Mission Monthly – December 2003
“O Word, have mercy upon us who are despised, and make us good and chosen vessels.”
Sunday Matins Oktoechos, Tone 6
I was struck by this brief and passing line this past Sunday during Matins (11/23). I was struck with a sense of both joy and sorrow, mixed and intense. As Orthodox Christians all over the world prepare to enter into the joy-filled celebration of the nativity of Jesus of Nazareth it is good to be reminded that not everyone in the world marvels at what we consider one of creation’s most awesome events. In fact it is good to be reminded that many in the world outright loathe the birth of this baby. As I sit here in my little room, in my little home, in my little city, and in what amounts to my little world, it is hard to imagine anyone loathing the birth of Jesus. Yet I remember how immediately at Jesus’ birth King Herod and all Jerusalem were “troubled” by the rumored birth of the King of the Jews, and how Herod sought “to destroy him” (Matthew 2); and though it may not have been apparent his entire life, the One who would become the “suffering servant” would actually be despised right up to the injustice which led to his murder. The spirit of Herod is one of concern to me as it should be for all of us, for it certainly did not die with Jesus. The Lord Himself warned His disciples precisely about this: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you” (John 15:18-20). It is hard to be reminded of this truth but it is foolish not to be!
While we were on vacation in San Diego earlier this month I had the to opportunity to play golf. Since I was alone I was assigned to play with two other men. It is customary to carryon small talk while playing and at some point people usually ask the obvious question, “So, what do you do?” When it was my turn to answer I of course said, “I am a priest in the Orthodox Christian Church”; and suddenly the sounds of nature were never so loud! Thankfully, tolerance governed the remaining holes of the round but there was very much a different spirit in the group before and after this customary conversation. On this particular day the silence was obvious and brutal!
I received a small but pointed lesson that day. I doubt that those men “despised” me. They certainly did nothing overt or unkind which could indicate that. However, the level of discomfort those men displayed when I disclosed my priesthood was evident and was a stark reminder of the spirit of the age. In this situation, as neutral as it was, the mere presence of a priest unsettled these men. In one way or another Christians will always be up against a relentless adversary!
I received a more dramatic example of the growing disparagement of Christianity in a forwarded e-mail of an ABC television representative responding to criticism from a Christian viewer offended by a homosexual theme of an episode of the show, “The Practice”. He responded: “How about getting your nose out of the Bible (which is ONLY a book of stories compiled by MANY different writers hundreds of years ago) and read the declaration of independence (what our nation is built on), where it says “All Men are Created equal,” and try treating them that way for a change! Or better yet, try thinking for yourself and stop using an archaic book of stories as your lame crutch for your existence. You are in minority in this country and your [opinion] will not affect us or our freedom of statement.”
While we ask God to “make us good and chosen vessels” we know there is little else we can do to change the attitudes of others towards the Christian faith. The birth of Jesus Christ was about reconciliation on one hand and about division on the other (see Luke 12:51-53); consequently we know that we will be despised by some. Our hope, therefore, is not in the praise and acceptance of men who do not care to hear the Word of love, peace and healing that comes from unambiguous Truth and morality; rather it is in our convictions about the incarnate God, humbly born in that Bethlehem cave. While understanding that the spirit of Herod is still alive, our hope is in God and the coming (advent) of Christ Who has shown us great mercy and has given us all we need to live as His good and chosen vessels!