St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church

St. John Orthodox Church

God Is Never at Rest

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Icon of the AnepsonBehold, He shall not slumber nor shall He sleep, He that keeps Israel. The Lord shall keep you; the Lord is your shelter at your right hand. The sun shall not burn you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall keep you from all evil, the Lord shall guard your soul. The Lord shall keep your coming in and your going out, from henceforth and for evermore. ~Psalm 120: 4-8

Dear Beloved in Christ,God is with us!

In the Presanctified Liturgy, a series of 15 psalms are read, while the priest prepares the Holy Gifts upon the altar. These psalms are called the Psalms of Ascent, because historically they were sung by the Jewish people as the made their pilgrimage up to the high city of Jerusalem for the major Jewish feasts.

In the second psalm of the series, Psalm 120, we read about the Lord of Israel who never “slumbers or sleeps,” but unceasingly protects His people. In Orthodox iconography, Jesus Christ is The Unsleeping One, as pictured in this Icon.

This icon is called “Anapeson” in the Byzantine tradition, which means “reclining” and is a reference to another Biblical passage. In Genesis, Chapter 49, Jacob gathers his sons for a final blessing before he reposes. To Judah he says, “Judah is a lion’s cub. … Reclining he slept as a lion, and as a [lion’s] whelp; who shall rouse him up?”

The image of Jesus as the Unsleeping One becomes even more clear on Holy Saturday, when we sing the hymn: “Come, let us see our Life lying in the tomb, that he may give life to those that lie dead in their tombs. Come, let us look today on the Son of Judah as he sleeps, and with the prophet let us cry aloud to him: You have lain down; you have slept as a lion; who shall awaken you, O King?”

In turbulent times such as these, people sometimes ask, “Where is God?” This thought may creep into our own thinking as well. Through Psalm 120 and through the Anapeson Icon, we are reminded that God is never at rest. In every moment He is drawing us toward salvation, whether through His own blessings or through the sin which mankind brings upon itself. Either way, His resolve is unencumbered: He will continue to pursue us, to draw us into His love, through whatever occurs in our lives, good or evil.

“The Lord shall guard your soul.” (Psalm 120:7)

In Christ,

Father Matthew

 

About Fr. Matthew Swehla

Father Matthew was born in Modesto, California. He grew up attending the Lutheran church, until his father, formerly a Lutheran pastor, became disillusioned by the direction of the national church and left the ministry. A few years later his family visited the Orthodox cathedral of St. John Maximovich in San Francisco—on a whim because of a Russian exchange student they were hosting—and began their journey to Orthodoxy. Father Matthew entered the Church, along with his immediate family, when he was 15 years old.

As a young college graduate, Fr. Matthew attended an Orthodox College Conference at St. Nicholas Ranch, where he renewed his acquaintance with, Annie Nieuwsma. The two knew right away that they were meant to be together and married in 2003.

After working in several professions—in journalism, restaurant fine dining, and commercial real estate development—Father Matthew was called to the priesthood. He entered Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in 2009, along with Presvytera Annie and their first three children. He received his M.Div. degree in May 2013. Fr. Matthew’s first parish assignment was St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on September 8, 2013 and served for four years as the second priest.

In 2017, Father Matthew was assigned as the proistamenos (presiding priest) of St. John the Baptist in Beaverton.

Father Matthew and Presvytera Annie have seven children: Dimas (married to Jessica), Débora (married to Nathaniel), Thomas, Peter, Nicholas, Joseph and Maria.