Homily Given at St. Andrew UOC in Boston, MA

I Corinthians 4: 9 - 16

For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.  We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored!  To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless.  And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;  being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.   I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you.  For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.  Therefore I urge you, imitate me..

Feast of St. Andrew, 2009

Glory to Jesus Christ!  Glory Forever!

Congratulations on your feastday, and may God grant you and this parish many blessed years!  St. Andrew is a great inspiration to us, and, Glory to God, he remains a strong intercessor and supporter of this parish and our Holy Ukrainian Orthodox Church. 

While I would like to focus the bulk of my remarks on Advent, I want to say a few words first about our epistle reading that commemorates this Feast.

I love this reading from St. Paul to the Corinthians [I Corinthians 4: 9-16) because it shows us what sometimes happens to those who are dedicated to the Gospel – they are publically mocked by the “wise… strong… [and] distinguished” people they serve.  The brutal clarity of his presentation should cause us to re-examine how we treat our own bishops and priests – as St. Paul says, he is not trying to shame us about our poor behavior towards our pastors, but he is trying to warn us.  He knows that [as a pastor] he is sanctified by the mockery of his flock, but he also knows that their behavior – and the moral confusion that gives rise to it – [is] destroying the souls of the people he loves and serves.  He loves his flock and would not see them destroyed – not by wolves, and not even by their own internal passions.

There is also a wonderful lesson for everyone who leads, and especially to those called to leadership within the Church.  In two sentences, he summarizes the best advice I have ever heard, and it is advice that every seminarian should heed well: “To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat.”  Christian leaders will often suffer for their vocation, they will be “reviled”, “persecuted”, and “defamed”, sometimes by the world, and sometimes (as in Corinth) even by the people he loves the dearest.  But rather than reacting with either despondency or anger (which is all too often our first instinct), the Christian leader is called to respond with “blessing”, “endurance” and by continuing to witness and teach the Good News [i.e. entreaty]. It is only through this kind of witness that the world can be saved; and it is only through this kind of witness that mobs become disciples.

===

Now please allow me to say a few words about our preparation for the Nativity.  Forgive me if they do not apply here in Boston (we do not chose the readings or the seasons based on where we are; both are determined well above our pay grade), but if they do not (apply here in Boston), they certainly apply everywhere else I have visited within these United States: we are a culture that is up to its eyeballs in stress about money and stress about time.  We were not meant to live this way.

It is tragic that the days surrounding the celebration of the Birth of Christ are marked with so much worry and stress; that the days commemorating the coming of the God-Man Jesus into the world are full of anxiety, frantic busy-ness, and depression rather than the peace, joy, and hope He came to bring.

Let me encourage you, on this your patronal feast, to make the most out of your preparation for the Nativity; let me encourage you be more intentional in making your heart, your family, and your wonderful community here at St. Andrews, even more fitting places for the Christ child to rest.  You have done this this morning – intentionally setting aside and “sacrificing” part of your Sunday for a quiet morning of worship and thanksgiving – I am encouraging you to make this a habit … indeed I am encouraging you to “sacrifice” all the hours of all your days at the altar of the God-man Jesus Christ.  No, this does not mean that I think you should spend all your time in Church; rather that you do what every Christian is commanded to do; “redeem the time [all of the time], for the days are wicked.”  Very few of us are ready to spend more time in Church – we can barely pay attention for the little time we do spend here; but all of us MUST admit that time is not ours to spend – we neither created it nor earned it – it is given to us for a specific purpose, and Advent is a good time to readjust our lives accordingly.

As you (no doubt) know, within the Orthodox Christian tradition, the Advent season (of Pilipivka or Nativity Fast) mirrors that of Great Lent, with 40 days of humility, fasting, prayer, and charity.  As during Great Lent, we use these ascetic disciplines to empty ourselves of all the destructive passions and habits that have made their homes within our hearts and that have manifested themselves within our lives.   Dave Ramsey, my favorite Christian financial advisor and radio personality, often chides listeners not to “spend money they don’t have on giving gifts nobody wants” [a paraphrase] – I agree, But would suggest that we bring the same wisdom to how we manage our time: we should not spend “free time” that we really don’t have doing things that we really shouldn’t be doing. 

Regaining self-control and living a quieter life [in Christ] are the only ways to avoid making the extra holiday family get-togethers and Church services more than just additional events to squeeze into an already jam-packed calendar; and giving gifts to loved ones and those in need more than just additional lines on a credit card bill we already can’t afford. 

Charity is not just another item to squeeze into our budget, and worship is more than just something we squeeze into our schedules.  If we live our lives just trying to squeeze virtue in as best we can, then our hearts risk being like all those inns in Bethlehem that had no room for the Theotokos and St. Joseph when they sought a place for the Christ-child to be born.  We must clear our calendars of all nonsense, clear our budgets of all selfishness, and clear our hearts of all worldly attachments … and then fill each of them and all our lives with the living Christ so that He might dwell within us and us together within Him.

We must not join this fallen world in marking the days leading to the Nativity of Our Lord with impatient frenzy, but by learning to do the very same thing Christ did for us: [to do this, we must] purify ourselves of all selfishness; center ourselves in God’s grace; and allow His peace, mercy, joy, and love fill our lives and spread to the world around us.  Christ God the pre-eternal Logos was Incarnate as a baby in Bethlehem two thousand years ago, He lived, suffered, died, resurrected, and ascended into Glory so that we might join Him in peace and love here and forevermore.

This is the gift of Christmas being offered to everyone here at St. Andrew’s and throughout the entire world. He called St. Andrew first, but everyone here’s name is also on His list: open your arms and open your hearts to receive Him.  May God bless you as you prepare for His coming.