Christ is risen!
Last Sunday, as the guitars, drums, and screaming voices of Ichthus Christian music festival were cranking up for their last deafening finale, a small cache of Christians were gathering together in darkness and silence to remember why they are Christians. As teenagers and youth pastors were preparing to either drive away or bed down in their soggy, muddy tents for one last night, two singers began chanting an ancient Christian midnight office of prayer in a sober monotone.
As the last chaotic chords bled from the speaker towers, these Christians marched through the parking lot of their church in the darkness of midnight. Candles lit their shining faces as they sang, “Thy resurrection, Christ our saviour, the angels in heaven sing! Enable us on earth to glorify thee in purity of heart!” And finally, they metaphorically beat down the doors of their storefront church with shouts of “Christ is risen! Indeed, he is risen!” and the ancient Jerusalem Easter rite of reading Psalm 23(24), “Lift up your heads, you gates, and be lifted up, you eternal doors, and let the king of glory enter in!” So began the rush of Pascha, Orthodox Easter.
“Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!”
And, earlier that day, on Holy and Great Saturday, just after the Divine Liturgy, and the chrismation of my dear brother Christopher Davis as Dmitri, I listened to a message from my recruiter informing me that I had been cleared for processing at MEPS Louisville. So, I made an appointment to go up on Tuesday. I still had to pass the physical, so I was not exactly sure what the result would be.
Well, the result is that I am now one of the newest members of the United States Navy. I am currently signed up for a submarine electronics specialty. I will be going back to MEPS this Monday to take the military’s test for linguistics ability, the DLAB, so that could all change.
Everyone please continue to pray for me, as I am coming to some conclusions about the direction of my life. Please pray that I am indeed listening to the right voices.
Christ is risen! Christos anesti! Khristos voskrese!