February 25, 2014
Dear St. Paul’s Family,
Thousands of years after Joseph, there would be another like him. He too would be a young man with exceptional skills, able to speak a prophetic word to people with reluctant ears. He became a threat to the powerful, and a target by those who feared the influence of his message. Like Joseph in Egypt, he would serve his days in exile. But that sentence would not silence him.
John Chrysostom (pronounced kri-SOS-tum) was a fourth century Christian whose unparalleled preaching skills have earned him the title “the greatest preacher of the early church.” (His second name, Chrysostom, was ascribed to him post-mortem, and means “golden mouthed.”) He made a career advocating for the homeless and poor, often rankling the church’s wealthy and privileged. And despite rising to the ranks of Archbishop of Constantinople, his passion for social justice eventually upset powerful Roman public officials, resulting in his exile in 404 A.D, where he died three years later.
However, his impact lives on through the prolific volume of his writings, which give us a glimpse into his steady temperament, unwavering commitment to God, and passion for social and personal holiness. It is no wonder that we regard him among “The Three Holy Hierarchs” of the early church, along with Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus.
Before his banishment, he wrote a homily plainly titled “Ante exsilium” or “Before Exile.” Consider how these words describe the same kind of courage and faith that must have sustained Joseph throughout his exile in Egypt. Despite living lives full of tragedy and trauma, both John and Joseph remind us that what matters most in the midst of our suffering is our trust in a God who will see us through the tough times:
If Christ is with me, what should I fear? The waves and the sea and the anger of powerful people might be rising against me, but they are no scarier than a spider’s web. Had you not detained me here, I would have left today to face those things at home. For I always say, “Lord, your will be done,” not what this or that person wants me to do, but what God wants me to do. That is my strong tower, my immovable rock, my staff that never breaks. If God wants something, let it be done! If he wants me to stay here, I am grateful. But wherever he wants me to be, I am no less grateful.
Then, he wrote these endearing words to his beloved church, whose support and prayers strengthened him during his trials:
Yet where I am, there you are too, and where you are, I am. For we are a single body, and the body cannot be separated from the head nor the head from the body. Distance separates us, but love unites us, and death itself cannot divide us. For my body may die, but my soul will live on and be mindful of my people.
You are my fellow citizens, my fathers, my mothers, my brothers, my sisters, my sons, my daughters, my limbs, my body. You are my light, sweeter to me than the visible light. What the rays of the sun give me does not compare to what I get from your love. The sun’s light is useful in my earthly life, but your love is fashioning a crown for me in the life to come. [1]
May these words remind us that no matter what we go through, we are not alone. We are sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit, who illumines our path with just enough light to see the next step ahead of us. And we are surrounded by a body of believers that will accompany us through every struggle, every exile, and every longing for home.
These are good words to remember, indeed.
Grace and Peace,
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
Email: mdevega@sp-umc.org
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