Vessels of Gold and Wood
The key to being a Normal Orthodox Christian is my ability to stay close to the "fire" of God's love to purify my life and burn away all that tempts me!
Christ is born!
As I get older, I get more and more reflective of the approach of a New Year.
But that’s not a bad thing. It is just that it often isn’t pleasant. Part of being a mature person is facing reality with a sober spirit. This is at the heart of the Orthodox Christian disciplines: maturing my life to face reality without being intoxicated by despondency or elation.
Both of those emotional traps lead me to fantasy and delusion. That might be fine for a while, but delusion results in a shadow life in the pretend world of my emotions and dreams.
You won’t become able to stand in the fire of God’s presence forever if you’re gripped by delusion!
You were made to become like Christ. You were made to be a vessel of Gold.
Look at our lesson today in 2 Timothy 2:20-26:
Timothy, my son, in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and earthenware, and some for noble use, some for ignoble. If any one purifies himself from what is ignoble, then he will be a vessel for noble use, consecrated and useful to the master of the house, ready for any good work. So shun youthful passions and aim at righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call upon the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with stupid, senseless controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to every one, an apt teacher, forbearing, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
St. Paul prepares us for a serious and honest entrance into the New Year by teaching his spiritual son, Timothy, the power of discerned maturity and freedom from being slaves to our passions.
Paul teaches Timothy this powerful wisdom by comparing the utensils in a great house: Some are Gold, and some are Wood.
The key to Paul’s teaching here is FIRE. The effects of fire on each vessel reveal the wisdom Paul is giving Timothy. Gold becomes more pure in fire, and wood is reduced to ashes.
The results of the revelation of each vessel are between “noble use” and “ignoble use.”
The key phrase to Timothy is this: “If anyone purifies himself from what is ignoble, then he will be a vessel for noble use…”
Notice St. Paul makes this purifying my responsibility. “If anyone PURIFIES HIMSELF…” puts this maturing and discerning work squarely on my shoulders! But what is the work exactly? It is the exercise of my will, my choice, to allow the fire of God’s love full access to my soul to “burn away” everything that is impure and enslaving. God’s Holy Spirit will reveal the gold in your heart and burn away what is poisoned by the temporary as you choose to embrace and practice the wisdom of the Faith.
The heart willing to purify himself is seen in the character shaping responses to real life: faith, love, and peace. These characteristics are formed deep within us as we stand as close to the “fire” of communion with God as possible. And those characteristics free us from the “wood” of “youthful passions,” argumentative attitudes, and “senseless controversies.”
The fire of reality and God’s love reveals what you’re made of!
St. Anysia was a young woman from Thessaloniki who lived towards the end of the 3rd century. She was the daughter of Christian parents who raised her as a believer and follower of Christ. They were also wealthy and used their wealth to minister to the poor. After their death, St. Anysia dedicated her life to remaining free of temporary passions. She wanted to devote the rest of her life to Christ and His work. One day, a Roman soldier saw her walking and told her to follow him to a local pagan temple to offer sacrifice. When she refused and boldly proclaimed that she was a Christian, the soldier took his sword and killed her. This happened in 299. St. Anysia, in the “fire” of facing life and death choice, proved to be a vessel of gold, purified by her faith in the eternal love of Christ.
Today, as we approach another New Year, will you join me in the (perhaps) difficult self-reflection that will allow the “fire” of God’s love to purify our lives with His maturing grace? If you do, you will live a Normal Orthodox life.
P.S. As a doubly-shining lamp of truly mystical brightness do you both shine upon the Church * like a high-towering beacon: you with beams of martyr's glory, O Anysia; you with rays of great ascetic deeds, O Melania. Now together you both are honored by Christ your Bridegroom for your travails in His Name.
Fr. Barnabas Powell is the parish priest at Sts. Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene Greek Orthodox Church in Cumming, GA. He is also the founder of Faith Encouraged Ministries and produces the Faith Encouraged Daily Devotional on Substack. Watch the Faith Encouraged YouTube Channel here - https://www.youtube.com/@FaithEncouragedTV
There’s still time to make an end-of-the-year donation to Faith Encouraged Ministries.