Knowing and Doing the Will of God

It would be impossible for me to even guess how much time and effort I used to put in to trying to figure out what the will of God was in my life. I chased after this bible study, that popular Christian book of the day, even after various theologies. God's perfect will, God's permissive will…oh ya…I knew I wanted to do the will of God but figuring out what that was consumed my efforts and left me in confusion…until I was brought to Orthodoxy.

Earlier this year Matthew Gallatin put out an excellent series of podcasts on knowing and doing the will of God. He poses this particular scenario:

'Consider Nick and Natalie. Assume God's perfect will is that Nick and Natalie meet at the Greek Orthodox Church in Peoria, IL, on Jan 18, 2007. God's intention is for them to develop a relationship and marry. Nick is to become a priest and Natalie, a physician. They will have 4 children.

'Nick, on cue, shows up at Church. Natalie doesn't. Natalie does something a little willful. She chooses to skip the Liturgy and go skiing in Denver instead. So she doesn't show up. What's worse, while skiing she meets and subsequently fails in love with Kyle. Natalie moves to Boulder, finishes school there and Kyle and Natalie get married. Kyle is not an Orthodox Christian. After a few years they divorce over differences in faith.

'Natalie reaps the rewards of stepping outside of God's perfect will. But what about Nick? He did God's perfect will. But there is he stands. Through no fault of his own he is now outside of God's perfect will. He might go on to be a priest but he was supposed to be a priest married to Natalie.

'Does it seem God is really in control here? It seems that Natalie was able to thwart God's perfect plan. Either Natalie was able to thwart God's will or we have to say that God is still in control and God foreordains her choice and therefore her choice falls into God's permissive will. But if God is foreordaining that selection it means that Natalie doesn’t really has a “choice”.

'The problem is this. When looking at God's will from this perspective one can't make all the pieces fit. One either have to give up on the notion of free will or give up on the notion that God is really in control.'

So…how do we get out of this mess? Begin listening to Matthew Galatin's four separate podcasts on this subject here starting with "Discovering the Will of God – Part 1", February 6, 2008.

Matthew goes on to point out that Orthodoxy has a different way of understanding God's will. "It takes those two wills and is able to reconcile them because it has a completely different picture of what God is all about, of what God is intending for us in the first place."

In Orthodoxy, the will of God is not so illusive. God's will is oneness, with Him and with each other. This is what we are called to. So how do we accomplish this when we are bombarded with many decisions in life? Do I major in this subject? Do I marry this person? Do I take this job? Do I donate to this specific charity? Do I move the family to this place? Listen to the podcast and find out. Absolutely GREAT stuff! (But a little warning...Matthew frequently distinguishes between East and West in theology in a way that some of our Western Orthodox folks may find a bit off-putting.)

For it is Through the Past that We Come to the Present

I have come to realize that my sin certainly does its best to hide from my scrutiny. Preparation for confession takes me a while. I must spend time in prayer and contemplation, reviewing the commandments, evaluating my life against them for areas of both commission and omission…because in my sin I seem be very good at being unable to see my sin. (Probably one of the reasons I never made a good Lutheran…my conscience was never really properly terrorized.)

This morning I read a post from –C regarding her recent visit to her former Lutheran congregation. The first thing that came to mind was, "Why in the world would anyone forego the Liturgy to visit their former Lutheran church? The Lutheran church has nothing to offer in comparison." But –C writes, "Whenever I visit Resurrection, I am reminded of my own recent journey to the Orthodox faith and the unique role that this particular parish played in that journey - it was not insignificant. This confessional little Lutheran parish did not drive me to Orthodoxy, they helped to lead me to it - and for this I will always be grateful to them."

Grateful? To the Lutheran church? "Not me," I thought, "They lied to me." And then it hit me. I have failed to appreciate how God used my Lutheran experience to bring me to Holy Orthodoxy. Just about every convert I know expresses some kind of gratefulness and thanksgiving for their past religious activities because, if nothing else, it was through them that they were brought to the Church. Intellectually…I knew I should also consider my past in this way. It is the Orthodox understanding. In fact, I have probably even written similar words saying as much on this blog. But in truth, my heart has been wallowing in darkness with the matter. I have been harboring unforgiveness and I have remained angry.

Unforgiveness. I never really saw it as such before. So now I am grateful…oh, not yet to the Lutheran church…I have a ways to go to get to that point, but grateful to –C for writing and helping me to see what I was hiding from myself.

Help...My Husband is in a Unicycle Gang!

Mr. Dixie and his unicycle gang have been preparing for their annual Tour de Cure, a 50k ride to raise money for the American Diabetes Association. Now on a unicycle that is no small feat...because there is no coasting, even downhill, when riding on one wheel. His Tour de Cure page is here.

This weekend the gang was busted as the attached video will testify.



(Mr. Dixie is the one with the long hair sporting the colorful Tour de Cure shirt and whose back is facing the camera in obvious shame.)

Come, Receive the Light!

Christos Anesti!

Come on…admit it. There is nothing like seeing the darkness cut by the Light at midnight on Pascha and hearing the command chanted, “Come receive the Light!” Everything that follows adds to the excitement. The candlelit procession outside (or not so much processing because of rain, as was our case), the singing of Christos Anesti while we make the sign of the cross with our lighted candles, the knocking on the doors and then the opening of the doors and with it an immediate flood of bright light from the church, the censing of the church while Father shouts “Christ is Risen” and the faithful respond joyfully, “Truly, He is Risen” in at least eight different languages…and all of this followed by the Divine Liturgy where Christ offers Himself in the Eucharist. “Behold, I approach Christ, our immortal King and God!”

And a most wonderful side effect…the Pascha hymns which play in my mind and dreams when my head meets the pillow in the pre-dawn hours. Christ is Risen!!!

I have to admit…I think much of my appreciation of our Orthodox celebration of Pascha is rooted in the preparations of Lent and Holy Week. Observing that time of fasting and repentance, along with the liturgical schedule of the Church, is exactly the prescription we need to be able to better experience Pascha.

I’d love to blog more on this but I am one tired pup…so I will leave you with this beautiful resurrection icon written by my priest and this Frederica Mathewes-Green explanation of the Icon of the Resurrection, posted by my blogging friend, -C.

(Oh...and the coolest Pascha greeting this year...driving through the grocery story parking lot and meeting Lucian, a Romanian member of our parish, who held up 3 fingers on one hand and two on the other! Orthodox code for...He is Risen!)

Orthodox Converts in the News

I am breaking my self-imposed Lenten blog fast to bring you this article written about Father Gregory's parish and the Orthodox faith. Enjoy!

(Less than twelve hours to Pascha and I can't wait!!! I'll be back to posting again beginning tomorrow.)

God is With Us!

Whew…Day One of Lent has come and gone and I have survived! Yes…it’s true. I was not looking forward to Lent this year. I feared its discipline. It’s part of my character to fear that which is difficult…even if it is very good for me. Probably explains why you won’t find me pounding one foot after another jogging along the red clay roads of Georgia. Even my Sunday afternoon walks with “the girls” aren’t initially met with enthusiasm.

But with Clean Monday and Part I of the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete behind me I am a little more encouraged. We had a special treat last night for our Canon of St. Andrew service. A guest chanter from the cathedral chanted for us and he was most proficient in Byzantine chant.

So, the rhythm of Lent is beginning to form.

Speaking of the Canon of St. Andrew, I have chosen for my personal studies this Lent a book by Frederica Mathewes-Green, First Fruits of Prayer – A Forty Day Journey Through the Canon of St. Andrew. Having lived much of my life without the benefit of the liturgical fruits of the Church, I thought it would be most appropriate to study this important work which is prayed each Lent.

Early in the introduction Mrs. Mathewes-Green makes us aware of a shift in Christian spirituality over time and in order to better understand and appreciate the Canon she attempts to orient us to the mindset of the Christians at the time the Canon was written.

She writes:

Things Changed. The Lord Jesus Christ, who calls people to Himself today as He has for thousands of years, never changes. But the encounter with Him that we sense in our hearts is met by things we learn from the outside—information gained from Scriptures and pastors and teachers of the faith. There are also general expectations that prevail in our worshipping community, as well as some expectations of the larger society about what religious faith is and does.

Put it all together and even though we and the earliest Christians share a common Lord, we have built up different structures around that central experience.

To start with just that word experience—today when we talk about “religious experience” we usually mean “emotions.” On a recent TV series, a discussion panel including people of various faiths as well as atheists and agnostics assumed in common that talk about God splits in two directions, either into rational intellectual assertions (“mind”) or emotions (“heart”). But early Christians expected to experience Christ in the flat, primary sense, like “I went to the dentist and experienced getting a tooth pulled.” You may have thoughts and emotions about getting a tooth pulled but the experience itself is basic.

The experience of the presence of Christ is just that real. Yet the current expectation, which unfortunately many Christians agree with, is that it’s all about emotions. That’s one example of how foundational assumptions have changed.

Or…conversely in my prior situation the focus of the faith was on knowledge, the “mind”. I was told that my experience of God was my study of His doctrine.

I have to admit this is one message that has been coming to me lately from a number of sources…a message that our faith is a true experience of God. Not just knowledge, not just feelings but being able to say “I believe in God because I experience His presence in my life.”

As we sing in the Great Compline “God is with us!” Now to better experience Him.

Kali Sarakosti. (Blessed Lent)