GOSPEL MESSAGE & RECORDING
In Genesis 1:29, God gave Adam the instruction that He has given him all seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for his food. All living things are reproduced on the earth through a seed. For example, if you cut an apple, you will find a seed; and if that seed is taken and planted into the ground, watered and taken care of, then eventually it will produce fruit; and the cycle continues.
All of life comes from a seed. human life comes from seed as well. It is the seed of a man that joins the woman to bring forth human life. Without the seed (and women) there is no life.
So then how is it that Christ was born to St. Mary without seed? The Bible teaches that Christ our Lord was born and conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. (St. Luke 1:35) Christ Jesus, who was born of St. Mary, without the seed of man, was both man and God; that is, fully God and fully Man. He was the man that was born without the seed of a man. This is because he was the one who would save all mankind. Man cannot save man--only God can! So, Jesus was God. He was a man so that he could relate to us in every way, except for sin; for, if he had sinned, then he would not be God.
We as Christians are born of the “seed of our fathers.” This gives us our physical being. But it is the “eternal seed” of Christ, given to us at baptism and nurtured in our lives, that gives us the “second” birth. A birth not of the “physical” but “spiritual.” This is what St. Paul meant when he said, “it is not I who lives but Christ who lives in me.” The eternal seed comes into us by way of the Holy Spirit just as it did for St. Mary. We are, therefore, born twice. This second birth makes us the “bearers of Christ.” That is, we “carry” Christ in our bodies, just as St. Mary carried Jesus; but of course, for St. Mary it was a real physical experience, and for us a spiritual experience. Nonetheless, no “true” Christian would ever deny the true presence of Christ in their life—that he abides in them and with them. A closeness that is so real that is it almost physical.
If the eternal seed is in us, then we are called to grow in the Lord. Are you growing being a part of St. Luke? Are you growing attending Qurbana, listening to the sermon, joining small groups, participating in the charity works? Spiritual growth means work has to be put in. It also means that as a parish we produce quality in our endeavors. As a priest, this is my evaluation for myself—all the time. The questions that I ask myself are: am I producing good content? Am I being a role model for my flock? Am I praying for my flock? I am well aware that there is a salary for my office; nevertheless, it is as St. Paul declares about his ministry, “For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.” (1 Corinthian 9:16) In other words, money is not the reason why one should preach the gospel, nor is position, office or even ordination. The reason is that one is called. Similarly, you are called to your service in the parish. Therefore, we should not be negligent of our responsibilities nor our duties. As a part of this service, we are to be on time to liturgical services and make ourselves present at Qurbana and other services as consistently as possible. Work, family, setbacks, illnesses, etc., get in the way of our consistency; such exceptions are there and understandable, but that should not be the rule. Remember that what we practice as parents is what our children will also practice. Further, we should see our consistency as a sign of our spiritual growth. So are you growing?
Is your spiritual seed growing concerning personal prayer and family prayer? As mentioned in a marriage seminar last week, the hands will go up when asked if we pray; but when asked if we pray as a family or even with our spouses, the hands that go up are very few. Personal and family prayer are ways to measure the growth of the spiritual seed that is inside of us since we joined St. Luke’s. Sometimes we overlook our consistency via time and attendance, personal and family prayer and fasting because our eyes are on: ‘how does the choir sound?’ ‘How much are we doing in terms of charity?’ ‘What is our image on the outside?’ ‘Are we doing better than other Mission parishes?’ ‘Is our Sunday School running well?’ (Note: we probably wouldn’t need a Sunday School if we got our act together as parents!) In communist Serbia, churches were boarded up; church attendance was outlawed; yet when communism fell, in a matter of weeks the churches were swelling with people. Why? Because the Qurbana and Sunday School became the life of the family. So is your spiritual seed growing?