Homily 706 – 18APE
Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church, Ames, Iowa
October 4, 2026
Epistle:  (188) 2 Corinthians 9:6-11
Gospel:  (26) Luke 6:31-36

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, One God.

One of the basics of being a Christian is becoming like Christ.  In the Orthodox Christian tradition, this is called “theosis.”  Becoming one with the Divine.

We really need to think about what that really means, though.  Our hymnography speaks to the power and authority of Christ.  We worship Him.  We beg his mercy and blessing on us.

It may be a good time to ask if that is what we are looking for in union with Him.  Are we wanting a share of that power?  That praise?  What exactly are we chasing?

What Christ brought to us is not power.  Not praise.  It is in fact the opposite.  He was humble – even though by His person, He is God.  He could in fact have come to earth and demanded to be worshipped and attended and commanded us to be obedient and subservient to Him.  That would have been completely right and justified for Him.

But that isn’t the picture we get of Christ in the Gospels.  The Jews expected power and authority.  The disciples and Apostles expected power and authority, right up until the very crucifixion itself.  There are Church Fathers that speculate the reason that Judas was willing to betray Christ was to force Christ to act.  But he missed the point.  He didn’t really see who Christ was.  No one did.

In many ways, we still don’t.  Even today we see fringe groups out there believing that their role is to set Christ up for what they believe will be the return of Christ.  But like Judas, they are deceived, and are simply sowing chaos for themselves and for the world.

The Jesus that came from Heaven and was incarnate, born of a virgin girl, who was a baby and learned His humanity just as the rest of us, who experienced everything it is to be human except for our separation from God, that meant what?  That meant to set aside being God.

And it meant becoming a servant.  A creature.

We don’t and likely can’t understand this condesention on the part of Christ.  The closest we can get is to take our life as it stands now, to rid ourselves of every material possession, and to become a slave, obedient to a master, serving and sacrificing 24/7/365.  To be homeless and unemployed and outcast is a higher status that what Christ became.

Never a moment’s break in serving.  Never a moment of self-reflection, never a moment of self-analysis.  Never a moment of self-anything.

Everything was for someone else.  Not just some things, not just a few things.  Everything.

That is what we’ve signed up for.  Everything for someone else.

Christ reiterates that this morning in what we call the “Golden Rule”.  Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.  Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

But in the Church – those of us who don’t just aspire to be upright and moral people, but who desire to be one with Christ – our charge is to treat others they way Christ treated them.

That is why this discussion is so important.  Look at how Christ treated others.  He didn’t demand worship.  He didn’t even demand respect.  What He demanded was love.  Not that others love Him!  But His only demand was that He love others.  Strange demand.

But that is our task now.  To embody Christ’s love to humanity.  Not just to the deserving.

In the time of Christ, the Jews and their leadership would have been the deserving.  That isn’t where Christ directed His love.  He directed it to the poor.  He directed it to the foreigner.  He directed it to the sick.  To the widow.  To the hungry.  To the orphan.  To anyone who was destitute.  To anyone who was left behind by society.

Even – horror of horrors – to the sinners.  To the publicans and the prostitutes and the thieves and the liars and the cheats.

We are called to do the same.  Christ reinforces this idea in the passage read – don’t just be good to those whom can do good for you.  This isn’t transactional.  Don’t just do good for friends or those who believe like you do or who are from your background or family or tribe.  Or even parish.

No, do good to your enemies.  To those who hate you and who take advantage of you and who ridicule you.  Do good to them.  And don’t expect gratitude in response.  Don’t expect good in response.

God loves everyone, even the evil and the unrighteous and the ungrateful.  If we are to be like God, we have to love these as well.

The easiest is to love everyone – absolutely everyone – and to do good for them, as we are able to do.

God doesn’t ask us to give what we don’t already have.  We aren’t going into debt to give to others.  But if we have our daily bread, and a bit left over after that, then share.  If we have clothes in our closet that we wear rarely, then share.  If we have a spare room that we can provide to someone – someone that we trust – then share.  If we have a meal, and have a bit extra, then invite someone to share.

That is what the Christian life is all about.  That is what Christ did.  Christ never checked beliefs or purity of faith or righteousness.  When He fed the 5,000 and the 4,000, plus women and children, they didn’t have to pass a doctrinal purity test.

We have to do, and be, like Jesus.  No excuses.  Be like Christ – and be like who He really was and is.

And expect the same treatment as He received.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, One God. Glory to Jesus Christ!