The Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers. The Holy Glorious and Victorious Great Martyr George the Wonder-Worker

Ambon Prayer: any of the alternative Ambon Prayers 32-36 or 71 (Great Martyrs)

After Dismissal: priest "Christ is risen" faithful: "Indeed, he is risen" 3x, then Paschal Troparion DL 170 1x by priest and 2x by faithful

Title

Courage and Fear

Outline

We do not think of courage and fear as compatible

If you have courage, you are not afraid, and if you are afraid you do not have courage, or so it seems.

Our texts tell us something different, that it is who or what one fears and who or what one has courage towards that makes the difference

Jesus told us whom to have courage towards and whom not to fear

He pointed out, “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But all this they will do to you on my account, because they do not know him who sent me.” Thus they are to have courage in a situation that could cause fear, for “when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning.” Witnessing takes courage, as the great martyr George the Wonder-worker experienced.

The myrrh-bearing women knew who to fear vs whom not to fear

Joseph of Arimathea had shown courage in honorably burying the body of Jesus - that was not something that Romans did to victims of crucifixion nor that his fellow leaders wanted done to Jesus, even if they wanted the body off the cross.

The myrrh-bearing women showed courage when, early in the morning, they approached Jesus’ tomb, the tomb of a man executed as a revolutionary, to pay him proper respect, not even knowing how to open it. They did not fear human leaders.

But when they saw the tomb open, a “man” in dazzling white sitting on the empty grave-shelf, and heard the message, “Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.” They know they are in the presence of the numinous. The awe of God falls on them. They rush out to fulfill the commission and do not give any greeting to those along the way, for they feared any delay in fulfilling their commission. [There is an OT precent with Elisha]

The Twelve feared disobedience towards God

Therefore they solved the problem with the care of foreign widows, not by ignoring it nor by giving up their divine commissions to solve it themselves, but by empowering men of the same ethnic group to care for both the Aramaic-speaking and the Greek-speaking widows, which must have taken some courage. The result was that the church prospered and that we know the seven men from their apostolic preaching and/or deaths.

Finally, no one feared a hostile government

Herod Agrippa I had tried to make them fear by executing the Apostle James and imprisoning Peter with the same intention. The Church did not try to raise up a political movement or a revolution against an unjust government. Instead they prayed out of trust in God and without fear of human leaders. Now God chose this time to release Peter in a way that even he did not at first believe. Yet Peter, after greeting the Church that night, did not flee into hiding, but instead apparently took the event as a signal to preach in the rest of Judea and then eventually in much of the remaining Roman world. He feared to compromise his commission from God more than he had any fear of human opponents.

So, Brothers and Sisters, we should have both courage and fear.

We should have enough awe towards and fear of disobeying God that we live out our various commissions from God courageously and boldly, although not stupidly or recklessly. We should be like James and Peter, like the myrrh-bearing women and George the wonder-worker.

And we should let our awe of God attune our ears to his voice so that we follow our Lord Jesus closely and are willing to be rejected as he was because we know that that leads to glorification with and in Him.

This puts courage and awe in their right positions, and this will bring glory to God in his Church, to whom be praise for ever and ever. Amen.

Readings

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 4-30-2023: Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women or Third Sunday of Pascha

EPISTLE

Acts 6:1–7

6 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists murmured against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the Twelve summoned the body of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands upon them.

7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 4-30-2023: Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women or Third Sunday of Pascha

Acts 12:1–11

12 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the Church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword; 3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 5 So Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the Church.

6 The very night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison; 7 and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him; he did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened to them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street; and immediately the angel left him. 11 And Peter came to himself, and said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 4-30-2023: Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women or Third Sunday of Pascha

GOSPEL

Mark 15:43–16:8

43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 And Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 And he bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

16  And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the door of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back; for it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were amazed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him. 7  But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid.

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 5-6-2023: Third Saturday after Pascha

John 15:17–16:2

17 This I command you, to love one another.

18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20  Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all this they will do to you on my account, because they do not know him who sent me. 22  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25  It is to fulfil the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’ 26  But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; 27  and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning.

16 “I have said all this to you to keep you from falling away. 2  They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) (4-23-2023: Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women or Third Sunday of Pascha)

SUNDAY, APRIL 23, 2023 | PENTECOSTARION

SUNDAY OF THE MYRRHBEARING WOMEN OR THIRD SUNDAY OF PASCHA

Bright Vestments

On the same date | Fixed Feasts: Great Martyr George

Matins Gospel Luke 24:1–12

Epistle Acts 6:1–7

Gospel Mark 15:43–16:8