St. Nick Sermon (Better late than never!)

by Robert Pavlovich

 

Can you tell me who this man is?                       (Slide of Nicholas of Myra)

 

How about this one?                 (Slide of Father Christmas)

 

Now, take your time, and no hints. Who is this man?     (slide of Coca-Cola Santa)

 

These 3 men (Trio Slide) all have something in common.  They have become representations of Christmas.

Symbols of Christmas.

 

But only one of them actually walked among us, talked among us, lived his life everyday among us and who is truly the model for the spirit of Christmas.

 

This one:           (slide of Nicholas of Myra (facial reconstruction slide)

He is special because of how he lived his life. Nicholas of Myra seemingly gave without thought to his future. That rendering of him is actually a forensic scientists recreation of what he looked like based on measurements and x-rays of his remains.

 

The name Nicholas comes from the Greek meaning “Victory of the people. ” Born to wealthy parents during the 3rd century in the Greek village of Patara, now on the southern coast of Turkey, he was raised to be a devout Christian. His parents died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. His uncle, the Bishop of Patara, took over his upbringing and instructed Nicholas in the faith.

 

Now, when his parents died, Nicholas came into some money. But he remembered Jesus’ words: “. . . sell what you own and give the money to the poor.” Nicholas obeyed those words and gave his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering.

 

What sort of bravery did that take?  What sort of faith commitment was at play to take that kind of leap?  Nicholas had a plan. He hoped to become a monk—a life of solitude. But he was not to find it. One night, Jesus and Mother Mary appeared to Nicholas in a dream. Jesus gave him a copy of the Gospels. Mary placed the vestment of a bishop on him. Then, Jesus told him, rather than be a solitary monk, you must instead work among the people.

 

Nicholas is a young man—in his early 20’s. Searching.  Not sure. But that doesn’t stop him from being elected bishop.

 

The committee trying to find a new Bishop of Myra could not agree on who it will be. An angel appeared to the presiding bishop in a dream and told him to watch the doors of the church the next morning. The first person to enter named “Nicholas” was to be the new bishop. And the next morning, while the committee was at prayer, a young man arrived. When asked his name, he replied, “I am Nicholas.” At that moment, Nicholas was placed in the bishop’s seat where he was consecrated the new Bishop of Myra.

 

So, how do we get from Nicholas, Bishop of Myra to America’s jolly Santa Claus?  Well it has a lot to do with what Nicholas did with his life. Nicholas liked to help people. And he liked to do it very quietly, usually without anyone knowing who had helped them. Not just his giving away of his inheritance. There was his fight against the Romans in Constantinople for lower taxes for the people of Myra. He intervened often for the falsely accused; he cared for prisoners and criminals.  Then there are the stories of his protection of children, sailors, and students.

 

In one, a wicked innkeeper killed three theological students, traveling to study in Athens. He hid their bodies in a pickling tub. Bishop Nicholas, traveling along the same route, stopped at the same inn, dreamed of the crime, prayed to God earnestly, and after confronting the innkeeper, he restored the three students to life.

 

Sailors claim Nicholas as a patron saint because of many stories. On one trip home from the Holy Land by ship, the vessel was wracked by wind and wave. Nicholas calmed the stormy seas with prayer. Another tells us of how his people were starving during a famine. Nicholas asked the sailors if he could take one measure of grain from each of their ships in his harbor. He promised that none would be missing when the ships arrived in Alexandria. When the ships got to Alexandria, there was more grain than originally counted, even after Nicholas took what he needed for his people.

 

He is the patron of children, mariners, bankers, scholars, orphans, laborers, travelers, merchants, judges, paupers, victims of judicial mistakes, captives, perfumers, even thieves and murderers! He is known as the friend and protector of all in trouble or need.

But it is his connection to marriageable maidens that brings us closer to Santa Claus.   (Slide of stained glass)

See the three gold balls in the stained glass there?

 

There was a poor man with three daughters. In those days a young woman’s father had to offer prospective husbands a dowry—a cache of money, jewels, land. A good dowry meant that a young woman would find a good husband. Without a dowry, a woman was unlikely to marry. This poor man’s daughters would likely be sold into slavery. Mysteriously, on three different occasions, as each daughter’s turn came to marry, a bag of gold appeared in their home, found in their stockings or shoes left by the fire to dry, providing the needed dowry. It appears that the bag had been tossed through an open window.

 

Nicholas did this in secret for each daughter.  But during his last toss through the window, for the third daughter, the father caught him.  And despite Nicholas’ pleas to keep it quiet, the man proclaimed Nicholas’ generosity to all who would listen.

 

That’s where we get the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas. That is also why three gold balls, sometimes represented as oranges, are one of the symbols for St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas is a gift-giver. And if some of you have made the connections to pawn-brokers, that’s true, too, for better or worse. Pawnbrokers have the 3 balls hanging outside their establishments, hoping to make the connection.

 

Now, there’s one figure in between Nicholas and Santa Claus. You have to combine Saint Nicholas, famous for his generous gifts to the poor with the figure that embodied the Good Cheer of Christmas: Father Christmas.

(Slide)

 

Father Christmas dates back at least to the 17th century in Britain. Writer Ben Jonson, a friend of Shakespeare, described Father Christmas for the first time in his play Christmas, his Masque. Now, not a mask to conceal a face, but a Masque (QUE) like a big party and play for the King. Since then we find Fr. Christmas portrayed as a well-nourished bearded man dressed in a long, green, fur-lined robe.

 

Father Christmas’s spirit of good cheer was reflected in the ‘Spirit of Christmas Present’ in Charles Dickens’, A Christmas Carol. (Slide out and prep for DVD—Commercial Xmas)

 

But it’s in the last century since Dickens that, for many, the meaning of Christmas has become muddled at best. It has seemingly become “What’s in it for me?” The onslaught of “It’s Christmas time” was first Thanksgiving. Then it slowly crept back to Halloween.  This year, Halloween and Christmas were side by side right after Labor Day in some stores.

=============   (roll Commercial xmas) 3:40    =================  (return to black screen)

GIVING has been the theme over the past few weeks.  Time. Energy. Money. A phone call, a visit, a word of encouragement. And we’ve been challenged to go beyond giving what we “have to spare” and to move toward parting with something we need.

 

In another life, I remember hearing about “Giving Until It Hurts.”  I have to be honest—that one never motivated me.  Why would I want to do something that hurt me.  That goes against my upbringing. That goes against natural tendencies to avoid pain.  I’ll give, but why does it have to hurt.  (Right now in my head the Theresean nuns are giving me their little, “Tch, tch, tch” as they shake their heads and intone, “Aaaiiiiii, Mr Pavlovich, jour pain ees naw-ting compared to dee eh-suffering off Jesus on da cross.”  Ai, Sister Gisella.)

 

Instead of pain or anything, take “what’s in it for you,” take yourself OUT of the equation of Giving.

Consider this: “Altruism” or “giving without thought of getting something back” is nearly impossible. If, for example, we give—money, stuff—and then take a tax deduction for donations, it isn’t altruism — it’s “cast your bread upon the waters — it shall return to you a thousand-fold.” You get something out of it.

 

Many people feel better about themselves after they Give or Help someone else. This may raise their self-esteem. But again, drat, we get something in return.

 

There’s the “Expectation” that Giving may bring. What I mean is when I do something for someone else, perhaps, at some future time, that person will, in return, help me. “What goes around comes around”, right? Nope, we might get something back.

 

Then there’s that little thing Sister Gisella was getting-at with me: Good Deeds improve my chances of a good afterlife. The very thing the Morality play EVERYMAN has at its central moral—that God is noting my acts. Ah, God, the Accountant Almighty. So, my Giving leads to a heavenly reward. Again, giving me something in return.

 

Nicholas put Jesus at the center of his life, his ministry, his entire existence. His focus was always outward, not a thought of or for himself. St. Nicholas, lover of the poor and patron saint of many, is a model of how we are meant to live.

 

Let’s make a New Years’ resolution early this year by trying something new—Giving or sharing of yourself, not because it will earn you “bonus miles” for your trip to heaven, not because it may “grease the skids” for your launch into the great beyond; not because the God of Bargains will have the ledger out when you stand before him.

 

What I’d like you to do is to consider giving or sharing—in all of its guises–  because. . . .  

 

Just Because.

 

Why do you have to get something out of it?  How many great and wonderful deeds are done every day, and no one knows who is responsible for them?  A lawn is cut, a fence repaired, groceries picked up, leaves raked, toys put away, room straightened, anything—without thought to recognition or recompense.  No feelings of “I owe them” or “They owe me.”  Or “I’ll feel better when I do this.” Or “I’ll get me some Grace!”

 

Giving or sharing “Just Because.”

 

We all know what Christmas has become.  Over the past 50 years, Christmas has become big business.  And it seems the more we pushed Jesus out of the picture, the louder the ads became. That emptiness does echo, doesn’t it.

 

We can all do something about Christmas.  We can make it like “the old days” if we choose to do so. So, instead of lamenting the commercialism or the consumerism—because it’s there if we want to harp on it—let’s stop cursing the darkness and light a candle by doing what we can, how we can, when we can, to make the true message of Christmas—the life and example of Nicholas of Myra—shine now and everyday.

A Sermon by Eric Taber from Procter Camp 2008

John 4:31-38

 

“I have food to eat that you do not know about.” What does this mean? Personally, I think that Jesus is talking about spiritual fulfillment here. This is good news for those of us that feel empty on occasion. I for one often feel as if my soul is missing something. I ask myself, “What am I doing with my life? What’s my purpose in the grand scheme of things?” So, how do we fix this? How do we satisfy our hunger? Jesus tells his disciples, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and complete his work.” I think we can take that to mean that if we strive to spread the word of God, help others, and bring them into the Christian community, that we will be rewarded with a greater understanding of ourselves and God, and a sense of wholeness.

                With regard to fulfilling God’s will, Jesus says, “Look around you and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.” Keep in mind that Jesus is saying this four months before the fields are expected to be harvested. We should remember to look to help others and spread the good news of Christ wherever we are and whoever we are talking to, regardless of any prior expectations or commitments. We can’t constrain ourselves to only do the work of God when it’s convenient. You have to create opportunities. Oftentimes, people are in need of help or are ready to listen, you just have to look around you. It’s amazing what you can see when you are actually looking.

                Jesus goes on to say, “One sows and another reaps.” So, we are reaping the rewards of someone else’s labor. Now, this isn’t really a problem. In fact, oftentimes it is necessary with regard to the length of time that it takes a seed to grow. However, we as the reapers of someone else’s labor have an obligation to plant our own seeds for someone else to harvest, whether this be through ministry or something else.

                For example, at my school we have a program called Kilt Krew. It’s a group of seniors that go to freshman homerooms every morning to be role models, ease the transition to high school, and get them more involved in school activities. Although this program was not established when I was a freshman, I feel that I have an obligation to give back to the school that has given me so much in the four years that I have been there. This really gives me a great opportunity to plant my own seeds and let them grow. Those freshman that I have planted my seeds with will eventually become seniors and they in turn can give back to the new incoming freshman. It’s a continuous cycle that is beneficial to all.

                So, in conclusion I think that we need to remember that one of the means to satisfy our hunger and feel whole is to do God’s will. To do this though we need to look for opportunities to plant seeds and grow love rather than waiting for them to come to us.

                Amen

Monthly Musings - “Bal’shoye spaseeba”

Thank you! On June 11, 9 members of St. James, along with 15 other travelers, will depart Cincinnati, for warm and sunny St. Petersburg, Russia. OK, the warm part may be a stretch, but it will be sunny with 10 hours of direct sunlight and dawn/dusk lasting another 10 hours. The White Nights, as they are known, are beautiful to experience and make it hard to sleep. We could not have made this journey without all your support during our fundraising efforts! “Spaseeba”, Thank you!

But our travelers won’t be there to enjoy the panoramic scenery, the historical monuments, the splendid accommodations (this is a stretch); they are there to work, and work they shall. Of course, they’ll spend several days soaking up history and culture, but the majority of their time will be spent alongside their Russian peers improving the St. Nicholas Orthodox Youth Center, by painting, building, and landscaping. The Youth Center plays an integral role in keeping Russian youth off the streets, out of gangs, and clear of drugs and alcohol (the average age of drug users has fallen from 17 to 11, and 40% of school children regularly drink alcohol).

Besides the hands on dirty work, our travelers will be serving as mentors during a youth camp that takes up half the day. While they will be teaching and leading, they will also be positive role models of Christian youth, sharing Jesus’ love, and developing relationships with their peers that hopefully will continue upon our return.

Of course, I will be right alongside working on the projects and participating in camp, but more importantly I’ll be working to make sure each and everyone comes home on June 27th safely, with good memories and tired muscles.

I hope to be able to offer regular email updates on our trip, so if you’d like to receive them make sure the office has your email address.

Now I ask one more show of support. On June 8 we will commission all of our travelers at the 10 AM service. Please join us for worship on that day and pray for our travelers, by name, each day of the trip: Lisa Jacob, Will Holstrom, Eric Taber, Daniel Wilson, Rebecca Griffiths, Anne Griffiths, Zack Cornelissen, Amy Halt, and Fr. Dave Halt.

Da sveedaneeya!

Fr. Dave+

Man vs Wild

I’m a big fan of Bear Grylls of the Discovery Channel’s “Man vs Wild”.  If you’ve ever seen the show it’s amazing to watch as Bear strives to survive in a different challenging environment each week.

You may know that Bear Grylls is a former British Army Special Forces officer and that by the age of 23 had climbed Mt. Everest, but Bear is also faithful Christian.  I didn’t know this until I read an article today in the Alpha Testimony newsletter.

“Bear recognizes that young people too often disregard the church. ‘People see it as either something that opinionated weirdos do,’ he says, ‘or that it is just boring.

‘It took me so long to find out that real faith is actually the opposite; it was finding out that I was held, forgiven and loved regardless.  Christianity is about discovering that in the business and struggles of life we are not alone.’”

“‘Whenever I turn to Jesus, whether I feel it or not, He is always there–on Everest or at home.’”

 I definitely have new respect for one of my favorite TV heroes, and while I harbor no illusions that I will conquer Everest or survive the wilds of Africa or the Arctic like Bear Grylls,I hope and pray we all have the “survival skills” of our faith.

 

Episcopal Communicators Conference Held in Seattle and We Have a Winner!

Our own Julie Murray, assistant editor of the Diocese of Southern Ohio’s Interchange, who traveled to Seattle in mid April to attend a Conference of Episcopal Communicators, came back a winner!

Julie won a Polly Bond Award, which is an award of Merit for her Video under the Liturgical category for her Audio SlideShow of the “Ordination and Consecration of Thomas E. Breidenthal.”

Julie was also named on the Award of General Excellence given to the “Interchange” a second year in a row.  Julie’s name was included as Communications Specialist and Assistant Editor along with Richelle Thompson, Director of Communications and The Editor, who also attended the Conference, and whose name was included on the Award.

Good News!

Last night we had our first (in a long time) community dinner at St. James.

From past experience we had hoped to have 10 of our neighbors join us for dinner, but our limited expectations were exceed by 390%!  Yes, 39 of our neighbors dined with us last night, a much needed filling and healthy meal was served, and a good time was had by all.

Many thanks to those who volunteered to be the hands and feet of Jesus for the supper last night.  Well done!

Our next supper will be held on May 22. 

Blessings,
Fr. Dave+

Today’s Lesson

 Leviticus 19:1-18

There are days when the words leap off the page and hit you between the eyes.  This was one of those days.   I grew up in a Holiness tradition, but that was most simply interpreted as avoiding certain controversial behaviors (dancing, smoking, drinking, and cards).  Today’s passage goes deeper than the traditions of my childhood.  It’s not about avoiding behaviors, but cultivating right behavior.  And the reason for this…we are called to be holy people, not for our benefit, but for the benefit of our neighbors.

 

This passage lists several behaviors we are to cultivate as we seek to live into God’s call for holiness.  One of these is to not harvest our fields to the edges or pick up the gleanings, these we are to leave to the poor and the sojourner.  Another major one, “do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great…”.

 

The first of these seems, at first glance, without application in our culture.  I don’t have fields, I have less than 1/4 acre of yard.  I do, however, earn a living and that is the key to meaning.  Part of holiness is not calling everything we earn our own and for our own needs.  We need to see it as a gift from God, and make certain that we don’t harvest to the edges of our bank accounts (i.e. meet only our own needs), but rather leave some available for the use of the poor and the strangers in our midst.  Cultivating an attitude of thanksgiving for our blessings and generosity for our neighbors is a holiness behavior.

 

The other behavior has to do with how we treat one another.  While this is a legal code and applicable primarily to the lawyers of Israel, I think it teaches us a great lesson in our interpersonal relationships.  Treat each other fairly, honestly, equally, and privilege no one based on income or social position.  In short, God’s call to holiness is about reducing that which divides and meeting each other on the same level.

 

I also think this is what Mary means in the Magnificat by, “he has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly.”

A Rule of Life for St. James Church

During our Lenten Series we discussed various rules of life and their common elements with a view of creating our own for St. James Church. However, when we ended our sessions together we were unable to fully put flesh on our fledgling rule of life.  We agreed that our rule was not to become a legalistic document of checks and minuses for good and bad behavior, but rather that it should be a measure of our spiritual journey.  So our discussion continues.  This is what we have so far:

·        We are a community committed to caring for each other, the “least of these”, and growing in our relationship with God.

·        We agree to participate in regular public worship (the Eucharist).

·        We agree to spend time with God in private prayer daily.

·        We agree to spend time with scripture daily.

·        We will honestly examine our lives regularly to discover where we are and are not following God’s will in our lives.

·        We will use our time, talent, and treasures in service to build God’s kingdom in our church and in our community (inside and outside these walls).

So it’s a good start, with more discussion to follow, to flesh out the details, to unpack what this means for all of us, and how to hold each other accountable.  We invite each of you to join us in our continuing discussion, and in seeking to apply this rule of life as it develops to your own spiritual journey. 

 Blessings,

Dave+
St. James Church
“Credo ut intelligam”–St. Auggy
“Me transmitte sursum, Caledoni”–James T. Kirk 

Holy Week

This is always a busy week at the Church, with all the services with their various liturgies that are being offered, and I do encourage you to attend as many as you can this week.

 
But, busy-ness is not always next to Godliness.  What is important is how you can best enter into the meaning of this week, as we contemplate the events of the last week of Jesus’ earthly life.
 
So, take time this week to think deeply on what the Cross means to, and for, you.  Join your brothers and sisters in the liturgies that will speak to you and further you in your faith journey.
 
May you each walk with Jesus along the way of the cross this week, and be surprised by joy on Easter morn. 
 
Blessings,
 
Fr. Dave+
 
Holy Week Prayer 
Have mercy on us, O God the Almighty.
Jesus Christ Son of the Living God.
O Rock of strength.
O Cornerstone.
O heavenly Sion.
O Foundation of the faith.
O Innocent Lamb.
O Crown.
–O Christ crucified.
O eternal judge, have mercy on us.
 
Brendan O’Malley, A Celtic Primer

Rector loses challenge, dresses as donkey for procession!

Contributed By Julie Murray | St. James Episcopal Church

The Rev. Dave Halt, rector of St. James Episcopal Church in Westwood, will lead a group of youth from the parish on a mission trip this summer to Russia. The group of 5 youth and 3 adult chaperones need to raise nearly $16,000 for the trip, so he issued this challenge to kick off their fundraising effort: collect half of the money needed for the youth travelers by March 1, and he would dress up as a donkey for the annual Palm Sunday procession around the church grounds.

The group easily surpassed that goal. The young people have held several fundraisers over the last few months, including wrapping Christmas gifts, selling sub sandwiches, doing odd jobs for parishioners and holding a gift basket raffle. When Halt realized they had reached the goal, he held up his end of the bargain, despite the fact that the Rt. Rev. Kenneth Price, suffragan bishop of Southern Ohio, would be visting the parish that day.

Luckily, the bishop has a great sense of humor and Halt rented a costume for the March 16 procession. Parishioners followed behind Halt waving palms, singing “All Glory, Laud and Honor” and laughing as they processed around the church grounds and into the church. Halt did, however, quickly change out of the costume for the solumn Palm Sunday service.

The group traveling with Halt for two weeks this June to Sablino, Russia, include Lisa Jacob, Miami Township; Daniel Wilson, Delhi; Will Holstrom, Bridgetown; Eric Taber, Bridgetown; Lindy Gamble, Northside; and adult chaperones Anne and Rebecca Griffiths of Miami Township and Amy Halt of Forest Park. They are part of a larger group of youth and adults involved in the Miami Valley Episcopal Russian Network, a group created to foster a spiritual and personal relationship between St. Nikolas Russian Orthodox Church in Sablino, Russia, and participating Southern Ohio parishes.