Teach Me Thy Statutes

In today’s episode, we began with a discussion of Pentecost and its history in the Jewish tradition. Father Aaron explained the significance of this pilgrimage feast and its connection to our understanding of Pentecost as Christians. First, the Feast of Pentecost commemorates the giving of the Mosaic Law in the wilderness. More broadly, this includes the Torah—the first five books of the Old Testament—which is the foundation of all of Scripture. Second, there is a connection between the Jewish observance of going into the Diaspora and the Christian expectation of taking God’s message to the nations.

Today’s discussion began with Theophilos, to whom St. Luke addresses both his Gospel and the Book of Acts. This opening address shows that St. Luke’s writings were not intended for any one individual, but for the broader community. Next, in examining the importance of the Ascension, we were given a few points to remember. Father Aaron explained that we should heed Christ’s words and get to work sharing His message. We concluded the discussion by noting the meaning and significance of Jesus being seated at the right hand of God.

We began today’s podcast with a discussion around the significance of the name change of the great Apostle to the Nations, from Saul to Paul. These names provide us with clarity on the role they play in the biblical story. We also highlighted the conversion story of Paul and how it mirrors the calling of the twelve disciples during Jesus’ life. We concluded by noting we, too, should respond to God’s call by planting the seed of the Gospel.

We begin by discussing why the Jews were amazed when the Holy Spirit came upon the Gentiles, as well as what exactly that means from a practical perspective. We then turned our attention to the fact that no one, including the Church, "controls" the Holy Spirit. Instead, we must learn to discern and submit to the Holy Spirit. We conclude by discussing how this phenomenon is expressed in the service of chrismation/confirmation.

Today’s episode focused on a comparison of the apparent outcomes of both Peter and Stephen’s sermons in the book of Acts. First, we discussed why the Bible is systematically critical of those with power and authority. We then examined the outcome of Stephen’s ministry. At first glance, it may appear that Stephen failed, having an outcome entirely different from that of Peter. But as Father Aaron explained, we must be careful not to judge our success based on our results. Rather, our success should be determined by whether or not we were faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our job is to plant and water; whether it will bear fruit is in God’s hands. Stephen planted a seed in a young man named Saul--who later became the great apostle Paul, spreading the Gospel to all nations.

We discuss the significance of James’s martyrdom and Peter’s being freed from his chains. Having been unsatisfied merely with the crucifixion of Christ, Herod Antipas--like the rest of the Jewish leadership--moved to also bury Jesus’ message. Herod chains Peter physically with the hope of restraining the message that Peter is spreading. Peter is guarded by four squads of soldiers, indicating Herod’s desire to encompass and eradicate the Gospel. Related to Peter’s freedom from chains, we are all implored to remember that through Christ, we have been set free from the Mosaic Law. Yet this does not mean we are free to do whatever we please. We were set free so that we might live according to the law of grace. We conclude by discussing opportunities to provide this grace given to us by God to others.

Today’s reading from Acts finds Peter in the midst of a sermon given to many devout Jews who were in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. We began by examining the purpose of Peter’s use of Old Testament Scriptures in his sermon and how Jesus Christ comes from the Old Testament tradition. The only way in which Jesus’ message can be properly understood is to have a fundamental understanding of the Old Testament Scriptures; to understand Christ in the light of the Old Testament. In this way, the Old Testament has “control” over our understanding of Jesus. We are prevented from making Jesus into whatever we want, or into some common historical figure. We concluded by highlighting how the message from Peter ‘cut them to the heart’ as his hearers realized the Scriptures were condemning them and their self-righteousness. Like the pious Jews in the book of Acts, devout Christians today must also come to this realization of our own self-righteousness, and be cut to the heart.

We discuss why John 1 is read at Pascha rather than an account of the Resurrection. Fr Aaron connected the beginning of this Gospel to the reading from Matthew 28 at the Vesperal Liturgy prior to the Paschal Liturgy that concludes with “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” At Pascha the following day, we here from John 1, “In the beginning was the Word.” Because the church revolves around Pascha, we end our year with a reminder that God’s Word was there in the beginning, and then turn to the promise that the Word will be there in the end. God’s Word abides forever. We then turned our attention to what John refers to in his Gospel as “the Word.” Father Aaron explained that we can understand “word” to be a statement or a brief teaching, as “the word of God” (Scripture), and/or as the incarnate word/incarnate Scripture, which is Jesus Christ. With this in mind, we can comprehend that God first gave His word to Abraham, then through His Scriptural message, and finally culminated with the Word incarnate—our Lord Jesus Christ.

In today’s episode we examined Hebrews 12 and how we might apply his instruction to our current situation. On the subject of fear, Fr Aaron stressed that rather than allowing fear to consume us, we should direct our concern and our care for those who are most vulnerable. We were reminded that—by our nature—we are social beings (even those of us who are naturally introverted). It is important that all of us make an effort to reach out to people we know who may be struggling with isolation. Further into today’s passage, St. Paul instructs us not to covet, but to be content with the things that we have. Here, Fr Aaron stated that covetousness is a manifestation of a lack of faith in God’s providence. Finally, we were reminded that as Christians we have hope. We have hope not only in the life to come, but also in this life. As Christians, we have an opportunity before us to live out our faith. And because we have received grace from God, we now have a responsibility to show grace to others in return.