Sanctify yourselves as the apples of God as a harvest for Christ

Sermon of Archpriest Alexander Abramov, the feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ from the book “whosoever will may come. Conversations on Sundays and feast the gospel reading,” published in the publishing house “Nike”.

Photo: “Evening Moscow”

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After six days, Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with Him. When Peter said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you want, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud said: This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to Him. And hearing, the disciples fell on their faces and were very frightened. But Jesus came and touched them and said arise and be not afraid. Lifted up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus. And when they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, no man about the vision until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

MF. 17: 1-9

Archpriest Alexander Abramov

Christ is raised with His closest disciples on mount Tabor and interviewing a with two prophets, Moses and Elijah. And during this conversation He appears to the disciples with a face shining like the sun. Not finding the richest Church Slavonic in other words, other than to say that Christ is transfigured. In the same row of the word “sun”, “light”, “the shining”. But what light and what light, is unclear for us as long as Christ does not want this to open to His people in the Kingdom of heaven.

It is clear that the lights are not blinding, this light is not burning. This transformation has nothing to do with the desire to shake the attention and will of the people who saw it. Christ forbids the disciples — He does that in a very few very important occasions — to talk about it. And all this happens before He enter Jerusalem on voluntary suffering. And the chant of the Church, explains that He does it to the disciples, as they together feel the glory of God before they will see the ultimate humiliation Христово1.

Unitized Christ, crucifying the man of flesh and bones, but don’t be deceived, and this is stated very clearly in the hymns of great Friday: “Zakonopolozhenie of Israel, Judea and the Pharisee, the face of the Apostolic cries out to you: behold the Temple Which you rasorite, behold the lamb, Whose you repaste, coffin predate, but the power of His risen. Not lstates, Judea: That is, Like Mori spasoje, and in the desert pitaly. That is life, and Light, and the World mirovi”.

And we respond only to those that apples bring

Today I would like to draw your attention to how is refracted in the Church’s worship event of the Transfiguration. One would expect — since we are talking about light, about the brightness, the flash, which the students were given the opportunity in a completely new way to look at the personality of the Saviour, you would expect today of the consecration of the candles or anything else associated with lighting, related to the idea of light. The Church reacts unexpectedly down to earth, as many believe. Sanctified fruits of the new harvest of grapes, apples, some simple food from the garden.

And here if it turns out the gap: such a great, theologically profound and terrible event, and we respond only to those that apples bring, and sprinkled with Holy water. And whoever thinks that the target is very significant in the Christian worldview.

The Transfiguration of our Lord next Easter, forgiveness to the human race, the New Covenant with the people of God mean no more to things important and unimportant, insignificant and significant, high and low.

The man always, due to its tendency to simplify, always pull the God down: do it for us blessed, let. Thank God that our Lord does not listen. Because if you had listened, our whole life would consist in the unfolding of bags with certain substances that we need, that God will bless, and then we eat them we can’t. Or eat and asquerosa. Absolutely the old Testament idea of the role of God in human history. Yes, it seems to me that the old Testament elders on this understanding long ago up to the time of the Savior. We only late in the Millennium with our bags and requirements to God something to bless, even no matter what and it is not clear why.

Photo: tatmitropolia.ru

The consecration of the fruits of the first harvest, which takes place today, is the desire of God to everything in your life was sacred. Leave it, man, your fearful, unthinkable in the Realm of freedom in Christ, the fear of something to do or eat.

The feast of the Transfiguration is proof that the Kingdom of heaven is nothing “wrong” no. All the little things. All blessed, all sanctified, but sanctified for the man walking up the heavenly ladder.

You go up, and at some point the Lord says of the righteous: the righteous the law is not лежит2. No requirements no longer apply to him, because everything is performed. And the first Christ the Savior.

Much more important is to sanctify ourselves, as the apples of God

Today we consecrate apples and the reflection of the Transfiguration. All the glimpse of the Transfiguration. Even in the us, senseless and stupid, not to realize that Christ is with us wants to create with our consent. But still in our consciousness, and on the outside, and on the way there is a reflection transformation.

It is important to bless the apples. Much more important is to sanctify ourselves, as the apples of God. As the harvest for Christ. Not because It of those apples will be there. But because He raises us. Because this is the only case I’m sure in the history of the Earth, when the heavenly Husbandman to His people, His harvest, His destiny to save, it gives Itself. If only the vineyard was not destroyed, defiled, destroyed.

When hierarchical Liturgy is celebrated, the Bishop goes to the pulpit and says a prayer: “Look down from heaven, God, and see, and visit this vine, which Thy right hand hath put”3. That is: “Lord, come and see. And don’t leave Your vineyard, which You, by His own hand planted”.

We grow next to the grapes of the earth, the human hand planted, and the grapes of heaven — that is all we, the people of God. We all need blessing, all we should be the harvest of God. In the Transfiguration of the Savior shows that in this vineyard of life is possible without weed, bright, clean, bright, new. Transformed.

1″On the mountain wast transfigured, and as umeshu Schoolgirls Thy Thy glory, o Christ God, see, but thou shall see Thee crucified, suffering UBO will understand free, mirovi of propovedei that thou art truly the radiance of the father” (Transfiguration of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. Kontakion, tone 7).

2Праведнику the law does not lie, but lawless and nepokorova (1 Tim. 1: 9).

3Боже forces turned, then, and look from heaven and see, and visit this vine: and do and, whose put Your right hand (PS. 79: 15-16).

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