I talk about this a good bit. People get tired of repeating themselves and others get tired of hearing the repetition. The thing is, we actually need this repetition. If we don’t continually repeat things, we forget them, or we fall away from the practice.
For example, if you’re into physical fitness like me, you know the constant repetitive practice of physical exercise, while not always exciting, will eventually create a better and more healthy lifestyle. If you will discipline yourself enough, eventually it becomes less of a discipline and more of a lifestyle. This is one of the reasons liturgical worship is used in the historic Church. The things we repeat are the things that stick in our minds, hearts, souls and bodies (lex orandi, lex credenda). By the way, think about that as it relates to what kind of media you consume on a repetitive basis… Anyways, repetition. What’s my point, you may ask? I’m not sure if you’ve noticed or not but things in our world seem to be in constant flux. Everything changes on a daily basis it seems. Sometimes, it feels like everything changes moment by moment. In this ever-changing and constantly innovating world in which we live, it can feel like there is nothing to hold on to that remains the same. It feels like the whole world has gone mad and taken us for a ride and we just honestly want to make it all stop and hold on to something that’s not moving. The Church has become like that as well. In the one entity that should be eternal and unchanging, there has been constant change. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we shouldn’t use electricity and have indoor plumbing in our churches. I’m not suggesting we don’t take advantage of advances in technology that can help us. What I am saying is that new is not better when it comes to innovations in the Church. The Church should never adapt to the world and “modern man.” The world should be adapting to the Church. The Church does not and should not change. Doctrine and dogma do not “develop.” There is a difference in finding new ways to say what has always been said and completely changing what the Church has always said. The Church is eternal and does not change precisely because Her Bridegroom is eternal and does not change. As the writer of Hebrews reminds us in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Because He does not change, the Church should not change. It’s sad to me that those who wish to innovate the worship of the Church (which indeed changes the theology of the Church) always have such negative things to say about those of us who hold to tradition. We are “rigid” and “creating division.” My response to that is the faith does not change so, in the reasoning of the innovators, the faith must be rigid and create division. I believe it was our Lord Jesus who said, in Matthew 10:34, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” Does that mean that Jesus is a quarrelsome guy? No. Rather, His message creates conflict with the world and its so-called values. If we follow Christ as He is to be followed, there will be conflict. Even with others who claim the name of Jesus. I heard a sermon recently by Fr. Josiah Trenham that has prompted this train of thought and thus this post. In that homily, Fr. Josiah, in talking about our forefathers in the faith who have held fast and unchanging, said this, “Novelty is the soil of heresy.” Marinate on that for a minute. That statement reminds me of what we read in Jude 3, “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” Even in the 1st century, just a few years after the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of our Lord, they were already having to remind the faithful to hold fast to the faith once for all delivered to the saints. Jude did not say, “It’s cool. I know times have changed so we can do what seems good to us now.” No. He said to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” The faith hasn’t changed and neither should our approach is what he’s saying. Don’t be tempted to novelty and innovation. Don’t be tempted to appease the world. It’s too easy to fall away. Again, the writer of Hebrews in chapter 2:1 says, “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.” Lest we drift away from the faith once for all delivered to the saints and the things we have heard, remember, “Novelty is the soil of heresy.” The writer of Hebrews again exhorts us in 10:23, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Hold fast without wavering. Why? Because He who promised is faithful. Christ is faithful. He hasn’t changed a thing. Why should we? Who is it that has changed, us or Him? It ain’t Him. Why is it that, over and over in the New Testament, the writers talk about holding fast if we aren’t tempted to fall away? “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.” – 1 Corinthians 16:13 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 15:58 “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.” – 2 Timothy 1:13-14 “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” – 1 Timothy 6:12 Christ, in John’s Apocalypse, tells the church in Sardis (Rev. 3:3), “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come to you.” And again, to the church in Philadelphia (Rev. 3:11), “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.” Dear brothers and sisters, God’s Word has not changed. The Son has not changed. The deposit of the faith has not changed. Our charge is to hold fast to the faith once for all delivered to the saints (that’s called Tradition) and not to give in to the impulse to be constantly innovating and changing and trying to make God fit into what we want and are comfortable with. As you seek for His Church, ask yourself this question: “Who has changed and who has not? Who has held fast to the Faith without wavering?” I’m not saying that all churches are perfect. That would be foolish to assume. After all, the Church is made up of you and me and we are imperfect sinners. But, who is that keeps innovating and changing things? Be wary of those who call good bad and bad good, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” – Isaiah 5:20 May we run to His Church, the ark of our salvation and may we remain steadfast, rigid and immovable! If we do that, if we are true to Christ, our Savior and King, then we will have the same joy as St. Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” – 2 Tim. 4:7 Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee!
0 Comments
My wife and I used to own a CrossFit affiliate. We’re still pretty fit (even though I’m pushing 50) but we’ve both been into fitness for a long time. Anyways, one of the things I’ve learned over the years is that nutrition is critical for us to achieve the fitness goals we set for ourselves. Fitness is critical for us to live healthy lives. I think we’ve all seen this during this “pandemic.” The number one comorbidity that, combined with Covid-19, caused death was obesity. As we used to say to our clients all the time, “You can’t out-train your fork.”
Garbage in, garbage out. When I first began to get serious about my faith, I spent a lot of time reading the Bible. Duh, right? If you’re going to learn something, you have to go to the source. At the time, what I did not know was that there were other sources. Now, lest you think me a heretic, I’m talking about the Church and her Tradition. What I learned (it wasn’t said out loud but the practice of it taught me this) in seminary and just after was that knowledge was the key. The more Bible you had memorized or the more you understood the better. There was very little, at least in my experience, of a notion of living the “right way.” Not that the people who called themselves Christians all lived like pagans but… Not that it was never talked about, but a lot of Protestants shy away from talking about how we live because they don’t want you to think they’re talking about “works based righteousness.” The focus was almost exclusively on what you believed, not on what you do. As the years have gone by, I have become increasingly disenchanted with a notion of Christianity that is almost exclusively focused on knowledge rather than a faithful life. I look at the earliest Christians and see a group of mostly simple people who believed, and that belief then led them to live in a certain way. In other words, their faith and their lives were mutually part of one another. Faith and “works” were not separated. As I have progressed over the years, I have become less interested in theology and more interested in a lived faith. The way we live our lives matters. The things we consume matter. The media we ingest influences our heart. Anyone who says otherwise is, frankly, an idiot. It is not possible for us to continually consume certain kinds of media and not be affected by it. It is not possible for us to continually listen to certain kinds of music and not be affected by it. Our hearts are already hardened against the things of God anyway. In fact, the prophet Jeremiah, relaying the words of God, in chapter 17:5-10 says this, “Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. Blessed in the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according the to the fruit of his doings.” (emphasis mine) Out of the heart comes the things we do. Our Saviour said this. We find, in Mark 7:20-23, “And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Aside from the innate disease of sin which affects our fallen flesh, where do you think these things come from? Have you watched TV recently? Been to see a movie? Turn on most of the shows or even the news these days and all you see is evil, adultery, fornication, violence, wickedness, lewdness, blasphemy, pride and foolishness. Garbage in, garbage out. Let’s try putting good things in. The Apostle Paul reminds us of this in Ephesians 5:1-21. I’ll put some excerpts here, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.” (vs. 1) “But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints.” (vs. 3) “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” (vs. 8-11) “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (vs. 15-17) What we do with our bodies matters. What we take in with our eyes and hear with our ears and do with our bodies matters. Rather than ingest the things of the world that are spiritually dangerous for us, let us spend our time in prayer and fasting and reading and spending time with family and things that are good and holy. Again, the Apostle Paul, in Romans 13:11-14, says, “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” Lotta action words here. St. Paul says to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. In other words, flee from the things which are against the things of God. Fill your life with things that lead you to our Lord. Most importantly, as St. Paul says, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” If we have been baptized into Christ, we have put on Christ. We have now literally begun to participate in the divine life. The divine and the perverse cannot co-exist. If you have put on Christ, live like it! Put on the things that are holy and cast off the things that would stand in your way! Cling to Christ. He will not leave us, but we can certainly turn away from Him. There is no halfway, there is no compartmentalizing Christ. If you are in Christ, you have literally been brought from death to life. Christ has changed what it means to be human, He has restored humanity and so you have changed as a human. Don’t turn away from this staggering gift! Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, brothers and sisters! Glory to Jesus Christ! |
Archives
March 2021
Categories
All
|