Round two of Spiritual Sweat at STSA. This week's topic, SIMPLICITY - a message that we all NEED to hear, even though we probably don't WANT to hear. Take a listen and see for yourself.
Isn’t Jesus Supposed to Be Making My Life Better?
In my last post, I spoke about the very first Christmas gift that Jesus brought into the world after His birth in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite the gift that many had been hoping for. The birth of the Savior was supposed to bring “peace on earth and goodwill toward men” but as we read in Matthew 2:16-18, it instead brought a massacre of the most horrific kind.
“Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.” (Matthew 2:16-17)
For the people of Bethlehem, the coming of the Messiah – their Redeemer and Deliverer – didn’t turn out quite like they thought it would. It was supposed to be filled with joy and peace and goodwill. It was supposed to bring about victory and salvation and deliverance. It was supposed to make everything better.
But it didn’t. It seems to have done the exact opposite. It brought more hate into the world. It brought sadness and confusion. It brought death.
What would you say if you were living in Bethlehem at the time? How would you respond when someone said to you “isn’t it great that Jesus came to our city?” How would you respond?
“Great? Are you kidding me? It’s probably the worst thing that has ever happened to our little town. Everything was fine before He got here. But ever since Jesus showed up, everything seems to have gone wrong.”
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The First Gift Jesus Brought into the World
That’s it. It’s officially over. It’s time to go back to normalcy. I hereby decree that as of this past weekend “the Christmas season” has now officially ended. What started back in late November and stuck around through the early days of January, is over and done with as of this past weekend.
(fyi, in case you’re wondering, to me the official end of the Christmas season is whatever day we decide to take down our Christmas tree and decorations. That happened this past weekend. Therefore I decree that the Christmas season ended this past weekend. You see how that works?)
The festivities and celebrations of Christmas and New Year are done. Life is back to normal. It’s the middle of January. No sign of the holidays remains except for the few stragglers out there who still haven’t taken down their Christmas lights (not that anyone has noticed or anything). Other than that, it’s pretty much over.
But wait a minute, wasn’t there more to Christmas than just the lights and the presents? Wasn’t there something else we were celebrating and getting all excited about? Or rather, wasn’t there some-ONE else we were celebrating and getting excited about?
Oh yeah! I remember…BABY JESUS!
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Spiritual Sweat Part 1 - MEDITATION
We kicked off a new series yesterday - one that I am super excited about, called "SPIRITUAL SWEAT: Exercise Yourself Toward Godliness".
In it we're talking about 7 spiritual disciplines that were given to us from the earliest days of Christianity and how practicing these disciplines will help us "get into shape" spiritually. If you are serious about your spiritual life in 2013, you will love this series! Here's the first week on the discipline of MEDITATION.
Humbled by the Almond Tree
Sighh, on the brink of another new year... Naturally, this means I will overanalyze every part of last year and obsessively dwell on unrealized goals, disappointments, or failures. It feels like God has said “no” to me so many times last year; and not just in the “no, but I’m going to let you down easy” kind of way, but in what feels like the most devastating “no” and lead-up to “no” in the whole world.
But during this year’s annual obsession-fest, God taught me a really cool lesson – I am meant to be an almond tree. (How obvious!)
The almond tree is a giant tree which grows to be 15 to 20 feet in height. It is not afraid of the cold and begins to bloom in January, bringing forth beautiful pinkish, white flowers. During the cold season, the tree provides much needed nectar to the wild bees. The hard almond actually forms inside a soft, fleshy exterior. Although the exterior appears to be beautiful, it is unripe, and not preferred; instead, we prefer to eat the strong interior that contains the seed.
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Staying In Bounds
Those who know me know that I am HUGE football fan and an even HUGER fan of the Washington Redskins. It’s now been three days since their painful loss to the Seahawks in the playoffs so I feel like I am finally ready to come out of hiding and talk about football once again (but not the Redskins yet – the healing process takes time).
I will however talk about another football game I saw this past weekend – one that didn’t involve my beloved Redskins. In this particular game, I saw one of the greatest catches I have seen in a long time. It was one of those “jump out of your seat” kind of plays. The quarterback dropped back, avoided the defenders and then threw a long pass to a receiver who leaped to make a beautiful catch. The play was incredibly graceful and extraordinarily athletic.
But there was a problem – it didn’t count. It didn’t count because he went out of bounds. In the process of hauling in that pass, the receiver stepped out of bounds and thereby nullified the play. In football, you often see players twisting and turning in amazing ways to stay in bounds.
Because no matter how impressive the play is – if you’re out of bounds, it just doesn’t count.
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A Nativity Sermon by St. John Chrysostom
Today, January 7, we in the Orthodox church celebrate Christmas. Because of that, I am posting one of my all-time favorite Christmas sermons ever preached. It's by St. John Chrysostom (347-407), the former archbishop of Constantinople. What I love about it is his enthusiasm and excitement over the Birth of Christ and what this magnificent event means to him personally. Merry Christmas everyone!
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Evange-what?
How do I share my faith?
Luckily, I don't have to convince you that sharing your faith is important. Fr. Anthony has already done that in previous posts. The aim here is specific examples and principles on how you can do it. Hundreds of young Orthodox Christians around you and around the world have been the guinea pigs for this already, so rest assured :)
From LA and Vancouver, New York and Toronto all the way to the UK, Holland and Switzerland...God is doing a mighty work to show Himself strong on behalf of those who are willing to give it a try. (see 2 Chronicles 16:9). Wanna give it a go?
Read MoreA New Vision for the New Year
What's your final to do item before the clock strikes midnight on 2012? Getting a NEW VISION FOR A NEW YEAR. Resolutions are great, but vision is what lasts. Happy New Year everyone!
Who are you travelling with this Christmas?
Christmas is full of journeys....
Each year Christmas is a journey for me. Each year, I travel with a different character. One year, it was with Zacharias, on a personal journey from doubt to faith. Another year, I made the long trek with the wise men, seeking and depending on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in their case through a star. Yet another year, I travelled with my dear St. Joseph, moving from fear and challenged to put faith into action. And I simply can’t tell you how many times, I have sat with St. Mary, shared in her awe when the angel appeared, persevered with her through that rough terrain as she prepared to give birth to the Saviour, and rejoiced in awe with her as she worshipped the Baby King.
This year, I travel with her in a brand new way.
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Perfect Timing
In the midst of the Christmas festivities, a time where we are preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ, I find myself surrounded by tragedy, grief, and loss. Lost jobs, terminally ill loved ones, war, and, as anyone with a television set knows, slaughtered children for no apparent reason. It’s supposed to be Christmas; my favorite time of year!
The irony and sacrilege seem almost unbearable. What perfect timing, isn’t it?
In the midst of this moment of sarcasm, I recalled a quiet time I had many months ago. It came from Esther 3:1-13 from a Bible Study excerpt I was following by Beth Moore. Esther was a young, Jewish woman who miraculously became the chosen Queen of Persia. Persia was home to many Jews, but they were technically the foreigners. Esther had been cautioned not to reveal her true heritage because there was an evil man with power in the kingdom who hated God’s people.
Read MoreFasting & Discipline - Hungering for God Part 3
I'll be taking a break from blogging for the rest of week and probably through New Year's (everyone deserves a break during the holidays right?). Till then, I'll leave you with yesterday's finale in the HUNGERING FOR GOD series - Fasting & Discipline. A good one to listen to as you prepare to make those new year resolutions.
Have a blessed Christmas and New Year's and God willing, I'll see you all in 2013!
Jesus came to save the world?
"Jesus came to save the world." An expression you hear over and over during this Christmas season. But what does that even mean? Sure, there are theologians with deep rooted answers about heaven, hell, life and death – things that are far from the here and now. But at the root of it, I think it hits much closer to home than we think.
I’ll be the first one to say “I love this time of the year!” Christmas time is so exciting for me. Every aspect of it takes me away from reality and makes me remember that while God allows us to decorate our homes, offices, and churches – He’s even busier decorating our hearts. And the one thing I enjoy the most is the music. The minute the radio stations and shopping malls begin to play: “Do You Hear What I Hear”, “Joy to the World”, and the one with the “fa-la-la-las”, I forget the madness of the holiday rush and just feel a sense of peace.
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It’s a Good Thing Jesus Was Born at Night
Did you ever stop and wonder why Jesus was born at night? Why would God send His Son into the world in the middle of the night? It was bad enough that the Son of God had to be born in a small stinky manger in the middle of nowhere. Why make it worse by making it dark? So dark that Joseph and Mary probably had to hold a candle in order to even see their newborn baby!
A few days ago, I read “A Christmas Prayer” by renowned author, Max Lucado, written in response to the tragic events that took place last week in Newtown, CT. In it, he spoke about why Jesus was born in the dark and helped shed some light on the subject (pun intended – HA HA!).
He begins by saying “Dear Jesus, it’s a good thing you were born at night. This world sure seems dark. I have a good eye for silver linings. But they seem dimmer lately…But you were born in the dark right?”
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How Much is a Crumpled Up $100 Bill Worth?
Use your imagination with me for a moment. I'm holding a $100 bill. If I offered you this $100, would you take it? Of course! You wouldn’t think twice. Now imagine that I crumple up that nice $100 bill and crush it into a little wad. Would you still want it? OK, now I'm throwing the wadded up bill against the wall and stomping on it with my foot. Would you still take it? It's been beaten up, crushed, stomped on…would you still take it?
Of course you would! You’d be insane not to! Why? Because no matter how abused and beat up it is, it's still worth just as much…and SO ARE YOU!
Read MoreResponding to Tragedy - sermon video
Our hearts are all broken over the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. Yesterday I preached a message about how we can respond to the inevitable tragedies and disasters of life.
May God comfort the hearts of all those who are mourning this tragic loss and may He once again make light to shine out of the darkness of this world.
A Chance for Grace to Abound
It happens to all of us. None of us is exempt. No matter how much we want to turn away, we just can’t sometimes. It’s like watching a train wreck – we don’t want to see it, but we just can’t turn away. What am I talking about? I’m talking about GOSSIP.
Unfortunately, we’re suckers for gossip these days. We may not admit it outright, but it’s the truth. And when there’s a problem, gossip only does one thing to it…MAKES IT WORSE!
One of the biggest news headlines these days are the scandals of men in leadership roles having extramarital affairs. Most recently, General David Petraeus - the former Director of the CIA who resigned due to an extramarital affair. True, that news is a bummer and even stings a little bit. However, what is the best response that we can have for this (as a Christian)? The world might not forgive him, maybe not even his family, but Christ certainly will.
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Have You Had Your Vision Checked Recently?
When I was younger, I had a problem with my vision and had to wear glasses. Thankfully I don’t have to anymore – thanks to a rare situation in 1999 when my medical insurance actually allowed me to have Lasik eye surgery at no cost. But I still sympathize with those who struggle with their eyesight. I actually remember when my eyesight began deteriorating. I resisted the idea of getting glasses. I didn’t want to be labeled a “four-eyes” so I did what any normal 14 year old, image-conscious young man would do…I pretended everything was fine.
I would squint when no one was looking. I would sort of guess what the teacher was writing on the board based on context. I would sit closer and closer to the TV in order to try to see clearly. But after a while, the fighting just became too much. I broke down and faced reality – I NEED GLASSES. So begrudgingly I went to the eye doctor and got a prescription.
MAN WHAT A DIFFERENCE! I could see! It was like a whole new world opened up to me – all those fuzzy little details now became clear. I could see what the teacher was writing on the board. I didn’t have to sit two feet from the TV in order to watch. I could read a book without burying my face inside it. It was an amazing transformation that I could have never predicted would take place.
How about your spiritual vision? Have you had that checked recently?
Read MoreFasting & Repentance - Hungering for God Part 2
Below is Part 2 in the new series Hungering for God. This message focuses on the connection between fasting and repentance and why we should want to fast, even if we don't have to fast. Enjoy!
What Gift Will You Give?
We’re now a full week into December and that means several things. It’s time to find those winter hats/gloves. It’s time to put up those Christmas lights. And it’s time to start doing SOME CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!!!
But this year, instead of spending all our time thinking about gifts for our loved ones, let me encourage you to take some time to think about what you will be offering to your Most Loved One – the One who loves you dearly and has given us everything that we need in life.
The other day, I spoke about how Jesus gave up all He had in order to come down and save us. But I thought of an even greater gift that was given at Christmas – one that is unparalleled in terms of the sacrifice made. It was the gift that God the Father was willing to let go of.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
Letting go of your Son – your only Son – for the sake of another? That is unfathomable! No words can describe that kind of sacrifice made for us. The thought of sacrificing your own son is something that makes every parent cringe. We'd gladly sacrifice ourselves 100 times before letting anyone touch our children.
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