The power of signs and symbols

While we may not realize or recognize what is happening, we are constantly being directed by and influenced by, signs and symbols. Especially as of late, in our day of desktop icons and emoticons, symbolism is all around us.  But this is nothing new. Symbolism has been part of communication, especially in the field of religion, for as long as man has dabbled therein.
This thought has prompted me to articulate some of the symbolism within Christian Orthodoxy.  The thing to realize with symbolism and signs, especially within Orthodoxy, is that they are not merely just interesting modes of communication.  They actually contain power. Here are a few:
The cross:  we see this symbol probably daily, but it should remind us of what Jesus accomplished via the cross.  A fulfillment of old covenant law, the destruction of the power of death, the salvation of mankind. The ramifications of these is astounding.  This sign alone should draw us to God in awe and gratitude.
The sign of the cross:  This action needs to be understood historically.  Since the very beginning of the Christian church, the sign of the cross, as a self applied sign upon ourselves, has been taken very seriously.  By signing ourselves this way, we are saying a multitude of things.  We are reminding ourselves of Jesus' work, we are identifying ourselves with the body of Christ, we are striving to crucify within ourselves our passions and fleshly desires, we are seeking a blessing of the power of God in the cross.  This sign actually contains spiritual power.  One other aspect of this is the manner in which the hand is held in crossing oneself.  The index finger, the middle finger and the thumb held together, representing the Trinity, while the ring finger and the pinky touch the palm, representing the two natures of Christ, in one person.
The cruciform: historically and traditionally, Christian churches have been built in this shape, again to embrace and identify ourselves with the sign of the cross.
Bread and wine: these signs, given to us by Jesus himself, while genuinely a reminder of who Jesus is and what he did, they are, more importantly, the body and blood of Jesus, within the Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox church.  Not merely a reminder of Jesus' work but also not a specimen to be scholastically analyzed, these elements contain true spiritual power, that are a blessing for those who partake of them in a faithful manner.
Icons:  These apparent mere images of reposed saints are much more than that.  These are called "Windows to heaven", as they represent, not mere reminders of deceased loved ones, but specific images that communicate Christian truth.  These holy people are not gone, but are still very much a part of the church.  They are there for us, praying for us, now perfected, before the throne of God.  The colors, setting and shapes all communicate profound truths.
Much more could be said in this regard. I encourage you to look further into these and other signs and symbols of our faith.  The richness of which we are surrounded must not be lost or ignored.

Why the church is

The constant flux of ecclesiology in the United States has brought a change in how people view the purpose of church.  This has resulted in a nearly non-thought approach to doing church.  The modern evangelical church has become a seeker-friendly, nearly observation-only performance.  These gatherings seek to make people comfortable and deliver a positive message.  But this is all a far cry from the historical church.
The Greek word for "church" is "ekklesia", meaning "calling out".  In short, the church service is, even in simplest terms, a calling out of the body of Christ into a unified gathering.  This then precludes the idea of structuring the service to make non believing visitors comfortable.  There is no problem with non believers visiting a church service.  But they need to understand what we are doing.  It's not for them. They should be uncomfortable because this gathering is an otherworldly experience, something completely contrary to the worldly norm.
I suppose all of this comes down to what we want to make our foundation.  There are three ways to approach this.  One, we can follow the tradition of the historic church, two, we can make it up as we go, or three, we can work through the Bible on our own and devise a private interpretation.
I would think it would be clear by now which position is actually historically Christian.

One or three

In light of the recent events that have taken place at Wheaton College in regards to Islam and Christianity, I felt the need to point out the obvious.  From the very beginning, Christianity has understood God as three in one.  God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, three persons in one God.  Not three gods but one.  The ecumenical councils state in very strong words, that God is three in one, the Trinity.
The historic and official statement in Islam states, in no uncertain terms, "There is one God, Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet."  For the Muslim, God is one.  He has no son, he has no Holy Spirit.
Any deviation from these tenets, on either side, is heresy, for the Christian and for the Muslim.
So it is very clear, Christians and Muslims do not serve the same God.

At rest

A rather brief but intriguing thought came to my mind today.  I was reading the most recent issue of "The Orthodox Word", regarding the hieromartyr Father Thaddeus Uspensky, who was martyred by the Soviets in 1937.  His life, even after being in Soviet prison, was one of simplicity and humility.  He lived as if he owned nothing and was a guest wherever he went.  As a priest, he depended upon the support his parish could provide.
After reading this I began to wonder how I would live in a similar situation. I began to wonder what my lifestyle would be in a circumstance where I didn't have to be concerned with supplying my basic needs.  How would I spend my time, how would I spend my money? The answer to these questions would reveal, probably uncomfortably so, ones real character.

Children with garbage can lids

I had an interesting conversation with one of my sons, a little while back.  Just recently, in response to that conversation, a reasonable solution came to mind.
Our conversation centered around the stark contrast between the seemingly great maturation of the arts in the west in comparison to the almost disregard of them in the east.  It seems to me that the worldviews and presuppositions of the eastern Orthodox church are contrast to an emphasis on the arts.  If one looks back at the previous centuries of artistic development in the west, one cannot but marvel at the works of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Da Vinci, Rembrandt, etc.  The eastern church contains nothing comparable.
This fact deeply bothered both my son and I.  As we are both musicians and have a deep and wide appreciation for music, this apparent void in the east was unsettling.  But as I said, there is an answer to this that I am starting to wrap my mind around.
As I am an Orthodox Christian, I believe that the church is led by the Holy Spirit, that the eastern orthodox church is "the church".  Because of this, I have to believe that the church has developed like it is supposed to be developing.  The western church, on the other hand, Rome and Protestants, are out of communion with the church and therefore at a disadvantage.  So my conclusion is this:  like children banging together garbage can lids in order to make "music", the west has sought to create and develop the arts far too soon.  Lacking connection with the sanctifying tools of the church and lacking the leadership and wisdom of a unified church, those outside of the church have done too much, too soon.  One needs to crawl before one walks and walk before one runs.  Those outside the church have sought after things requiring maturity when they still have souls besmudged with darkness.  Like making a sandwich before your hands are washed only results in a inedible meal, so too a work of art from a soul stained by sin.
I would love to hear some feedback on this. From an Orthodox perspective, I believe this makes sense.  The state of the creator will be seen in the creation.  The current corruption of the west and the historical lack of communion of the west with the historic Orthodox church must result in some negative fruit.  This may be one of them.

Set theory

In mathematics, set theory explains the relationship between sets of numbers and the formulas for how those sets are derived.
From this, an analogy came to mind.  When we look at and think about the details and structure of the old covenant, under Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses or David, we see the central theme of the physical.  The promises, the blessings, the curses and the signs/symbols all were built upon things physical.  To become part of the people of God, one received physical circumcision.  If obedient, one would receive long life, land, many children and blessed crops or herds.  If one was disobedient, one received the opposite.  The form of worship was centered in a specific location: in the temple, in Jerusalem.  A Jew did not want to die outside of the border of Israel.  The Jews were not looking for an ethereal, out of this world eternity in heaven.  They were looking for blessings in the here and now.
In other words, in the set "old covenant", all of the components were centered around the physical.  But now, we are not in that solution set any longer.  As new covenant Christians, we have our eyes set on eternity and perfect communion with God on a new and perfected heaven/earth.  It is important though to recognize a very important distinction.  The old covenant was about things physical.  The new covenant (that is, right now) is about preparing for things spiritual.  But eternity, that is, after the final judgment, is about all things renewed and perfect.  In eternity, we will perfectly and sinlessly enjoy all things, both physical and spiritual, while and because of, perfect communion with our triune God.
If we are to understand anything rightly, we need to understand the reality in which we live.

Idealistically speaking

I would think that most people, either consciously or unconsciously, have some sort of idealistic vision.  Whether it's an idea of how they think their own life would be perfect, or society or the world in general, there is some sort of vision for how things should be.
The question that should come up, behind all of this, is that of origins.  From where does this vision come?  What are the motivating factors and what is the ultimate end goal, either recognized or not? 
What does your perfect life look like?  What does a perfect society or world look like, in your understanding?  To make this thing ultimately practical and thus worth our attention, what steps can you take today, this month or this year to bring that about?  What are you willing to sacrifice to make this happen?  The answer to that question will reveal just how important the ideal is to you. 
I would suggest that if the ideal life, society or world involves the changing of other people, rather than yourself, then your ideal is perfectly upside down.  The Christian life and the subsequent sanctification intertwined with it are all about the things you do, not others.  Think to yourself, "I am to love God, I am to love neighbor, I am to repent." 
Start from here and two things will happen.  One, your definition of ideal will change and two, your progress toward the ideal will move forward.  You are going to be moving, it's unavoidable, every moment of your life.  You might as well make it a move in the right direction.