Dealing with sin

When it comes down to it, we all have certain sins that we struggle with, that we "like", that plague us.  Some are socially acceptable, others are dark and twisted, but the truth is, they are all sins, and God does not wink at or allow for any of them.
When we really understand the nature of all sins, how they all have this common theme, we will be very slow to condemn, judge or criticize. 
This ties in with previous posts I have written about focusing on dealing with our own sins and not looking at others and their sins.  Judging others is easy.  Finding fault in ourselves is not.  We always want to find some justification or excuse for ourselves.  We want to quickly condemn others and tell ourselves how much better we are than them.
It ought to be reversed.  We ought to assume that others are better than we are, that what we are seeing in others is not what it seems, that there is something else going on that justifies their actions.  Hard on ourselves, easy on others.
Of course, we want others to be this way towards us.  But are we willing to be this way toward others?

He really loves his car/wife/kids/chocolate

As the title suggests, our use of the word "love" carries a wide variety of definitions.  We can love our wife, or children, our car, lasagna or The Rolling Stones.  Each use of love is different than the other, or should be (if not, we have serious issues).
With that in mind, how should we understand the text that says, "Do not love the world or the things of the world"?  The first thing to notice is the distinction of two things forbidden here.  One, the world and two, the things of the world.  If this were a mere prohibition of things sinful, then what does the distinction mean?  What is being communicated here can be classified by use of a metaphor.  Like someone training for a marathon, the eating of doughnuts and pizza is not bad in itself, but it is bad because it is contrary to the desired goal, running 26 miles in record time.  So too the Christian life.  Often, in Protestant thinking, Jesus has completed everything and we need to simply ride his coattails into bliss.  But that is not the instruction we receive from Scripture or the church.
We are to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling," and "discipline my body and bring it into subjection".  Simply put, the world (that is, things that are not external) and things of the world (that is, material, temporal things that distract us from eternal life) are not to be loved.  We are to use those things that are necessary for our station in life, but hold on to them very loosely.  We really need to be focused on our sanctification, loving God and loving neighbor.

Pick a frivolty

I was a combination of pensive and surly today.  My motivation? Poverty and the American dream.  We live in houses way too big for our needs.  We drive obscenely expensive cars that get replaced every year for the next model.  We eat like kings, or even better, every day, so much so that we have completely lost the concept of feasting.  We live in opulence and comfort beyond nearly everyone else's dreams, in all of history.  Then we claim that it is our right to do so.
What about love?
All that I have just described is a typical day in America.  All the while, children all over the world starve to death, the masses are abused, displaced and lose everything.  Tyrants and despots take advantage of the authority given them, while their own people suffer, almost beyond comprehension.  All the while, we feast.
The thing that really makes me mad is my feeling of helplessness.  I don't have an abundance of money with which to make a difference.  But then it occurred to me.  God hasn't told us to obey his command of caring for the needy IF we can make a huge difference.  We should obey because God has told us to.  Big deal if we can spare $25 a month, that is nothing to most of us, but would make a huge difference for many elsewhere.  I had the idea: what if we actually sacrificed and gave to the needy the money that we would spend on some frivolity?  So, for example, what if we gave away $100 a month instead of having 500 channels of cable tv?  I know our suffering would be immense, but that amount of money would do amazing things.
We should help because we should love.  If we simply don't care, then we simply do not belong to Christ.

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.