HolySpirit

To an outside observer, many of the liturgical elements we do at any service might seem “over the top ” ritual, full of pomp and circumstances – but when a Bishop is serving, it can seem truly all the more bizarre. I suppose that one can be left with the impression that these “over the top” rituals are just nostalgia for the glory years of Imperial Russia or Byzantium. Of course this is always a temptation (which I am all to often reminded of), but if we invest ourselves into the fact that these rituals are the expressions of our love of the Lord, they don’t seem to be as strange or inconsistent with anything else we do.

The presence of a Bishop at any given service (and especially at a Liturgy) is an apostolic icon of the fullness of our faith. We see this rooted in scripture with St. Paul’s instructions to Timothy and Titus, and reflected in early Church documents like the Didache (1st century) or Justin Martyr’s apologies on the faith (2nd century). In these (and many more writings) we see the that the Bishops (or overseers ἐπίσκοπος) manifest the unity of the faith, not as an administrative and social position, but rather through the through the historic, liturgical, scriptural, and spiritual life they embody. The short form for this is “Apostolic succession” where each canonical Bishop can trace their vocation back through time to the very apostles themselves.

It is in this that we find ourselves not in the presence of a CEO, or guru (God forbid), but rather in the presence of a man who conveys the same living “tradition” (2 Tess. 2:15) and teachings of the twelve apostles; and even of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ. As St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote in the 1st century “Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be, even as where Christ Jesus is, there is the catholic (whole and undivided) church” (Epistle to the Smyrnaeans).

This understanding of the whole and undivided Church in the presence of a bishop, was manifested last weekend on the Soul Saturday before Pentecost, as our long time choir director Greg Wiebe, was ordained to the diaconate by Archbishop Irénée. It is truly wonderful and witness of the saving work of the Lord at St. Nicholas (and the Archdiocese as a whole); indeed the willingness of men (like Greg) and their families to respond positively, like the prophet Isaiah to the call of the Lord; “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us? (Is. 6:8) is a manifestation of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. Not in some mystical or spiritual way only, but tangably in the pastoral and liturgical life of the Church.

In this context we were given the opportunity to see those rituals that surround us when a Bishop is serving, and at the ordination of a deacon; not as Imperial nostalgia, or “over the top” liturgics, but rather an expression of the honour to the apostolic proclamation of the Lord’s saving victory over sin and death. Truly it is a blessing that we can not only bear witness to this proclamation, but participate in it.

May the Lord grant many blessed years to Vladyka Irénée, blessing him with peace and wisdom as he criss-crosses the Archdiocese in service to the Lord. May the Lord grant many blessed years to the newly ordained Deacon Greg, his wife Amanda, their children Kayla, William, and Hannah; and may the Lord grant many blessed years to the clergy and faithful of St Nicholas in their continued love and dedication to the Lord.

(Photo credits. Tina Wiebe photography, Igumen Vladimir (Lysak), Archpriest Gregory Scratch)

I have always been challenged when it comes to building fires. They always burn themselves up in a flash because they are mainly fueled by flammable paper; never catch because I have packed everything tightly with no room for oxygen to feed the fire; or worse produce a huge cloud of smoke that chokes everyone. Indeed the process of building a fire is something that I (and many others) overthink and work on; along with many other elements in my life. Especially my life as a Christian.

And this is something to consider as we prepare ourselves for the blessed feast of the Theophany of our Lord. His baptism in the Jordan river.

We hear the words of St. John the Baptist calls us, implores us, even warns us to bear the fruits of repentance in preparation of the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the” (Jn. 1:29), and to receive a baptism not of water – that which is created, but of the Holy Spirit – that which is of God. Indeed a baptism of fire.

The Baptist calls us to build a spiritual fire in our hearts that might set our hearts ablaze with the love of God and neighbour alike. The challenge is to build a fire that burns, bringing warmth and light to those around it.

Yet we find ourselves stocking a fire with paper and flammable items that, like our emotional response to the love of God, and the blessings bestowed upon us, blaze brightly, but are consumed as quickly as they begin, only to blacken and singe the kindling of prayer, fasting, good works, humility and mercy. We find ourselves tragically suffocating our sacrifice by heaping on all our rituals, good works, prayers, and principles, yet leaving no room for the Holy Spirit to feed the flames of love and mercy. Worse still, we create a noxious and poisonous cloud of smoke that chokes a life love and mercy out of ourselves and those around us.

But if we incline our hearts to the words of the Baptist, and reclaim our baptism in Christ, the spiritual fire we build transforms us the way that paper, kindling, and logs are transformed by fire.

The emotional responses to God, ignite the kindling of prayer, fasting, good works, humility and mercy, with thanksgiving and praise. This kindling of prayer, fasting, good works, humility and mercy, which burns longer and with warmth to ignite our wooden hearts with a deeper compilation of God’s mercy, that burns throughout the blessings and tragedies of life with light that illuminates the darkness of our broken nature with everlasting life, and warmth, that melts away our cold hearts with eternal love.

But here is the miracle we prepare for, as paper, kindling and logs, become inseparable by fire, having been changed by fire; and are no longer inanimate elements, becoming alive with heat and light, our lives are changed and transformed by the divine fire that is the baptism of Christ, and more to the point, our baptism with Christ.

Our emotions, our prayers, our good works, our compilation of God’s mercy, become inseparable in the Holy Spirit, and the finite elements of our nature become by this fire infinite.

Let us prepare for the Theophany of the Lord, and the promise of being baptized not by water, but by the Holy Spirit, and build a fire that lights up the world with God’s love,

and “offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.” (Heb. 12:28-29).

Tag: HolySpirit

Hierarchical liturgy with Archbishop Irénee, and the Ordination of Greg Wiebe to the Diaconate.

Building a fire and preparing for Theophany.