An Encouraging Word To Anyone Who Has Fallen Into Sin

“And I'm not speaking of those who have committed small sins, 

but suppose the case of one who is filled full of all wickedness, and let him practice everything which excludes him from the kingdom,

and let us suppose that this man is not one of those who were unbelievers from the beginning, but formerly belonged to the believers, and such as were well pleasing to God,

but afterwards has become a fornicator, adulterer, effeminate, a thief, a drunkard, a sodomite, a reviler, and everything else of this kind;

I will not approve even of this man despairing of himself, although he may have gone on to extreme old age in the practice of this great and unspeakable wickedness.

For if the wrath of God were a passion, one might well despair as being unable to quench the flame which he had kindled by so many evil doings;

but since the Divine nature is passionless, 

even if He punishes, even if He takes vengeance, 

he does this not with wrath,

but with tender care, and much loving-kindness; 

wherefore it behooves us to be of much good courage, 

and to trust in the power of repentance.

For even those who have sinned against Him 

He is not wont to visit with punishment for His own sake;

for no harm can traverse that divine nature; 

but He acts with a view to our advantage,

and to prevent our perverseness becoming worse 

by our making a practice of despising and neglecting Him.

For even as one who places himself outside the light inflicts no loss on the light,

but the greatest upon himself being shut up in darkness; 

even so, he who has become accustomed to despise that almighty power, does no injury to the power, 

but inflicts the greatest possible injury upon himself.

And for this reason God threatens us with punishments, 

and often inflicts them, not as avenging Himself, 

but by way of attracting us to Himself.

For even a physician is not distressed or vexed at the insults of those who are out of their minds,

but yet does and contrives everything for the purpose of stopping those who do such unseemly acts, 

not looking to his own interests but to their profit;

and if they manifest some small degree of self-control and sobriety he rejoices and is glad, 

and applies his remedies much more earnestly,

not as revenging himself upon them for their former conduct, but as wishing to increase their advantage, and to bring them back to a purely sound state of health.

Even so God when we fall into the very extremity of madness, says and does everything, not by way of avenging Himself on account of our former deeds; but because He wishes to release us from our disorder; 

and by means of right reason it is quite possible to be convinced of this.” 

St. John Chrysostom.

This is not a "once saved always saved" quote, 

but a revealing of the heart of a pure and loving Heavenly Father, who loves us more than we love our own children. 

 

The Quiet and the Messy Revival

They say there is a quiet revival —

soft as breath on stained glass,

a hush that Spotify,

TikTok,

and cynicism couldn’t kill.

The soul, stubborn as ever,

still remembers how to kneel.

And they come —

students and searchers,

middle-class, 

secular spiritual, 

young professionals with

coffee and questions,

drawn to bands and liturgy,

Alpha Course chats and candlelight.

The lure of meaning

in a world fraying at the seams.

Something ancient

leaking through the cracks

of their disenchanted age.

And this too is grace.

Don’t despise it.

But don’t confuse revival

with bums on seats

or hands in the air —

as good as these might be.

Revival is when the Wild Goose

breathes her fierce breath,

when justice stirs,

and mission is reborn.

It is a thin place —

where heaven brushes earth,

where hearts ignite

in both university halls

and urban streets.

For authentic revival

never flatters the powerful

or stays safe in steeples.

It breaks bread with the broken,

brings the margins to the middle,

and births a hunger for justice

that cannot be tamed.

And yes —

there is also a messy revival

in forgotten corners:

in prisons and shelters,

on council estates and recovery rooms.

It smells like roll-ups and sweat,

sounds like broken laughter

and half-remembered hymns.

There are no bands,

just trembling voices

singing praise

through nicotine lungs

and trauma-shaken hands.

And Jesus —

the penniless preacher from Nazareth,

the God-Man of Jubilee —

he’s here too.

Not watching from afar,

but dwelling where the Spirit pours:

in the quiet hush of a communion rail,

and in the refuge of a prison chapel,

in the homeless shelter at dusk,

in the guitars and anthems of auditoriums,

and in tear-streaked prayers on street corners.

He proclaims good news still —

not to the polished,

but to the poor.

He eats with tax collectors

and those on tag,

blesses the bruised,

welcomes the wasted,

and announces

a year of Jubilee —

where hoarded wealth is released,

where systems bend,

and the forgotten find their name.

Let the quiet revival flourish.

Let the messy one rage.

Let incense rise from both altars.

Let both be called holy.

For the Spirit blows

through polished sanctuaries

and shattered shelters alike,

and Christ —

scarred,

smiling —

walks freely between them.

- Rev’d Jon Swales

 

 I read that less than 10% of our thoughts on any given day are just rewinds: thoughts we repeat over and over. As I listen to my thoughts I'm persuaded this is true; redundant repeats, like a song that gets stuck in your head. So when I read this quote it revealed why I love to read, doing so ushers in new material and creative thought that refreshes my mind and relieves me of my "ennui" of thoughts.