Explaining Your Faith

(Luke 12:8-21) (26th Sunday after Pentecost)

In the week before Thanksgiving, I had the great joy of spending a concentrated block of time with members of our extended family, gathering for a surprise birthday party for my father, who will be 70 in December. Some of the people were family members I was meeting for the first time; and I had the chance to visit with others for the first time in almost fifteen years, or more. We talked about many thing, filling each other in on how husbands, and wives, and children were doing; about successes and failures in school, and jobs, and business; about vacations, both taken and planned; about our health, and things of this nature. We also took time to discuss our faith.

Some of my family are practicing Christians; while others are influenced by “New Age” teachings and practices; and one person openly claimed to be an atheist. No one, other than myself, was an Orthodox Christian. As a result, we spent a lot of time talking about what we, as Orthodox Christians, believe; and about how our beliefs are put into practice; and how are lives are being changed thereby. All of the questions, and the ensuing discussions, were marked by respect; and we could have spent as much time again as we did, talking about all the aspects of the Orthodox faith, and Church, and way of life.

I hope that I was an effective witness; especially for those who may truly be seeking some answers for the deep questions of life, or who desire a deeper, richer relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. God grant that it may be so.

Which raises the question: Are you able to explain your faith to family, or friends, or neighbors? Do you know what you believe, and why? Do you know why we do what we do; and can you tell others anything about this?

Consider the Gospel readings for today. In the first, we find a man blessed with material wealth, but lacking in his understanding of the source of that wealth, and the reasons why it had been entrusted to him. This rich man had also forgotten the purpose of life; and, even as he was planning for how he would enjoy what he thought was his, we are told that his life would be required of him that very night; and that, instead of a period of leisure, he would be standing before the throne of God to give an account for himself.

The second is also quite significant. In it, our Lord tells His disciples – and that, by the way, is meant to include us, if we are truly striving to follow our Lord, and to walk in His ways – that He will confess before the angels of God those who confess Him before men; but will deny knowing those who deny that they know Him in this life. We are also told not to be concerned with what we are to say when we are required to give testimony about our faith; for the Holy Spirit will teach us at that time what we are to say.

“Well,” I can hear you say, “doesn’t that mean that I don’t have to know anything, or do anything, in order to speak about my faith if someone asks me?” Brothers and sisters, the short answer to that question is, “No, that’s not what that means at all.” This passage, the fathers tell us, is meant for those who are facing arrest, and questioning, possibly leading to torture, and even to a martyr’s death. Who among us will be able to endure such a trial, and keep our senses about us, so to give a clear and convincing declaration of our faith? God spare us, and our families, from that hour! And yet, if it comes upon us, as it did the martyrs Gurias and Samonas, and the deacon-martyr Abibus, the faithful have the promise that, in that hour, they will know what to say by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s be real. Apart from our presence in this place today; apart from wearing our baptismal crosses – is there any reason for those who would persecute us for the Orthodox faith to suspect that we are Christians? Would they know from the way we live, the way we act, the way we speak, that we are followers of our Lord Jesus Christ? If they can’t see anything about us that makes us different, it’s because we are not doing our utmost to follow the way of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the way of the martyrs, and the way of the saints.

We can’t live as Orthodox Christians if we don’t know what we believe, and why. We are not meant to be ignorant. We should know why we pray. We should know why we fast. We should know why it is good for us to give alms, and make offerings. We should know how and why we struggle against our passions and our weaknesses? We should know why we go to confession; and why we receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are not meant to be ignorant. The more we know, the more we can do; and the more we can give answer to those who seek from us a new way of living, a better and higher calling. Even if we should one day be thrown into prison for months, and then brought before the judges to give answer, the more we know, the more we do our part to assist the Holy Spirit to speak through us. Our lives should speak without words the reality of the presence of Christ in us!

Brothers and sisters: Today is the start of the Nativity fast. Today we begin to prepare ourselves to celebrate the coming of the Son of God into our midst, taking on Himself our human being, in order to make it possible for us to become like Him. Today, then, let us dedicate ourselves to learning what we believe, and why; and ask for God’s help to put our faith into practice; that in word and in deed, we may declare that Jesus Christ is Lord to all who are looking, and to all who will listen – to the glory of God, and the salvation of our souls.