Christos anesti!

https://www.goarch.org/

Happy Easter!

Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. 

My Take on the Fire at Notre Dame

Saint Stephen and Saint Paul in the Book of Acts both said God doesn't dwell in houses/shrines (temples) made of/by human hands. Both were seemingly quoting the prophet Isaiah from chapter 66 and verse 1. Stephen said it in his speech in front of the Council before being stoned to death. Paul said it to the Athenians at the Areopagus. Ironically, Paul was a witness to Stephen’s speech and martyrdom when he was still named Saul and was a persecutor of Christianity. In his First Epistle to the Corinthians 6:19, Paul elaborates that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. It sounds like we know where Paul stood with relevance to where God dwells. This is what most Christians believe that God dwells in us. Jesus also said: “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Basically, God is omnipresent. If we gather in a huge cathedral like Notre Dame to worship, God is also there because we are there present. This idea is like that philosophical question, if a tree falls in the forest does it make a sound if no one is there to hear it? But, knowing all this about where God dwells, why do we build such magnificent lofty structures for places of worship?

I believe we build such magnificent structures for places of worship as an offering and adoration to God who has given us life and all. God truly deserves all from us, even our lives. But, even if we have nothing to give, it is enough since all comes from God. As the hymn says:

What can I give Him

Poor as I am

If I were a shepherd,

I would bring Him a Lamb

If I were a wise man,

I'd sure do my part

So what can I give Him

I'll give Him my heart

Why build beautiful structures for God? It is our gift of architecture, art, beauty, and the best we have to offer. We are filled with the presence of God during liturgy and it surrounds us in those places we have built for public worship. We walk into these houses from the world outside that can sometimes be filled with ugliness, and into a place of beauty and peace. Moreover, when we walk into a Cathedral such as Notre Dame in Paris which took hundreds of years to build, and is almost 900 years old, we walk into history, the past, and where we've been from the present place where we are. Beauty is one way we can glorify God. If you are opposed to art and iconography, I suggest reading the apologies made by John of Damascus centuries ago. I doubt you will have a solid counterargument. If you would have asked Frank LLoyd Wright or Gaudi about architecture, you would have probably not had time to listen to all they would have told you. A great structure like Notre Dame was/is a collaborative work of many who simply give an offering to the Savior who gave us all. Out of gratitude, we physically manifest the giving of our hearts. Sadly, the fire at the cathedral on April 15th was tragic and devastating.

Yes, the fire seemingly was very sad, evil, and destructive; however, in less than 24 hours many were donating millions of dollars to repair, restore, and rebuild. Sadly, sometimes a baptism by fire is what we need to reawaken our faith and get our focus on higher things, Godly things. Peace and blessings to all!

Article from ACNS on the Church in Cuba

Many Anglicans and Episcopalians know about Cuba, and know it as a Communist country; but I don’t think many of them know that there is an Anglican Church in Cuba, and if they do they probably know very little about the life and ministry of the Church.

The Episcopal Diocese in Cuba is one of those places where very little if any of what goes on there is reported or known in the Anglican Communion, and yet it is a Church that is mission focused, with a strong sense of purpose and confidence in the Gospel, very strong community engagement, and a (w)holistic outlook to mission, taking seriously all the Five Marks of Mission in mission and ministry (ACNS).

The foregoing excerpt is from an ACNS article on the Anglican Communion churches in Communist Cuba. I hope you enjoy reading the full article at the link below.

The church that provides water to the community: The Anglican Communion’s Director for Mission, the Revd Canon John Kafwanka, reflects on his recent visit to the Iglesia Episcopal de Cuba - the Episcopal Church of Cuba.

Reference:

https://www.anglicannews.org/blogs/2019/03/the-church-that-provides-water-to-the-community.aspx.

Film Prize Article on the WCC Website

"A film depicting a woman – Petrunya – who breaks church and social traditions by grabbing a cross thrown by an Orthodox priest into an icy river in an Epiphany ritual meant for young men has been awarded the prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 69th Berlinale film festival in the German capital (oikoumene.org)."

The above excerpt is from an article on the World Council of Churches website. I am not writing much about it, I prefer that you read about it yourself. The article read that Anna Grebe described the film as a “modern day parable for its daring portrayal of the transformation of a disempowered young woman into an outspoken defender of women’s rights.” Read the full article on the link below.

Ecumenical Jury awards Berlin film prize for portrayal of struggle with religious tradition — World Council of Churches

Reference:

https://www.oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/news/ecumenical-jury-awards-berlin-film-prize-for-portrayal-of-struggle-with-religious-tradition.

Churches in Zambia Unite on the Persecution Issue in Zimbabwe

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the Northern Hemisphere winter season. I know that for some winter can be a bit harsh and unpleasant, but down here in South Florida it is more enjoyable than our harsh hot summer. I am still undecided on whether I prefer an extreme winter or an extreme summer. Anyhow, in this post I just want to share an article from the Anglican Communion News Service.

The article was posted on January 22, 2019, and it is titled: Zambian Churches unite in call for an end to the “persecution of Zimbabwean citizens.” I suppose many in the US are bombarded daily by the media with stories on Wall Building and Government Shutdowns, and we forget that we are just one country amongst many on our planet. And, sometimes we are ignorant about what is going on in other places such as Zimbabwe. The following is an excerpt from the article:

'“Civil Society in Zambia remains deeply concerned with the economic meltdown in Zimbabwe and the reported human rights violations against citizens by the state”, the Zambian NGO joint statement said. “As civil rights groups, we are particularly concerned with the reported beatings, arrest and killing of unarmed citizens who were peacefully demonstrating against the dire economic situation in Zimbabwe. We also take note that it had to take a Court action to overturn the shutdown of the internet which had [been done] in an effort to silence the masses (www.anglicannews.org/)."'

I am sure that from just reading this brief excerpt one quickly understands that something is going on in Zimbabwe. Read the full article at the link below.

Zambian Churches unite in call for an end to the “persecution of Zimbabwean citizens”: The Council of Churches in Zambia has joined other NGOs and Christian groups to express their “deep concern” about the crisis in Zimbabwe.

Reference:

https://www.anglicannews.org/news/2019/01/zambian-churches-unite-in-call-for-an-end-to-the-persecution-of-zimbabwean-citizens.aspx.

Happy New Year!

A healthy and prosperous 2019 to all!