Anniversary of our Consecration 2020 Fr. Lawrence Margitich

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and

of the Holy Spirit. Our church, this blessed

place, was built in 1995 through 96. We began

the project a little bit earlier with discussions

about maybe enlarging the protection church.

What would that cost? What would that look like?

We quickly dropped that idea. For the cost, we

couldn't possibly enlarge it enough. We started

off the model without a dome, and then we moved

to a dome, and the church began construction.

It was an ascetic labor. It was a difficult project.

Not because of the construction, but because

of the way the devil wants to divide people.

The way the devil wants to create opportunities

for division. But Father Michael, as you all

know, was a master of unity. And the church remained

united. And this church was built. And it leaked.

It leaked a lot. Every corner of the building.

Literally every corner of the building. The dome

itself. When it rained, middle of the night,

I ran out here in my pajamas and put buckets

around the perimeter of the dome and corners.

That was ascetic too, but I needed that kind

of asceticism to get up in the middle of the

night and not curse, but pray. The church was

consecrated finally on June 28, 2001. In a five

-hour, incredible, beautiful, transcendent ceremony

of the consecration, a procession to the small

church of the relics of St. Elizabeth, the new

martyr, the prayer duchess, her cell attendant,

St. Barbara, and a higher beacon, Anastasia,

a new martyr from Kiev. Everyone went to the

church, the little church. We brought the relics

in here, and they were installed. under the altar

in a special case that is built into the bottom

of the altar. The church was literally consecrated

with holy chrism, all the walls, and blessed

with holy water. There were two choirs. Alice

and Anne came up from Felton with their choir,

and our choir, Tom, was singing in the choir.

I remember at the time, Macrina Lewis was choir

director and did an incredible, incredible job.

We had 20 priests. attended by maybe 300 people.

Esther Carr arranged a beautiful banquet under

a tent in the front parking lot. Bishop Ticon,

now retired, living in Los Angeles, was the main

celebrant. With him was the then Chancellor of

the OCA, Father Bob Kondratik, Deacon Sevalud

from Washington, and Someone said to me after

the service, it was long, it was long because

there was only one chalice for 300 people. Someone

said to me after the service, Father, I've never

seen you looking so happy and so joyous. And

I thought, well, I must, I'm tired, I'm totally

exhausted, but there must be, it must be the

holiness of this whole thing. There's more to

all that, and there's a story about all that

that we can talk about sometime. But now, my

second thoughts are this, to offer God thanks.

for this place, and to remember with thanksgiving

those who founded this holy place, those who

contributed to it, those that have gone to their

rest, who we remember at every liturgy and every

service as the founders of this holy temple.

We remember with gratitude those who labored

and sacrificed for it to be built. for it to

be adorned, for it to be cleaned, for it to be

repaired, and so on. For those that have gone

before, may their memory be eternal. Without

them, this would not exist. For those that are

still here, those of you that are watching on

Facebook Live, those of you, the few that are

here in the temple now, be inspired by their

example. Carry forward. Don't let anything drop.

You know, the church consecration is also called

a renewal. It's called the renewal of a church.

What is consecrated and what specifically is

renewed and it's called that is because it's

dedicated to God are those materials, this wood,

this concrete, the brick, the mortar, so that

those things which God gave us sand and trees

and rocks, have a certain trajectory in their

creation that they would be renewed, not just

something in the ground, in the forest, at the

beach, but they would be brought together and

established for the glory of God. They became

their true purpose. Not all rocks and all trees

and all sand and so forth are for that. But the

ones that go into this building, they're renewed

because they become something different. They

become witnesses of God's magnificence and beauty

and holiness and witnesses of his incarnation.

That's why you heard those two readings, the

Epistle to the Romans. We have such a high priest.

says St. Paul, who knows our infirmities. He

is like us. And Jesus himself says, St. Peter,

who do men say that I am? All this witnesses

to that. What does St. John of Damascus say there?

I worship the creator of matter, who became matter

for my sake. This is all creation. And now it

is imbued with God's holiness. God's uncreated

grace were poured onto it. It's like a baptism.

And in fact, the altar table was put together,

it was washed, and it was vested, and it was

chrismated. The bishop during the service says

this, one of many long prayers, as the choir

sing in psalm verses. O Lord, I love the beauty

of thy house, for example. The bishop prays,

send down thine all -holy and adorable and almighty

spirit and sanctify this temple and this altar.

Fill it with the light everlasting. Elect it

for thy dwelling place. Make it the abode of

thy glory. Adorn it with thy divine and supernal

gifts. Appoint it for a haven of the tempest

-tossed, for healing passions. for a refuge of

the weak, for an expelling of evil spirits. Let

thine eyes be opened upon this temple day and

night, and let thy ears be heedful of the prayer

of all those who shall enter therein in thy fear

and in piety, and shall call upon thine all -honorable

and adorable name, and whatsoever they ask of

thee, thou wilt hear it in heaven above, and

wilt show mercy and be gracious unto them. He

prays this. and much, much more. But it's essential

to remember, first of all, that God has built

himself a house. Remember the sermon that the

proto -martyr Stephen preaches. God has built

himself a house which is first and foremost the

people he has called. Ecclesia. The ecclesia,

the church, those who have been called out, who

make offerings, who give the liturgy. God has

called us out so that we can reflect, we can

live, we can manifest his love and holiness in

this broken and divided world. This temple is

to be a reflection of that. The church is in

here. You have the altar of your heart, the dwelling

place of God enthroned there. The church is a

reflection of all that. This building is a reflection

of what is to be within us. Because remember

what God said, what house will you build me?

Or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my

hand made all these things? God does not dwell

in places built by man. But you and we all have

been redeemed. We have been saved, not by the

hand of man, but by God. Many of the churches

that I saw in the Holy Land and Istanbul, as

you know, were either in ruins or they were mosques.

This tells me that God can withdraw his protection

from his people if his people squander their

gifts and do not live according to the faith.

Do not live for the kingdom, but live for their

own glory. So let us be careful, brothers and

sisters, how we live. When you look at the dome,

Remember that the Lord is enthroned in your heart.

When you look at the dome, remember that Christ

Jesus became man for our sake. And the evangelists

are not there yet, but they will be, God willing.

They witnessed to that incarnation. Who do you

say that I am? And these chandeliers are like,

says one writer, like the wedding crown of the

marriage feast of the Lamb to which we have been

invited. and we're participating. When you see

the icon of the nativity, for example, there,

don't just look at it. Say, am I reborn in Christ?

Am I a daughter or a son of the new creation

through baptism? Do I sing glory to God in the

heights, or do I sit like Joseph there, not sure

of what's happening? This anniversary of the

consecration, offers us every year the opportunity

to receive what has been given, to review that,

if we have received it in fact, like the talents

in the gospel story, and increase those talents.

Increase the gift, the deposit of grace, as we

say at the baptism. Caring for this place. Caring

for one another with humility and gratitude.

and witnessing to what we have been given so

that others may be saved too. To our Lord, who

has so graciously bestowed wonderful gifts of

this temple to us, be glory and honor now and

ever to ages and ages.