Sunday of Holy Fathers of the Fourth Council July 20 was a question of the nature of Christ and His Incarnation. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, God is One. Like Arius before them, they had learned an easy way to convey their heresy was through songs. Many Thank you for coming to worship God. moons ago, I was sitting in Chapel at Lansing Christian listening to a former prisoner of war from Today we celebrate the memory of the Holy Fathers the Korean War. He had escaped by crawling across a of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, and the Feast Day frozen lake. One of the things that kept him going of Macrina, sister of St Basil the Great. In the coming was singing the songs he learned in Sunday School. week, we celebrate: the Prophet Elijah on Monday; He shared with us a little ditty, “Songs may come, Victor of Marseilles on Tuesday; Wandregislus of songs may go, happiness they bring. But the song that Gaul on Wednesday Hannah the mother of the gives you strength is good for you to sing.” Without Prophet Sameul on Thursday; Bogolep child hesitation, he encouraged us to sing good songs and schemamonk of Cherny Yar on Friday; and commit them to memory. How many times did Fr Olympiada of Constantinople on Saturday. Richard of blessed memory encourage us, “be careful little ears what you hear?” How many times a week “You are the light of the world,” said the Lord to His are we offered the opportunity to learn the hymns of Disciples. This was not only to the 12, but to all the our faith? Do we take advantage? bishops, priests, deacons, other clergy and laity that became part of the one holy catholic and apostolic So back to the Council. After much discussion, the church, like Matthew, Gabriel and Veronica. two sides wrote out their version of the faith of the Fathers that came before them. They took the scrolls, Today we celebrate those fathers, 500+ in number and placed them in the coffin, on the chest of the great who gathered to determine our understanding of the martyr Euphemia. The council was meeting in the two natures of Christ. The archimandrite Eutyches church dedicated to her. Her coffin was sealed and was teaching that the human nature of Christ was they went off to pray for eight days. I say again, 8 absorbed by the divine nature so He only had one days. There are times when I pray for something for nature. This was called Monophysitism. Again, it 10 minutes and expect the Lord’s answer we put a copy of the Nicene Creed on the wall near immediately. the door. We ask them if they accept the Creed and offer it to them to read. If they say no, the discussion After 8 days, the coffin was opened. To the is over. If they say yes, we tell them to come join us amazement of all, the scroll representing the true faith at St James, knowing that if they say yes, they slept was clutched in her hands over her heart and that of through part of their training. the heretics was under her feet. Furthermore, the signatures of 2 godly bishops that had died before We have no reason to be apologetic for what the they could sign the true document were found on the church teaches. We are wrong if we water our faith document of the faith. down so we can include everybody. We are not to be arrogant or dismissive of those who believe otherwise. Archimandrite Eutychus was a powerful figure in his We are to love them, show them kindness, pray for day. He had many influential friends in the chambers their salvation. of government and in the churches. The god-bearing fathers were not swayed by public opinion, only by I sent out two websites this week to some of you. the Truth. One dealt with the life story of an African-American deacon in the Orthodox Church. It was helpful to me In moments of weakness, when talking with others because I did not grow up experiencing the racial bias even Orthodox Christians I am tempted to be he did. Some continues to this day. persuaded by the argument, “all paths lead to God, Christ was just one of many good and righteous The other was an interview conducted by an Orthodox teachers.” I return then to St Vincent of Lerins: priest and his wife of a Protestant writer. The writer “what has been believed, everywhere, always, by all,” penned a book, “The Way Up is down.” At the end of and get smacked upside the head with a spiritual 2X4. the interview, I looked at my wife and said, “she is not far from the Orthodox faith.” It was very encouraging Perhaps like you, there are times when Jehovah and very indicting. Witnesses or Mormons come to our door. The Apostle tells us to always be ready to give an answer Live your faith this week and be the light of Christ to for the hope that is within us. Early on as Orthodox, those you meet. Amen