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Ready for the (Coptic) New Year

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Elijah Iskander

Readings: 1 Thessalonians 2:13-3:13, James 4:7-5:5 and Mark 13:3-37

As we approach the end of Coptic year, the church prepares the readings so that we reflect on the year that has gone by. I remember that another year has gone by, and where am I at the moment?

We are lucky, as Copts, because we have two chances to make some resolutions. I imagine most of us make resolutions on the first of January. Generally our resolutions go well for the first few days but by February, it’s all over. We’re lucky to be able to make some resolutions in September as well.

There are three New Year’s resolutions in the readings of today;

The Pauline epistle is taken from 1 Thessalonians 2:13-3:13. What is your hope for this year? Where is your rejoicing? Where is your crown of joy?

For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God.
1 Thessalonians 3:9.

St Paul was wishing, and hoping, and his crown was in the people’s presence with the Lord and His coming. Perhaps, we can say with St Paul this year that my joy, my hope and my crown is to be in presence of my Lord Jesus Christ and His coming.

St Paul wished for the spiritual life of those around him. Maybe my concern is in the spirituality of those around me. Maybe I see myself as not the most spiritual, I don’t pray often enough, so maybe my New Year’s resolution is to encourage those around me. When we push each other to be better, we are first enhancing our own spiritual lives.

Any time you sit with your spiritual father and you tell him what you strive for, he learns from you! Let this year be a year where we all encourage each other spiritually. Even if I’m not the best, I can still encourage others to be their best.

One of the most common reasons people leave the church is because that one week they missed church that turned into two and three, and nobody noticed, so it became a habit.

We love our big church, but it’s very each for people to get lost in the crowd. Let this be the year that I make my hope, my joy and my crown in the people around me and their presence in the Lord. Let this be a year where I take care of the spirituality of those around me. I pray with them, and for them. I encourage them and be there for them. This is my hope. This is my joy. This is my crown.

In the Catholic epistle, we read James 4:7-5:5. I can give to others. St James says, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! ²Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.”

After a little while, my new clothes grow old. After a little while, my parents will come and says, “what are all these clothes that you don’t even wear?” Sometimes they even say that it is not even suited be donated but can only be thrown away. These that were once are most prized possessions.

“Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire.” Even the finest of jewels can corrode, rust and deform.

A lot of the time when we hear about giving, we think money. If we don’t have money, we think it’s okay to postpone that blessing. Let this be the year where I will give. Not necessarily money, but my time, my comfort, my own enjoyment. Even if it’s from a place of absent mindedness or in a way that doesn’t understand the blessings of giving. When we give, we God’s rewards.

The third resolution comes from the gospel (Mark 13:3-37), “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.”

I don’t know when the end of days is, I don’t know when the end of my life is. “It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”

It’s really sweet when people stop what they’re doing and they rush to greet Abouna, out of their love for God. What’s even sweeter than that is when you are walking around church and you see some people praying together, a few people cleaning, or doing anything. How genuine are these people? For this is done out of deep devotion for the Lord.

When the Lord comes, will He find me sleeping, mucking around, wasting time, running after gold and silver that corrodes? Or will He find me, even though I wasn’t expecting Him, in the church, serving, loving, praying, giving?

Perhaps a third resolution is that the Lord does not find me sleeping. I will take heed, I will watch, I will pray. I will not let another day go by without spending it in Christ’s presence. The Lord will us faithful when He comes unexpectedly.

This new year, we have a reminder that our time is running out. Let us show love and concern for the spirituality of others. Let us give to those in need. Let us watch, so that the Lord does not find us sleeping when He returns.

Full Sermon

Lead me to the Cross

Holy Tuesday

by Rebecca Kozman

Today the Church focuses on the Lord as our Bridegroom, so that we may have hearts that desire Him and imitate the five wise virgins who were prepared and ready for their Bridegroom. The readings of this great and holy day surround two major themes – the difference between those who choose to follow the way of the Lord and the rest of the world, and the Kingdom for all people who have kept His promise and wait on His arrival as opposed to a specifically chosen nation.

There are two parables we should contemplate on when we view the Lord as our Bridegroom; the parable of the wedding garment, and the five wise and five foolish virgins. In the Gospel of Matthew 22:1-14, we read the first parable and find Christ comparing Heaven to a wedding banquet prepared by a king for his son. Many people were invited, but when the time for the banquet came, those who were invited refused to come and made excuses. In fact, the king’s servants who were sent to spread the invitations were mistreated and killed! The king furiously sent an army to avenge the death of his servants, as well as invitations to anyone he could find to fill the wedding banquet. But he noticed a man not wearing a wedding garment, so he cast him out.

The king here is God the Father, and the son is Jesus Christ. Israel is the nation that held the invitation to the Kingdom, but when the time came for the Kingdom to appear, they refused to believe it. Many prophets and even disciples had been killed spreading this message. The king’s vengeance on the death of his servants can be interpreted as a prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction by the Romans. This isn’t to say that God looks for revenge, but that He is patient and will not tolerate wickedness forever. His judgement will come to those who reject His offer of salvation – His Son. The wedding invitation is offered to anyone and everyone, strangers both good and bad. The message of the Gospel is that Heaven is for everyone who accepts Christ and wears the wedding garment, a symbol of the righteous life which is united fully with the Lord. We eventually find out later in this Holy Week that Judas was the man without the heavenly garment, because he not only denied salvation but also betrayed our Lord.

The second parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins can be found in Matthew 25:1-13. This Gospel compares those who are celebrating by eating, drinking and sinning, with the ready, watchful, and righteous servants of God. This passage begins our focus on the parable of the ten virgins. This parable has a unique role in the Church as it not only prepares for Pascha but also is a daily reminder as the Gospel of the First Watch of the Midnight Hour. The context of this parable is important in order to fully understand what Christ is trying to teach us. It describes a first-century Jewish wedding, whereby the bridegroom and his close friends go to the bride’s house for a small ceremony and procession through the streets at night, before returning home. The ten virgins would have been the bridesmaids, and they expect to meet the groom as he comes to the bride’s house. Each person in the procession was expected to carry their own lamps. If they didn’t have one, they were assumed to be a party crasher and couldn’t attend the celebrations. Now, the virgins did not know when the groom would arrive to the bride’s house, so they had a lamp lit at all times, ready for him. This meant they needed to have extra oil in case their lamps burnt out. See where this is going?

In the parable, the five virgins who had extra oil represent those who are looking with eagerness for the coming of Christ. They have faith and determination to be ready at any given time. The other five virgins without the extra oil represent false believers who enjoy the things of the world without true love for Christ. They are more excited about the after-party than actually seeing the bridegroom. Their hope is that their relationship with the true believers, those who had extra oil, will bring them to the kingdom at the end. So, when the foolish virgins say, “give us some of your oil,”it means that one person’s faith cannot save another.

Christ says that His return will be like what it was in the days of Noah, where lives were centred on worldly and sinful things. We should also remember that those in the days of Noah were warned of the flood, and judgement eventually came. Those who ignored the warnings were not ready, and so it came unexpectedly.

The emphasis on constant readiness is a challenge for us. We also can appear not ready in the same ways as the evil servants. Upon His return, we must follow the Lord’s commandments and teachings, treat each other with love and not give in to worldly pleasures and desires, because the Kingdom of Heaven is much better! Don’t lose yourself to this world, give yourself to Christ and prepare yourself for His joyous coming so that you may finally be united with your Bridegroom!

May God guide you all through the rest of this Holy and Blessed Pascha Week, giving you the strength to maximise your relationship with God and fall in love with Him.