The Friday of Gold

The Friday of Gold was commemorated in the Church of the East Calendar this past Friday. The title for this day holds particular significance in the eyes of the Church as she endeavours to help us gain more depth and insight about our faith in Christ and appreciate the treasure’s that God’s grace has bestowed upon us through His Son and the teaching of His Apostles.

The Friday of Gold is commemorated as we look back to the time of the Apostles of Christ and we read about one of the first miracles they performed in the name of Jesus following the birth of the Church at Pentecost. In Acts 3:1-16 we read of how St. Peter and St. John were about to enter the temple gates at the time of prayer when they came across a crippled beggar who had been sitting at the entrance of the temple gate called “Beautiful” for most of his life begging the temple goers for money.

St. Peter’s enlightening response to the beggar was “silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk”. It is because this powerful, life changing statement full of authority and faith, that we remember this Friday called the Friday of Gold. But it doesn’t just stop there. This one line spoken from the mouth of St. Peter still speaks to us today, and offers us Christians of the 21^st Century and beyond much hope and encouragement as we learn about the priceless treasure (Gold) that each and every one of us have been unworthily blessed with by the grace of God alone…

Immediately after St. Peter’s authoritive statement in the name of Jesus, he took the beggar by the right hand and lifted him up. The beggar leaped up, stood and walked and entered the temple with John and Peter (Acts3:8-9) as a testament to the miraculous work that God had performed in his life through the hand of the Apostles, the founders of the Church, built on Christ.

A treasure more precious than Gold.

As members of the Church of Christ, we too possess a great treasure that is more valuable and eternal than material gold and wealth; that is the grace of God which enriches us with forgiveness of our sins, God’s love and mercy and the promise of eternal life as co-heirs with Christ (Ephesians3:6). These gracious gifts from God are unworthily bestowed upon us when we faithfully partake in the Sacraments of the Church, to build up our wealth in the Body of Christ.

His Grace Mar Awa explains the riches which the Sacraments bring to a Christian’s life: “We may further define the sacraments as being : material means through which God communicates to us his divine grace, of which we are in need in our lives on a daily basis, for our edification sanctification and utter salvation, and share in everlasting life.”¹

We like the crippled beggar, may experience weaknesses, pains and trials of our own that we are suffering in life, and are seeking deliverance from. However in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Maran Esho Msheekha) we can overcome, just as the beggars faith allowed him to, all for the glory of God’s name as we stand as a testament to the world for receiving true wealth that can only be gained through trusting in the Lord.

St. Paul exhorts the Church in order to expound on the need for its reliance on Christ. He likens mankind to simple ‘jars of clay’, in order to illustrate our temporal humanity, show us that we are in need of God’s gift of grace every day and that God’s working in our lives is the treasure within us that we are indeed blessed to possess.

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels [jars of clay], so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body (2 Corinthians 4:7-10).

For we are merely ‘jars of clay’ created by our Mighty Creator. But the Holy Spirit who lives within us completes us and is the true treasure working in our body and in our life to enrich us eternally. This treasure is working within us to draw us near to God each day in order to rely on His power to work within us as we glorify His name through His working in our lives (Romans 8:9-11).

As we acknowledge the power of God working in our lives, we are indebted to offer up our thanks to Him (Romans 12:1-2) for giving us this treasure at the expense of the death and resurrection of His One and only Son, Jesus our Lord. ^“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

For although in today’s world, we may gain physical wealth, this can distract us from wanting to gain spiritual wealth if we let the former be our focus and priority in life. Like the beggar, many of us may think that material wealth is the only means to happiness and providence in life. Indeed these may bring us temporary happiness, but can be lost just as easily as they are gained. The temporal happiness that material wealth may bring will never compare to the true contentment and joy that comes from living in the grace of Christ that brings power and life that can never be accidentally lost or taken away. “For where your treasure is there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

In times of our suffering and begging for an awaited deliverance, we should be encouraged by St. Paul’s joy during his afflictions and poverty which can be relayed into our lives as we look to his faithful example as he states; “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord [his true treasure], for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:7-8). He received so much joy and contentment through living with Christ as His Lord that even in his trials, sufferings and persecutions, he stood firm in His faith, unmoved by the pains of the world, knowing that his work for the Lord was not in vain, but would rather glorify His name and allow St. Paul to receive his prize (1 Corinthians 9:25) and his true treasure… The Kingdom of God.

Through St. Paul’s actions, we can learn so much about the un-measurable true riches that God offers us apart from what is in this world (Ephesians3:8) when we see St. Paul willingly endure martyrdom for His faith in order to inherit the blessings that are promised to all who remain in the body of Christ.

Let us hold on to this treasure we have been unworthily blessed with through living with Jesus Christ as our Lord. Let us live to share His love and forgiveness, glorify His name through our faithful actions and unswervingly hold on to the true treasure we have been given through partaking in the gracious Holy Sacraments of the Church which are given to sanctify us and build us up in faith as we await the day of our Lord, when we will receive our glorious inheritance. 

“Now to Him who is able to do [and give] far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

This week’s song: Everything I need- Kutless

1.       H.G. Bishop Mar Awa Royel, Mysteries of the Kingdom: The Sacraments of the Assyrian Church of the East, CIRED 2011 p.p.33