DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7 (01/06 or 01/19) Holy Theophany of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ
Salvation Has Appeared: Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7, especially
vs. 11: “For the grace of God
that brings salvation has appeared to all men....” If
one, short statement in Holy Scripture could best summarize the ministry of our
Lord Jesus - from the Archangel Gabriel’s Annunciation of Jesus’
birth until the Pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles -
what better choice could there be than the quote above? “The grace of God...,” the
Eternal Father’s love, was definitively revealed when our Lord Jesus came
among us in Person by the Holy Spirit to minister to our need. The ‘appearance’ of the
Only-Begotten is The Divine condescension to all of mankind. When the Apostle speaks of
“...salvation...to all men...” his words gather in one phrase all
that Christ our God did as a man in this world that realized the possibility of
“everlasting life” for every man, woman, and child through all
time.
The Lord Jesus surely defines Divine ‘grace’
and ‘love.’ Saint John
Chrysostom understood that when a man grasps that his numberless sins forgiven,
“This in no common degree awes and humbles the soul...for, it received
not punishment, but obtained pardon, and infinite favors.” In the moment that the life and work of
Jesus of Nazareth are met, perceived, received within, and followed with all of
one’s heart and soul and mind and strength, everything thereafter is
rightly attributed to God’s grace and love. How can one define God’s
grace? Our words cannot; yet Jesus
Christ Himself embodies the grace of God to the eyes of the heart.
Beloved of the Lord, move beyond rational
concepts and definitions. Embrace the mystery of God Himself. Affirm and celebrate the union with Him
that we received in our Baptism, Chrismation, and
Communion. Set out on the struggle
to become fully one with His Immaculate Body and His Precious Life and
Blood. Saying that “...God
was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself...”
(2 Cor. 5:19) is neither logical nor a reasoned deduction; yet He injects
God’s undeniable claim on our lives, our wills, and our actions now and
forever.
Refuse the lie that Jesus Christ is a myth or an
idealization of all that is good, true, beautiful, and perfect. Yes, all these ideals are embodied in
Him Who appeared in history and will appear again (Tts. 2:13). The
documentation of His life, teaching and deeds, even from the perspective of ‘scientific’
history, is more fully substantiated than the collected evidence of the life of
Julius Caesar and many other ancient greats. “God is the Lord and hath appeared
unto us. Blessed is He that cometh
in the Name of the Lord.”
This is the message we celebrate today.
“Theophany” means
“The Appearance of God.”
We celebrate the Lord Jesus’ Baptism especially, because on that
occasion all three Persons of God were disclosed by Name. In saying “...the grace of
God...appeared,” the Apostle exceeds the idea that grace was displayed in
some action or monument. God
appeared in Person. The Father gave
His only-Begotten Son as His Gift to our disordered world, and the Spirit
confirmed the truth of His Word.
The ‘appearance’ of God is for
“...salvation...to all men” (vs. 11). God diagnosed our human condition, and
He administered the cure. Seeing
our plight, He Himself acted. He
did not stand aside from the degradation strewn across the dark track of human
history. He exceeded the wonder of
the burning bush, the thunder and smoke on Mount Sinai. He humbly took our flesh, walked among
us, died as one of us, and trampled down ubiquitous death that hangs like a
pall over all nations and individuals (Is. 25:7,8). He is the Way to deny ungodliness and
worldly lusts and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this world (Tts. 2:12).
Great art Thou, O Lord, and wondrous are Thy works, and no
word sufficeth to hymn Thy wonders. Glory to Thee, O Christ our King and our
God, glory to Thee!
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