Daniel 3:8-27; Acts 2:36-47
Commemoration of Sts Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus
January Winkel
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Tomorrow the Church remembers and gives thanks for three great theologians from the fourth century: Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa, pastors and confessors. Two of these men were brothers. Basil and Gregory of Nyssa. The other Gregory was their close friend. They often traveled together. Sometimes they didn’t. Collectively they were known as “the Cappadocian fathers” since they all grew up in Cappadocia, what is now the central to east central region of modern day Turkey.
Their names are not well known among us Western Christians. But in the Eastern Church they are hailed as some of the greatest theologians. In truth, we give thanks to God for them, too. Without these three men we wouldn’t have the language and remarkable confession of the Nicene Creed. They repudiated the Arian heresy among others. They were steadfastly and stubbornly united in their orthodox confession of the blessed Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Spirit.
Kind of like the three young men in the fiery furnace. They refused to acquiesce to the idolatry of a pagan king, even on pain of death. They’d rather obey God than man. Their confession is remarkable: Our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace. Or He won’t. Either way, we ain’t bowing down.
What wisdom! To laugh in the face of mortal punishment. Scoff at the prospect of martyrdom. To fear not the one who can harm the body, but to fear the One who can destroy both body and soul in hell. This truly is the beginning of wisdom! Such courage and conviction is born only out of a faithful confession in the One who conquers death, who treads the serpent’s head under foot, who holds in derision the rulers of the earth who gather for their evil deeds and revel in their own demonic escapades.
It kind of reminds me of the recent Golden Globe awards. A young actress, some may consider her talented, I don’t know. I haven’t seen any of her films. She accepts her award on the grave of her unborn child. A little golden idol is more important than the flesh and blood of her own baby. She boasts that her own hand carved up her child to further her career. Choice. He who sits in the heavens laughs. He will speak to them in His wrath and terrify them in His fury. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in the way (Ps 2).
Men of Indianapolis, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God with mighty works and wonders and signs, as you yourselves know - this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, we crucified and killed.
Repent. Not only have our sins put Him on the Tree, but whenever we dance to the world’s music, whenever we fear the fire more than God the Holy Trinity, we trampled His holy blood underfoot. We mocked His sacrifice.
What shall we do? Repent and return to your baptism. Receive again the full and free forgiveness of all your sins. Be renewed in the Holy Spirit. For by His Word you, like the three young men, or like the three Cappadocian father, remain obstinately devoted to the apostles’ doctrine and koinonia, to the Eucharist and the prayers.
I know you feel alone. Isolated. The way of orthodoxy and orthopraxy, the way of the Cross, is a lonely way. You may not be martyred, but some days that almost seems preferable. You will be maligned, ridiculed, slandered, mocked and betrayed. They called the Master of the House Beelzebul.
But as you are cast into the fire for refusing to concede false doctrine, for refusing to submit to false practices, for you are bound to Holy Scripture and the beloved Lutheran Confessions, clothed with the clothing of Christ’s own righteousness, you will walk in the way of wisdom, in the way of the Lord. For the Son of God Himself strides over the coals with you. For He has endured the scorching fire for you.
He alone walked the lonely way of the Cross. We alone bore rejected by His Father and ridicule from the world until He finally handed over the Spirit, finishing the work of your salvation.
And by His Father, through the Spirit, Jesus who was crucified, is raised from the dead, bursting the bonds which held Him. And His Father, by the Spirit, has made the nations His heritage. That it, the Gentiles. You. Along with Basil, Gregory, Gregory, the three thousand who received the preaching of St Peter and were baptized, together with the three young men in Babylon, the whole Christian Church on earth, angels and archangels and all the company of heaven. You are not alone. You are surrounded by this great cloud of witnesses.
You join your voice to theirs in confession of the Christian faith when you speak the Nicene Creed. When you sing the Te Deum.
But nowhere is this more beautifully expressed than in the Holy Sacrament. As St Basil him noted, the Church’s theology is confessed and practiced and manifested in her doxology. His eucharistic rite celebrates through thanksgiving the confession of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the saving work of the Holy Trinity culminated for us Christians in the Sacrament of the Altar.
Here the Holy Spirit reveals the Incarnate Son of the Father to us and we are brought to the Father through Christ in the Spirit. Not alone. But in fellowship with all the saints who have gone before us in the faith and all those on earth united with us in the one Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, who with the Father and + the Holy Spirit, be glory now in the Church and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Commemoration of Sts Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus
January Winkel
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Tomorrow the Church remembers and gives thanks for three great theologians from the fourth century: Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa, pastors and confessors. Two of these men were brothers. Basil and Gregory of Nyssa. The other Gregory was their close friend. They often traveled together. Sometimes they didn’t. Collectively they were known as “the Cappadocian fathers” since they all grew up in Cappadocia, what is now the central to east central region of modern day Turkey.
Their names are not well known among us Western Christians. But in the Eastern Church they are hailed as some of the greatest theologians. In truth, we give thanks to God for them, too. Without these three men we wouldn’t have the language and remarkable confession of the Nicene Creed. They repudiated the Arian heresy among others. They were steadfastly and stubbornly united in their orthodox confession of the blessed Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Spirit.
Kind of like the three young men in the fiery furnace. They refused to acquiesce to the idolatry of a pagan king, even on pain of death. They’d rather obey God than man. Their confession is remarkable: Our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace. Or He won’t. Either way, we ain’t bowing down.
What wisdom! To laugh in the face of mortal punishment. Scoff at the prospect of martyrdom. To fear not the one who can harm the body, but to fear the One who can destroy both body and soul in hell. This truly is the beginning of wisdom! Such courage and conviction is born only out of a faithful confession in the One who conquers death, who treads the serpent’s head under foot, who holds in derision the rulers of the earth who gather for their evil deeds and revel in their own demonic escapades.
It kind of reminds me of the recent Golden Globe awards. A young actress, some may consider her talented, I don’t know. I haven’t seen any of her films. She accepts her award on the grave of her unborn child. A little golden idol is more important than the flesh and blood of her own baby. She boasts that her own hand carved up her child to further her career. Choice. He who sits in the heavens laughs. He will speak to them in His wrath and terrify them in His fury. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in the way (Ps 2).
Men of Indianapolis, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God with mighty works and wonders and signs, as you yourselves know - this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, we crucified and killed.
Repent. Not only have our sins put Him on the Tree, but whenever we dance to the world’s music, whenever we fear the fire more than God the Holy Trinity, we trampled His holy blood underfoot. We mocked His sacrifice.
What shall we do? Repent and return to your baptism. Receive again the full and free forgiveness of all your sins. Be renewed in the Holy Spirit. For by His Word you, like the three young men, or like the three Cappadocian father, remain obstinately devoted to the apostles’ doctrine and koinonia, to the Eucharist and the prayers.
I know you feel alone. Isolated. The way of orthodoxy and orthopraxy, the way of the Cross, is a lonely way. You may not be martyred, but some days that almost seems preferable. You will be maligned, ridiculed, slandered, mocked and betrayed. They called the Master of the House Beelzebul.
But as you are cast into the fire for refusing to concede false doctrine, for refusing to submit to false practices, for you are bound to Holy Scripture and the beloved Lutheran Confessions, clothed with the clothing of Christ’s own righteousness, you will walk in the way of wisdom, in the way of the Lord. For the Son of God Himself strides over the coals with you. For He has endured the scorching fire for you.
He alone walked the lonely way of the Cross. We alone bore rejected by His Father and ridicule from the world until He finally handed over the Spirit, finishing the work of your salvation.
And by His Father, through the Spirit, Jesus who was crucified, is raised from the dead, bursting the bonds which held Him. And His Father, by the Spirit, has made the nations His heritage. That it, the Gentiles. You. Along with Basil, Gregory, Gregory, the three thousand who received the preaching of St Peter and were baptized, together with the three young men in Babylon, the whole Christian Church on earth, angels and archangels and all the company of heaven. You are not alone. You are surrounded by this great cloud of witnesses.
You join your voice to theirs in confession of the Christian faith when you speak the Nicene Creed. When you sing the Te Deum.
But nowhere is this more beautifully expressed than in the Holy Sacrament. As St Basil him noted, the Church’s theology is confessed and practiced and manifested in her doxology. His eucharistic rite celebrates through thanksgiving the confession of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the saving work of the Holy Trinity culminated for us Christians in the Sacrament of the Altar.
Here the Holy Spirit reveals the Incarnate Son of the Father to us and we are brought to the Father through Christ in the Spirit. Not alone. But in fellowship with all the saints who have gone before us in the faith and all those on earth united with us in the one Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, who with the Father and + the Holy Spirit, be glory now in the Church and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
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