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| The tables are all set up for today's festival |
Worship- my 110th time - at Vespers was beautiful as always. Really enjoyed the Kathisma (Psalm 2) plus the choir sounded especially good tonight!
Fr. Gary's homily was all about preparation. He remarked about how, for a long time now, people of the parish have been preparing for the ethnic festival taking place today. He mentioned how, as Orthodox, we are always preparing. Whether it be Great Lent or some other way, we are preparing for something. The great job of our life, he says, is to prepare for our death. That is something that will happen to all of us and we want to make sure we are prepared. Sometimes we feel like we are prepared and sometimes we feel we are not. May God help me always to be in a state of preparation.
Yes, today is the ethnic festival and Tiffany texted me saying "Even Nazadox's can go" (Ha ha ha - that would be me- half Nazarene/half Orthodox) I would like to go but I do have a busy day planned so I am not sure. Although, having some summer borscht sounds good!
Hey, if you are in the neighborhood, stop by. I heard rumors that Jim and Tiffany will both be manning the beer tent.
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Hope the ethnic festival was a success. I'm not a big fan of them as I think they encourage and reinforce insular thinking and actions. But that's just me. People like the food and I guess parishes use them a big fundraisers - another reason I think they are a mistake - they discourage stewardship. But that's just me. I mean no offense.
ReplyDeleteOur priest's homily was about the people's rejection of the Gadarene people who were different than them (the lepers and mentally ill and demon possessed), sending them to live amongst the tombs and the dead. When Christ went among those who lived among the dead, he sent the demons into the swine (a rejected food by the Jews, considered unclean) who sent themselves to death in the lake. The Gadarenes then ran Jesus out. We need to be different than the Gadarenes, seeing Jesus among those we reject, and welcome them not shun them.
Congrats on the 110th! :-)
Athanassia,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about festivals, although, to be honest, I didn't go yesterday; I had too much going on. But, I truly don't like the idea of a festival as a fundraiser; One things I think that Orthodox can re-discover, which evangelicals have learned, is the importance of giving to God via sacrificial stewardship. While TOTALLY rejecting the televangelist, prosperity gospel, it IS true that God blesses us when we give. I have found that to be true in my life.
I love your priest's homily! I never thought of that regarding the story about the Gardarene people.
Thanks for reading!
Jim
Oh man, I could eat my way around the world - wish I could have attended!
ReplyDeleteMimi,
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you would have loved it!