Blog – Page 16 – Upper Room Media Blogs

The Helmet of Salvation

The Armour of God: Part 4

By Faisal Dean

A life ever so changing with uncertainty, regret, anxiety and unanswered questions. While seemingly negative, this brings about the basic moral ingredients taught from birth, manifested through maturity and ultimately, in preparation for tribulation.

Just as no soldier would go into battle without a helmet, we must always enter into tribulation with salvation protecting our minds. Those that wear the helmet of salvation remain steadfast in their ways and dwell within the fountain of salvation.

These compelling words of, “Take the helmet of salvation,” leave us with a great challenge. Where do we attain this helmet? If it is so essential to life, how could I have walked into tribulations without it?

Let us start by reflecting upon the author. A life of complete surrender towards Christ saw St. Paul’s faithfulness toward Christ as he spoke to the Ephesians, “Put on the whole Armour of God.” Be bold! For in the final days, I would love that God could look upon me and say, “you have fought the good fight, you have finished the race, you have kept the faith.”

During this time of uncertainty, anxiety and imbalance, we can only hope that we walk with the helmet of salvation. If I wear the helmet of salvation then I reject the vanities of this world and “thirst” for Christ. Is the Lord, the source of purity, balance and chastity, the source of my vision?

Pope Shenouda teaches us about persistence by begging the Lord for His blessings. For us to receive the blessings of Christ we must obtain the virtues of purity and humility: “I shall not get up from here unless I have received Your special blessing and feel that You have taken me back and counted me among your children. I do not just want You to forgive my sin, I want You to remove from my heart any love of sin, once and for all.”

When I wear the helmet of salvation, the lusts of the flesh are repelled from my thoughts. In Christ, I have power. King David writes “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow”. (Ps. 51:7).

We cannot leave Christ’s presence unless we leave armed with the helmet of salvation that protects our minds and our thoughts through faith in our Lord Christ.

When you spend time with Christ, make sure you are enterring into the greatest love story ever told. Make sure you do not leave until it seems that Christ could not possibly love anyone more than He loves you. Do not deprive yourself of this love that is freely given to the one that accepts it.

Just as any relationship, we endure times of dryness and uncertainty, but this should not cause us to walk without the helmet of salvation. Even in these times, we must remember that salvation is more than mere feelings, but is as important as oxygen is to breathe.

The remembrance of Christ helps us remains steadfast in the faith. At each remembrance, we slowly build our relationship with Christ. If I recall that Christ is the pathway to salvation and stop doubting, nothing can stand against me and I will rest in the “Shadow of the Almighty.” We are called to walk with Christ, we are called to walk by faith, we are called to be like Christ, we are called to wear the “Helmet of Salvation.”

Finding the Light

Finding the Light

Adapted from a sermon by Fr David Shehata

Passage: John 12:35-50

Many years ago, I wanted to get a great present for my household to make life easier. I thought a robotic vacuum would be the perfect solution. The sales man described it as a miracle solution, the entire house would be clean at the push of a button. It would take it a while to navigate and get around everything but in a few weeks, it would know exactly where to go.

I took it home and tried to turn it on. I came back 30 minutes later and found it spinning in circles. I called the sales man and told him the issue and he said to give it a bit more time to adjust. I tried it in a different room, turned it on and came back after 30 minutes to find it spinning in circles.

I took it back to the sales man and he asked if I had been using it in day or the night, if I had the left the blinds closed or open. Turns out that because I had been leaving it in the dark, it didn’t know where to go.

This reminds me of the Gospel of today. Sometimes in our lives we act robotically, we only walk into areas where there are light. Have you ever tried to walk in area that is completely dark? Our lives are full of unseen territory, we don’t always know what will happen next year, next month or tomorrow even. Although we can predict certain things, there is a good chance we may stumble if we cannot see clearly.

But Christ tells us, “I am the light of the world.”

Unless you are walking in the light, then there is a good chance that you will stumble. You might just be going around in circles, and getting frustrated that you’re not moving forward. Walking in the light is something that the Lord stresses for He knows the importance of seeing for our own progress.

It makes sense, where the light is on, you can see where you’re going. We are not fearful when we walk in the light, but fear begins when we are in darkness and we cannot predict what is coming next. When we are in darkness, we are likely to fall into trouble. In the light, even if something bad is coming, it helps and it reassuring to see it first. Christ is telling us, “I know life can have tribulation, but I am the light. Stay close to Me and I will guide you.”

When we say, “Life is too hard” – It is true, being Christian doesn’t mean you won’t be exposed to trouble and the tribulation of the world. Christ even said, “narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life.” He acknowledges the problem, and gives us the solution, Yes, you will have hardship, but He is with you. He is the light of the world.

The devil may try to mimic the light by giving us assurance in the temporal. Our current times are the proof of that. So many that once relied on health, on riches, on success, may have found that this is now in jeopardy. God is always with us, and He is the light that remains constant in our lives. Nothing can diminish this light.

In other parts of the Gospel we hear Christ say, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:14-16

The Lord is the source of light. If I am His son/daughter, then I can’t sit back and think that my salvation is secured. There is no such thing as a passive Christian. When Christ resides in us, we reflect His light, His glory and the way, truth and life to rest of the world. The purpose of life is to be close to God, enter into salvation and to to bring as many people with us as possible.

The beauty of our church is in the 2000 years of history of pillars of light. Both early saints and modern day saints that have walking along a path. Every path is different but the destination is the same – to be with Christ.

St Pope Kyrillos VI lived as an ascetic monk for three years in the mill. In that time, he says that he, “saw the light,” and was transformed into the hero of our church. He saw the light and then became the light.

The martyrs were being convinced to renounce their faith but they were so filled with the light that they would not let anything materialistic be taken away from them. On any Coptic icon, there is a gold metallic background. When you put a candle in front of them it reflects the light. They don’t emanate light but they reflect the light.

When we ask ourselves if we are truly Christian, a good test is to see how much we reflect Christ’s light? My responsibility as a Christian is to reflect the light of Christ. Am I fulfilling that responsibility?

There can be detrimental outcomes, like we see with St Augustine. His mother tried to bring him to Christ but when he would go to church and see how the Christians of the church acted, he wanted nothing to do with Christianity. This was until he saw St Basil – a true example of Christianity. He was transformed from the moment he saw the reflection of Christ’s light in St Basil.

This is our responsibility. What I say, what I do and the way I behave reflect my Christianity. Yes, I will fall, but how long does it take me to get back up again?

We see an example of what stopped the Pharisees from spreading Christ’s light when St John recounts, “Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” – John 12:42-43.

Isn’t it incredible that I can believe in something, have faith, but because of what other people say and other worldly consequences I am stopped? How many opportunities have I had to preach, to follow the commandments and to spread the light of Christ? How many times do I second guess myself because of concerns I had for the perception of others? This is easier said than done, but we can grow in courage by spending time with Christ. When I spend time with Him, I grow in love for Him and He becomes everything beautiful in life and all else becomes meaningless in comparison.

The Lord says, “Seek ye first the kingdom and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). The things of the world will pass, they can never give us peace. Christ tells us, “I am not coming to judge, but to bring you to the Father.” Time spent with God is never regretted but in the last days, we will regret not taking the opportunity to spend time with Him. We pray and beg the Lord to help in joyful times that we see Him as the true light and we remain unmoved about the opinions of others.

?Full sermon?

Shield of Faith

Armour of God: Part 3

By Ereeny Mikhail

Each day, when we wake up, we don’t know what to expect. As humans, we can’t predict the future and the reality is, life is never going to run smoothly. Life throws many obstacles, tribulations and trials. With this we are confronted with one question; what do I do in the face of war? St Paul, in Ephesians 6:13, instructs us to take up the ‘armour of God’. There are many parts of an armour made to protect each part of the human body. However, logically, the impact of an arrow or bullet will still do some damage to the body through an armour. Thus, an essential part of armour is a shield. The shield that St Paul instructs us to take up, as soldier’s in the battlefield that we call life, is the ‘shield of faith’ (Ephesians 6:16).

According to the Cambridge Dictionary the definition of the word shield is “something or someone used as protection.” To need protection, one must face an attack or tribulation. We face these every day, whether it be disease, spiritual warfare, or problems we face in our daily life. It is inevitable that we come face to face with a bullet or an arrow. But as we said, when a solider is faced with a bullet or arrow, they hold up their shield to prevent extreme impact. Our shield is our faith. Hebrews 11:1 says this about faith; “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” We may not see God, but God is present in all things. We must have faith that He will protect us.

St Paul emphasises the importance of the ‘shield of faith’ by saying ‘above all’ we should take it up to conquer in battle. But again, I ask the question, what do I do in the face of war? When all seems lost, how do I hold up my Shield of Faith? Honestly, the answer is quite simple. It is the only way. There is no worldly solution. Things cannot be controlled by worldly means. Therefore, they need to be controlled by our faith in God. I say this with confidence from my own experiences.

I reflect on an experience I had a few years ago, during my years of studying Optometry. I was an organised student who downloaded all my assessment notifications at the beginning of semester. We had a group research assignment that my group had written up together. The assignment consisted of 2 portions to submit; the first was the main assignment and the second was signatures of all the group members saying they acknowledge that everyone did an equal amount of work. The semester before we also had a group assignment with the same 2 portions. That semester one person submitted the signatures on behalf of the group, but each group member had to submit the main assignment separately onto a portal. The notification for this semester also instructed us to do the same thing. So, I submitted the main assignment whilst a friend of mine submitted the document with the signatures. 2 weeks later all my friends got their result. My portal had 0% written next to the assignment. I was very confused considering I had done a huge chunk of the assignment for my group. Approaching my friends, I said it looks like there’s a glitch in my system. Then one of them pointed out that only one of us was supposed to submit the main assignment and everyone to submit the signatures document. I was sure we did the opposite the semester before and quickly, finding the notification of assessment document, I pointed out that it said the opposite as well. I went back to the place I downloaded it at the beginning of semester and to my dismay, this document had actually been updated but since I had downloaded it very early on it said I had already viewed this and didn’t notify me of updates. Additionally, the unit chair had written a status to tell us of this change which I missed as I was on placement and very tired that week. Very upset, I approached the unit chair, to ask her what had happened. She confirmed my suspicions. I misread it all.

Angrily, I went and drafted an email to challenge this. I didn’t think it was fair, seeing I had submitted the main assignment which is where all the marks were allocated, and seeing that I had provided my signature. I then went and spoke to my spiritual guide; someone I was quite close to who for most of my life provided me with wise spiritual advice; before I sent the email. They told me to plead with the lecturer persistently but with kind words. Thinking about this, I knew this was the right thing to do. Our faith teaches us, in Mathew 7:14, to enter from the ‘narrow gate’, “because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” It is easy to tell someone off, to be angry, to use harsh words but to be kind in the face of tribulation is holding up the Shield of Faith. King Solomon teaches us in Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” I rewrote my response to my lecturer again, this time approaching her with kind words. Again, she rejected my request. I reminded myself of what my spiritual advisor said. Be persistent. Perhaps, if I was like the ‘Persistent Widow’ in Luke 18:1-8; “And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily,” she will be merciful. In the end, she still rejected my request. Defeated, I let it go.

A few years later I came to apply for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), where the cut off was based on the average marks throughout my Optometry degree. On calculating my mark, I noticed I was 0.075% below the cut off. I didn’t think much of it, thinking such a small percentage below the cut off was insignificant, until I asked my supervisors if I could round up my mark in my application. They looked at me blankly, telling me it was impossible for someone to get in below the cut off and the cut off was extremely strict. This was not like an undergraduate degree where some leniency is given. On hearing this, I broke down in tears. I said, “If only I had got that 5% in that assignment that my Optometry lecturer gave me 0%, I would have got in.” I drove home from work that day with tears in my eyes. It felt as though there was no hope. I went home and read the same gospel and Luke 18:27 says; “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Although I was told it was not possible, I chose to apply. With a small bit of faith, I carried on working for the next few months. Until one day an email popped up on my browser. I got accepted. The lesson I learnt, is in the face of a problem, I held up my Shield of Faith. I was kind, persistent and had faith. God, no matter, the arrows and bullets that attacked me, protected me and because I held up the Shield of Faith, he manifested His power and made the impossible, very possible. God fights for us.

I recall another experience where I learnt that the Shield of Faith was the only option. I met the Bishop of Kenya, Bishop Paul, at the age of 18, before I entered university. I remember being in awe of this man. Listening to his faith in times of tribulation was just amazing. He talked about how he went to communities affected by Ebola to pray for them and had faith that the Lord will protect him. He told us more amazing stories, and all I could think was, I want to go to Kenya. I want to learn from this man. I want to experience the work of God. With this in mind, 3 years later, a few months prior to finishing my Optometry degree I booked my flights. I finished my final exams and with a month to go, the anxiety kicked in. What if I get Malaria? What if I drink the water and get Cholera? What if I eat the food and get some random disease? I spent the whole month before flying to Kenya with these thoughts running through my mind. They built up so much to the point that I almost cancelled my flights. I then remembered the faith that Bishop Paul had in the face of Ebola and with that faith I decided to go. During my time there, I learnt that no matter what you fear; whether it be disease, or violence, you must face it with the Shield of Faith. Every time I ate, I signed the cross, and had faith nothing would happen. Every time I entered a place where I felt in danger, I prayed. ‘Above all’, I had faith that God is the one who protects us. God is our Shield.

I’d like to end with this note; no matter how difficult a situation is, no matter how afraid you are, and no matter what obstacle, tribulation or trial you are faced with, hold up your Shield of Faith. Love as Christ taught us, and Pray as Christ taught us. He will fight for you.

“He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support.” – Psalm 18:16-18

Eternal Joys

Eternal Joys

Adapted from a sermon by Fr Samuel Fanous

Whenever I’ve had a big meal before I sleep, I tend to have a reoccurring dream that night where I’m drinking a lot of water because I’m so thirsty that I’m half asleep, half awake. Funnily enough, the more I drink the less satisfied I am.

This is similar to what Christ is talking about to the Samaritan woman at the well. He speaks to her about living water rather than the water within the well. This seems to be a metaphor for something so much more profound than simple H₂O. I think this is a metaphor for the restlessness of the human soul and its constant search for satisfaction. And I don’t think it is a bad thing that humans are never satisfied, it is, in fact, a beautiful thing that leads to the success of the human race. This woman worked hard to come to the well every day, knowing that the water wouldn’t satisfy her for very long. So, this offer of living water from Christ makes her recognise the need in her soul for something that would satisfy her for longer than 5-10 minutes. And the whole purpose of this restlessness of the soul is for us to find God.

Eating, drinking, lust, success, and all else are all temporary satisfactions. That doesn’t mean they are bad things in and of itself but rather they are hints from God that there is something beyond the here and the now. He lays the seeds for us to recognise that if this temporary satisfaction is so good, how much better is the eternal satisfaction of God. The joys and satisfaction of foods or praise of the world are only to whet our appetite for the eternal joys of above. When you finally move into a new house and you finally feel at home and are satisfied, that is only a foretaste of the rest we will feel in our eternal home when our souls rest in God. All these things should increase our desire for the One that can be the fulfillment of all of these joys and needs.

Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, we take the good that God has given us, and we do it to death until it is not good anymore. We take food for gluttony, we take our nice cozy houses and we turn them into an obsession with mansions, our praise from others becomes an obsession and a desire to always be the best, even the intimacy between our spouses becomes an uncontrollable drive that is never satisfied. We tend to want to stay in these temporary joys forgetting that there are eternal joys waiting for us if we just continue to the source of all peace.

St Augustine famously prays;

“Lord, You have made us for Yourself and our heart in restless until it finds rest in You.”

God has given all these good and simple things, let us go to the source of that goodness. Our hearts will never be restless and ever searching until it finds rest in God. It is good to be restless and always want more, but every good feeling on earth exists to remind us that God who gives these feelings can give us so much more.

C.S. Lewis says a very beautiful quote;

“if we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

If you find you are never satisfied, it is a reminder that this place is just temporary and is only a foretaste of the glory to come. Let us not mistake God for something much less than He is. Let’s not mistake Him for our success, comfort, happiness, and family; let’s not make these things our God as He is much greater than these.

Even when we find God we should not be satisfied; we should continue searching as God is like an infinite sea and the more, we search in him the more we find. When God is found by us, He fills us completely but there is still more, and we can search for more. This is how we utilise our restlessness. God satisfies us completely but leaves us panting for more.

Psalm 42 says, “As the dear pants for the water, as so my soul pants after You Oh God.”

The aching in our hearts that is always there is God telling us is that all of these joys can be found in Him. So, I think this is the call for us to not look for satisfaction in these temporary joys, so let’s try to start to go deeper into God to taste the living waters that all these things point to.

? Full sermon ?

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 ⛪️

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/