This verse is proclaimed three times during the mystery of holy baptism. As I stood on the front porch last night with my son and listened to the falling snow, and the shocking silence of the neighborhood, this verse came to mind. Several things struck me in that moment. First - the quiet. I guess I’m so used to the noise of passing cars, jets, emergency vehicle sirens, generators and all the rest of the contributors to the sounds of metropolitan life that I don’t even realize how much noise there usually is. It was only when the snow drove all the sane people off the streets and grounded all the planes and helicopters that the stark contrast made an impression. 

I had the thought that this might be one of the reasons why we have communal worship, why we go to church. Our consciousness won’t make note of the difference between the noise of everyday life and the inner peace that derives from our relationship with God unless we’re confronted by the difference. As we enter the narthex, as we light our candle and venerate the icons, we should notice that we are making a transition. We are leaving behind the noise and chaos of daily life in order to focus on the worship of God. As with every aspect of our relationship with God, in this too we find personal benefit. “Lay aside all worldly cares” says the Cherubic Hymn. That is what we are challenged to do as we enter church. Lay them aside in order to fully focus on the glorification of God.

Once we have participated in the Divine Liturgy and received the Holy Mystery of Communion, we are better prepared to return to life in the world. We can appreciate the “spice of life” without being devoured by it. We can wonder at the creativity of God, the awesome complexity and interrelatedness of His creation. We can enjoy beauty and savor diversity, learning and growing as we experience God’s works.

This includes our fellow human beings. As the famous hymn says, we are all the work of His hands. People never cease to surprise me. I look for the good in all of them. Sometimes I get discouraged and think I may be deluding myself, that there are some who have no good in them. But I just can’t maintain that cynical thought for long. God knows I have no trouble being cynical about a whole lot of things. But when it comes to people, I can’t help but think it is part of my job to look for the best in them. Maybe in some way that expectation is self-fulfilling. Maybe people need for us to expect the best, so that they can live up to our expectations.

Think about that the next time you’re ready to let someone have it for behaving badly. Rather than chastisement, perhaps they need inspiration. Next time you’re ready to pass judgment on someone for transgressions you know they’ve committed, perhaps mercy and forgiveness should enter into the equation. I think you’ll find that once again, in the following of God’s commandments, we experience tremendous, transformative personal benefits. Because - don’t kid yourself – when we judge we are judged. When we condemn, we are condemned. When we seek vindication, we are proven wrong. The converse is also true. When we are merciful, we receive mercy. When we forgive trespasses, our trespasses are forgiven. God forbears, and calls upon us to practice forbearance. Our relationship with God is a blessing to us in every way. It remains our responsibility to cultivate that relationship. We have our life in the church to help us do so. The church is filled with ways to make contact with God. The hymns, icons, the lives of the saints, the episodes of the lives of the Lord and the Theotokos commemorated throughout the year, the feasts and fasts all represent opportunities for interaction with God. Through study, prayer, chant, and liturgy we are invited to communion with Him. It is Holy Communion, for He is holy. It is transformative communion, for it is His will that by His grace we should be transfigured – to become by His grace what He is in His essence, as St. Athanasios so beautifully described it.

So as you look out your window and see the beautiful white covering over all the land, think about the baptismal garment with which you were presented at baptism. What is the condition of that garment today? Is it stained or torn? Discolored or discarded? Come and see that it can be restored, that you can be restored. Come and see. The invitation is open. The church may be shut today, but it will be open again in the days to come. In the mean time, get down on your knees and say a prayer of thanks. Ask for forgiveness. Pray the Lord’s Prayer and pay attention to what it actually says. Then get up and live as if you appreciate the gift of life, respecting yourself as well as all others. Get up and receive God’s forgiveness. Stop allowing the poison of past sin to embitter you. Embrace the people around you. Don’t ever stop forgiving them. Be the compassionate, loving, considerate, forbearing, merciful saint God is calling you to be. God bless you.

A Message from our President:  Good Afternoon,  I hope you all are safe and with power and water today.  Due to the inclement weather and the safety of the roads, this is official notice that we will be cancelling services tomorrow for the Greek Orthodox Parish of Loudoun County.  Orthros, Liturgy, and Sunday School are cancelled.  On behalf of Father John and the Parish Council, please be safe on the roads.  Two things that I’d like to mention.  First, the daily Epistle and Gospel readings can be found at www.goarch.org,  Father John encourages everyone to visit the site for the readings not only tomorrow, but every day.  Second…a safety note.  Snow like this encourages the kids to build elaborate snow forts and connecting tunnels under the snow.  I always did in upstate NY when I was younger.  There are two issues to think about:  1.   Usually, the kids will start that tunnel in the snow bank by the side of the road, and tunnel into the yard.  This is dangerous for multiple reasons…cars driving in bad conditions on the road, and worst, snow plows that come down the street as they are catching up and pushing the snow bank closer to the curb.  They can’t see the children in the snow bank or tunnels…please remember that. 2.   This snow tunnels set up pretty well in this type of wet, heavy snow.  However, a friend of mine from my Air Force days who lives in Southern VA sent me a sad email about 20 minutes ago about how one of the neighborhood kids was in one of these tunnels and it collapsed on top of him.  It took 10 minutes to dig him out (he helped with the effort), and the last thing he saw was the ambulance pulling away to the hospital with the child inside.  They don’t know how he is going to be.  If one of those tunnels collapses on your child, they could suffocate.  Please monitor what they are doing.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  I look forward to seeing you all next week. -Bill    Taste of Greece in the News . Taste of Greece was a very succesful event! Thanks to all the wonderful volounteers who made it possible. Follow this link for news: http://www.loudouni.com/people/2010-02-01/all-around-ashburn-taste-greece   . .                                   HOPE & JOY programs help make a difference in our community .  Our HOPE & JOY programs for the fall and winter are underway.  Please share the joy of volunteering and making a difference in our community by supporting the some of the wonderful activities planned including speading that Holiday feeling at the Loudoun Youth Shelter or at the Sunrise Assisted Living Center this December. .  More information on upcoming events can be found in the calendar or in the Hope Joy Winter Spring 2010.  For more details, please contact Kathy Kendrat at kmkendrat@aol.com.   .             The Light - 'To Fos':  November / December 2009 edition . Please find online our latest version of The Light (To Fos) the newsletter of the Greek Orthodox Parish of Loudoun County.  Click on the following link:  The Light Jan-Feb 2010.