Saint John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Church
  • Home
  • Orthodox Christian Faith
    • What we believe
  • Parish
    • Our Patron Saint - Saint John
    • Our History >
      • Where we were and where we are...
      • "Remember your leaders..." (Hebrews 13:7)
      • What's in the name?
    • Administration
    • Atrium - Christian Faith formation (Sunday School)
    • Chapel
    • Become a member!
    • Parish Library
    • Service request form
    • Donate
    • AmazonSmile
  • News
    • Sermons & Articles
    • Pictures & Videos
    • Looking Ahead to Next Sunday (LANS)
    • Weekly e-Bulletin
    • Service Texts
    • Quarterly Newsletter
    • Friends & Neighbors
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Useful Links
    • Choose Life!
    • Online Christian Bookstores >
      • St Vladimir's Seminary Press
      • St Tikhon's Seminary Press
      • Holy Trinity Bookstore, Jordanville
      • Eighth Day Books
      • Hermitage of the Holy Cross Monastery, WV
      • Nevsky's Books
      • Fr Daniel Sysoev Bookstore
      • Издательство Московской Патриархии
      • Магазин Сретенского Монастыря, Москва
      • Православный Книжный Магазин

December 29 - Colossians 3:4-11 - what are your garments?

12/25/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
BROTHERS AND SISTERS, when Christ, Who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. But now you must get rid of all such things - anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have stripped off the old man with his practices and have clothed yourselves with the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of his Creator. In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free, but Christ is all and in all.
Picture
If you are on the New Calendar, Merry Christmas! Christ is born! Glorify Him!

For those of us on the Old Calendar, we still have 13 days of preparation and contemplation. Therefore, let us look at what Saint Paul has to say about our preparation for the Nativity of the Lord this week.

​First of all, Christ is our life.

He becomes our life when we dedicate our life to Him. The beginning of this dedication is our baptism, where we "strip off the old man," as Paul says above, and "clothe [ourselves] with the new man, who is being renewed." Recall that when God kicked out Adam and Eve from Eden, He "made garments of skins for the man and his wife, and clothed them" (Genesis 3:21).

There are many ways to understand what these skins are. One of them is that the skins are our fallen, sinful, human nature. We are fallen and sinful not because of these garments of skins, but because of our actions. When we are baptized, these garments are stripped off and we are offered new ones that are light and bright, we are clothed in Christ Himself. As we sing at baptism (quoting from Saint Pau's Epistle to the Galatians), "As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ" (Galatians 3:27). We literally put on Christ, we get the new garments, we are "being renewed in the knowledge according to the image of [our] Creator," Who, once again, is Christ. If the old garments were our fallen human nature, then the new garments are our saved human nature.

Just like the old garments did not make us fallen, so the new ones do not make us saved on their own. Our co-operation and participation in the salvation count. This is the reason I question parents who come to baptize their children in our church. I always ask why they want to baptize the child. I also try to explain what the whole process of baptism and Christian life entails. I do not try to discourage the parents from baptizing their child, but at the same time they need to know that it's not just a cute thing to do. Christian life is serious, the decision to enter into this life must also be seriously considered.

If we are serious about our new way of life, the life of salvation, the life in the new garments, then we "put to death whatever in [us] is earthly." The old garments of skins were earthly, carnal, base, therefore, we acted as base animals sometimes. In the new garments, we are to throw away this earthly behavior. What exactly are we to "put to death"? Saint Paul says, "Fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry."

Fornication was all but universal in the ancient pagan world. And I would argue that it has returned with a vengeance in our times. Impurity is any form of sexual sin, such as pornography, for example. Passion is any overwhelming, consuming compulsion, not necessarily sexual. Evil desire indicates appetites and insatiable craving for evil things. And greed, which Saint Paul likens to idolatry, is anything that possesses us. Our possessions can possess us, our desires can possess us, making us their slaves, becoming our idols.

"These are the ways [we] also once followed, when [we] were living that life." These are the ways of the fallen human nature, the one that is still clothed in the garments of skins. Since we are clothed in the new garments, in Christ Himself, we not only "put to death" these earthly things, they in fact disgust us, we don't even contemplate them.

And when Christ is revealed at His Second Coming, we will also be revealed with Him because we are His and He is our life.

Yours in the Lord,
Father Aleksey

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Father Aleksey - your friendly Singac priest

    Picture

    Archives

    December 2030
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019

    Categories

    All
    1 Corinthians 1:10-18
    1 Corinthians 15:1-11
    1 Corinthians 16:13-24
    1 Corinthians 3:9-17
    1 Corinthians 4:9-16
    1 Corinthians 6:12-20
    1 Corinthians 8:8-9:2
    1 Corinthians 9:2-12
    1 Timothy 4:9-15
    2 Corinthians 11:21-12:9
    2 Corinthians 11:31-12:9
    2 Corinthians 1:21-2:4
    2 Corinthians 4:6-15
    2 Corinthians 6:1-10
    2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1
    2 Corinthians 9:6-11
    2 Timothy 3:10-15
    Acindynus
    Acts 11:19-26 And 29-30
    Acts 1:1-8
    Acts 16:16-34
    Acts 20:16-18; 28-36
    Acts 2:1-11
    Acts 5:12-20
    Acts 6:1-7
    Acts 9:32-42
    Adrian
    Aidan Of Lindisfarne
    Alban Of Britain
    Alexander Nevsky
    Alexander Of Comana
    All Saints
    Ambrose Of Milan
    Andrew The Commander
    Andrew The First-called Apostle
    Anempodistus
    Anna
    Anna The Prophetess
    Annunciation
    Anthony Of The Kiev Caves
    Anthony The Roman And Abbot Of Novgorod
    Aphthonius
    Archangel Gabriel
    Aristobulus Of The Seventy
    Bede
    Callinicus
    Charitina Of Amisus
    Chariton The Confessor
    Clement Pope Of Rome
    Colossians 1:12-18
    Colossians 3:4-11
    Conception Of Saint John
    Cosmas And Damian
    Cyril And Methodius
    David The King
    Demetrius
    Elijah
    Elpidephorus
    Ephesians 2:14-22
    Ephesians 2:4-10
    Ephesians 4:1-6
    Ephesians 4:7-13
    Ephesians 5:8-19
    Ephesians 6:10-17
    Ephraim The Syrian
    Ethelbert King Of Kent
    Euphemia
    Fathers Of The First Ecumenical Council
    Finding Of The Head Of Saint John The Baptist
    Forefathers
    Galatians 1:11-19
    Galatians 2:16-20
    Galatians 6:11-18
    Glyceria
    Habakkuk
    Haggai
    Haralambos Of Magnesia
    Hebrews 1:10-2:3
    Hebrews 11:24-12:2
    Hebrews 11:24-40
    Hebrews 11:33-12:2
    Hebrews 11:9-10; 17-23; 32-40
    Hebrews 2:11-18
    Hebrews 4:14-5:6
    Hebrews 6:13-20
    Hebrews 9:11-14
    Hermogenes Patriarch Of Moscow
    Hilarion The Great
    Innocent Of Moscow And America
    Ioannicius The Great
    Isidore Of Pelusium
    James Bishop Of Nisibis
    James The Brother Of The Lord
    Joachim
    Job The Long-suffering
    John 10:1-9
    John 1:1-17
    John 12:1-18
    John 1:43-51
    John 17:1-13
    John 20:19-31
    John 3:13-17
    John 4:5-42
    John 5:1-15
    John 7:37 52; 8:12
    John 7:37-52; 8:12
    John 9:1-38
    John Chrysostom
    John Of Novgorod
    John Of The Ladder
    John The Baptist
    Jonah Metropolitan Of Moscow
    Joseph The Betrothed
    Juliana Of Nicomedia
    Kevin Of Glendalough
    Laurence The Fool-For-Christ
    Leo The Great Pope Of Rome
    Leucis
    Luke 10:25-37
    Luke 12:16-21
    Luke 1:24-38
    Luke 13:10-17
    Luke 14:16-24
    Luke 15:11-32
    Luke 16:19-31
    Luke 17:12-19
    Luke 18:10-14
    Luke 18:18-27
    Luke 19:1-10
    Luke 5:1-11
    Luke 6:31-36
    Luke 7:11-16
    Luke 8:26-39
    Luke 8:41-56
    Luke 8:5-15
    Luke The Evangelist
    Lydia Of Philippi
    Mark 10:32-45
    Mark 15:43-16:8
    Mark 2:1-12
    Mark 8:34-9:1
    Mark 9:17-31
    Martin The Merciful
    Mary Magdalene
    Mary Of Egypt
    Matthew 10:32 33; 10:37 38; 19:27 30
    Matthew 10:32-33; 10:37-38; 19:27-30
    Matthew 1:1-25
    Matthew 14:14-22
    Matthew 14:22-34
    Matthew 15:21-28
    Matthew 16:13-19
    Matthew 17:14-23
    Matthew 18:23-35
    Matthew 19:16-26
    Matthew 2:13-23
    Matthew 21:33-42
    Matthew 22:1-14
    Matthew 22:35-46
    Matthew 25:31-46
    Matthew 3:13-17
    Matthew 4:12-17
    Matthew 4:18-23
    Matthew 6:14-21
    Matthew 6:22-33
    Matthew 8:28-9:1
    Matthew 8:5-13
    Matthew 9:1-8
    Matthew 9:27-35
    Matthew Apostle And Evangelist
    Maxim Sandovich
    Michael First Metropolitan Of Kiev
    Myron Of Cyzicus
    Myrrh-bearing Women
    Natalia
    Nectarios Kephalas
    Nonna
    North American Saints
    Olaf King Of Norway
    Palm Sunday
    Panteleimon
    Parasceva
    Paraskeva
    Paul And His Sister Juliana
    Pegasius
    Pentecost
    Peter & Paul
    Philippians 4:4-9
    Photini
    Pionius Hieromartyr Of Smyrna
    Procopius Of Caesarea
    Quadratus Apostle Of The Seventy
    Romans 10:1-10
    Romans 12:6-14
    Romans 13:11-14:4
    Romans 15:1-7
    Romans 2:10-16
    Romans 5:1-10
    Romans 6:18-23
    Simeon The God-Receiver
    Sisoes The Great
    Sunday Of Orthodoxy
    Svetlana
    Tabitha
    Tamara Queen Of Georgia
    Theodora The Empress
    Theodore Of Rostov And Suzdal
    Theodore Of Studion
    Theodosius Of The Kiev Caves
    Thomais Of Alexandria
    Thyrsus
    Tikhon Patriarch Of Moscow
    Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7
    Vladimir Great Prince Of Rus

    Archives

    December 2030
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019

    Picture

    RSS Feed

Picture

Jesus said to the crowds about John, “I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John the Baptist. Yet the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he.”
(Luke 7:28)


Address

29 Weaver Street
​Little Falls, NJ 07424

Email

StJohn.Singac@gmail.com

Telephone

(973) 256-0314

Join our mailing list

* indicates required
Picture
Picture
Picture

Search our website

  • Home
  • Orthodox Christian Faith
    • What we believe
  • Parish
    • Our Patron Saint - Saint John
    • Our History >
      • Where we were and where we are...
      • "Remember your leaders..." (Hebrews 13:7)
      • What's in the name?
    • Administration
    • Atrium - Christian Faith formation (Sunday School)
    • Chapel
    • Become a member!
    • Parish Library
    • Service request form
    • Donate
    • AmazonSmile
  • News
    • Sermons & Articles
    • Pictures & Videos
    • Looking Ahead to Next Sunday (LANS)
    • Weekly e-Bulletin
    • Service Texts
    • Quarterly Newsletter
    • Friends & Neighbors
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us
  • Useful Links
    • Choose Life!
    • Online Christian Bookstores >
      • St Vladimir's Seminary Press
      • St Tikhon's Seminary Press
      • Holy Trinity Bookstore, Jordanville
      • Eighth Day Books
      • Hermitage of the Holy Cross Monastery, WV
      • Nevsky's Books
      • Fr Daniel Sysoev Bookstore
      • Издательство Московской Патриархии
      • Магазин Сретенского Монастыря, Москва
      • Православный Книжный Магазин