Orthodox footnotes

With Morning Prayers I decided to read today's assigned reading from Ephesians (1:16-23) in The Orthodox Study Bible that I am getting acquainted  with. I started at the beginning of the chapter for context and the footnotes helped me to understand how to read this passage Orthodoxly instead of Calvinistically. It's so much more of a hopeful perspective and makes so much more sense. It's not that the Crucifixion was the foundation/purpose of creation, (which would make God a pretty grim figure) but the purpose was making His Creation one with him and holy. Due to our fall, the Crucifixion had to happen, and of course God had to know that, but it was not the first intent; rather, it was  something He allowed, as He allows free will and all its troubles.

It does seem like the footnotes "protesteth" a bit too much against Protestantism, but I suppose they know their audience. For instance, in the footnotes for 1:4-6, they write "Becoming a Christian is not so much inviting Christ into one's life as getting oneself into Christ's life." I know they are talking about the Evangelicals who believe that all they have to do is pray that one prayer and they are "saved" and that is a very insufficient view of salvation. But we do invite Christ into our life. It's in the Orthodox prayers too, everyday we pray "Holy King, Comforter… come and abide in us and cleanse us of every impurity and save us." That is essentially what the Evangelicals pray when they first acknowledge Jesus. And it is oversimplifying their view to say that's all there is to it for them, then they go on with their lives as before. Most of them do change and spend time praying and seeking God's guidance. But for them that is much more of an "extra credit" assignment rather than the essence of salvation, which the Orthodox understand it as being. So it is really a both/and experience. We have to invite Christ in, but that inviting, that opening up, is ongoing and is wheat gets us "into Christ's life." I think.

Where are my clothes?

Last night I had what I thought was a typical where-are-my-clothes-dream.  Won't go into the details, but it involved a river, and what I did have on was white.

Then this morning I read a sermon about the Baptism of Christ and saw the connection. If I had to be baptized in the Orthodox Church I would be clothed in white. And in the old days people were baptized naked and even now, X said, they would wear bathing suits (as I did in the Nazarene Church and am so glad that dimly remembered and partly verified baptism is good enough for Father). So this is not just a typical where-are-my-clothes-dream but rather a dream about my entering into this deeper, cleansing relationship with Christ. Perhaps all our where-are-my-clothes-dreams are re-enactments of Adam and Eve "sneaking around naked in the garden like Adam" and Eve, as Father Philip writes, when we could instead repent and "wear the garment of light that He has given us, […] and embrace the glory of our salvation personally and intentionally." Amen.

Why so much repenting?

I had thought this post on Dreher's blog was too convoluted to read (http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/nominalist-church-ross-douthat-year-zero/ ) but since it was what was open on my laptop this morning, I read it. This morning, the commentary makes a great deal of sense and helps me better understand why Dreher loved Laurus, the novel which I read on his recommendation, and enjoyed, but did not share his sense of awe about. (It just seemed to me like a novelized version of the stories of so many of the saints I read about every day. Nice but why so earth shattering?) The concept of sacramental time, a term he borrows from an Evangelical theologian,( but isn't it really what Kairos means(?)) explains a great deal. Dreher is, as always, using it to explain what is wrong with the liberal, progressive wings of Christianity, but I don't even care about that. I have chosen Orthodoxy. Or rather, Orthodoxy has chosen me. And I can eagerly accept the Communion of Saints—by which I think we mean the continuing presence of those who have died in the flesh—and I wonder—those who are not yet born? Thanks to Doxacon (Orthodox Science Fiction convention), I know I am not alone in viewing the time travel of adventures of Dr. Who as explaining in some way the "wibbly wobbly timey wimey" effect of Christ's crucifixion.

This is important in helping me think about the big whole life confession I will be making when I am chrismated into the Orthodox communion.  Didn't I already repent of all the things I did before my first conversion at age 18? Don't I believe that Jesus has already wiped all those things out, cleaned the slate? And then I did a formal, Episcopal Church confession once to Father Burt, so really, why dredge up the past again? The Evangelicals loved to retell their "testimonies," recounting how bad they were before they repented and I found that got old fast. Why weren't we focusing at least half the time on our current struggle for sanctification (which is what the Wesleyan Nazarenes believe can be achieved and which, I have to admit, is a belief that is much closer to Orthodoxy than I had expected (or wanted, since I had decided perfect sanctification was an unrealistic goal that sets us up for despair)?  

I get that salvation is a journey and not a one-time event, though I worry that can devolve into a Calvinistic fear of "am I elect to be saved"? But this is wrong, according to blogger, Eric Hyde, "repentance does not carry the stigmatism [sic] of dwelling in nagging despair over one’s eternal resting place—the feeling that at any moment one can “lose his salvation”—but [repentance] is rather the power to maintain the gift of God’s grace; as St. Cyril of Jerusalem (cir. 380 AD) said, “It is for God to grant His grace, your task is to accept that grace and to guard it.” https://ehyde.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/orthodoxy-and-repentance/ .  But more important still is the concept of Kairos time.  T.S. Eliot worried unduly (or un-Orthodoxly) when he wrote "If all time is eternally present / all time is unredeemable" (Burnt Norton). I think it is just the opposite. All time is eternally present and all events in chronos time are being transformed into something new and Holy in Kairos time continually through continual repentance! That's it: I get it! 

Thoughts on Theophany

It's time to get real, and abandon the third person point of view.

Theophany, the Baptism of Christ, is one of the 12 major feasts in Orthodoxy. In the Episcopal Church, I recall, the Baptism is celebrated on the Sunday after Christmas (or perhaps after Epiphany… which like Theophany is on January 6, but which focuses on the arrival of the Magi.) I'm curious where the interpretations of what should be celebrated on the 6th diverged, though they do agree on the sense of a new understanding of God shining out into the world beyond the boundaries of Israel and the chosen people. In any case, I went to Church twice on the day of the Eve of the Theophany. I don't recall the details of the explanation of why we celebrate the blessing of the water also on the morning of the eve, and on the morning of the day, but we do. All told, I spent about 5 hours in Church on Tuesday and 4 hours driving back and forth (mostly with my friend X, which adds time to the journey but makes it more enjoyable) so I have broken a new record for worship.

As the communicants were receiving in the morning, I prayed that God would help me to feel His love, and suddenly my eyes were stung with tears. I do not know exactly what happened, but it seemed like a sign, affirming my longing for God's love.

I hadn't been sure that I, a lowly catechumen, would be able to partake of the holy water, which parishioners were told they can take home in containers that they bring, but Father made it clear before the service ended, that the blessing Christ bestowed on the universe through his baptism is for everyone. And even, in the Soviet days, people used to sneak a bit of holy water into the food and drink of the unbelievers. (And we know how Russia has returned to the faith now! So this stuff works!--my comment, not his).  So during the time of the final veneration of the icon and the cross, Father blesses--splashes!-- us in our faces and it is funny and joyful. People brought all kinds of jars and water bottles. I got to fill my jar with the holy water. And, exhausted and needed to get some work done, did not return to church on the actual day of the feast. Oh, whoever would have thought I wished I lived in Murderburg.