joy

Eternal Summer

By Sandra; Co-written with Makrina

Original post by Becoming Fully Alive blogsite, 12 Sep 16

Sometimes we think that we are in need of a perfect home with everything neatly in place to show hospitality. And sometimes we think we need a perfect heart that has it all together to invite someone in and build that home. But there are homes we build with our friends not with hands but with conversations of openness and honesty, with the comfort to be as we are, who we are, where we are now. With all our sins and struggles and all our questions and doubts. Sharing death and grief, sex and desire, our needs, deepest inadequacies and regrets. We uncover the demolition in our hearts, unafraid of displaying the rubble, unafraid of leaving the keys to the doors we’ve always locked for someone else to walk in. In the face of each other’s rubble, there is no space for judgement, only the realisation that we all stand on the same levelled ground, a holy ground, where our pain and our struggles are communally felt, without measure, without degrees. Hospitality is the fearlessness to offer others a key into your warzone, and the fearlessness to choose to be present with another.

Many of us were raised strictly associating spiritual growth with the attendance of bible studies, worship evenings, quiet time and locking our bedroom doors in prayer. But there is spiritual growth at 2am at the back of a pickup truck, with seven hearts drawn in laughter and in love. There is growth in 6am swims through the river and in sharing water shoes when the rocks become too harsh beneath your feet. There is growth in conversations over eggs benedict and in sharing the words of people who have previously hurt and condemned us, and the relationships that have left us feeling less than who we are. There is growth in reconnecting with old friends and learning the hearts of new ones, because where there are people, there is God, and that is where we grow and self discover. There is growth in the daily victory of waking up and trying, trying, and trying again. There is growth in struggling through loss to believe that God is good, and there is also growth in firmly believing through the tragedy that God is good.

When we let God out of the man-made spiritual boxes we have created, we need not look far or deep or wide to see His face, but to the heart next to us to realise that He is here. For long we have found Him in foreign mission fields and in retreats, yet now we are awakened to find Him in His people, the church, the home that is built without hands.

After years of living under the weight of expectations and who we “should” be, many of us have locked so many doors of our hearts away for the fear of being known, for fear of being perceived as not spiritual, as not a man or woman of God. When we have tasted the condemnation of a community, labels that silences us, our fears can only be rational and our walk becomes heavy. We were never called to pretend a false state of perfection. We were created in the image of Community for community. A community that is real, that moves from individualism to a place where we can reach out and ask why we’re created in a fallen world or why it’s so hard to hear God’s voice sometimes.

We all naturally gravitate to the community that will accept us for all we bring to the table, so we find ourselves projecting the finished product of ourselves that we believe our community desires so that we can find our home. All the while we live with the fear of truly being known and found out. We live in fear that one day someone will tear down the door to our demolition and see the truth; to see our addictions and the tears that keep us up at night. But Christ was always interested in the real authentic version of ourselves. Christ was never interested in the finished product more than He was in our journey to wholeness. And community was only ever meant to be a place without fear. A place where all we ask is to see with loving eyes, instead of with defence or judgment, the person before us. All of the wonder, grace and godliness lying in the demolition that is yet to be restored. We hope in the yet to come but we love and live the now of each other – no matter how much is taken apart. Hospitality is loving without the need to put it all back together. And hospitality never demands an invite. It waits, it loves, it is patient.

“Maybe we’re all just shiny balls of light inside human machines. Maybe we’re all trying desperately to convince others that the noise they hear coming out of our mouths is an accurate reflection of the intentions of the shiny ball of light inside the machine. Maybe it screams, “I am real in here, I am real in here, I am real here.” Maybe the light inside me just wants to know, if you’re real too.”

-Iain Thomas

Original blog found at- https://www.becomingfullyalive.com/eternal-summer/

Finding the Light

Finding the Light

Adapted from a sermon by Fr David Shehata

Passage: John 12:35-50

Many years ago, I wanted to get a great present for my household to make life easier. I thought a robotic vacuum would be the perfect solution. The sales man described it as a miracle solution, the entire house would be clean at the push of a button. It would take it a while to navigate and get around everything but in a few weeks, it would know exactly where to go.

I took it home and tried to turn it on. I came back 30 minutes later and found it spinning in circles. I called the sales man and told him the issue and he said to give it a bit more time to adjust. I tried it in a different room, turned it on and came back after 30 minutes to find it spinning in circles.

I took it back to the sales man and he asked if I had been using it in day or the night, if I had the left the blinds closed or open. Turns out that because I had been leaving it in the dark, it didn’t know where to go.

This reminds me of the Gospel of today. Sometimes in our lives we act robotically, we only walk into areas where there are light. Have you ever tried to walk in area that is completely dark? Our lives are full of unseen territory, we don’t always know what will happen next year, next month or tomorrow even. Although we can predict certain things, there is a good chance we may stumble if we cannot see clearly.

But Christ tells us, “I am the light of the world.”

Unless you are walking in the light, then there is a good chance that you will stumble. You might just be going around in circles, and getting frustrated that you’re not moving forward. Walking in the light is something that the Lord stresses for He knows the importance of seeing for our own progress.

It makes sense, where the light is on, you can see where you’re going. We are not fearful when we walk in the light, but fear begins when we are in darkness and we cannot predict what is coming next. When we are in darkness, we are likely to fall into trouble. In the light, even if something bad is coming, it helps and it reassuring to see it first. Christ is telling us, “I know life can have tribulation, but I am the light. Stay close to Me and I will guide you.”

When we say, “Life is too hard” – It is true, being Christian doesn’t mean you won’t be exposed to trouble and the tribulation of the world. Christ even said, “narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life.” He acknowledges the problem, and gives us the solution, Yes, you will have hardship, but He is with you. He is the light of the world.

The devil may try to mimic the light by giving us assurance in the temporal. Our current times are the proof of that. So many that once relied on health, on riches, on success, may have found that this is now in jeopardy. God is always with us, and He is the light that remains constant in our lives. Nothing can diminish this light.

In other parts of the Gospel we hear Christ say, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16

The Lord is the source of light. If I am His son/daughter, then I can’t sit back and think that my salvation is secured. There is no such thing as a passive Christian. When Christ resides in us, we reflect His light, His glory and the way, truth and life to rest of the world. The purpose of life is to be close to God, enter into salvation and to to bring as many people with us as possible.

The beauty of our church is in the 2000 years of history of pillars of light. Both early saints and modern day saints that have walking along a path. Every path is different but the destination is the same – to be with Christ.

St Pope Kyrillos VI lived as an ascetic monk for three years in the mill. In that time, he says that he, “saw the light,” and was transformed into the hero of our church. He saw the light and then became the light.

The martyrs were being convinced to renounce their faith but they were so filled with the light that they would not let anything materialistic be taken away from them. On any Coptic icon, there is a gold metallic background. When you put a candle in front of them it reflects the light. They don’t emanate light but they reflect the light.

When we ask ourselves if we are truly Christian, a good test is to see how much we reflect Christ’s light? My responsibility as a Christian is to reflect the light of Christ. Am I fulfilling that responsibility?

There can be detrimental outcomes, like we see with St Augustine. His mother tried to bring him to Christ but when he would go to church and see how the Christians of the church acted, he wanted nothing to do with Christianity. This was until he saw St Basil – a true example of Christianity. He was transformed from the moment he saw the reflection of Christ’s light in St Basil.

This is our responsibility. What I say, what I do and the way I behave reflect my Christianity. Yes, I will fall, but how long does it take me to get back up again?

We see an example of what stopped the Pharisees from spreading Christ’s light when St John recounts, “Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” – John 12:42-43.

Isn’t it incredible that I can believe in something, have faith, but because of what other people say and other worldly consequences I am stopped? How many opportunities have I had to preach, to follow the commandments and to spread the light of Christ? How many times do I second guess myself because of concerns I had for the perception of others? This is easier said than done, but we can grow in courage by spending time with Christ. When I spend time with Him, I grow in love for Him and He becomes everything beautiful in life and all else becomes meaningless in comparison.

The Lord says, “Seek ye first the kingdom and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). The things of the world will pass, they can never give us peace. Christ tells us, “I am not coming to judge, but to bring you to the Father.” Time spent with God is never regretted but in the last days, we will regret not taking the opportunity to spend time with Him. We pray and beg the Lord to help in joyful times that we see Him as the true light and we remain unmoved about the opinions of others.

?Full sermon?

Joy

by Shery Abdelmalak

A heart full of love and servitude for God’s children can only emulate joy. Think of events that have made you feel joyful. Do you think of adventure, travel, fun? Is it things that make you happy; the temporal kind? For Saint Mary, it was the news, that at the age of twelve, she would conceive a child. Not just any child but the Son of God. She responded saying, “My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour.” (Luke 1:46-47)

Her faith was being put to the ultimate test. God had big plans and Saint Mary was about to play a major role in the salvation of all mankind. But what twelve year old girl would think of mankind when her whole life was about to flipped upside down? To say that this should be a time of confusion and discomfort would just be scrapping the surface.

Fr Dawood Lamey outlines joy very simply; Joy comes when you prioritise:

Jesus
Others
Yourself

Saint Mary accepted God’s will, with no thought given to how His plans will impact her life personally. When the angel, Gabriel tells her that Elizabeth is also pregnant, her immediate thought is to help her cousin in her time of need. At no point did Saint Mary stop to think of herself. Her joy in this situation is beyond admirable. Had she stopped to think of herself, the course of history may have taken a very different turn.

When we take Saint Mary as an exemplar of joy and attempt to mould this into our own lives, we may see a very different pattern. We can often misrepresent joy for happiness. Happiness generally comes from a pursuit of one’s own will, pleasures and desires, whereas, joy is the complete opposite. One’s own desires are put on hold for the service of others. This is not to say that happiness is a negative. All in moderation. A major risk of happiness arises when it is used as an indication of spiritual health. Joy is the true indication of spiritual health. To be content and at peace throughout tribulation comes from having joy, that exceeds far beyond happiness.

The main difference between happiness and joy are their sources. Happiness originates from external influences of the world whereas joy is internal. Saint Jerome describes this difference saying, “By joy people mean an elation of mind over things that are worthy of exultation, whereas gaiety is an undisciplined elation of mind which knows no moderation.” When going through hardship, you may choose to ignore the situation. You may think that you are okay because you’re happy. If you can’t come to God at the end of day, on your knees and have an honest conservation with Him in prayer, of what spiritual benefit will that tribulation bring you?

You may be happy externally yet still filled with grief and sorrow, the fruits that oppose joy. St James says that, “he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:6). The appeal of happiness is in its momentary pleasure but you put yourself in a cycle of an endless pursuit of satisfaction from an inconsistent world that will ultimately lead to much greater pain. There is nothing like the joy of having a clear conscience that has claimed victory over worldly lusts. There is also no difficulty quite like pursuing joy when you feel you have been given every reason to abandon God and His promises. Joy is not the result of “fun,” joy comes in times of chaos when all you know for sure is that God is holding you in the palm of His Hand.

So how can we find joy in tribulation?

To be thankful for all, even the seemingly insignificant. From the moment you wake up, you are already given more than enough reason to be thankful. Find thankfulness behind every complaint. The very reason we can complain so much is because God has already blessed us to the extent that we have created expectations of Him. How great His love is and for that alone, we are thankful.

To repent honestly without any ill-feelings toward others. To end every day in self-reflection of your own actions and how you can become more Christ-like brings joy, both in times of blessing and in times of tribulation. As Saint Ambrose says, “That man sins is no cause for surprise. What is blameworthy is his failure to acknowledge his error and humble himself before God.” When we humble ourselves before God, we allow Him to take away our human nature and replace it with the heavenly. Repentance is a tool that allows us to recognise our position before God so that self-awareness comes as a reflection of what God can make you and me.

To beg for His mercy so that He becomes our source of joy and spiritual nourishment in every storm. The joy of the heart cannot be taken away by the cares of this world, or the opinions of others, or the sin of despair. Stay in good company in sanctification from the world and He will provide for you.

When you feel God has blessed you, when life is going well, pursue joy most so that His blessings are not forgotten during tribulation. When blessings cause happiness and an elevation of the ego instead of a heart that gives God the glory, happiness quickly fades. Feeling joyful during times of blessing is good but how much more admirable is a person who is joyful during tribulation? A heart filled with joy is content during all external circumstances, the good and the bad, and is thankful through it all.