We must be people of Christ, not the mythical Christian state

Sermon of Archpriest Alexander Abramov in week 17 after Pentecost, before the Exaltation.

Photo: tatmitropolia.ru

  • What to be afraid of Christian
  • For every call of the Lord we must answer: “Yes, I’m ready”
  • For the sake of this Mitzva, many will give up freedom and go on the death
  • Giving us the talents, the Lord says: “Do”
  • The mother of God everywhere you’re wrong, but I know that She never leaves

No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must be lifted up the Son of man, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.

In. 3: 13-17

Archpriest Alexander Abramov

The gospel reading this day does not contain event descriptions. Contains only the words of the Savior, direct and absolutely certain. Christ came not to judge the world, but in order to save.

Our consciousness is a very dogmatic and in-depth for some strange reason in the tradition of the old Testament, immediately begin to argue the words of the Savior in the words of the Savior. And how in another place it is said that “it is not peace I bring but a sword”[1]? And as it turns out, the Saviour contradicts Himself? In one place says one thing, another another.

There is no contradiction. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. The world court says to himself, here and now, not living the commandments. The condemnation of man is inside himself. Conscience, his emergency buoy, thrown to the surface of the raging sea, he says something, but if the buoy breaks off and the conscience dies down, and the commandments of the question. There’s no need for Christ to come, to pronounce the words of condemnation, because everything that you will need to say will be said on judgement.

Why would the Son of God incarnate? To tell the person about his sin? What man does not know his sin? Can’t see him? Or need of pedagogical goals to erase from the face of the earth cities and continents? And for that loving-kindness and Good embodied? Of course not. Absolutely blasphemous bloodlust of some people who call themselves Christians, and while enthusiastically respond to the suffering of others: “and So they should! Sinners!” This is incredible. To hide from these words, I want when you hear them. Christ comes to the world They saved, not in order to the person to compound the guilt.

In this brutal human reaction lysverket our deepest — and this is the most terrible human sin is an internal lack of freedom. We need simple, clear and radical decisions. We say: Stand in the liberty by which Christ has made us (Gal. 5: 1). And we say: no, we don’t need it now.

We tell you what. Two countersunk, three prihlopa, fifteen candles, eighteen of prayer. Live like Muslim fundamentalists. Kill the infidel — and you will have fifty houris.

Primitive recipes are always wrong. Because they make people not to think but only to obey. Christ encourages to think, just time to think, just time to make the decision moral. We are in a profound unfreedom. And it is possible? And I ate it. The Savior crucified! And we all about his porridge. Whether it is, honestly, wrong.

Why this fear? Why this wild narrow-mindedness? Because we don’t know how to live in freedom. How to live in a stable, we know that we can. Here is the danger for us, this is good to us, this we ask of oats. The Lord destroyed the bullpen. Not in the cereal business. You might think that the rest of a perfect man. You might think that all the other commandments he kept, and he only porridge left bierkowice.

And here’s more on the lack of freedom. Absolutely crazy looks, when in the Church there is a Communion, and my books stand in a queue, finish the rule. What this exercise is about speed? Who do we finish rule? Christ? What happens if we don’t finish reading?

Photo: tatmitropolia.ru

Or, for example, we are always ready — and very active — involved in stupid and unnecessary social activities. I’m one person who I was called to participate in the campaign against any “non-Orthodox”, from his point of view, film, asked, whether there is it at the vigil. “Well, what does it.” I then asked whether he tithes his income to the temple, to charity. “What is it, we must defend”. It’s always easy to stand up for what you does not require effort. Always much harder every Saturday to go to the vigil. Much harder to donate to a good cause. Very hard to go to the hospital and from day to day, from year to year to take care of one supine patient. It is always easier to social activity, no waste.

Our task is to in yourself by the power of Christ’s freedom to win. You can eat or not eat meat — for the guidance of the Church Charter. You can read a rule large or small. But the main thing is not going anywhere: the commandments of God.

And if all you almost have complied with, all the same, as in the conversation of the Savior with the boys, there is something that you hitherto had not even begun, what else do you do to do. In these circumstances, we must be people of peace, not conflict.

We must be people of Christ, not the mythical Christian state. We need to stop yelling about the fact that we live in an Orthodox country, because we do not live in an Orthodox country. Where are these 80% of people who call themselves Orthodox, when in multimillion Moscow at Easter in the churches come from the power of the thousand seven hundred? Not our business who he believes and how to call it. Our business is to be sustainable, clear, undoubted Orthodox Christians. Ready humbly and reverently every one to give an answer about our hope[2]. Standing firmly in the freedom of Christ. Where the Spirit of God is there is liberty. If there is no freedom — there is no spirit of God.

From the book “whosoever will may come. Conversations on Sundays and feast the gospel reading,” published in the publishing house “Nike”.

[1] do Not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; not peace I have come to bring, but a sword (Matt. 10: 34).

[2] sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always to everyone who asks you to account for your hope, do it with gentleness and reverence (1 Pet. 3: 15).

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