on one side, confederate flags on the other, with no room in between for those who serious call themselves Christians. Looking to our elected officials for relief is futile, as one party stands for all the wrong things, and the other party simply refuses to stand for any of the right things. Rather, one single judge on the Supreme Court seems to hold more legislative/executive power than either the President or the Congress. Even the various denominational churches in the US are torn along political lines, with way too many so-called "followers of Christ" unable to interpret Scripture in any manner resembling any sort of orthodoxy, but rather, quoting the favorite bumper-sticker slogans of the day. Beset by enemies without, and corruption from within, the only hope for America is repentance; that as a nation, we turn from our wickedness, and turn to Christ (I speak for myself here as well). Otherwise, we may soon find our nation facing a similar judgment to that of Old Testament Israel. May God have mercy on America. Please pray also for the Christians facing persecution in the Middle East, Africa, and around the world. Truly, our brothers and sisters face horrific and brutal treatment in areas facing Islamic conquest, and the "civilized nations" are too secular/humanist/atheist to lift a finger to ease their suffering. May God grant His people the strength to bear up under the pressure, to stand strong in the faith, to live and die with the name of Jesus Christ on their lips. May we look to thse new saints as examples, for we soon may be called to follow the trail they are blazing... Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Welcome to the online home of our mission. On this first day after Pentecost, we pray the Holy Spirit will give us grace and power to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ effectively, passionately, and with love. We are preparing to celebrate the Divine Liturgy this Sunday, June 7, 2015. We will post the time and location as the weekend draws near. Please, keep checking in, or give us a call to find out more (see contact page). Christ is in our midst! He is, and ever shall be!
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AuthorsCurrently, blog posts will be written either by Bp. Timothy or David Andrew, Cele De. Archives
November 2017
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