WEBVTT 00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:12.839 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 00:00:12.839 --> 00:00:16.879 of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ. 00:00:17.079 --> 00:00:25.719 Glory forever. We heard St. Paul's epistle to 00:00:25.719 --> 00:00:29.570 the Ephesians about gifts. According to the measure 00:00:29.570 --> 00:00:35.450 of Christ, each person is given a gift. And he 00:00:35.450 --> 00:00:41.009 lists a limited number of ministers. And we heard 00:00:41.009 --> 00:00:44.929 from the Gospel of Matthew these words. The people 00:00:44.929 --> 00:00:47.310 that sat in darkness have seen a great light. 00:00:47.969 --> 00:00:50.590 To them that sat in the region and shadow of 00:00:50.590 --> 00:00:55.189 death, light has sprung up. From that time, Jesus 00:00:55.189 --> 00:00:58.380 began to preach and to say, repent. for the kingdom 00:00:58.380 --> 00:01:03.200 of heaven is at hand. Why this particular gospel 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:07.859 today? Why this particular epistle from Ephesians? 00:01:09.239 --> 00:01:12.200 I'd like to speak mainly about the epistle briefly, 00:01:12.420 --> 00:01:17.219 but let me offer an answer to those two questions, 00:01:17.280 --> 00:01:19.859 why the gospel, that particular gospel, and why 00:01:19.859 --> 00:01:22.340 that particular epistle. Last week we celebrated 00:01:22.340 --> 00:01:25.700 the Feast of Theophany, Sunday morning, the pre 00:01:25.700 --> 00:01:28.640 -feast. Sunday evening, the matins, beautiful 00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:32.340 service. It was just wonderful. And on Monday, 00:01:32.540 --> 00:01:35.680 the Feast of Theophany. You see this wonderful 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:45.359 fresco. I was reading a commentary by St. Gregory 00:01:45.359 --> 00:01:49.319 of Nyssa and St. John Chrysostom on the feast 00:01:49.319 --> 00:01:54.700 day. And they were rejoicing at how many people 00:01:54.700 --> 00:01:57.459 were coming. coming to the feast. They said, 00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:01.319 vast realms are coming to receive the holy water 00:02:01.319 --> 00:02:05.379 and to praise God. Then they lamented. They said, 00:02:05.560 --> 00:02:09.800 but you're not coming on Sundays. You're coming 00:02:09.800 --> 00:02:11.900 only on feast days. And I thought, well, that's 00:02:11.900 --> 00:02:16.819 kind of our opposite problem. We have work and 00:02:16.819 --> 00:02:19.919 school starts again. So I'm going to remind you, 00:02:19.960 --> 00:02:24.219 next year we will fill the church on the altar. 00:02:25.259 --> 00:02:29.780 It's January 6th. Mark your calendar. This reminds 00:02:29.780 --> 00:02:36.099 me of that quip, when a husband tells his wife 00:02:36.099 --> 00:02:38.639 he's going to do something around the house, 00:02:38.719 --> 00:02:41.979 she doesn't need to remind him every six months. 00:02:44.120 --> 00:02:50.020 I'll remind you every three. So, I'm sorry for 00:02:50.020 --> 00:02:57.020 the digression. Why these two? Because when Jesus 00:02:57.020 --> 00:03:03.180 was baptized, it gave us baptism. We celebrate 00:03:03.180 --> 00:03:07.719 our baptism too. And when Jesus was baptized, 00:03:08.039 --> 00:03:12.680 and we put to death sin in the water, and we 00:03:12.680 --> 00:03:16.360 rise again unto life eternal, we are given the 00:03:16.360 --> 00:03:20.159 gifts of the Holy Spirit. So the Gospel, the 00:03:20.159 --> 00:03:24.259 Epistle, Tell us about our life. It's not theoretical. 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:29.199 It's about how we live. St. Matthew tells us 00:03:29.199 --> 00:03:31.360 what happened after the baptism of Christ in 00:03:31.360 --> 00:03:33.580 the morning. He went out into the wilderness. 00:03:34.180 --> 00:03:37.139 Just like after your baptism, you're confronted 00:03:37.139 --> 00:03:39.900 with problems too. But you have the grace of 00:03:39.900 --> 00:03:43.080 God. Jesus was tempted by the evil one and he 00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:48.400 bested Satan. And then he came to this land of 00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:52.099 darkness, pagan area. And a light is sprung up, 00:03:52.180 --> 00:03:55.780 and that light is Christ. Those who are spiritualized 00:03:55.780 --> 00:03:59.639 could see it. He bumped into lots of people who 00:03:59.639 --> 00:04:07.340 didn't see it. And the Gospel tells us that we 00:04:07.340 --> 00:04:10.460 have to, by saying, now is the time to repent, 00:04:10.599 --> 00:04:15.120 is asking us to re -evaluate our baptismal vows. 00:04:16.339 --> 00:04:21.230 Re -evaluate our repentance. to ask ourselves, 00:04:21.490 --> 00:04:27.470 what does our daily relationship with Jesus Christ 00:04:27.470 --> 00:04:32.829 look like? Is there prayer? And how important 00:04:32.829 --> 00:04:37.629 is prayer to us? How important? Are we going 00:04:37.629 --> 00:04:40.970 to the scriptures every day? How important is 00:04:40.970 --> 00:04:43.410 that which you receive from the Bible? You know, 00:04:43.410 --> 00:04:49.040 it's not just information. It is truth. It's 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:52.839 not just facts. What did I hear a couple years 00:04:52.839 --> 00:04:58.060 ago about alternate facts? No, this is, this 00:04:58.060 --> 00:05:03.439 truth is not informational. It cleanses us. It 00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:06.379 gives us strength when we are tempted. It gives 00:05:06.379 --> 00:05:10.040 us understanding of God's way and His purpose 00:05:10.040 --> 00:05:14.660 for our life. So we re -evaluate. These are all 00:05:14.660 --> 00:05:18.389 aspects of repentance. Repentance is our way 00:05:18.389 --> 00:05:21.209 of life, you know. It's not a New Year's resolution. 00:05:21.310 --> 00:05:23.769 We do it and we say it and then we forget about 00:05:23.769 --> 00:05:30.509 it. We hear the words today which are always, 00:05:30.910 --> 00:05:38.170 always, always relevant. They are current and 00:05:38.170 --> 00:05:43.269 they are applicable. Repent for the kingdom of 00:05:43.269 --> 00:05:46.810 heaven is at hand. Why else would we pray unless 00:05:46.810 --> 00:05:49.730 we enter into the Kingdom of Heaven? If it's 00:05:49.730 --> 00:05:52.850 not that, then what is it? Long -distance communication? 00:05:53.769 --> 00:05:59.149 No. The Kingdom of Heaven is within. When I was 00:05:59.149 --> 00:06:03.490 on the Holy Mountain, I heard the elder there, 00:06:03.569 --> 00:06:07.269 St. Ephraim, he quoted the words of St. Paisios. 00:06:09.889 --> 00:06:13.779 Ask for repentance in your prayer, he said. And 00:06:13.779 --> 00:06:18.720 nothing else. Neither from divine lights, nor 00:06:18.720 --> 00:06:23.160 miracles, nor prophecies, nor spiritual gifts. 00:06:23.259 --> 00:06:27.779 Nothing but repentance. Repentance will bring 00:06:27.779 --> 00:06:32.360 you humility. Humility will bring you the grace 00:06:32.360 --> 00:06:37.620 of God. And God will have in His grace everything 00:06:37.620 --> 00:06:42.060 you need for salvation. Or anything you might 00:06:42.060 --> 00:06:46.500 need. to help another soul. Isn't that beautiful? 00:06:47.160 --> 00:06:50.740 Let us follow, let us take heed for what he said 00:06:50.740 --> 00:06:54.879 and ask God for a good repentance. And baptism 00:06:54.879 --> 00:06:57.860 and repentance are connected, aren't they? We 00:06:57.860 --> 00:07:01.300 can't have one without the other, on either side. 00:07:02.139 --> 00:07:07.459 Because the first gives gifts, unites us to Christ, 00:07:07.860 --> 00:07:11.660 makes us live this new life of the resurrection, 00:07:12.360 --> 00:07:16.060 The second activates those gifts of the Holy 00:07:16.060 --> 00:07:21.720 Spirit, enlivens them, implements them. These 00:07:21.720 --> 00:07:23.800 gifts of the Holy Spirit, they're the presence 00:07:23.800 --> 00:07:28.579 of God in our lives. And they're given to us, 00:07:28.579 --> 00:07:33.899 as the elder says, everything you need for salvation 00:07:33.899 --> 00:07:37.480 is there, or anything you might need to help 00:07:37.480 --> 00:07:42.970 another soul. They're given us as a sign of God's 00:07:42.970 --> 00:07:48.290 presence individually. And the second reason, 00:07:48.490 --> 00:07:52.009 they're given to us as St. Paul makes so clear 00:07:52.009 --> 00:07:55.509 in his epistle today, for the building up of 00:07:55.509 --> 00:08:03.730 the body of Christ. I was reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer. 00:08:03.730 --> 00:08:07.649 He's a martyr under the Nazis, the Lutheran Church. 00:08:08.350 --> 00:08:14.089 Magnificent person. believer and Christian. He 00:08:14.089 --> 00:08:16.610 says this about that grace and about those gifts. 00:08:17.209 --> 00:08:21.050 This is the grace that is the treasure hidden 00:08:21.050 --> 00:08:24.689 in the field. For the sake of it, a person will 00:08:24.689 --> 00:08:28.389 go and sell everything he has. It's the pearl 00:08:28.389 --> 00:08:31.189 of great price to buy which the merchant will 00:08:31.189 --> 00:08:33.789 sell all of his goods. It's the call of Jesus 00:08:33.789 --> 00:08:36.490 Christ in which the disciple leaves his nets 00:08:36.490 --> 00:08:41.240 and follows him. That's interesting. That passage 00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:43.820 about the disciples leaving their nets is the 00:08:43.820 --> 00:08:46.720 next verse in the Bible from what I just read. 00:08:47.299 --> 00:08:52.179 He says, costly grace is the gospel which must 00:08:52.179 --> 00:08:56.460 be sought again and again, the gift which must 00:08:56.460 --> 00:09:00.700 be asked for, repentance daily, struggle to enter 00:09:00.700 --> 00:09:04.539 into true prayer. This is costly because it costs 00:09:04.539 --> 00:09:09.639 a man his life. And it is grace. Because it gives 00:09:09.639 --> 00:09:16.759 a man the only true life. Repentance blesses 00:09:16.759 --> 00:09:21.519 this parish. Is what St. Paul is saying. He's 00:09:21.519 --> 00:09:25.000 explaining how it is to be used in the community 00:09:25.000 --> 00:09:28.919 of the parish. That each one has something from 00:09:28.919 --> 00:09:34.559 Christ. Each one of you. To offer to the whole. 00:09:35.779 --> 00:09:40.009 The gifts are not for ourselves. He writes to 00:09:40.009 --> 00:09:43.129 the Ephesians, to each one of us has grace been 00:09:43.129 --> 00:09:45.669 given according to the measure of Christ's gift. 00:09:46.129 --> 00:09:49.230 It's a different measure for each person, but 00:09:49.230 --> 00:09:54.049 the reward is the same, the kingdom. By virtue 00:09:54.049 --> 00:09:58.090 of baptism, our baptism, and that baptism there, 00:09:58.269 --> 00:10:04.309 Christ has given each of us an immeasurably infinite, 00:10:04.490 --> 00:10:07.850 beautiful gift. What are we to do with the gift? 00:10:09.039 --> 00:10:13.419 What is this grace for? Paul goes on, he says, 00:10:13.620 --> 00:10:18.299 he gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, 00:10:18.759 --> 00:10:21.759 some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and 00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:24.860 teachers, but that's just a short list to get 00:10:24.860 --> 00:10:29.519 them started. Every gift is to get us out of 00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:34.539 our seat, standing up and doing something. We 00:10:34.539 --> 00:10:37.019 can't fail to notice there are no views here. 00:10:38.409 --> 00:10:41.409 A visitor comes in weekly or maybe three or four 00:10:41.409 --> 00:10:43.789 times a week and looks around and says, did you 00:10:43.789 --> 00:10:47.509 take all the pews out? And then I get a chance 00:10:47.509 --> 00:10:51.889 to explain why we stand here in worship. Someone 00:10:51.889 --> 00:10:58.230 who sits is passive, expecting something. It's 00:10:58.230 --> 00:11:00.490 like being at the dentist or the doctor's office 00:11:00.490 --> 00:11:07.649 and waiting for your appointment to start. My 00:11:07.649 --> 00:11:16.389 prayer for each one of us is that if you moved 00:11:16.389 --> 00:11:21.450 away to go to a different parish, I won't say 00:11:21.450 --> 00:11:25.850 left the church, may that not be. If you moved 00:11:25.850 --> 00:11:31.370 away, that there would be a gap, a hole in the 00:11:31.370 --> 00:11:34.070 ministry, the work of this parish, because you 00:11:34.070 --> 00:11:37.370 weren't here. there'd be extra work for somebody 00:11:37.370 --> 00:11:41.289 else then to have to pick up that slack. Not 00:11:41.289 --> 00:11:44.309 all the gifts and ministries we do here are obvious. 00:11:44.669 --> 00:11:48.629 Some are done secretly and at home and at work 00:11:48.629 --> 00:11:53.850 in ways that you can't know. But there's plenty 00:11:53.850 --> 00:11:59.590 to do for the edification of the body. Why? It 00:11:59.590 --> 00:12:03.779 says, St. Paul goes on to tell us why he gave 00:12:03.779 --> 00:12:07.240 each of us gifts of ministry. It's for the perfecting 00:12:07.240 --> 00:12:12.820 and the equipping of the saints. Who are you? 00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:17.419 The ones seeking holiness. He says it's for the 00:12:17.419 --> 00:12:20.340 work of the ministry. He says it's for the building 00:12:20.340 --> 00:12:24.460 up of the body of Christ. And what is the goal 00:12:24.460 --> 00:12:28.240 of this ministry? Of equipping and edification. 00:12:29.899 --> 00:12:32.879 And I'll end with this. It's for all of us, he 00:12:32.879 --> 00:12:37.259 says, to come to the unity of the faith and the 00:12:37.259 --> 00:12:41.460 knowledge of the Son of God, for us to come to 00:12:41.460 --> 00:12:44.960 the perfect man, the perfect human, each of us, 00:12:44.980 --> 00:12:48.360 to the measure of the stature and fullness of 00:12:48.360 --> 00:12:51.940 Christ. What a calling! Perfect unity in faith 00:12:51.940 --> 00:12:57.659 and to be like Jesus Christ, his humanity, his 00:12:57.659 --> 00:13:04.669 divinity. within us. Yes, we are weak. But we 00:13:04.669 --> 00:13:07.490 don't have to be limited by our weakness. Christ 00:13:07.490 --> 00:13:11.129 himself, the humble Lord, shows us that in so 00:13:11.129 --> 00:13:17.190 many ways by his life. We're all on staff here 00:13:17.190 --> 00:13:22.250 at the church. No one is just a member. No one 00:13:22.250 --> 00:13:27.230 is an ordinary Christian. You all have the gifts 00:13:27.230 --> 00:13:31.440 of the Spirit. To him who has given those gifts, 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:37.639 be glory and honor now and ever, for ages and 00:13:37.639 --> 00:13:38.700 ages. Amen.