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  • S1:E2 - “Okay, So What?” Why Old Things Still Matter

    S1:E2 - “Okay, So What?” Why Old Things Still Matter
    2025/08/29
    City of Bridges Podcast - season one – episode 2 – “Okay, So What?” Why Old Things Still Matter Modern believers live in a world of reinvention—where new is often equated with better, and tradition can feel like the needless residue of another time. So it’s natural to ask, “What does any of this have to do with me?” 🤔 Rituals, icons, liturgy, sacraments—these ancient practices can seem distant or even burdensome to the contemporary mind. But what if they’re actually gifts? Not constraints, but doorways? 🚪 In this episode, we’re not just looking back—we’re looking deeper. Let’s try to rediscover a few things together. 👁️ "For Orthodox Christians, the Liturgy operates as a time machine, transcending the here and now. It’s as if the congregation steps back into the upper room with Christ’s apostles, re-living the Last Supper with a sense of immediacy that’s both solemn and exhilarating. This is not merely symbolic; it’s believed to be a real participation in the original event." - OrthodoxChristianity101.com https://www.orthodoxchristianity101.com/post/understanding-the-divine-litergy-in-orthodox-christianity https://www.patheos.com/library/eastern-orthodoxy/ritual-worship-devotion-symbolism/rites-and-ceremonies The Church bears a living memory—Christ’s voice echoing through the ages— not only in Holy Scripture, but in the language of icons and incense, in the ancient rhythm of the liturgy, and in the faithful lives of those who have walked this road before us. 📜 This is not a museum of religion. It is the Body of Christ—alive and breathing. A faith handed down, not frozen. A faith that forms us, generation by generation, into the likeness of Jesus Christ. ✝️ To enter this way is to be joined to something older, deeper, and holier than ourselves—a sacred current that humbles the ego and awakens the soul. 🔆 The unified voice of the early Church is not just one voice among many. It is the Spirit-guided memory of a community still listening for the voice of Jesus. 👂 Some today may wonder, “Isn’t all this tradition too old?” But in Christ, nothing is ever old if it carries the pulse of the age to come. ❤️ When we forget the memory of the Church, we risk becoming spiritual wanderers— unmoored from communion, isolated in interpretation, susceptible to novelty and division. 😞 But when we anchor ourselves to the apostolic faith, when we take our place in the Great Tradition, we discover that every generation becomes a threshold of grace. ⚓️ Ancient practices are not ornamental. They are the language of heaven made tangible in time. ⏳ So come and see. Step into the liturgy—let the mystery shape you. Open the writings of the early Fathers—not to argue, but to listen. ⛪️ These are not burdens. They are bridges. Not nostalgia, but sacred memory. Not human invention, but Christ among His people. ☺️ This is the unbroken song that rises from the Upper Room, echoes through the catacombs, and still leads us toward the New Jerusalem. 🎶 📚Additional Resources: 1. Explicit Mentions of Tradition (Paradosis in Greek - “what is handed down”) in Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 2:15 “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions (paradoseis) that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.” (This is the clearest reference to Apostolic Tradition: both oral and written.)2 Thessalonians 3:6 “Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition (paradosin) that you received from us.”1 Corinthians 11:2 “Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions (paradoseis) even as I delivered them to you.” (This includes liturgical tradition: head coverings, Eucharist, etc.) 2. Transmission Language (Handing Down, Receiving) Even when the word “tradition” isn’t used, the concept of “handing on what was received” is central: 1 Corinthians 11:23 “For I received (parelabon) from the Lord what I also delivered (paredōka) to you…” (Eucharistic institution – Paul explicitly frames it as tradition received and handed on.)1 Corinthians 15:1–3 “For I delivered (paredōka) to you as of first importance what I also received (parelabon): that Christ died for our sins…” (The Apostles’ Creed-like early confession – an oral tradition handed on.)Philippians 4:9 “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things…” (The Apostle’s life and teaching together form tradition.)2 Timothy 1:13–14 “Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me… guard the good deposit entrusted to you, by the Holy Spirit…” (Refers to safeguarding the oral deposit of faith.)2 Timothy 2:2 “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to ...
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    1 時間 3 分
  • S1:E1 City of Bridges Podcast - The End of Everything

    S1:E1 City of Bridges Podcast - The End of Everything
    2025/08/15
    City of Bridges Podcast - season one – episode 1 – The End of Everything We live in the tension of the already and the not yet. The Kingdom of Christ is truly present—revealed in mystery, grace, and power—and yet we still await its full and radiant unveiling. 🌤️ In the Christian story, the Eschaton is not simply the end of history, but the revelation of its deepest meaning: the fullness of divine love, made visible in Christ and extended to all creation. 👁️ In Him, all things are being restored, reconciled, and drawn into communion.🫶 And every time the Church gathers in worship—especially around the Holy Table—we are tasting the age to come. “Blessed is the Kingdom…” 🍞🍷 We say it not as poetry, but as proclamation. 📢 The Eucharist is not just a remembrance—it is a participation. 🏃 It is the wedding feast of the Lamb breaking into this moment from eternity. ⚡️ The Church is not only historical; she is eschatological. She worships always with one eye on the horizon, her prayers shaped by the promise of the world made new. 🎉 We are pilgrims on the way, bearing witness not to fear or despair, but to a coming joy that already begins to shine. Our liturgy is not a retreat into the past, but an invitation into the fullness of time. In Christ, the End is not doom—but delight. ☺️ So we worship in hope. We live in anticipation. And we say to the world: Come, and share in the joy of what is coming—and what is already here. ⛪️ 📚Additional Resources: On Difficulties in Sacred Scripture - The Responses to Thalassius by St. Maximos the Confessor on the Incarnation and Reconciliation https://www.eighthdayinstitute.org/on-the-cosmic-mystery-of-jesus-christA grand vision of the Kingdom of God in the Revelation of St. John 21 https://tinyurl.com/Bible-Gateway-Revelation-21Prayer for Christ’s Second Coming in Revelation of St. John 22:20 https://tinyurl.com/Bible-Gateway-22St. Paul on the Resurrection and meaning of existence in 1 Corinthians 15https://tinyurl.com/Bible-Gateway-1-Corinthians-15St. Paul on the culmination of history and Christ victory in Romans 8:18-39 https://tinyurl.com/Bible-Gateway-Roman-8 Additional Content from EOC Catechism: Worship is a procession into the Heavens. The divine liturgy of the Church is a procession of the people of God into the heavenly Holy of Holies. Our lives are “hidden in Christ”(Colossians 3:3). Each week we gather together as one Body to ‘go again’ to where we always are: Heaven. Because of Christ’s finished work, we are able to approach our Father in Heaven as His beloved children. The author of Hebrews invites us to the glorious worship of God made possible by Christ’s blood: “Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near [a call to worship!] with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our body washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:19-22 At every Eucharist celebration, God’s people enter the heavenly Holy of Holies in a great mystery of worship. There we approach God’s throne with confidence, “receiving mercy and finding grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). “If assembling as the Church is, in the most profound sense of the term, the beginning of the Eucharistic celebration—its first and fundamental condition—then its end and completion is the Church’s entrance into heaven, her fulfillment at the table of Christ in His Kingdom…[The essence of the Eucharistic liturgy] is movement and ascent.” - Fr. Alexander Schmemann, The Eucharist, page 23. 💒Check out the Holy Covenant EOC web presence here: https://www.holycovenantchurch.net 🌳Check out the Evangelical Orthodox Church web presence here: https://www.evangelicalorthodox.org Dig in! Live a beautiful life with Christ and His people! Disclaimer: We share these conversations to encourage Spirit-filled ecumenical dialogue and deeper theological reflection. While our discussions partially draw from the teachings and life of the Evangelical Orthodox Church, our words are personal and not to be understood as formal positions of the EOC. Christian Faith should be embodied so join Christ’s One, Holy, Apostolic Church wherever His Body is found.
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    51 分
  • S1:E0.5 City of Bridges Podcast - Introduction - Unity is our why

    S1:E0.5 City of Bridges Podcast - Introduction - Unity is our why
    2025/08/08
    City of Bridges Podcast - season one – episode 0.5 – Unity is Our Why

    With this humble podcast, we’re leaning into unity and reconciliation. We’re inviting Christians and spiritual seekers of all kinds to spend time under this “big tent” of Ancient Christianity. ✝️

    We’ll do that by sharing our personal experiences and discussing ancient theology in a contemporary way. 🤼‍♂️

    📚Additional Resources:

    1. Good-faith theology towards unity in the life and work of St. Maximus the Confessor - https://tinyurl.com/Matthew-Root

    2. Jesus prayer for the Church in the garden in John 17 https://tinyurl.com/Bible-Gateway-John-17 and a St. Peters teaching on Theosis in 2 Peter 1:1-10 https://tinyurl.com/Bible-Gateway-2-Peter-1

    3. St. Paul’s Teaching on One Body in Christ per Ephesians 4:1-6 https://tinyurl.com/Bible-Gateway-Ephesians-4

    4. Early Church Witness: Irenaeus on “That Church Which Has Ever Been” (Against Heresies, 3.3.2) https://tinyurl.com/Early-Church-Witness

    5. The Nicene‑Constantinopolitan Creed (AD 381) https://orthodoxwiki.org/Nicene-Constantinopolitan_Creed

    6. Jesus’ High Standard: Love One Another per John 13:31–35 https://tinyurl.com/Bible-Gateway-John-13

    🚶‍♀️Synthesis: Why All Christians Should Pursue Unity
    1. It Is the Lord’s Will and Prayed‑For by Christ Himself
    2. It Reflects the Inner Life of the Trinity
    3. It Empowers Our Mission
    4. It Upholds the Apostolic Faith
    5. It Manifests Christ’s Love and Glory

    💒Check out the Holy Covenant EOC web presence here: https://www.holycovenantchurch.net

    🌳Check out the Evangelical Orthodox Church web presence here: https://www.evangelicalorthodox.org

    Dig in! Live a beautiful life with Christ and His people!

    Disclaimer: We share these conversations to encourage Spirit-filled ecumenical dialogue and deeper theological reflection. While our discussions partially draw from the teachings and life of the Evangelical Orthodox Church, our words are personal and not to be understood as formal positions of the EOC. Christian Faith should be embodied so join Christ’s One, Holy, Apostolic Church wherever His Body is found.
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    29 分