WEBVTT 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:28.920 of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 00:00:28.920 --> 00:00:39.880 Spirit. Amen. Today, as we come to the middle 00:00:39.880 --> 00:00:44.640 of Great Lent, the cross stands before us in 00:00:44.640 --> 00:00:48.079 the church, announcing to us that we've reached 00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:51.439 the Sunday of the veneration of the precious 00:00:51.439 --> 00:00:56.450 and life -giving cross. Today, as we stand before 00:00:56.450 --> 00:01:00.969 that cross, the apostle reminds us that we have 00:01:00.969 --> 00:01:04.730 a high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses, 00:01:04.790 --> 00:01:10.530 who has become human in every respect as we have, 00:01:10.750 --> 00:01:16.349 tempted in every way, although without sin, who 00:01:16.349 --> 00:01:20.810 has learned obedience and indeed has become obedient 00:01:20.810 --> 00:01:24.340 to the point of death, even death. on the cross 00:01:24.340 --> 00:01:28.640 and because of this reality we can draw near 00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:33.780 to his throne of glory without any shame we can 00:01:33.780 --> 00:01:38.640 receive mercy we can find grace to help in our 00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:44.700 time of need today through the cross joy has 00:01:44.700 --> 00:01:48.760 come into all the world paradise has been opened 00:01:50.349 --> 00:01:52.489 If you listened carefully to the hymnography 00:01:52.489 --> 00:01:59.069 last night, it is drenched with joy. Joy, victory, 00:01:59.409 --> 00:02:03.989 life, paradise, resurrection. The cross itself 00:02:03.989 --> 00:02:07.890 bears the marks of the resurrection, the fruit 00:02:07.890 --> 00:02:12.729 of paradise and eternal life. To those who are 00:02:12.729 --> 00:02:19.030 perishing, the cross is folly. It is stupidity. 00:02:19.789 --> 00:02:22.370 to the structures of this world, to its power, 00:02:22.509 --> 00:02:26.969 the ways the world works, the ways the world 00:02:26.969 --> 00:02:31.210 thinks and reasons. But today, to those who are 00:02:31.210 --> 00:02:34.469 being saved, the cross is the power and wisdom 00:02:34.469 --> 00:02:38.770 of God. Today, through the cross, the world is 00:02:38.770 --> 00:02:43.370 crucified to us and we become crucified to the 00:02:43.370 --> 00:02:46.449 world. Today, through the cross, we put away 00:02:46.449 --> 00:02:49.830 enmity. and hostility we have with one another. 00:02:50.330 --> 00:02:54.389 Any baggage that we didn't get off our chest 00:02:54.389 --> 00:02:58.129 at the Sunday of forgiveness, we put it off, 00:02:58.289 --> 00:03:02.250 we release it, we unite it to that cross, even 00:03:02.250 --> 00:03:06.469 our enemies. Today, through the cross, we kill 00:03:06.469 --> 00:03:10.710 sin. We put to death the deeds of the body so 00:03:10.710 --> 00:03:13.990 that we may not be killed and devoured by demons. 00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:17.900 Today, through the cross, Christ cancels the 00:03:17.900 --> 00:03:21.319 record of debt standing against us with every 00:03:21.319 --> 00:03:24.699 legal demand that the devil brings to charge 00:03:24.699 --> 00:03:28.240 against us, that the devil whispers in our ear 00:03:28.240 --> 00:03:32.759 time and time again, you sinner. Today, Christ 00:03:32.759 --> 00:03:36.460 takes those things, he sets them aside, he tears 00:03:36.460 --> 00:03:40.020 up the record of sins and nails them to the cross, 00:03:40.259 --> 00:03:46.599 purging the filth by life -giving blood. Today, 00:03:46.639 --> 00:03:49.379 through the cross, Christ despises its shame. 00:03:49.639 --> 00:03:53.759 He endures it for us so that we might have life, 00:03:53.939 --> 00:03:58.340 freedom from sin, release, freedom from death, 00:03:58.639 --> 00:04:03.300 the tyranny of the devil, our sin, and even ourselves. 00:04:03.719 --> 00:04:07.500 Anything that would hold us back from God. Anything 00:04:07.500 --> 00:04:12.360 that we think would keep us at arm's length from 00:04:12.360 --> 00:04:20.350 God. Christ destroys it. Brothers and sisters, 00:04:20.550 --> 00:04:26.089 today, let go of sin. Let go of the sin that 00:04:26.089 --> 00:04:30.009 often clings so tightly and so easily, trips 00:04:30.009 --> 00:04:34.810 us up again and again. Let us lay aside every 00:04:34.810 --> 00:04:39.250 weight. Let us fix our eyes on Christ, who both 00:04:39.250 --> 00:04:41.769 authors and completes our faith and obedience. 00:04:42.589 --> 00:04:45.750 who looks at the joy that's set before him and 00:04:45.750 --> 00:04:49.269 endures all the shame that comes from the cross, 00:04:49.569 --> 00:04:53.610 trampling it, squelching it of its power and 00:04:53.610 --> 00:04:59.149 dignity. Let what you have in your hearts go 00:04:59.149 --> 00:05:04.569 today. Bring it to confession. Walk forward with 00:05:04.569 --> 00:05:08.509 confidence in Christ because the cross is our 00:05:08.509 --> 00:05:13.740 weapon. It is our boast. our strength, our joy. 00:05:13.959 --> 00:05:17.579 It is our victory. Without the cross, we have 00:05:17.579 --> 00:05:21.439 no hope. Without the cross, we have no resurrection 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:24.899 or life. Without the cross, there is no reentrance 00:05:24.899 --> 00:05:30.759 into paradise. The life of the cross is what 00:05:30.759 --> 00:05:34.899 Lent is all about. That's why we bring it out 00:05:34.899 --> 00:05:38.899 right here, right smack dab in the middle of 00:05:38.899 --> 00:05:43.899 Lent. When we are getting tired, when we are 00:05:43.899 --> 00:05:48.720 becoming discouraged perhaps, when we are becoming 00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:53.120 apathetic, do I really need to do all these things? 00:05:53.199 --> 00:05:57.660 When we are giving up or losing hope, losing 00:05:57.660 --> 00:06:01.920 meaning, the church puts the cross in our midst 00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:07.300 to remind us that Christ died for sinners, for 00:06:07.300 --> 00:06:10.560 people like you. like you and me, who have messed 00:06:10.560 --> 00:06:14.160 up, who have missed the mark, who have fallen 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:17.639 short of the glory of God, that Christ gave his 00:06:17.639 --> 00:06:21.160 life for the world which he loved. That it's 00:06:21.160 --> 00:06:25.019 only through the cross that anything we do, anything 00:06:25.019 --> 00:06:27.579 we are, anything we become, anything we give 00:06:27.579 --> 00:06:32.860 away, means anything. Only through the cross, 00:06:32.939 --> 00:06:38.529 eternal life is possible for us. Christ sympathizes 00:06:38.529 --> 00:06:42.089 with us in our weakness because he is our high 00:06:42.089 --> 00:06:47.110 priest. He is God in the flesh. That is, God 00:06:47.110 --> 00:06:51.670 the Word vested in our flesh as if he puts our 00:06:51.670 --> 00:06:56.290 humanity on as his vestments and goes into the 00:06:56.290 --> 00:07:00.310 sanctuary to unite us to his self -offering as 00:07:00.310 --> 00:07:05.220 Lamb of God. to cleanse, to purge, to sanctify, 00:07:05.339 --> 00:07:10.120 to absolve, to remit sin, to grant life everlasting. 00:07:12.839 --> 00:07:15.720 By the mercies of God, then, brothers and sisters, 00:07:15.819 --> 00:07:21.439 present yourself, what you are in your bodies, 00:07:21.500 --> 00:07:25.360 because this is a time when we focus on our bodies 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:30.939 as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to 00:07:30.939 --> 00:07:34.699 God. which is our reasonable worship, our worship 00:07:34.699 --> 00:07:38.920 in the spirit, our logiki latria, our human offering, 00:07:39.079 --> 00:07:44.259 liturgically speaking, as St. Paul says. That 00:07:44.259 --> 00:07:48.399 sacrificial offering, what we present in our 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:52.459 bodies, is cultivated by how we let the cross 00:07:52.459 --> 00:07:58.300 work on our lives, by emptying ourselves. By 00:07:58.300 --> 00:08:02.040 taking the cross as if it's a medical scalpel 00:08:02.040 --> 00:08:06.939 and excising that which is dying and decaying 00:08:06.939 --> 00:08:10.879 and diseased through fasting, through confession, 00:08:11.259 --> 00:08:15.199 through hospitality, through seeing and noticing 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:18.879 others and seeing Christ in them and treating 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:22.980 them accordingly. By giving away our money, by 00:08:22.980 --> 00:08:26.379 giving away our food and drink, by giving away 00:08:26.379 --> 00:08:30.600 our clothing, our time, our talents, our resources, 00:08:30.860 --> 00:08:38.919 welcoming the stranger. All in love. Because 00:08:38.919 --> 00:08:42.100 Christ has welcomed us when we were his enemies. 00:08:43.740 --> 00:08:46.580 In our worldly strength and wisdom, these things 00:08:46.580 --> 00:08:50.379 are impossible. Remember, they are stupidity 00:08:50.379 --> 00:08:54.279 and foolishness, as the apostle puts it. But 00:08:54.279 --> 00:08:57.470 by the cross, they become life -giving. They 00:08:57.470 --> 00:09:00.830 become the fragrance of paradise, bursting and 00:09:00.830 --> 00:09:03.669 spilling out from heaven into this world, the 00:09:03.669 --> 00:09:07.190 life of the Spirit. Remember Zacchaeus. They 00:09:07.190 --> 00:09:11.470 become our salvation. Today, salvation has come 00:09:11.470 --> 00:09:15.769 to this house, for he too is a son of Abraham. 00:09:16.830 --> 00:09:20.669 Every time we fast in faith, we empty ourselves. 00:09:21.389 --> 00:09:24.809 And we unite ourselves to the cross. Every time 00:09:24.809 --> 00:09:28.490 we confess our sin boldly, we unite ourselves 00:09:28.490 --> 00:09:31.289 to the cross, knowing that we have an advocate 00:09:31.289 --> 00:09:34.009 with Jesus Christ, the righteous one, who takes 00:09:34.009 --> 00:09:37.970 away our sin and cleans us all. Every time we 00:09:37.970 --> 00:09:41.529 forgive, we let go of bitterness and resentment. 00:09:41.549 --> 00:09:44.990 We unite ourselves to the cross, knowing that 00:09:44.990 --> 00:09:48.960 our own forgiveness comes only through it. Every 00:09:48.960 --> 00:09:51.820 time we welcome the stranger and practice hospitality, 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:54.879 we empty ourselves and unite ourselves to the 00:09:54.879 --> 00:09:58.559 cross because we open our lives and time and 00:09:58.559 --> 00:10:01.720 energy up to someone else, someone else who needs 00:10:01.720 --> 00:10:05.879 life and help and to be known, to feel like they 00:10:05.879 --> 00:10:09.700 belong. Every time we receive hospitality and 00:10:09.700 --> 00:10:14.480 help, we unite ourselves to the cross. Because 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:17.539 we put away our pride and delusional thoughts 00:10:17.539 --> 00:10:21.299 that we don't need help. I heard Metropolitan 00:10:21.299 --> 00:10:27.059 Teehan put it this way last year in a sermon 00:10:27.059 --> 00:10:31.100 he gave before me, that it is more difficult, 00:10:31.220 --> 00:10:35.419 it is more blessed to receive hospitality than 00:10:35.419 --> 00:10:38.840 to give it. Think about that. Every time we give 00:10:38.840 --> 00:10:43.830 away our money, time, talents, We unite ourselves 00:10:43.830 --> 00:10:47.450 to the cross because we sacrifice what we have. 00:10:47.669 --> 00:10:52.330 We expose ourselves. We give ourselves over and 00:10:52.330 --> 00:10:56.570 our need to God that he alone will provide for 00:10:56.570 --> 00:11:02.070 us. Whatever we give away is already his. Today, 00:11:02.129 --> 00:11:05.309 our Lord's words in the gospel force us to ask 00:11:05.309 --> 00:11:09.049 ourselves, what have we not crucified in our 00:11:09.049 --> 00:11:14.039 lives? What parts of ourselves, perhaps hidden 00:11:14.039 --> 00:11:18.379 in the depths and recesses of our hearts, have 00:11:18.379 --> 00:11:23.399 we not united to the cross? When we fall down, 00:11:23.659 --> 00:11:26.940 when we venerate, when we prostrate before it 00:11:26.940 --> 00:11:31.200 and kiss it, but hold on to and cling to particular 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:39.059 sins, are we not simply trying to profit ourselves? 00:11:39.870 --> 00:11:42.370 and keep something for ourselves in our earthly 00:11:42.370 --> 00:11:46.549 wisdom. For what does it profit a man to gain 00:11:46.549 --> 00:11:49.850 the whole world? Why would we want to and lose 00:11:49.850 --> 00:11:53.570 his soul? This line doesn't just apply to money, 00:11:53.629 --> 00:11:57.629 doesn't just apply to great careers, but to how 00:11:57.629 --> 00:12:03.110 we view ourselves in the world. All of it, all 00:12:03.110 --> 00:12:06.590 of it needs to be taken and subsumed under the 00:12:06.590 --> 00:12:11.519 cross of Christ. All of any significance and 00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:14.340 any meaning of what we are, what we do, what 00:12:14.340 --> 00:12:16.679 we are trying to become, what we are trying to 00:12:16.679 --> 00:12:20.480 run from, it needs to be placed under the power 00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:24.440 and wisdom and life of the cross. We need to 00:12:24.440 --> 00:12:28.899 deny ourselves our wisdom, our sin, our thoughts 00:12:28.899 --> 00:12:32.919 that plague us, our distraction that keeps us 00:12:32.919 --> 00:12:36.200 at arm's length, our running from our family. 00:12:36.679 --> 00:12:39.799 Our running from things that are before us and 00:12:39.799 --> 00:12:43.539 things that we actually need to do. Our running 00:12:43.539 --> 00:12:46.860 from things we are unable to confront in ourselves. 00:12:49.419 --> 00:12:55.179 That it might be obvious and perceptible to everyone 00:12:55.179 --> 00:12:58.740 else, but because it's too scary to us, we can't 00:12:58.740 --> 00:13:04.139 do it. We need to take up our cross. We need 00:13:04.139 --> 00:13:07.240 to crucify these things. We need to empty them 00:13:07.240 --> 00:13:10.580 of their power so that we might have life and 00:13:10.580 --> 00:13:15.399 forgiveness of sin. Real salvation. Real freedom. 00:13:15.620 --> 00:13:19.700 Real healing. To become communicants of eternal 00:13:19.700 --> 00:13:26.179 life truly. Even the things we see as our positive 00:13:26.179 --> 00:13:30.960 achievements. Our success. Things that we are 00:13:30.960 --> 00:13:34.320 particularly proud of. Perhaps it's how we raise 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:36.460 our kids. Perhaps it's that we've now raised 00:13:36.460 --> 00:13:41.200 our kids. They're walking with Christ. Perhaps 00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:44.320 it's our solid careers. Perhaps it's our nice 00:13:44.320 --> 00:13:47.440 houses. That we have a nice pension or retirement. 00:13:47.860 --> 00:13:50.539 Perhaps it's our vigilant attendance in church 00:13:50.539 --> 00:13:54.799 services. Our keeping of prayers. Even our keeping 00:13:54.799 --> 00:13:58.330 of the fast. Maybe it's our recognition of strangers, 00:13:58.549 --> 00:14:01.429 that we are the first ones at the door to see 00:14:01.429 --> 00:14:04.289 them and notice them, that we welcome others. 00:14:05.529 --> 00:14:08.190 Maybe it's what we focus our energy and life 00:14:08.190 --> 00:14:11.470 on, upstanding things we do in the community. 00:14:13.309 --> 00:14:18.330 And on and on and on. These things we also need 00:14:18.330 --> 00:14:21.950 to bring before the cross and crucify them. Because 00:14:21.950 --> 00:14:25.570 apart from Christ, they are nothing. We can do 00:14:25.570 --> 00:14:29.210 nothing, as Christ himself says. It is Christ 00:14:29.210 --> 00:14:32.230 who animates us. It is Christ who gives life. 00:14:32.409 --> 00:14:36.230 It is his cross that gives any power, meaning, 00:14:36.409 --> 00:14:39.509 significance, and wisdom to our lives. It is 00:14:39.509 --> 00:14:43.990 his cross that fills our hearts with love. Otherwise, 00:14:44.070 --> 00:14:52.070 we are noisy gongs. And so today, today, today, 00:14:52.149 --> 00:14:56.080 we take up the cross. because it destroys sin, 00:14:56.279 --> 00:15:00.840 death. The demons cower and are terrified of 00:15:00.840 --> 00:15:03.820 its power. Today we have nothing to be proud 00:15:03.820 --> 00:15:07.200 of. As we stand before the cross, how can we 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:11.940 be? What can we boast in? What can we bring before 00:15:11.940 --> 00:15:15.259 God? What can we be proud of except the cross 00:15:15.259 --> 00:15:18.299 of Christ, as St. Paul says? I will make that 00:15:18.299 --> 00:15:21.940 alone my boast, my weakness, because when I am 00:15:21.940 --> 00:15:25.720 weak, I am strong. and the Lord. Today we have 00:15:25.720 --> 00:15:30.240 nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing to hide. Nothing 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:34.379 to run from. Because all of our sin is nailed 00:15:34.379 --> 00:15:38.980 to the cross of Christ. All of sin, sins and 00:15:38.980 --> 00:15:44.299 death's power is squelched. It's emptied. It's 00:15:44.299 --> 00:15:49.860 trampled. The devil has no charge. His works 00:15:49.860 --> 00:15:54.340 have been completely undone. Christ has crushed 00:15:54.340 --> 00:15:58.059 the enemy. Today there is no condemnation for 00:15:58.059 --> 00:16:01.100 those who are in Christ Jesus. Today there is 00:16:01.100 --> 00:16:03.759 nothing that can separate us from the love of 00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:09.019 God. Today let's look up and fix our eyes on 00:16:09.019 --> 00:16:13.179 Christ's cross, which is our hope, our power, 00:16:13.259 --> 00:16:18.240 our joy, our weapon of peace, the very means 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:21.679 by which we enter into paradise, the divine life. 00:16:24.649 --> 00:16:27.809 To close with the words of St. Paul then, Today 00:16:27.809 --> 00:16:31.850 we have been crucified with Christ, and it is 00:16:31.850 --> 00:16:35.269 no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in 00:16:35.269 --> 00:16:38.269 us. And the life we now live in the flesh, we 00:16:38.269 --> 00:16:41.690 live by faith in and allegiance to the Son of 00:16:41.690 --> 00:16:46.029 God who loved us and gave himself for us by the 00:16:46.029 --> 00:16:49.049 power and might of the precious and life -giving 00:16:49.049 --> 00:16:50.169 cross. Amen.