Sermon

Sunday, March 21

“Whoever wishes to come after Me, let Him deny Himself, take up His cross and follow Me.”

 

“Whoever wishes to come after Me, let Him deny Himself, take up His cross and follow me.”  To deny one’s self, what does that mean?  Does that mean never allow yourself a moment of fun, or a moment of rest, or a moment of frivolity?  When we think of denying oneself, we think of monks in hot robes, with long beards, sequestered away from the world in a darkened monastery, who never eat ice cream or watch TV. 

 

Many of us are spending these days watching the NCAA Basketball tournament—how do those hours on the couch match up with the idea of denying oneself, taking up the cross and following?  Is it a sin to watch basketball?

In the 2,000 years since Christ walked the earth, theologians of various eras answered this question in a number of ways.  There was St. Augustine, whose theology is the backbone of the Roman Catholic Church, who preached what many have called a negative, punitive theology.  If it’s not good for your soul, then it’s intrinsically sinful—thus an afternoon on the couch watching basketball is a sin, because one is not actively working his way to heaven.  Or to quote a modern phrase, “If you are sitting still, you are falling behind.” 

 

The Canon Law of the Orthodox Church, a book which outlines the correct practice of Orthodoxy, was authored between the 4th and 8th Centuries at the Seven Ecumenical Councils.  The Canons of the church say things like if you are absent from church for three Sundays in a row, you are to be excommunicated. Many of the canons are considered to be too austere, and so most ignore the tradition of canon law entirely, dismissing it as outdated. Most of us, if asked, “What is a canon?” would probably think of the pirate ship at Raymond James Stadium and the loud booms that emanate from it when the Bucs score a touchdown. 

 

There is society which has swung a pendulum of values from one extreme to the other.  Not even a century ago, the prevailing view of our society was that to drink a sip of alcohol was illegal.  As we move through the first decade of the 21st century, the pendulum has swung to almost the complete opposite.  Almost any kind of behavior is okay and if you try to legislate morality, that is somehow almost immoral in and of itself. 

 

We’ve seen changes in the church in the past two generations—many of us grew up in a church that made receiving Holy Communion a scary proposition.  In fact, the idea of receiving each Sunday was almost unheard of.  Preparation was extreme and receiving was rare—Christmas, Easter, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, and maybe your nameday.  I grew up in a home where we rarely fasted.  I remember as a teenager, when I was about to have an operation, asking my parents if I could receive Communion because I was scared and it seemed like a good thing to do.  Having two priests distributing Communion in a church was something reserved only for high holy days.  It seems that in contemporary times, the pendulum has swung—many people approach for Communion each time it is offered, yet some readily admit they don’t believe in skipping breakfast, or fasting, or in going to confession, things that the canon law of the church have indicated are “requirements” if you will, in order to receive Communion. 

 

There is a concept in the church called “economia,” which can be translated as “dispensation” or “leniency,” when it comes to applying the canons.  Even the authors of the canons understood that there was a certain “strictness” or in Greek “Akreveia” to the canons which would challenge some but might discourage others.  Hence the concept of economia.  We are to try to strive for the best, for the Akreveia, but since many will fall short, they can be granted economia so that the practice of Orthodoxy can remain challenging but not impossible and therefore discouraging.  Economia is not to be determined by each individual member of the congregation, so that if a person says “I don’t believe in fasting, I bestow upon myself economia from fasting,” they can just forget fasting.  Economia is something that is granted by either the priest of the church, for a specific member of his congregation, or something that is granted by a Bishop, to the faithful of his diocese.  This is why it is important to establish a relationship with a priest and discuss things like “how often should I be receiving Communion” or “to what degree should I be fasting?”  For instance, to the person who has never fasted, I might offer try fasting from meat only, whereas to the vegetarian, I might suggest fasting from dairy products or oil since fasting from meat would be no challenge.  As I mentioned a few weeks ago, people who are smart work with a doctor to devise a good plan for overall physical health.  Those who don’t are indeed pretty foolish.  And Christians who are smart, work with a priest to devise a good plan for overall spiritual health.

 

The goal of Orthodox Christianity is to assist us in a journey from where we are, to the kingdom of heaven.  This is done through the church that serves as our vessel to help us negotiate through the turbulent waters of life.  The ship is captained by its priest, but moves forward through the efforts of all of its people, with each person freely offering his gifts and talents.  After all, these gifts are not our gifts, but rather gifts God has bestowed on each of us that we merely offer back to Him.  To journey through life without the church is comparable to crossing the ocean without a boat—at worst, impossible.  At best, extremely dangerous.  The traditions of the church are designed to help us in that journey, and they help us by challenging us—it is a challenge to keep a fast for Lent.  It is a challenge to go without breakfast on Sunday mornings.  And in the challenge, is where we build our character, spiritually. Disciplining ourselves to go without food and to fight off the pains of hunger will help us to go without anger and to fight off pains of struggle that strike each human life. Most people who are older than 9 can go without breakfast in order to receive Communion properly.  Most people who are older than age 15 can go for forty days without eating meat.  There isn’t anyone over the age of 9 (unless you are very sick and unable to talk) who can’t come to confession and own up for their sins in front of God.  It never ceases to amaze me how many people come to confession for the first time, and when they are done, can’t believe they didn’t come sooner.  I don’t know many times I’ve heard, “I worried for nothing, that really wasn’t that bad at all.”  After all, confession in the Orthodox Church is not intended to be punitive, but therapeutic, the emphasis is not on punishment but on healing.  The focus is not on the past, but on the future.

 

The traditions of the church are not designed to hurt us. If you are sick, or need to take medication on Sunday mornings with food, if you are pregnant or nursing, you do not need to abstain from breakfast on Sunday mornings.  But if you are like most people, who are not pregnant or nursing, who do not take medication and who are feeling well, and if you are over the age of 9, you should be abstaining from breakfast before Communion, so that the first thing that gets put into your mouth, after your toothbrush of course, is the body and Blood of Jesus Christ.  And for all of us who plan to receive Communion on Sundays, you should not be listening to music on the way to church, so that the first music you hear on Sundays are the hymns of the church.  You shouldn’t watch TV on Sunday mornings, so that the first thoughts you have are of the Lord.  You should go to bed at a reasonable hour on Saturdays, so that when you come to church, you are rested and ready for an encounter with God. 

 

The theology of the church does not swing like a pendulum—society interprets theology using a pendulum.  The theology of the church has always taught us to be good stewards of our time, our talents, our treasure.  The theology of the church has never preached putting our health at risk.  The theology of the church has never said it is a sin to watch a Basketball game, to enjoy a hobby, to take a vacation, or to rest when we are tired.  But the theology of our church has always challenged us and expected us to rise to the challenge, not to fudge here and there so that soon we are fudging everywhere.

 

The Church has always taught its people to take up the cross, deny ourselves and follow, and it has always qualified, not quantified, it has always qualified that the denial of self must be a challenge, a struggle, as we say in Greek, an askesis, a discipline.  For some who are extremely strong in faith, that struggle leads them to be a monk, to completely withdraw from the world and take up the cross with round the clock prayer.  For others, the denial is much less severe—there is nothing wrong with watching basketball this afternoon, provided that you don’t watch basketball every afternoon—that would be idle time.  There is nothing wrong with enjoying an ice cream cone, provided you don’t eat one every day—that would be gluttony. There is nothing wrong with spending time talking to a friend, providing you aren’t gossiping.  There is nothing wrong with spending time on hobbies, just don’t forget to spend time in prayer and in worship.  There is nothing wrong with buying treasures for our homes, or our closets, just don’t forget to offer a sacrificial amount of treasure to the church. 

The Gospel lesson this morning goes on to say, “Whoever is ashamed of me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of Him also will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His glory with the Holy Angels.”  The opposite of ashamed is proud—so we either are proud of our parents, or we are ashamed of them; either we do our jobs with pride, or we are ashamed of them.  And if we ARE proud, then how do we manifest that pride—by coming late, but giving a half-hearted effort.  And when it comes to our faith, either we are proud of it or we aren’t.  And if we are proud to be a child of God, then we are supposed to manifest that pride with a good effort to follow the commandments of God and the traditions of God’s church, rather than making great efforts and excuses in trying to get around them.

 

St. Paul writes to us that challenge produces character, and character spawns patience and perseverance, and these produce hope and hope does not disappoint us.  So, enjoy the basketball games, but don’t put your future hope in them.  Basketball is important—everyone needs a time to relax, to unwind, to be entertained.  But whoever wins the NCAA tournament will have no bearing on your salvation.  Enjoy a nice lunch in our hall today, I know it will taste great, but don’t put your eternal hope in the meal.  A week from now, most likely you won’t remember what you ate today, so there is certainly no eternal reward at lunch today.  Come for Communion often, that’s a good thing, but do it with proper preparation.  Prayer, worship, communion and confession, these are good things in which to put our hope—do them right, and there will be eternal reward.   

 

In a moment, we will mark another very special tradition in our church, the procession of the Holy Cross.  This marks the half-way point of the Great Lent.  It also serves to direct our focus to the days of Holy Week that will be upon us in three weeks.  It reminds us that the ultimate triumph of God was earned through ultimate sacrifice.  It reminds us that our ultimate triumph, salvation, is found in taking up the cross of Christ, and challenging ourselves to be faithful servants of God, using our God-given talents to the best of our abilities.  It reminds us to be proud that we are God’s children, not in an elitist way, but in a way that affects our lives in some noticeable fashion.  So that people know that we are Christians, not because of the cross we wear, but because of the way we act.  And so that our Christianity becomes an impetus for us to repent, to change our bad habits, and to remain focused on the prize, heaven, and to encourage others, through our actions, to do the same.  As the cross passes over your head, ponder this questions, “Am I denying myself, taking up the cross and following?” Or have I put down the cross?  Am I making my own way?  If your life, or your Lenten experience thus far has been challenging, if you feel like you are making real progress towards God, offer a prayer for your continued strength, focus and enthusiasm.  And if your life, or this Lent has been disappointing, there is still time to change—pray that God will give you strength to handle the setbacks, focus to make the right decisions, and enthusiasm to stay on the path day after day, year after year.  It is a joy to see the church so full each Sunday, to see so many people coming for Communion.  I treasure these opportunities when we gather to worship and I hope you do as well.  Society continues to challenge us to remain true to our calling as Christians as we swing the pendulum of morality ever farther away from God.  And so we must challenge ourselves, as individuals, and as a community, to stand firm in who we are and what we believe.  And we need to pray for one another and support one another, because denying ourselves, taking up the cross and following is hard, but the journey is made more successfully when we make it together.  Amen.