DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Thursday, January 4, 2007; The Synaxis of the Seventy Holy
Apostles
1st Royal Hr. Theophany: Isaiah 35:1-10;
Epistle: Hebrews 10:35-11:7; Gospel: St. Mark 6:30-45
Saving Waters: Isaiah
35:1-10, especially vs. 4: “Comfort
one another, you fainthearted; be strong, fear not; behold our God renders
judgment, and He will render it; He will come and save us.” St. Gregory
of Nyssa instructs the children of the New Covenant to explore the riches of
the words of the Old Covenant; for, he observes, “I find that not only do the
Gospels, written after the crucifixion, proclaim the grace of Baptism, but even
before the Incarnation of the Lord, the ancient Scripture everywhere prefigured
the likeness of our regeneration; not clearly manifesting its form, but
foreshowing, in dark saying, the love of God to man.” Today’s reading from the Prophet Isaiah surely and superbly
illustrates St. Gregory’s point.
The salvation which the Lord Jesus won for us
provides abundant reasons to comfort one another, for God has saved us by
coming in the flesh. Each one,
having passed through the waters of Holy Baptism, now has his feet upon “a pure
way” that he might “not go astray” (vs. 8). As the redeemed of the Lord, we Christians are gathered to
Him that we may “come to Zion with joy,” that is, to the Church of Christ,
where “joy shall take possession” of us (vs. 10).
The experience of joy in the Church contrasts
sharply with the aridity which the child of God meets in the fabric of this
present life. In St. Gregory of
Nyssa’s words, all water now serves to refresh “the soul that is parched and
unadorned” - the soul that cries out with David: “My soul thirsteth after Thee
like a waterless land” (Ps. 142:6 LXX).
When water is blessed at Theophany, the Priest says, “Thou art our God
Who didst cleave the rock in the wilderness, so that the waters gushed out and
the valleys overflowed, thus satisfying Thy thirsty people.”
How is this so? When the Lord entered the waters of Jordan, He sanctified
every drop of water on the face of the whole earth. For the Faithful, water no longer is a mere object to be
used or abused - some lifeless thing.
Rather water is become a medium for spiritual cleansing, for blessing,
and for healing - it has touched the sacred flesh of the Lord Christ!
In being baptized, the Lord Jesus not only
gave us an example to follow - to be Baptized ourselves, but He also prepared
all the waters of the earth that they might be used of God to give us His
thirst-quenching Holy Spirit Who “doth overflow with streams and passages of
grace.”
Today’s reading also speaks to our weakness,
infirmity, grief, and despair: “Be strong, fear not; behold our God renders
judgment, and He will render it; He will come and save us” (Is. 35:4 LXX). God promised, and has acted through the
Only-Begotten. What did the Lord
Jesus do when He came to save us?
Yes, He opened the eyes of the physically blind, but, greater than that,
He continues opening many eyes that are spiritually closed, illumining those
who seek Him.
As one who was healed physically said, “Since
the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who
was born blind. If this Man were
not from God, He could do nothing” (Jn. 9:32-33). All that was desert before now is a “fountain of water poured
into the thirsty land” (Is. 35:6).
God is saving us, opening blind eyes, unstopping deaf ears,
strengthening our walk before Him, and putting praise on our stammering lips
(see vss. 4-6).
Finally, do take note that we are taught a new
and living Way that the Lord Jesus established, the way of the Orthodox Church,
of Zion, the Temple of the living God.
The Lord disclosed to Isaiah that this Way would be holy and pure and
unassailable by the devouring lion, Satan (1 Pet. 5:8), because for us Christ
defeated the ancient enemy and his “evil beasts” (Is. 35:9) on the life-bearing
Tree. Now we may walk on the Way,
and we “shall not go astray” (vs. 8), but shall be gathered with the Lord, and
everlasting joy shall be on our heads (see vs. 10).
Grant us O Lord to draw water in faith and
receive thereby the grace of Thy Holy Spirit.
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