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A Lesson on Worship

A Lesson on Worship

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Daniel Habib

The story of the Samaritan woman is one of the most amazing stories of the Gospels. We see how she discovers that Jesus was somebody special. She first infers that He may be a prophet. She thinks it’s a conversation about water but then He says, “I will give you living water!” She inquiries about this water and He tells her to call her husband and He will tell her about this living water. He commends her for speaking honestly but then reveals that she has had five husbands and the one she is living with is not her husband.

Suddenly, lights are going off in her head and she begins thinking this Man is important. At this, she asks her first big question about worship – “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship” (John 4:20).

The Samaritans had left the worship of Jerusalem, they left the temple, they separated themselves from the Israelites, and they became people mixed with the Gentiles, they took some of the Jewish faith, but essentially, they left the worship of the temple.

This is important to understand, because the worship of the temple was everything. You couldn’t worship God outside the temple. God was in the temple – His presence was in the temple. Hence if you wanted to worship God, you had to go to the temple. This idea of personal prayer was not as developed. In the Jewish mind, prayer had a corporate appearance of worship.

She is not asking about personal prayer, she is asking about corporate prayer. She says “We worship here. And you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where we ought to worship, so tell me, what do You make of our worship? are the Jews right, and we are wrong? Can we both be right? Can we worship here, and can we worship there?” And Jesus responds in almost the most direct we hear from Him, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:21-24).”

In English, we read, “salvation is of the Jews.” The more accurate Greek translations is, “salvation is from the Jews,” meaning Jesus Christ came from the Jews, and not that salvation belongs to the Jews alone. Jesus does not leave the issue of living water and move on to a separate topic. He discusses the idea of living water that is eternal life, and we know the living water to be the Holy Spirit that is given to us. He is not speaking about corporate worship, but worshipping in spirit and in truth. God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

It is essential that when we pray, we first understand what we are doing. Too often when we speak about the divine liturgy – what we do here and now – we focus on symbols and we divide it into parts. But we need to look holistically, and not divide the liturgy into little pieces. We must understand the big picture, the direct implications the Eucharist has on our personal lives.

Christianity is a community of worship. The church is a community of the body of Christ. Our own personal bodies are members of the body of Christ. This is what comes first; before any theology, before any doctrine, any dogma, before any Creeds, before there was anything, that we have now in the church, we are a community of worship.

In the very first church of Acts, they would come together, united in the Spirit and they would pray. They would come together and enter the Spirit of praise and worship. Even immediately after Christ’s Resurrection, the disciples gathered in the upper room. During the 40 days after the Resurrection, and the 10 days between the Ascension and Pentecost, you never hear them say, “Okay guys, let’s get together for our mission statement, what’s our mission statement going to be? How are we going to advertise ourselves to the world, how are we going to explain ourselves to the world? What are we going to do, let’s divide up the tasks, the jobs, and who’s going to be here, or who is going to do this?”

But this is how we look at our service. Our first meetings are to organise tasks, when the early church spent their time together in prayer. The work of the church is to pray, and to be a worshipping community. Ask yourself, how am I part of the church? I may know theology, doctrine, dogma but I am first a worshipper of the church.

As a worshipper in the church, how do I attend the services? How do I participate in the services? How do I come to church? What do I seek when I am coming to church? This directly affects your personal life. Our personal devotion cannot be separated from the church.

“Personal devotion and community worship belong intimately together, and each of them is genuine and authentic, and truly Christian, only through the other.” – Georges Florovsky

When we come together to pray, it presupposes and requires that we pray as individuals. When we come together as a church, we are supposed to come as individuals who pray by themselves at home coming together to pray as a group. This isn’t the only time you should be praying. The church is a gathering of people who pray. Personal prayer itself, is only possible because we belong to the group, the community. Since no person is a Christian except as a member of the body, even in the solitude of our chamber, when we enter into the inner room, we pray as a member of the redeemed community as a church. And that when we worship God, in spirit or truth, we can’t worship in one way or the other.

I can’t say I come to church but my actual worship is when I am alone. My worship at church should reflect my worship at home. The problem is that we put one over the other. And both can turn over to something terrible. When personal prayer become, “I, me, I want this, I asked for this, I need this…” This is not a prayer of the church but a disconnection.

In church, we pray for, “Our fathers and brethren who have fallen asleep repose their souls.” And, “Heal those who are sick. Visit the sick among your people, heal them.” We do not pray on behalf of ourselves but on behalf of the entire church community and it’s important to understand that WE, as a community, are entering the church and pray with the church.

The most important parts of the Liturgy, when the priest calls for the Holy Spirit to come upon the bread and the wine to turn into the Body and the Blood. He doesn’t say “I” ask You. He says “WE” as a community, “ask You, to bring Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these things.”

As much as possible, we must participate fully as a community, to give us this idea that I’m not separate from the body of Christ, but that I’m part of the body of Christ and when I worship, and I worship with the body of Christ.

If we don’t understand the words we still should sing the words because there are three things that happen. First, we sing the words with our mouth. Then we bring our mind to where our mouth is so we concentrate on the words and then eventually our hearts. Our heart embraces the words, but it starts in that order. Don’t wait for your heart, and then for your mind, and then you’ll sing. You sing first and then your mind goes with your mouth, then your heart with your mind. Simple.

Every time the deacon says “let us attend”, or “let us pray”, it means something important is happening and we have to pay attention to what is happening. Even if I might not be in the very spiritual mood, I remember to pay attention to God. We’re in the house of God we’re not in the house of me or any of the other priests.

When you see people coming to church who haven’t been here in a long time, pray that God keeps them in the church. Don’t judge them. If you yourself haven’t come to church in a long time and you’re scared about coming when you just happen to be here today? Come to church with a sincere desire to be a true member of the Church of God, asking God for

forgiveness, which He is willing to give to everyone who seeks this repentance. But we have to actively live the life. You can’t just say forgive me, and then we go do what we want to do afterwards. The church becomes a standard in the way that we live our life. May God be glorified in His church and may He teaches always to worship Him in spirit and in truth now and ever and unto the ages of all ages. Amen.

⛪️ Full sermon ⛪️

I Want To Find You

I Want To Find You

By Michael

Original post by Becoming Fully Alive blog site

“I love you,” You whisper to me. “You’re mine.” “I have a huge plan for you.” You keep assuring me.“You’re special. You’re chosen. You’re sanctified.” I look to You, look straight into Your eyes and see You for a split second and I feel overwhelming peace. Then You disappear.

And I feel empty and broken. I run out of my house and into the streets looking for You but You’re nowhere to be found. You’re gone. Darkness. Brokenness. Hurt. Back to square one.

I’m nervous, so overcome by fear. Every word I hear, every thought I think, every emotion I feel scares me. I think of my future and this ‘huge plan’ you’ve promised me and all I feel is hurt. I utter a few words to You and fall asleep. Waking up is what I dread… those first couple of minutes lying in bed are what get me thinking. Thinking about my future, my purpose, my calling. I feel crippled, I literally can’t move out of fear. Fear of moving forward. Fear of the future. I close my eyes and my lips are shut. Closed as if they’ve been locked. But somehow my soul sings a song of hurt. My soul whispers to You “I need You now. You promised. You promised. Don’t let go now. Don’t let me slip away like this. I need your peace.” I pray. My heart bows down. “I surrender.”

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you,” I hear You whisper in the faintest voice.“I do not give to you as the world gives. My peace is real. My peace is eternal. And I freely give it to you.” My heart remains bowed. Finally You’ve come back. “You’re here, You’re here!” I think to myself. I want to look to You, look straight into Your eyes… then I remember. What if You disappear again? What if I’m left alone again? What if this means the cycle will restart? I think and think and think… I begin to cry, even in Your presence my enemy has managed to find its way into my heart. Fear. Again.

Suddenly I feel Your hand on my face and You make me look to You. I keep my eyes shut. “No more hurt. No more pain. No more.” I think to myself.

Then You wipe my tears with Your hand and say with a bold voice, “Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid. I give you peace. I give you courage. I give you faith. ”

I open my eyes for the first time since You’ve entered the room and Your eyes look so deeply into mine. I see Fire. I see Glory. I see Love.

I look to the palms that are holding mine and see the marks, of the depth of the love You have for me. You whisper to me “a grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die before it can grow and produce much more wheat. If it never dies, it will never be more than a single seed.” I cry. You continue and say, “you are Mine and I am yours. You didn’t choose me, I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. I have a purpose for you. I will use you, but first you must die.” “Do it now! Please, please… take me now, take my life so I can be with You always… I need You. I really need You. I love You.” I cry, begging You to take me where You are.

Then You smile and pray to the Father saying “I am not asking you to take him out of the world. But I am asking that you keep him safe from the Evil One. He doesn’t belong to the world, just as I don’t belong to the world. Make him ready for your service through Your truth. Your teaching is truth. I have sent him into the world, just as You sent me into the world.” I understand. I know what You’re telling me. I accept Your will.

You place your finger on my chest and tell me “the Spirit of truth, He will guide you into all truth my son. He will bring glory to me by taking what is mine and making it known to you. Remember you are Mine and I am yours. You’re already living eternity. The Father Himself loves you because you’ve loved Me. You do not realise now what I’m doing, but later you will understand. I love you.” I feel Your peace. I know Your truth.

Then You, my Creator, get down on Your knees in my little room and begin to wash my feet and You whisper “I love you beyond measure my son.” I get down on my knees and hug You. I love You Jesus. I really do. I stay in the stillness of Your arms for what seems like eternity, then You whisper “Father, I want everyone you have given me to be with me, wherever I am. Then they will see the glory that You have given me, because You loved me before the world was created.” Then You stand up, walk up to my desk and pick up my Bible. You come back and present it to me open and my eyes are drawn to Isaiah 26:3. As I read it I hear you whisper “you will have perfect peace if you keep focused on Me.”

You place Your hands on my heart, look me dead in the eyes and proclaim with an Almighty voice “in this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” And with that promise, You leave my room, my house…

But I no longer need to go into the streets to search for You. I am Yours and You are mine. I know where I can find You, any time of the day in any circumstance You’re here. I know You have a purpose and a plan for me. I know You will use me.

I wanted to find You but You, You found me.

Original blog found at- https://becomingfullyalive.com/i-want-to-find-you/

The Breastplate of Righteousness

The Armour of God Part 2

The Breastplate of Righteousness

By Mark Loga

In Ephesian Chapter 6, St Paul so eloquently describes the different pieces of the “whole armour of God”, that we must gird ourselves with as Christians in order to withstand the power and forces of the enemy.

The thought of placing physical armour can be likened to the Roman soldiers preparing themselves for protection in the midst of battle. The breastplate of righteousness is the second piece of armour that St Paul mentions. For the Roman soldier, the breastplate served as protection for some of the most important parts of the body, in particular the heart. Therefore, if a soldier did not wear his breastplate, he was vulnerable to an attack that could result in instant death.

When we see the word ‘heart’ in our Bible, it is often about the inner part of our “minds” or our “inner being”. It is our heart that determines who we are. For example David prayed, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer” Psalm 19:14. Matthew reminds us, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” Matthew 6:21. Luke, the physician, tells us, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good” Luke 6:45. And Solomon encourages us saying, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life” Proverbs 4:23. Our hearts define who we are. Therefore, if the heart serves as the centre of our emotions, feelings and our identity as Christians, it’s no wonder that Satan, who is crafty, cunning, and evil, would want to attack such a vital organ in an attempt to break us down.

As Christians in this modern world, we are in constant spiritual warfare where the evil one is constantly attacking our hearts, therefore we must gird ourselves with the breastplate of righteousness. If we do not protect ourselves with righteousness, we open ourselves up to attack from the enemy and can fall into sin and spiritual death.

Unfortunately, our sinful nature often gets in the way of living an upright life. When we decide to live based on our own desires rather than God’s, we make decisions that are harmful to ourselves and others. Romans 8:6 says, “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

One of the ways the Bible defines righteousness is in terms of God’s commandments: “My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness” Psalm 119:172. Therefore, it’s clear God’s commandments are righteousness and we can put on this breastplate by obeying God in our lives. It is important to become more aware of the decisions we make, we can determine whether or not they are following God’s Will by actively tuning into his wavelength everyday of our lives. In addition, we can ask Him to give us the strength to live righteously. Ultimately, this will allow us to withstand attacks from the enemy and live in ways that glorify Christ.

Hunger for Him

Hunger for Him

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Daniel Fanous

In this gospel, the church chooses for us a passage where Christ says, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” John 6: 35

Then as it continues in the Gospel, we hear that Christ says to them that “My life is in you.”

“If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” John 6: 51

I’ve always found it fascinating that this gospel is read on the second Sunday of the Holy 50 days of resurrection.After Easter, after the feast of the resurrection, we celebrate 50 days of joy. In these 50 days of joy, the Church selects for us Gospels that generally revolve around the theme of ‘Christ like life’, where He says, “I am the door, I am the bread of life, I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life, I am the light of the world.”

I’ve always found it fascinating that in this particular Gospel, “I am the bread of life,” is the second Gospel. It’s as though the church is reminding us of two things.

Christ gave Himself for the life of the world. We should never forget, never dissociate. Never take that dimension away from the resurrection. Secondly, although He was crucified and resurrected, He is always with us through His body in His blood on the Altar. Although He has, in a sense, left this world, He’s never left this world even unto the end of the ages. He’s with us in His present through His body and blood on the Altar.

So these two things that Christ gave Himself for the life of the world, and that yet He remains with us through His Body and Blood, I think these are the reasons why the Church selects this Gospel, that He is the bread of life, that whoever feeds on, whoever has His life in will be transformed by the life.

St. Ignatius of Antioch was the bishop of Antioch, they led him in a procession before they killed him. on his way to be martyred, in the second century, wrote to the church in Rome.

He wrote to the Romans and said this:

“Do not talk about Jesus Christ while you desire the world. Do not let envy dwell among you. I take no pleasure in corruptible food or the pleasures of this life. I want the bread of God which is the flesh of Christ, who is at the seat of David. And for drink, I want His blood, which is incorruptible love.”

The early church knew deeply that they shared in the life of Christ, that He was in them. This happened and ultimately, when they partook in the Eucharist, when they shared His Body and Blood. In the Eucharist, they no longer had a physical hunger that was to be satisfied, but rather, Christ’s life was in them, transforming them.

St Cyril of Alexandria commenting on this passage in John 6 says: “in effect, Jesus is saying, I am the bread of life, not bodily bread, which merely eliminates the physical suffering brought on by hunger, but rather that bread that refashions the entire living being to eternal life. The human being who had been created for eternal life is now given power over death. The Eucharist, the presence of Christ in the body in blood on the altar, is not there to satisfy our physical hunger. It’s there to refashion us, to transform us, to remake us, so that we would be worthy of eternal life. So that we could be a dwelling place for Christ.”

The early church held on to this belief with a radical understanding that they couldn’t live without the body and the blood of Christ, that He was present among them in His body in His blood. Yet, if you observe even in St John’s Gospel, not all who heard Christ’s words hunger for that bread. Not all who heard that word hungered for Him. In fact, if you observe it says, even many of his disciples were disturbed, by what He was saying. How could somebody eat His flesh and drink his blood? How could His life be communicated in His flesh in his blood? Some were so disturbed that Christ even said to them, this is a hard thing who can understand it. He looked at His own disciples, as many people started to leave Him and said to them, “Do you also want to go away?”

Even His own disciples didn’t hunger. Some of his disciples did not hunger for Christ. St. Augustine says, “they were far from being fit for that heavenly bread, and they didn’t know how to hunger for it.” For this bread requires the hunger of the inner person. They didn’t hunger for him. They didn’t hunger for His presence.

This is what all of us, especially now, during this current crisis, need to have very firmly in our hearts. Do we hunger for the presence of Christ? Everyone across this Earth now is to a certain extent separated from the Altar. Separated from the Eucharist. Yet the Eucharist, the presence of Christ, His Body and Blood, needs now to be yearned for more than anything else. We need to hunger for it. It’s not a ritual. It’s not a remembrance. It’s where we stand face-to-face to Christ in His presence. Even though me may now only be able to commune infrequently, let this yearning, this hungering that is growing within us become a joyful experience of yearning for Christ.

It is not something we should be sad about. It is something we should be joyful about, because we know we will eventually be reunited. Let our desires of our heart grow, knowing that He never leaves us, but that we need to learn to hunger for Him.

The Bread of Life

The Bread of Life

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Michael Fanous

The Second Sunday of the Holy 50 days of the Resurrection

John 6:35-45

On the Second Sunday after the Resurrection of our Lord, the church represents the Lord as the Bread of life.

In the beginning, the Lord created Adam and Eve. They were in communion with the Lord. A holy communion with the Lord. When they were deceived by the serpent and ate of the tree of the knowledge, they lost communion. They became separated from God. They lost all hope of living an of eternal life with God. They began to feel shame. We read, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked” (Genesis 3:7). The knowledge they had gained revealed their nakedness, their shame and they were ultimately rejected from the garden.

Our Lord put the tree of life in the middle of the garden, in the hope that they would eat of its fruits and live forever. On the contrary, they were deceived and ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

God could not leave us in this state. Through His love, He had to come and redeem His creation. He came in the fullness of time, He was born a virgin, He took our flesh, to represent a perfect Man to God, the Father, for humanity could not be perfect. This became our representation before the fall.

Inevitably, He suffered and endured the Cross. What amazes us is that He gave us Himself, His Body and Blood on Covenant Thursday, the day before the crucifixion. He did this so we could have communion with Him once more – so that we could regain what was lost at the fall of man. This is the Bread of life that came from heaven.

With this communion, what happens? We become one in Him, and He becomes one in us. This Communion is not found anywhere else. No one can give their body and blood except for the Lord, Himself. We are lucky that He comes in us, for us. This gives us power to be in the presence of the Lord. Can you imagine if you walk with the King of Kings, you wouldn’t need anything else? You have protection, warmth, comfort, love, eternity and you are freed from all harms.

In order to overcome through the death of the tree of knowledge, we have to eat from the tree of life which is Christ. We are empowered to overcome sin. Our Lord said to us there is a condition for the grace, you must come to Me. He repeats this three times in the gospel;

I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger (John 6:35)
All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. (John 6:37)
Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. (John 6:45)

In order to receive grace, you have to come to Him. The Lord taught us to come to Him when we deny ourselves, carry our cross and follow Him only then can we be His disciples; If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me (Luke 9:23).

There is inherent suffering to carrying our Cross. This means that we must suffer to have the Lord. We suffer to forgive those that hurt us, to love our own enemies, to stop wrong pleasures we may have, whether sexual or otherwise. We stop these things for the sake of being in communion with God. We stop these things when we stop living for ourselves and start living for Christ who dwells within us; “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

This is the condition – to come to the Lord. When we come to the Lord, we disperse our hindrances. Let us remember this; let us desire to come to the Lord. By partaking of Holy Communion, we feel the resurrection of our Lord again. It must be repeated and renewed. When we are weak, we come to the Lord to gain Communion and feel the resurrection of our Lord again. We stand on the Body and Blood of Christ.

Any place that does not stand on the Body and the Blood of Christ cannot sustain the joy of the Resurrection. Let us approach the Lord knowing what we are taking inside of ourselves, knowing that we take the Body and Blood knowing its power, knowing we are taking the Lord Himself. We take His glory, His forgiveness, eternal life, His love. God is love. We take all of Love inside of us. This is not an easy thing, but we must remember. When we unite with Christ again, when we have Communion again, this is what we are taking. All the goodness, love, joy, peace. Let us enjoy our Lord and forget all the hinders true communion with Him.

Whom are you Seeking?

You have been serving the house of the Lord for a long time.
But have you been serving the Lord of the house?

Christianity is a faith characterised by preaching, but you can say it was spread more through role-models than sermons and teachings. Growing up in the church, we were always told that you cannot call yourself a Christian if you do not serve – if you do not have some sort of service. We read in 1 Corinthians 8:1 “love edifies” so we know that service is not only limited to formal roles and teaching; it is strongly connected to love and therefore all of us are invited to this life of serving.

Friedrich Nietzsche, a famous philosopher, once stated “If you want me to believe in your Redeemer, then you’ve got to look a lot more redeemed.” How you might ask? Fr. Bishoy Kamel once said, “People don’t need to hear about Christ anymore, they have heard enough. They rather need to see Christ in us.” If we love someone, the best way to honour them is to use their example. Many people love Pope Kyrillos VI yet very few follow his example, his life of discipline and self-denial. We are called to be servants in the example of the true Servant Christ as St. John of Kronstadt says, “the Lord has become everything for you, and so you must become everything for the Lord.”

Many of us have heard or experienced the huge blessings that come from serving. Yet can service itself be a hindrance to the spiritual life? One of the spiritual fathers said, “You spent your whole life serving the Lord’s house, when will you serve the Lord of the house?” What does this mean? Do we sometimes miss the aim? In Hebrews 3:3 we read the verse “He who built the house has more honour than the house.” Notice that both of the above references do not condemn the service pertaining to the Lord, yet they point to the true purpose of the service – the Lord of the house. This reminds us of Mary and Martha and the war of busyness which fought Martha, with Christ eventually telling her “You are worried and troubled about many things; but one thing is needed.” – Luke 10:41, and this still exists to this present time where we do the same thing. We are sometimes like the Shulamite woman who used to say, “my beloved is mine and I am his.” (Songs 2:16). Yet when she matured in her spirituality she reversed the role, she said, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” (Songs 6:3). We belong to the Lord of the House – the House of the Lord does not belong to us.

So what does God really want? One of the fathers says that everything we do, should be “in Him, through Him, with Him and for Him – the aim is Christ” Fr. Daoud Lamei in one of his sermons jokingly suggested that the Samaritan woman could easily have been a Coptic woman, she asked Him silly questions – ‘Should we worship on this mountain or over there?’ The same with us, “Are these biscuits fasting or not? If I can’t fast until 2pm can I fast until 12pm.” These questions miss that the aim of everything we do is to attain the one-on-one relationship with Him as the Lord responds to her; “the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” The Lord also in Isaiah 66 hints to us what He is really seeking from serving Him when He says, “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,” says the Lord. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.” It’s as if the Lord is telling us that ‘there is nothing you can do that I cannot do, everything is Mine – I just want you and your heart.” The Lord also says to one of the kings of Judah “because your heart was tender…” (2 Kings 22:18). How cool is that, the criteria with God is simply a tender heart.

Well you might ask, what is wrong if I serve the House of the Lord? Especially if I serve it ‘heartily to the Lord and not to man.’ Is that not a good thing? Well the answer is yes, it is a very good thing. Even the Lord Himself served the House, when He overturned the tables of the money changers it was said, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” Also in Acts 6 we find men who ‘were full of the Holy Spirit” serving tables. I think the difference is that this service came as a result of knowing Him, it came after being filled with Him. I remember when one of the priests here at St Mark’s church was being ordained, he said one piece of advice he received was that his time should be split 2 to 1 – every hour of service should be accompanied with two hours of prayer/personal spiritual time. So it is knowing Him, not necessarily knowing about Him. It is a scary thought that the disciples who spent 3 years with Him did not know Him. On the night of His betrayal they all fled and left Him knowing not that He could bring “legions of angels” to protect Him. When the soldiers came to Him with a crowd having soldiers and clubs, He said to them, “Whom are you seeking?” Let this question be for all of us when we serve, ‘whom are you seeking?’ I was fortunate to have spent some few years studying interstate with a big group of youth. During this time, I can really say that I knew them very well, yet with the Lord how is it that we spend all this time in His house and still do not know Him? The Lord says this verse to His disciples but I feel like He is also speaking to us; “Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? (Mark 8:17).

I love the ministry of John the Baptist and how he was commissioned by the Lord. When the people said to him ‘who are you?’ he knew who he was! He quoted to them an Old Testament verse about himself! “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness…” (Isaiah 40:3). He was chosen by the Lord of the house for a specific role, he did not serve on his own accord. How about us? Do we serve on our own accord? Look at Pope Kyrillos VI who ran away from everything who said “I would have loved to live as a stranger on the earth”, the motto of his life which he used to hang on his door; “forsake worldly pleasures, and God will love you. Renounce what people possess in their hands, and people will love you.” So we see that even letting go of ‘self-appointed’ service which we may be doing to fill a void of boredom or to feel good about our self, we see that when we give it up then the Lord really chases us with His will, with true service. The desert fathers used to advise their children saying, “Refuse any virtue which the devil offers with the intention of destroying another virtue which you have, and say to them,

‘This virtue is good, but for the sake of God I do not want it.’“

One time I asked one of the well-known servants in the Church to help MC a certain church event. He declined, and his response was very touching; “I have had enough taking credit for services I am not involved in.”

St. Seraphim of Sarov says, “the true aim of our Christian life consists of the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. As for fasts, and vigils, and prayer, and almsgiving, and every good deed done for Christ’s sake, they are only means of acquiring the Holy Spirit of God. Mark my words, only good deeds done for Christ’s sake brings us the fruits of the Holy Spirit. All that is not done for Christ’s sake, even though it be good, brings neither reward in the future life nor the grace of God in this life.” One of the common phrases that the prophets used to say was, “as the Lord lives, before whom I stand.” They knew whom they served. It should be the same with us. Let us not count it as a day lived or as service if there was no encounter with the Lord. Let us remember that the Lord can say to us, “I do not know you.” (Luke 13:27). Also the devil can mock us by saying, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” (Acts 19:15).

The question is, how do we know if we serve the Lord of the House? The answer is if we have a desire to spend time with Him alone. Pope Shenouda III says, “It is amazing how many people prefer service more than prayer. And reading more than prayer. And contemplation more than prayer. And attending religious gatherings more than prayer. That is why they fail in their relationship with God. They therefore pray, read, have a service and attend their meetings, but are separated from God. There is no relationship.” So our prayer life should be our service to Him. A servant once answered someone who asked him; “How long have you been preparing for this sermon?” And he answered “40 years”, i.e. all his personal experiences during the past 40 years of his life. So we see that what we do in our rooms in private affects the thousands around us, this is how we serve the Lord of the House. On the contrary if we, like Jonah the prophet and the older brother in the story of the prodigal son, become upset when others come back to God or when they find favour in the eyes of God, then how can we say that we truly serve Him? We need to pray with King David, “Enlarge my heart” (Psalm 119:32) & with Sir Francis Drake; “Disturb us O Lord when we are so comfortable with ourselves.”

In conclusion it is good to mention that this topic needs wisdom and discretion along with our confession father. Yet it is safe to say that the best way to serve the Lord of the House is to know Him and to be fixed with Him. When we know Him we know love (because God is love), we know wisdom, we know everything. Let us remember that the most powerful people living in the world today are the ones who can move the hand of God in prayer, when they pray, God listens to them. It is interesting to note that St. Augustine mentions that a priest lying on his sick bed, may be more effective in his service than with all his preaching. With this in mind, let us pray and aspire to be like this and let us say with Pope Kyrillos VI, “Let us disappear so that God can become manifested in His glory.”

Leadership Principles

By John

Original post by Becoming Fully Alive blogsite

I had an interview with Amazon not too long ago (for those out there who are curious, yes I got an offer and no this specific offer did not end up working out).

Besides the abnormal six hour length of the in-person phase, what struck me was their preoccupation with consistently asking me about what they call their leadership principles. Amazon’s ranking as the most valuable company currently oscillates anywhere in the top five so there must be something to these principles that they are so fond of. As I became familiar with them I realized that these principles are already found in our mother, the Church, in a much more deep and meaningful way.

Let us, therefore, walk through the principles one by one and make sure that we become the following type of leader in our own local parish:

Customer Obsession

Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.

In the Church, who is our “customer”?

It’s probably not the first thing that comes to your mind. It is NOT the congregant; it is not the people who gather. Rather it is the One whom we gather to worship. He is our goal and aim. He is the One whom we seek to please.

“do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10)

It is not about us. It is about Him. Worship doesn’t have to feel good or provide you with some experience. Rather, it is an encounter with the One True God.

Also, we do pay attention to our “competitors,” the demons who seek to shame us. Although we are not ignorant of the devil’s devices, our one true focus is Christ, the King of glory.

Ownership

Leaders are owners. They think long term and don’t sacrifice long-term value for short-term results. They act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just their own team. They never say “that’s not my job.”

Sacrificing future glory for the present indulgence is not a good investment. That’s what we do when we gratify our carnal desires instead of pursuing something to offer our Maker: “…giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.” (2 Peter 1:5-7).And what is it said of he who lacks these things? He is shortsighted, even to blindness. Good leaders are not shortsighted; they think long term.

Furthermore, my sin affects my brother, my community. That is why in the early Church they would publicly confess their sins, and even to this day when someone confesses to a priest they are being reconciled with the whole body of Christ. There is no such thing as a victim-less crime.

Invent and Simplify

Leaders expect and require innovation and invention from their teams and always find ways to simplify. They are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by “not invented here.” As we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods of time.

I want to view this one from the paradigm of serving in the diaspora. In the Council of Jerusalem, a dispute arose over whether new believers should be circumcised. The conclusion was “we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.” (Acts 15:19-20)

In a new culture, Christians will have to adapt and do things in different ways so that the message of the Gospel can be preached in a way the hearer can receive. Also, some traditions need to be done away with entirely as superfluous. Here I am talking about the traditions of men, and not paradosis.

Are Right, A Lot

Leaders are right a lot. They have strong judgment and good instincts. They seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs.

It would be arrogant for anyone to think they are always right, even right a lot like this particular principle is suggesting. That’s why we have the consensus of the fathers, councils of bishops, and the collective lives of the saints to learn from. Never one, always together. However there is One who is always right, and if wholeheartedly united to Him you will be too:

Stratonicos, a wise and eloquent monk, full of his intelligence, has nothing to say when Silouan, in all simplicity, asks him how the perfect speak: he suddenly realizes that he does not know the first thing about perfect speech. But his inability to speak allows him to hear, and into his humbled silence Silouan plants the message that ‘The perfect never say anything of themselves. . . . They only say what the Spirit inspires them to say.’
Source

If you are truly speaking as He inspires and walking according to the Spirit of God, you will be right in your words and deeds. However be careful of thinking, ‘you know what God is telling you’ and everyone around you is wrong. Remember, never one, always together.

Learn and Be Curious

Leaders are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves. They are curious about new possibilities and act to explore them.

This one is pretty straightforward. Our Church has such richness and depth. There is an endless amount of things to learn until we come to “the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” We should not be afraid to be exposed to new ideas that we can critically examine in the Light of the Truth of Christ.

“Let books be your dining table and you shall find delight. Let them be your mattress and you will sleep restful nights.” (St. Ephraim the Syrian)

Hire and Develop the Best

Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion. They recognize exceptional talent, and willingly move them throughout the organization. Leaders develop leaders and take seriously their role in coaching others. We work on behalf of our people to invent mechanisms for development like Career Choice.

The Church has something better than Career Choice. She has discipleship. Too many church leaders are overburdened by the load they have to carry because the work is not delegated well to the rest of the people:

So the Lord said to Moses: “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone. (Numbers 11:16-17)

Good leaders empower others to make a change. A sign of good leadership is the birth of strong, willing, and capable leaders.

Insist on the Highest Standards

Leaders have relentlessly high standards — many people may think these standards are unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar and drive their teams to deliver high quality products, services, and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed so they stay fixed.

As Christians, holiness is our standard. True church leaders spurn others on to repent, not just by preaching about it but by modeling it in their own lives. If we break the chain of sin in our lives, those around us and those who come after us will be better off for it. We never lower our standard of holiness knowing that we are called to be holy as He is holy and even called to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect.

Pursue … holiness, without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).

Let us encourage one another to serve one another with love and humility, with Christ as the head and the goal.

Original blog found at http://becomingfullyalive.com/leadership-principles-part-1/

Gird your Waist with Truth

The Armour of God Part 1

Gird your Waist with Truth

By David Tadros

How many times are we inclined to rest our hands on our waist due to our fatigue, as if it is our main source of support? Did you know that the girdle used in war serves the purpose of strengthening the soldier’s waist, that is, his foundation of support? So then, what does it mean when we say to gird our waists with truth? And how does this truth give strength to our spiritual foundation, that we are in need of in our daily struggle with temptation?

To gird, or to secure one’s waist with truth, is a concept that is reflected on by St Paul in his letter to the church of Ephesus. But before we begin to understand what it means to gird our waists with truth, we must understand what the truth is that St Paul is denoting.

‘From what we read of the Lord our Savior, throughout the Scriptures, it is manifestly clear that the whole armour of Christ is the Saviour Himself. It is He whom we are asked to “put on.” It is one and the same thing to say “Put on the whole armour of God” and “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Our belt is truth and our breastplate is righteousness. The Savior is also called both “truth” and “righteousness.” So no one can doubt that He Himself is that very belt and breastplate.’ – St Jerome

In this light we are able to see that, in fact, all the different pieces of the armour of God are indeed referring to Christ! And when we put on the armour of God, we are putting on Christ Himself. We become enveloped by His power and protection and He becomes our defence. Just as the soldier’s foundation of support is strengthened by his girdle, so too is our spiritual foundation strengthened when we gird our waists with Christ, the Truth. Through this strength from Christ we can then stand, like St Paul says, to the wiles of the devil.

Who then is able to receive this truth, that is Christ?

²⁵At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. ²⁶Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. –Matthew 11:25-26

The real truth is not for the wise, nor those with high intellect, but rather it is revealed to the babes. It is for those who are simple in their ways, trusting God in all things and for all things. Even for the simple, this truth is not made up by their own understanding but rather it comes as a revelation from Christ. Therefore, we must humble ourselves to the simplicity of babes so we may accept the truth, that is Christ. For to those who are called saints, to them the mystery of truth has been revealed. For as it says in Colossians 1:26-27,

^“2⁶the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. ²⁷To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Let us then seek and gird our waist with the Truth, that is Christ, with all humility, in the hope that we may receive His strength against the temptations of the devil.

The Church: Why It Matters

The Church: Why It Matters

By Sara Malak

Original post by Becoming Fully Alive blogsite

In a world in which we are constantly bombarded with a need to be and to do, where we are frequently asked “what do you do? what do you want to be?” We seem to have lost a clear vision of what we are here for.

In the midst of the noise of trying to figure out who we want to be and what we must become, we hear a church bell ring, a symphony of praise, and a gathering of people like you and me. We have joined them many times but in the busyness of all the running around and our sweeping thoughts we did not notice what was happening, our senses could not be still, could not behold the great and awesome Presence before us.

Other times we were too busy all together – too busy trying to be busy – to take off our shoes, walk on holy ground, and enter into the divine place in which the Divine offers Himself. Consequently, we have hindered the body we are part of from being whole and unshaken.

You see, this great hostility that lies between the world and the church, as though the church were somehow pulling us away from moving forward and the world pushing us towards becoming something or someone, is a lie. It’s a lie that we have chosen to believe and commit our lives to living, but it is in striving to live that lie that we have silenced Truth. Since ‘Satan is a liar and the father of it’ (John 8:44) and ‘he who is of the devil has no part in Him’ (John 14:30) the more we pursue that lie the more we are left lifeless.

We are not here to ‘move forward’ to somehow be the masters of our destiny, or to ‘save’ the world. Indeed, I cannot even help myself, let alone be of use to the world. That is where the secret lies.

The church is a gathering of people who have dared to step away from that lie and allowed themselves to be useless for a moment, a people who are not afraid to know and see that they are broken, wounded, and lifeless. They come as one body and partake of one Loaf. Here they know there is no special ‘use’ to them, you do not receive a bigger portion because you are particularly useful, no my dear you receive all that is offered, you receive the fullness of Life, you receive Him who is Life, simply because you have come. You have come with a heart open to receive and not an ego too puffed up to believe it is in need.

Pour out your entire ego O my soul that the uncontainable may find room in that small heart of yours. Come knowing that your uselessness is not despised – it is welcome! It is welcome and it is given to stand in heaven on earth, where the Angels come down and we ascend, where the heavenly and earthly unite, and we stand before the only One who was and is and is to come.

Ephesians 2:10 says we are God’s workmanship. Workmanship or masterpiece in Greek translates to poem. We are God’s poem. What is a poem? Dare I say it – it is a useless thing! It is a beautiful, soulful, completely and utterly useless thing. In the language of today’s hustling and bustling world, things that are of no practical use are eliminated. But do you realize how much beauty we miss out on? You are God’s poem. He delights in you, he takes pleasure in you, He was thinking of you before you even came to be. He loves you and remains to adore you.

And to commune with His precious poem, to meet with you in a real and intimate way, He offers you His flesh and blood that you may have a share and inheritance with Him and his family, the saints who have pleased Him since the beginning. So that you can continue to live your life each day not believing the lie and striving to be something but living bravely and faithfully as the flesh and blood of Christ. So that the sound of that church bell ringing may be the sound we hear when you walk by reminding us we are on holy ground and so that your whole life may be a symphony of praise, that Christ may be seen in you, that pure precious temple in which He dwells.

The Church, why then does it matter? It matters because you matter; you are a beautiful, useless, gratuitous being who is called to make Christ incarnate in everything you do; you are the Church.

Original blog found at- http://becomingfullyalive.com/the-church-why-it-matters/

He Blessed, He Broke, He Gave

He Blessed, He Broke, He Gave

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Mark Basily

This is the First Sunday after the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. After the resurrection of Christ, our Lord appeared to many of His disciples and to others many times. If you read through the Gospels and in the book of Acts, you’ll be able to see at least twelve documented times that Jesus appeared after His resurrection. There probably may have been more that were not documented.

In one of these appearances He appeared to over 500 people at one time. St Paul says this in Corinthians, “He was seen by Caiaphas then by the twelve and after that He was seen by over 500 brethren at once of whom the greater part remain to the present but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James then by the Apostles, then last of all He was seen by me as by one born out of due time.” An undeniable proof of the resurrection is the appearance to many eyewitnesses and as St Paul says at one point it was to over 500 people at the same time.

In today’s Gospel, we are presented with two of those appearances. The first is on the same evening of the resurrection – He enters into the closed doors where the Apostles were gathered and he enters with “peace be with you” in the upper room. The second appearance we read today is that Thomas was not present and He struggled to believe that Christ had risen and appeared to them. So Christ appears again, a second time eight days later, which would be the following Sunday. This time Thomas was gathered with them and our Lord demonstrates and shows the wounds in His hands and His side. These are some of the appearances of Christ.

What about His disappearances? We know that Christ appearing to them will give them tremendous joy and peace, but what about his disappearance? When He would leave them – how would that leave them? Remember as a child whenever we would have guests over our house and it would come time for them to leave, there would be always be this sad feeling. When they come there’s joy – family is coming over, friends are coming over, but when they come to leave you feel this sense of sadness and emptiness. We see here Christ appearing, but what about when He comes to disappear? It is always joyful and happy to say hello and welcome, but very difficult to say goodbye.

Another appearance that took place just before the appearance we read in today’s Gospel in the Upper Room, is a very beautiful appearance that happened with two disciples who were travelling on the road to Emmaus. St Luke presents to us this story on the day of the resurrection, on the Sunday. They leave Jerusalem and head seven miles a way to a village called Emmaus. As they were travelling on their way to Emmaus, they were talking. As they were talking, Christ appears and joins them. They did not know it was Him because their eyes were restrained. The Lord asked, “what conversation is this that you have with one another?” One of them named Cleopus answered and said, “are you the only stranger in Jerusalem and have you not known the things which happened there these days?” Christ entertains the question and says, “what things?”

They then said to Him,

“The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.” (Luke 24:19-21)

You see here that the disciples had some loss of faith, they referred to Christ as the prophet, not the son of God. They said that they were hoping that it would be Him who would redeem Israel, as if now their hope have somewhat been dashed. Christ responds to them and says,

““Oh foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” (Luke 24:25-27)

Essentially Christ walks with them and gives them the greatest Bible study in the history of mankind. He explains the starting from Moses and Genesis and throughout the prophets, and explains how all of these point to the crucified One – to Christ. When they had gotten near to Emmaus, which probably had felt like five minutes when walking with Christ, it was now time to say goodbye. Christ would continue His journey, and the two would go to their home. It was at this point they were meant to say goodbye. What actually happened was they constrained Him saying “…for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” They clung to Christ and said don’t leave us, stay with us, come into our home, have a meal. The Lord went to stay with them, however it did not last very long. He sat with them at the table and He took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to them. This action of Christ is unique to Him – the same action in the last supper and the same action in the feeding of the multitude of the five thousand. It was a trademark of Jesus. It was then their eyes were opened and they knew Him and He vanished from their sight – disappeared.

These days we are focusing on Christ’s appearances, but I would like us to think of his disappearances, like how He vanished from their sight. After He vanished, they said to one another, ““did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.”

Why did He disappear, why at that particular moment at the breaking of the bread? The reason is profound but simple. Jesus was pointing them to the way that He would remain present with them. When they begged Him saying stay with us, this was the way that He would stay with them – through the Eucharist. This is how He would remain with them. After His crucifixion and death, He appeared in different glorified forms, but now He is saying this is the way He will remain with you – the breaking of the bread, the eucharist, He is with us.

There is a story that came out of Russia during communism when the Priests and Bishops were thrown into prison and they could no longer celebrate the Eucharist. When they were sitting in the cell, they thought, ‘well they are giving us bread and cranberry juice, why don’t we pray the liturgy with the bread and cranberry juice.’ One of them said, “but we do not have an alter, not even a table,” they cannot put the offering and the Eucharist on the floor. So one of the priests lied down with his back on the floor, and they prayed the liturgy on the chest of the priest. Christ was present with them even in the prison cell. This is the extent that is taken to have Christ stays with us. In every liturgy, our Lord is answering this request of those two disciples who begged Him to “stay with us.” In every liturgy He is saying I am with you in the breaking of the bread, and he says to us I am with you always even to the end of time.

Glory be to God forever Amen.