Icons and the Incarnation

Icons are images depicting Jesus, saints of the church, or scenes from the Bible that have been used by the church for centuries. The art of making these images dates back very early in the life of the church, at least to the 2nd century catacomb churches in Rome. Icons continue to be widely used in the church, especially in the East. But it is very unusual to see Icons in Western churches these days. Since the reformation, many churches have been wary of having images where they worship. There are several reasons why, not least for fear of idolatry. Without covering the full history of the use of Icons, here is a brief explanation why we at The Advent use Icons in our worship.

The first thing that one needs to know is that an Icon is a work of visual art which reveals heavenly realities. Icons do not simply signify something, they reveal it. The image of Christ in the Icon is not to simply be observed as a work of art, but to be a bridge to bring us into the presence of Christ. This is not unlike the purpose of musical art in worship – for music is not there as an end in of itself but rather to bring us into God’s presence. Visual and musical art, when they give glory to God, can become conduits of the presence of God. Psalm 22:3 puts it this way, “God is enthroned in the praises of His People.” This was true in the Old Testament and even more so in the New.

This leads to the second thing about Icons that is important: Icons are an affirmation of the Incarnation. The New Testament is the story of the Incarnation. It is the story of God the Creator becoming a part of His creation. The implications of this cannot be exhausted, for it is truly one of the great mysteries of our faith. However, one implication to this story is that creation has been hallowed. Creation itself has been sanctified by the presence of God in the person of Jesus Christ. That is why the church has long defended the use of Icons throughout the ages – because the Incarnation makes “things” holy.

To quote one of the fathers of the Church in the 8th century: “Of old, God the incorporeal and uncircumscribed was never depicted. Now, however, when God is seen clothed in flesh, and conversing with men, I make an image of the God whom I see. I do not worship matter; I worship the God of matter, who became matter for my sake, and deigned to inhabit matter, who worked out my salvation through matter.” – St. John of Damascus

The use of Icons are affirmations of the Incarnation. They are not only conduits of God’s presence, but are visual reminders that He has come in the flesh and dwelt among us.

Lent & Fasting

The season of Lent is officially forty days. This does not include Sundays that fall through Lent, because Sundays are days of celebration and corporately the Church never fasts on those days. Forty is a significant number in the Bible. In the story of the great flood, Noah and his family were protected during a forty day and night deluge by being placed in an ark. When Israel was delivered from Egypt in the Exodus, they wondered in the wilderness for forty years. And it was Jesus who after being baptized went into the wilderness for forty days. All of these stories in some way are brought together within the season of Lent. However, it is the story of Jesus which most defines this season. Jesus fasted for forty days and that is why the Church calls us to fast for forty days in preparation for Easter.

Fasting has taken on a variety of meaning in the Church today. During the time of Jesus, fasting was exclusively food. You fasted food. Typically, fasting only happened from morning to evening. Today the church recognizes that fasting can be abstaining from other things besides food. Some people fast television, facebook, news, or alcohol. While abstaining from these things can be good if they create time and space for repentance and prayer, we should not overlook the value of forgoing certain foods and even meals. Nothing can help us become convinced of our spiritual emptiness like an empty stomach. Likewise, nothing can help us experience our spiritual void than the blandness of certain foods. Judaism and Christianity both have a deep belief in the spirituality of food. Our bodies and souls are intimately connected and so often we ignore the condition of our souls, therefore we have to be awakened to that void, emptiness, and desire for God; and one of the best ways to do that is through fasting food.

Consider then what food you might be able to give up this season of Lent. You can give up meat, or just red meat. In the eastern churches there is a tradition of giving up red-meat and all dairy products. Some people give up a meal throughout the day, and others fast the traditional morning to evening. There are some who will need to talk with their doctors beforehand because they have special dietary needs and fasting is never to be self destructive. Whatever you give up this season, though, allow it to be something that awakens you to your need of God. It can be difficult sometimes, but as the Church Father and Mothers all testify is it worth the price you pay, for ultimately you are seeking God.

Ordinary Time

When I first began to attend liturgical churches, one of the first things that stood out to me was the idea of the Church calendar. I was familiar with holidays like Christmas and Easter, but I never grew up participating in seasons like Lent or Advent. The idea of seasons in the Church was foreign to me. When I started really looking at the Church calendar, though, I was amazed at how “Christ-o-centric” it was. The Church year begins with Advent, the anticipation of the coming of Christ – both his first and second coming. Then there is the 12-day season of Christmas, which is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. That leads straight to the season of Epiphany and the celebration of the revelation of who Jesus is for the world, specifically remembered in the Magi coming to visit Christ. This time goes on until the season of Lent when the Church embarks on a 40 day fast in preparation for the great Feast of the Resurrection and the great 50 days of Easter. This culminates in the crowning feasts of Ascension and Pentecost. As you observe these you discover that the first part of the Church year is the journey through the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. It’s an annual pilgrimage the Church makes in adoration of the Savior.

What are we to make, then, of the second part of the Church year – the period that follows this great pilgrimage – called Ordinary Time? Initially I thought this season was strange. Was the first part of the Church year dedicated to journeying with Jesus and the second part for us to just go back to our “ordinary lives?” The problem, I think for most of us, is the language. The word ordinary comes from the word “ordinal” which simply means “to count.” Ordinary Time then is the time we count from Pentecost to the season of Advent. But where does this leave us with our journey with Jesus? Is the journey over in Ordinary Time? Not at all, for as we journey during the first part of the year with Jesus in his life, within the second part of the year we as Christians are called to live out the life of Jesus in our own lives. It is a season that the Church calls us into in order to reflect on all that we have been given by God the Father in Jesus his Son; and to learn to live that out in thanksgiving. The second part of the Church calendar is equally as Christ-o-centric as the first. So the Church worships and celebrates throughout the whole year the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, & Lent

Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, & Lent

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the season of Lent.  It begins our time of preparing ourselves for Holy Week: the celebration of Pascha (Passover).  The Church does not rush towards Holy Week; rather we are called to reflect on our life, to repent, and to fast.   Lent is a time of corporate repentance and fasting; and the beginning of that time is marked by the traditional Jewish sign of repentance: ashes.  In the Old Testament, when people were in mourning and repentance they would put ashes on their head and wear sackcloth.   The Church continued part of that Tradition by marking Christians at the beginning of Lent with a cross made of ashes on their forehead.

The ashes that are placed on our heads are not random but are made from palm branches which were used in the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebration.  Palm Sunday is the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and the Gospels tell us that people celebrated and hailed Him as Messiah.   But it was those same people who in just a few short days would cry out to Pilate, “Crucify Him!”  It is a dramatic sign that what we use in the Church for worship, Palm branches, becomes the sign of our repentance the following year.  The Church throughout the ages knows all too well that we are no different than those who welcomed Jesus and then turned against Him.  We are broken, wounded, and yes sinful people who know that it is only the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus that saves us.  Let us then turn to God is the season of Lent through repentance to find our healing and forgiveness so that we can truly celebrate the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.