Fourth Sunday after Pentecost 2023

Ambon Prayer 60

Postfestive Day of the Feast of the Birth of St John the Baptist

The Holy Venerable Martyr Febronia

Title

Whom Do We Serve?

Outline

The sin of the devil was, according to the literature, “I will not serve”

He was created with certain abilities for certain service, including service to human beings. Choosing that service would have led to the beatific vision.

He rebelled against his created place; the only way he could express this was by refusing to serve.

So he lives in misery and malice trying to thwart God’s plan for human beings and to corrupt others, yet knowing that he has not ability to do this ultimately and his limited successes are all under God’s providence.

Our Gospel shows the opposite side of the coin

An officer in the occupation government comes to Jesus, asking him to heal a “paralyzed” and “tormented” slave, whom he values, even loves. When Jesus says, “I will come,” in essence, “I will serve” for Jesus always serves according to the will of the Father, the centurion replies, “Lord, I am not worthy . . . only say the word.” He recognizes that Jesus outranks him vastly in the scale of being (although Jesus was part of what Romans thought a slave people) and so it was inappropriate that Jesus enter his house. He also recognizes that like him, Jesus had authority, although on a vastly higher scale, so Jesus could speak and it would happen, despite the fact that he was not present. Perhaps he thought of Jesus being able to send angelic or spiritual “soldiers” or “slaves.” And so it happens, Jesus marveling at this level of trust or faith.

Then Jesus comments that the “children of the kingdom” or Israel, who should recognize such realities and come to him with such trust and allegiance will lose out or be cast out for their unwillingness to serve, to humble themselves before him, while gentiles, totally ignorant of the God of Israel, will come to humble faith and enter the kingdom. It all depends on who one recognizes as king.

Romans gives a more theoretical setting for this picture

We all are born naturally “slaves of sin” - tied to our passions unable to free ourselves by self-help, so bound to yield our “members to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity” on which Paul comments, “The end of those things is death.” Some of us sin in more acceptable and sophisticated ways, some in less acceptable; some of us tend towards the death of the soul long before the death of the body, while others vices are killing them physically.

We who have been baptized have a part in this, for through the grace of baptism we have been freed from sin (thus the exorcisms of baptism) and become, not independent (which would leave us vulnerable) but slaves of righteousness, servants of God in our ranks and classes, so to speak.

If we choose to serve God or Jesus, we “yield [our] members to righteousness for sanctification” - holiness, likeness to God, divinization, drawing close to the beatific vision, being in harmony with that for which we were made. In other words, “you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life.”

But we do not have to serve, obey, or trust God. We can listen to the siren songs of the world around - the good is money, power, pleasure, and honor, that which leads to these are virtues not vices, determine yourself rather than conforming to God’s plan. And then we will get what we choose: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The ultimate question, then, is whom we will serve

That is a question we answer in theory and receive the ability to execute in every Divine Liturgy.

The means of answering that question, of walking in freedom, are given by father after father - I think especially of Evagrius of Pontus.

The ultimate question, then, is not how to get free of all service, but whether we will serve the world, the flesh (passions) and the devil resulting in death or whether we will serve God and be guided into being what we were made for, which is the freedom of the children of God, the freedom of life in the divine presence?

Readings

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 7-2-2023: Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

EPISTLE

Romans 6:18–23

18  and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19  I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once yielded your members to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now yield your members to righteousness for sanctification.

20  When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21  But then what return did you get from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 7-2-2023: Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

GOSPEL

Matthew 8:5–13

5  As he entered Caperna-um, a centurion came forward to him, begging him 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion answered him, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. 11  I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12  while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) (6-25-2023: Fourth Sunday after Pentecost)

SUNDAY, June 25, 2023 | OCTOECHOS

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 7-2-2023: Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Bright Vestments

Matins Gospel Luke 24:1–12

Epistle Romans 6:18–23

Gospel Matthew 8:5–13