Categories: orthodox-life, parish-life
Date: 17 October 2004 05:03:19
Luke 8:5-15 was our first Gospel reading today. The sermon focused on those who "having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience". Most times I have heard preaching on this parable taken up with explaining more about those who didn't hear, or who did hear but fell away. So it was great to hear an encouraging sermon on how we can "keep it and bear fruit with patience". We were given many practical tips, including the constant reminder that we all need to withdraw from the world in order to have time alone with God to read the Bible, pray, and to listen to Him. We all may do this in different ways and we all have a different amount of time available as some people have more responsbilities than others, but we do all need this time.
Today was also our first Divine Liturgy in the new premises. It went well, apart from a rather amusing moment where our priest was attempting to non-verbally communicate to someone near the air-conditioning switch that a change of temperature was required. Thanks be to God that we do have a place to worship.
Today's sign-off quote is from the Divine Liturgy, after the Communion and before the Litany of Thanskgiving. I find myself singing this throughout the day after Liturgy:
Let our mouths be filled with Your praise, O Lord, that we may sing Your glory; for You have made us worthy to partake of Your holy, divine, immortal and life-giving mysteries. Keep us in Your holiness, that all day long we may meditate on Your righteousness. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!