The title just about says it all, but a little extra general information:
My father is a Russian Orthodox priest, and these are the sermons he gives during Sunday Divine Liturgy.
Fr. Gabriel is away in PA right now but he called this morning to share some thought with us for today and also asked me to share this with everyone and send his blessing to all...
Today we are commemorating the nativity of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge." (Psalm 19:1-2). The very creation speaks to us in signs and symbols about the Holy Gospel. Just as the morning star appears before the sun and is eclipsed by the light of the sun, so it was with John, "a burning and a shining light", the forerunner of the Sun of Righteousness, who increased as John decreased. And so every day we are reminded of that which was fulfilled through John. Every morning as the day dawns and the birds renew their song we arise and wash our faces to get the sleep from our eyes. And we should also do these "rituals" spiritually, casting away all the works of darkness as we read in our epistle (Romans 13:11-14:4), in preparation to receive the light of Christ, and as we Christians rejoice in God, all things are eclipsed by Christ and we are obsessed with Him. That is the ministry of John, "the voice of one crying in the wilderness". He awakens us and calls us to repentance. This is not just a historical event we are commemorating but a "ritual" which we should do daily.
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