Serving in Sobriety of mind – June 18, 2019
All things fall under the providence of God. All things are according to His will, and His timing. That being said, I find our lesson from first Peter (1 Peter 4:7-11) to be most fitting for us, and this very Church in our time of growth; it is fitting in our time of transition, as we move from what we were, and towards that which we can be in the fullness of God. And with that in mind, taking into consideration all that has been said, all that has been done, this passage from Peter could very well have been written to us.
Let’s work our way through that lesson for today.
“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers”
First and foremost, we need to pray. We need to be praying. I can say from my own experience that prayer is hard UNLESS you are sober minded. A sober minded person takes truth seriously; keeps the Laws of God ever before them, just as the Psalms and wisdom books exhort us to do; considers the challenges of incarnating Christ in our own lives. A sober minded person has no regard for his own way, but rather how his life may conform to God’s. Sober mindedness orients us godward, making us more capable, more ready and suitable for whatever prayers we have to offer. Above all, it is to be watchful of our own thoughts, and guarding the heart from those thoughts that seek to destroy our inner peace. (musing)
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”
We all know that God is Love. Love is the key to following the whole law. Love is defined within each of us by what we do. It is not an irrational emotion that we follow simply because it feels good, because it brings as a sense of elation, but Love is something we do. Even Christ himself told us, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Our Love for him is known, is proven, by what we do. Words are empty without action.
What we do as a Church is vital to the growth of virtue, and to the growth of God’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Most importantly, it is how we incarnate Christ into the world; how we as God’s people exist to be a light unto the world, incarnating Christ, and bringing light to where there is none. Yet, what we do is wholly dependant on each of us, for each is endowed with different gifts, and each is imbued with the capacity for a ministry of their own making, and according to the will of God.
“Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.”
I can say that we have shown our capacity for love, our genuine willingness for hospitality to those in need of it. When Father Gregory’s house burned down, there was almost no delay in this community stepping up to do what was needed. In that moment of darkness, a light shined to dispel it. So should we be to the rest of the world.
”.As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.”
Ministry is important to the life of the Church. As of current, we have none. Our ministries allow us to incarnate Christ into the world, to manifest the love of God and bring light to wherever it is needed. Ministry allows each of us the opportunity to not only speak our love of God, but to do it as well. The ministry of the Church, as the body of Christ, as the Hospital for our souls, allows us to go into the world and be Christ to those who have never known him; to bring a taste, a sample, of the healing which the world cannot give, and the Church provides. It is by our ministry that the love of God will be known to the world, and it is by our love for one another that the world will know Christ through us.
Each of us has the capacity and capability to use those gifts we have been given to Glory of God. Not to repeat what Paul said, but to provide a little modern context: to those who can build, build up the Church to the glory of God; to those who are artists, create things of beauty to incarnation of the beauty and glory of God; to those who can write, write truth and increase understanding; to those who can speak, speak well and truthfully to the edification of all who hear; to those gifted with the skills of administration, keep in order the business of the Church and her people; to those who serve, do so in humility; to those with the fortitude to labor, labor for one another in love, and be the strength of the body of Christ. I can go on, for the gifts and abilities of the children of God are limitless, and maybe some yet undiscovered.
As we go through a time of growth, a time of change, and this time of transformation, may we grow into the praxis of our Orthodox faith and the teachings of the Church. As we embark upon this godward journey, let us also grow into ourselves, making use of whatever gifts we have been endowed with, whether they be physical, spiritual, or material in nature. As we move towards him, may we as the body of Christ be transfigured into the children of God we were created to be.
Amen.
