DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS

Monday, December 3, 2007                  Nativity Fast                    The Holy Prophet Zephaniah

Kellia: Zephaniah 3:8-18             Epistle: 2 Timothy 2:2–26               Gospel: St. Luke 20:27-44

 

The New Age of Joy: Zephaniah (Sophonios) 3:8-18 LXX, especially vss. 16, 17: “At that time the Lord shall say to Jerusalem, Be of good courage, Zion; let not thine hands be slack.  The Lord thy God is in thee; the Mighty One shall save thee: He shall bring joy upon thee, and shall refresh thee with His love.”  In these two verses, the Lord God revealed to Zephaniah the Prophet a wonderful future age when He would transform His covenant with the human race.  The two verses remind us that the new age is now.  The fundamental change between man and God is now operating - the result of what God accomplished by taking our flesh and becoming a man in the Lord Jesus.  His birth from the Virgin Mary, His life, ministry, and death on the Cross culminated in His Resurrection, Ascension, and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to “as many as received Him” (Jn. 1:12).  We are now living in the age of the Church under the New Covenant.

What a blessing!  Not only can you read Zephaniah’s prophecy, but what he foresaw you may receive for yourself.  Access to God’s grace and love are available in the community of God’s People!  Sadly, many who call themselves Christians fail to realize what is open to them, which is why St. Paul asks, “do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death....that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin?” (Rom. 6:3,6).  Today, if you will, you can “lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of [you]” (Phil. 3:12).  To make this accessible for us, Zephaniah also recorded, in this present passage, seven aspects of what we now call “the life in Christ” to help us lay hold of what God offers us in His Church.

1) God promised that in the age of the Church He would “turn to the peoples a tongue for her generation,” a new language for calling “on the name of the Lord” (Zeph. 3:9).  In the Church, we are born anew that we may learn to say, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn. 20:28).

2) God showed Zephaniah that the entire human race would be able to unite “under one yoke” (Zeph. 3:9), as one people all over the world.  This is exactly what Christ offers at this moment: “take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt. 11:29).  Orthodox Christians in Syria, Russia, Greece, Egypt, Romania, Albania, France, Chile, or in North America are one people, yoked together in Christ.

3) As Zephaniah foresaw, God is removing each one’s “disdainful pride” (vs. 11).  Hence, within the Church, we strive to be “a meek and lowly people” (vs. 12) who do not fret when wronged, defend against slander, or seek sympathy when calumniated, but earnestly forgive and ask for forgiveness from those with whom we are in conflict!

4) Attaining a humble life is open to all who “shall fear the Name of the Lord” (vs. 13), for when fear of God is realized within anyone, then “abstention from evil” becomes natural.

5) Hence, as we follow what the Church teaches, by the grace of God, we “shall do no iniquity” (vs. 13), but walk in God’s commandments, finding Truth and Life in them.

6) Being fed with both Truth and the Life of God in the Church, the Faithful are led to speak no vanity so that no “deceitful tongue be found in their mouth” (vs. 13).

7) In this way, all dread in this world is removed; for being united to the Lord Jesus, and cared for in His pasture, the Church, “there shall be none to terrify [us]” (vs. 13).

Beloved, Christ Jesus “has taken away thine iniquities, He has ransomed thee from the hand of thine enemies: the Lord, the King of Israel, is in the midst of thee” (vs. 15).  Walk in joy!

O Lord, look upon Thy servants, prove us, search us and root out of us every operation of the Devil and give us victory over him, that we may be worthy of Thy heavenly Mysteries.

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