Sermon on New Year’s Day
Preaching in the Russian Church; Lectures and Sermons by a Priest of the Holy Orthodox Church: Chapter VI
“Thy Kingdom Come.” (Matt., vi. 10.)
The first day of a new year may not be kept as a holy day and a day of quiet by everyone, as the Church enjoins that it should be, yet it is a day, nevertheless, peculiarly distinguished from other days by every thinking man and woman. New Year’s Day is looked upon by some with that awe, which is always respectful before the mysterious. For some it has a strong fascination, which is expressed in their holiday-making, often bordering on senseless hilarity. For others, it is a short day into which they vainly strive to encompass eternity, or even the one year which it represents.
The merry callers, together with the pleasant entertainers, and the busy crowd of elders, together with the happy ones of new and young fortune, cannot hide from us even on New Year’s Day in the great congregation of humankind those faces that look on us with serious mien, those eyes of careful thought, that wistful gaze of longing, those eyes that burn with a desire. Some of these last named are those who were, so to illustrate, molded into an image of melancholy composure, whom painful anxiety could not conquer and make of their rich natures absolute pessimists, by robbing them of their last hope; and some are those who have force, power, hidden away down in their souls, who persevere, quietly biding their time, when they may openly and fully cherish their own desires, satisfy their secret aspirations, and gain the end of their passion—strong ambition. Some again are the ones who very nicely put on their back the sheep’s skin, but inwardly they are the ferocious wolf. They take you with their soft hand, but nothing is left you; sweetly they look upon you with quiet eyes, but you find yourself to be lost; they kiss you, and you are betrayed by Judas. Still we find among the last mentioned, i.e. of those with serious and longing mien, such characters as cannot be influenced aside from the path they chose for their life walk, either by wealth or by social happiness, nor can poverty or misery eat and destroy their individuality. Fame, position, science, art, comfort and society’s opinion call out to them: To you will I give all this authority, and the glory of them . . . if you will but worship me, it shall be yours. No, to the mighty ones of this world answer they; is it right to hearken unto you, rather than unto God? This little flock of the chosen ones go steadily along the narrow path. Praising the Almighty Creator they draw near, and before the awful presence of the Supreme Being they pray, without condemnation and with boldness they dare to say: Father, our Father, who art in heaven! hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, preserve us from the taint of the world, so that the evil spirit with his passions and servants may not rule over us; teach us to worship Thee in the spirit and in the truth, so that the changing etiquette of a vanishing sphere, and the vain philosophy of time servers may not harm nor forbid us to call to Thee: “Lord, Thy kingdom come.”
“I wish you a happy new year.” Such is the universal greeting on this day among friends. Man salutes man on the first day of a new year and expresses the hope that the new year may be a happy one for each. Ah! and so it is happiness, the aim and end of all, which is the one thing most desired. That is what Christians ask for when they pray to God: Thy kingdom come. And it is just for this purpose that this altar was built for us. That was the desire of our fathers, who contemplated over thirty years ago to organize a parish and have a house of prayer in this city, and which they realized, thanks to the Christian sympathy of the Holy Synod of the Russian church.
Happiness—that was the mission object of the apostles, who walked the earth. It was for our happiness that Jesus Christ came and commenced for the whole world and all time a new and everlasting year. Did not even the heavens and their spiritual ministers proclaim it? Yea, face to face and heart in heart, did Mary encompass it. To Joseph, it was in a dream. It was gloriously indicated to the learned magicians by a moving star. But for the peasant on the fields, the angels sang. Yes, for this gift to humankind, for this happiness of the new year, to the world, the spiritual powers of heaven thanked the Lord. They sang: Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
As we today commence another period by which we measure that which we call time, and as we feel that this time is gliding past us, flowing swiftly beyond our reach, and stripping us, too, of that which we sometimes think belongs to our person, we surely ought give serious thought to the one thing so needful, to the happiness we wish our friends from year to year, to the great boon our spirits yearn for, even though it be on our part sometimes unknowingly. Let us renew within us the faculties of our soul, so overburdened with a generally prevailing materialism. Let us renew within us our hearts, and prepare a clean habitation for this great gift. Let us strengthen our desire, once elevated, and let us reach out, and accept, and follow this great happiness of God in man! O God, save us from the rule which our own severally different, irreligious and selfish opinions create, and from the kingdom of darkness, and let Thy kingdom come!
It is often just so with the life of a man as the traveler of great deserts experiences. He now is under the hot sun with no water, and then the cold atmosphere of the night finds him without a roof. With sore foot and tired eye, he goes along until he comes to an oasis; the fresh scene dispels the monotony; his heavy heart is gladdened. Such an oasis we find even in the barren hearts of all men of the world; but not so often, not so fruitful and so refreshing as in the life of a humble and obedient believer in the All-guiding Providence of God. Oh, Christians! watch for those bright moments in your life. Prosper in the real happiness and shine forth in the darkness of a sinful world—a light to others. Stop on these green and fresh pastures. Rest. Look over the past and examine the way. Consider the different kinds of temptations you underwent. Know thyself; where were you the weakest? Which place on the road was it the most difficult to pass? How have you come out of the battle? What is it you have lost? Did you gain anything? If so, is it good for your salvation? Can your neighbor profit from it?
Let us hear Solomon, the wisest of all earthly born, the richest and greatest king of his time; let us hear what he says in one of those bright moments of his life, when he was most fit and capable to rightly diagnose his self-examination. He says:
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of Spirit. 1 communed with my own heart, saying, Lo, I am come unto great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem; yea, my heart hath great experience of wisdom and knowledge. And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness, and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. I made me great works, I builded me houses, I planted me vineyards. All kinds of trees and flowers I had in my gardens. I made me pools of water. I got me servants and maid servants. I gathered me also silver and gold. I was great. Also my wisdom remained with me. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do, and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun . . .
When we read further on and come to the close of Solomon’s repentant confession, he says:
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter, fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
On this New Year’s Day, when we look over the past and see our mistakes, our weakness, our folly, and our sins, and when from today we look to the future with renewed hope, wishing as much as ever before—a happy new year, our good resolutions must be carried out with a strong will. When we learn to seek our happiness in that one thing above all needful; when we learn to bend our wills to the pleasures of that Supreme Will, which rules all, then we will have found the good portion, which shall not be taken away from us. The Kingdom of God will have come.
But to some, I know this appears to be a hard saying. It is well to talk about such high things, but how can we practice a heavenly life upon earth, they question. Certainly, the thought about earthly things is indispensable to our earthly life. Do but observe how we abandon things heavenly, for things earthly, and we shall find it not so difficult to put aside earthly things for things heavenly. We limit the time we employ in works of charity and religious practice, in order to have more time for worldly things. Sometimes we go into the Church of God, and at the same time, we are thinking of that which engages our minds at home and at our business. And sometimes, even, while standing bodily in the house of prayer, our thoughts are attracted elsewhere, by our worldly affections, or by the passions which rule in us; even the very prayer of some is tainted by flitting worldly thoughts! Now do the very reverse. Do that which is necessary for your earthly existence, but endeavor not to extend it beyond the necessary, and strive to liberate yourself as much as possible from such labor, in order to have more time and freedom for works of piety. Restrain your thoughts from earthly things, not only when standing before God in His temple, but wherever you may be, when obliged to busy yourself with earthly things, occasionally turn away your thoughts and especially your desires for them, and lift up your heart unto heaven and God. When you set about worldly affairs, remember God, and ask for His blessing and assistance; when you go to rest, remember God and give thanks unto Him for His assistance in your labors, and for the gift of rest.
Thus we may unite every earthly work, not contrary to the law of God, with a love of things above, and, so to say, change earthly and visible things, into things heavenly and spiritual. When thou lookest upon the sun, said once a saint, seek the true sun, for thou art blind. When thou turnest thy gaze upon light, turn towards thy soul, and see whether thou hast there the true and blessed light, which is the Lord.
May the light of our Lord Jesus Christ illumine, may His Spirit strengthen each of us, and may our walking according to His Word and His Life, lead us all here upon earth to set our affections on things above, and thereby conduct us to the blessed contemplation of Him in heaven, where reigneth supreme the happiness of all sincere seekers of the true new year. Amen.
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