Thursday 28 April 2016

The Earth Trembled


On our Saviour's Passion
[The earth trembled] (1688)

 The earth did tremble; and heav'n's closed eye
Was loth to see the Lord of Glory dye:
The Skyes were clad in mourning, and the Spheares
Forgat their harmony; the Clouds dropt teares:
Th'ambitious Dead arose to give him roome;
And ev'ry Grave did gape to be his Tombe:
Th'affrighted heavn's sent down elegious Thunder;
The World's Foundation loos'd, to lose their Founder;
Th'impatient Temple rent her Vaile in two,
To teach our hearts what our sad hearts should do:
Shall senselesse things doe this, and shall not I
Melt one poore drop to see my Saviour dye?
Drill forth my Teares, and trickle one by one,
TIll you have pierc'd this heart of mine, this Stone.

Saturday 2 January 2016

Behold, I will send you Elijah

The Gospel according to Matthew 3:1-6

At that time, John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." Now John wore a garment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river.

Icon of Ss. Elijah and John the Baptist
Sourced from modeoflife.org

The significance of the person of John at this point in the Gospel as we approach the feast of the Theophany is integral to the continuity of the story of salvation of God's people.
Christ does not come unannounced to his people, he is foretold by the ancient prophets and prefigured in the final of those, John, the Baptist, Our Lord's cousin.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. (Malachi 4:5)

The description Matthew gives us of John's attire is not without significance. The camel hair and leather belt refers John to Elijah, it is the dress code of the Prophet of the Lord.

"What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things? They answered him, "He wore a garment of haircloth, with a girdle of leather about his loins." And he [King Ahazi'ah] said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite." (2 Kings 1:7-8)
 And so with John comes the completion of the Old Prophets, and the beginning of the era of the Incarnate God. In Christ history is fulfilled and perfected, in the incarnation the requirement for prophets to reveal God's will among men was no longer needed for Christ is with us intrinsically through the flesh.

With the coming of Christ, the ministry of John came to completion, the new age begins, and the old rites perfected.

I baptize you with water [...] he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11)

Friday 1 January 2016

What's in a Name? - Circumcision of Our Lord

Circumcision of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

The Gospel according to Luke 2:20-21


At that time, the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.


Reflections

There are two major points in the above Gospel passage; those of Circumcision and Naming. Both of these are inextricably linked in the history of God's covenant with His people, but for the sake of this post I shall focus mainly on the latter, the naming.
Should you wish to read a recent blog post centred on the Circumcision, I would have no hesitancy in directing you toward Dimitris Salapatas' excellent blog Londinoupolis, where he engages with the Pauline exhortation that we are circumcised in the Spirit.

The Eighth Day

As Orthodox Christians the eighth day holds particular significance. The week as represented on earth is seven days, the eighth day is representative of the day of completion, the eschatalogical day. It is for this reason the Divine Liturgy is considered to take place on the 'eighth day', which is to say, outside of time as we perceive it.

It is on the eighth day that the Lord is circumcised and given the name Jesus.
It is on the eighth day that we will be given a new name as foretold in Rev. 2:17.

Purpose of Name

A name is a means by which to identify an individual.
It is what differentiates a pet from livestock, a loved one from the crowd.
By granting a name one is granting identity to the bestower of the name. The named one is called out and made recognisable.
The identity of that person is bound to the name so that when the name is called, so too is the remembrance of that person to whom it relates.
The name 'Jesus' gives us a means to identify the incarnate Son of God. 
Furthermore the name gives us the ability to call upon Jesus.
How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer's ear!...