“Kidist -ቅድስት”
The Second week of Lent: “Kidist=ቅድስት”.
Kidist means holy. It tells the holiness of Sunday.
Misbak of the Day
But the Lord made the Heavens, Honor and Majesty are before Him, Holiness and Strength are in His sanctuary. Psalm. 96:5-6
The second Sunday of the Great lent is Called KIDIST to mean HOLY . This is the week we start the 40 days of fasting of our lord Jesus Christ. It is named so because Scriptures sung and read as of the eve of the Sunday have to do with HOLINESS . Scriptures of the Hymnist St. Yared on this day sings saying, “Holy is this day “, “Holy is the sabbath day on which I took rest”, “Be Holy as I am also Holy “, “The Father has made this Sunday Holy. Therefore, the songs are mainly focused in praise of the sabbath day of the Christians. The mezmures/songs/ reminds believers that the day is blessed for Christians to have rest from worldly engagements to give their utmost attention to spiritual services. The day is sanctified both in the old and the New Testaments. The name KIDIST is also meant to remind believers that they shall be holy as their Lord is a Holy One.
Reading of this Sunday
Arc Deacon :1 Tes. 4:6-13 …. God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore, he who rejects this (message of holiness) does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit……
Ass. Deacon: 1 Pet. 1:13-25….. As He who called you is Holy you also be holy in all your conduct……
Ass. Priest: Acts. 10:17-30 … In truth, I perceive that God shows no practicality…. Can anyone forbid water that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?
Priest: Matt. 6:16-25 …. When you fast, do not be like the hypocrites with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting … But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that you do not appear to men to be fasting but to your Father who is in the secret place, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Lesson plan The Second week of Lent: “Kidist=ቅድስት”. Kidist means holy.
“Be Holy as I am also Holy ” 1 Peter 1:16
The second Sunday of the Great lent is Called KIDIST to mean HOLY . This is the week we start the 40 days of fasting of our lord Jesus Christ. It is named so because Scriptures sung and read as of the eve of the Sunday have to do with HOLINESS .
- Why Holiness, because :-
- God is holy –
- “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy”. Lev 11:44
- “You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own”. Lev 20:26.
- “Be Holy as I am also Holy ” 1 Peter 1:16
Therefore- It is not an option that God just left open to entertain to be indifferent about holiness/purity . If you want to follow God, He is important enough, precious enough, valuable enough to give Him Yourself purely.
- give “your whole heart, soul and mind” to God.
- “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’;
- Avoid hypocrisy “double minded” James
- Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8.
2. We were created In His Image- to be Holy.
- “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them…. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good”. [Gen. 1:27]
- ”they were naked and not ashamed.”-Gen 2:25
- God’s plan of love was written in their naked bodies and that is exactly what they desire- to love as God loves- in and through their body.
- A person who lets his heart be occupied with sin, gives a proof that God does not live in his heart, as thoughts arise from the inside of the heart.
3. To have freedom/ Choice
- “whoever commits sin is a slave of sin,” “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). Because it is true freedom that sets you free.
- It allows you to decide whatever you want freely. If you are in prison, there is no way you would be free to go to McDonald’s or Wendy’s to eat.
- A person who lets his heart be occupied with sin, gives a proof that God does not live in his heart, as thoughts arise from the inside of the heart.
In order to be truly and completely free from slavery to sin, we must become slaves of righteousness. We must become a slave of God. The difference between the two is that one is involuntary and the other is voluntary. We become slaves of sin against our will or perhaps more correctly through the progressive weakening of our will. Conversely, we become slaves of God and righteousness through a free act of obedience. It does not happen overnight. It takes time and it is determined by our habits: what we do repeatedly, over and over-daily prayer, daily reading of Scripture, regular liturgical fasting, serving those in need, weekly worshipping of God in the Church with our fellow Orthodox Christians, repentance and receiving Holy Communion -these are all habits that will enslave us to Christ.
End of slavery to sin is death and that slavery to God ends with everlasting/eternal life [Rom. 7]
II. What is the problem with us – it is Sin
Sin = desire + opportunity
- Desire reveal who you are, your character, value, motivation, purpose. It direct on how we think about life. The way you desire, that is how you think. You really need an opportunity to carry out your desire.
Evil thoughts may arise from desires or bad lusts inside the heart. In fact, desires and thoughts co-operate; each of the two may be a cause and a result. An evil thought may bring about a wicked lust, and a wicked lust may give birth to a wicked thought. On many occasions your thoughts may be expressive of your desires. Try to clear out your heart from evil desires; then your thoughts will consequently be purified
III. So who is going to heaven ….?
If God and sin couldn’t coexist, and we are sinners; how could we go to heaven?
- God count all our sins one by one..
- God is pure/heaven is pure
- we can be only good or bad/light or darkness, be with God or devil/Holiness or evil/Good or bad
- If heaven is for good people
- Then Everyone sins, Who is going to heaven?
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. [1 Jn 4:10]. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [Jn 3:16]. Our Lord and Savior has saved us once and for all. We could acquire them for free with through Holy Church Sacraments of Baptism, chrismation, and taking Holy Communion. When we fail, we could be within His grace through Confession and taking Holy Communion.
IV. practical advice on How to keep your Holiness
- Desire from within
- Try to clear out your heart from evil desires; then your thoughts will consequently be purified
- a person who, has left sin for the sake of God’s commandments and not because s/he hates sin. He should progress in repentance until sin is removed from the heart.
- Avoid opportunity
- Keep away from all things that bring to your mind a sinful thought. Such thoughts may come as a result of faulty readings, of wicked things that are heard, or due to a sinful environment, bad company, or wicked friendship.
- Self control/straining yourself
- fasting as the Lord stated that some sin couldn’t be overcome without fasting and prayer [Mt 17:21].
- Say NO to sin- you have a choice.
Supporting system
- Visible– talk to your priests, spiritual brothers, sisters. You need to talk to your confessional father and get counseling, direction and to ask him to pray for you and take the Holy Communion [medicine] Purity doesn’t come overnight. It requires perseverance along with the help of God. Purity is not a matter of wrestling our lust to the ground and putting it into a submission hold. To fight this sin, we need to follow what God has already revealed in the Bible. Like stated above, we can’t battle this by ourselves [apart from the help of God] and need to admit it. God has given a power/authority to the priest “to drive out impure spirits [thought, lust] and to heal every disease and sickness” [Mt 10:1] and to absolve and make us free from all sin [Mt 18:18]. Ultimately when we confess we are allowing God to transform our heart through sacraments [Confession and Holy Communion] of the church offer.
- Invisible- Deepen your devotion and relation with Saints. Pick a saint [i.e.St Mary, Archangel Michael, Abune Teklehaymanot] and deepen your devotion. God has favored the saints for the sake of me and you. We have seen God’s working through his saints. Our Church and our lives are a living testimony to the effectiveness of Saint’s intercession/help.
O Lord! Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake. [Ps. 79].
Tewahdo Orthodox Spiritual Journey
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Written by Deacon Medhanie Haile