St. Nicholas, hero [Wednesday in Advent 1]

 

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READINGS FROM HOLY SCRIPTURE:

• St Luke 14:26-33

• Hebrews 13:7-17

Grace to you all and Peace from God our Father and the LORD Jesus, the Christ.
 
Who speaks to us from our Epistle heard this evening saying,

“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”

 
Here, Jesus is talking about leaders as ones who have been called and ordained to speak the Word of God in Truth, not just any joe who stands up and says, “God spoke to me.” Do we think that, just because God uses people to do His work, that that work is going to be sloppy and sporadic? The Lord has never shown us such a side to Himself. He works through means, not just your emotional currents.
 
Many people choose their heroes when they are young and impressionable. And that is not a bad thing. At that age we have yet to judge others for their faults and baggage they have accrued over the years.
 
One of the means God chooses to work through are the teachers He gives to us in His Church. As we said Sunday, we will be appreciating a few of those “heroes of the faith” as wonderful gifts from God. This evening, the Church celebrates and remembers St. Nicholas. And though he has been shamefully demoted to “jolly ole St. Nick” these days, he lived his life as a bishop and confessor of the faith.
 
According to Church legend, St. Nicholas died December 6, 350AD. The saints’ days in Church are usually celebrated death days, FYI. This means that, historically, he lived long enough to see Constantine become emperor and make Christianity the official religion of the empire. Part of his legend, however, comes from before that time of peace.
 
Nicholas was born at Patara in Asia Minor to parents who, having long been childless, had petitioned God with many prayers. Already as a youth Nicholas became noted for his zeal in helping the unfortunate and oppressed. In his native city, there lived a poor nobleman who had three marriageable daughters; he could not obtain a suitor for them because he could offer no dowry. The contemptible idea struck him to sacrifice the innocence of his daughters to gain the needed money. 
 
When Nicholas became aware of this, he went by night and threw a bag containing as much gold as was needed for a dowry through the window. This he repeated the second and third nights, saving the girls and defending their purity before God and men.
 
This is the legend that gives us the gift-giving idea during Christmas, as some of that gold allegedly fell into their stockings which were drying at the end of their beds. “Joyful giving” is the main lesson we take from St. Nicholas. Giving that puts others needs ahead of our own. Where that gold came from, who knows, but I’m sure it came at great cost to our hero, St. Nick.
 
On a certain occasion he was imprisoned for the faith. In a wonderful way, he later became bishop of Myra, in Turkey. His presence is noted at the Council of Nicaea, where my favorite story of his takes place. One of the opposing bishops was trying to normalize the teaching that Christ was only a man and not also God. St. Nicholas had finally had enough, threw hands, and slapped that man in the face hoping his senses would return him from his folly.
 
He died a quiet death in his episcopal city, uttering the words: "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit." For, first and foremost, he was a leader, a preacher of the word of God, and spokesman of the Father. Hopefully, as you see, there is a goodly bit of genuine Christianity in joyous, loving gift-giving. 
(The Church’s Year of Grace, Parsch, 157-158)
 
The chief and primary of which, is faith in Christ. So it is the chief duty of the Called and Ordained to preach the word of the cross of Christ, which is the power of salvation. St. Nicholas is another image of our great, high Priest Who intercedes for us and offers us the Sacrifice of Redemption in the Body and Blood of Christ.
 
Following St. Nicholas through time, we carry our own crosses, because in faith we now want to be faithful. We want to have nothing rule our hearts except Christ. And when the Lord returns to hold all to account, we want to be found hungry and poor that He would fill us with good things.
 
In the Divine Service, St. Nicholas communes next to us, with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This hero, kneels before the Hero of heroes Who comes to bring joy on earth and everlasting joys in the Resurrection. As heroic as St. Nicholas is, our memory of him is only in admiration. Our example from him, is to be faithful to the Lord’s Church.
 
And that is a cross to bear in and of itself. Not only did our gospel reading tell us about hating family and self, but also renouncing everything we have. This our Savior does on our behalf. God of all, He suffered and died, renouncing it all to seek and save sinners. This, our St. Nicholas also did, to a lesser degree, renouncing his treasures to become a pastor and to elevate those three daughters in need.
 
Even though we may not agree with God’s methods in using means, that is only sin rebelling against His Will. Since Christ has laid things out in order for us, we should take up that cross and joyfully let God be God, that is suffering, dying, rising again, and building His Church for us.