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Does God Care?

Does God Care?

By Demiana Salib

Does God really care about me – what coronavirus will do to my life? If coronavirus has put my education or career on hold? One answer to this would be no, salvation is what matters and for as long as I get there, it doesn’t matter how I got there. God only cares about my salvation, true? No, and this is the most insulting line of thought we, as humans, have ever conjured.

I have never really understood the parable of the unjust steward (Matthew 6:26-34) but the final message is nice – “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much,” so I’m generally happy to overlook the parable, but nothing our Lord said can be ignorantly overlooked.

Imagine a servant that devoted so much time and effort into the church. Anything that needed to be done, they could do, and in record time, too. But they would go home completely exhausted to the extent that they didn’t have time to pray. They did good, their actions were good, their intentions were good, but they didn’t have a personal relationship with God.

In unusual circumstances, their services began to be taken away from them. They had nothing left. In their distress, they consulted their father of confession;

“Why isn’t He letting me serve, and I know I need to pray, but I was doing good!”

Their father of confession replied, “He’s not letting you serve until you pray. He loves you very much and you need to see that first, spend this time in prayer.”

Could this servant be our modern day unjust steward? If I continually serve but do not pray, am I wasting my Master’s goods? When God asks me to give an account for my stewardship, how will I answer Him? Will it be, “God I spoke to you daily, you were a part of every aspect of my life.” Or will I struggle to even recognise Him?

Jesus spoke this parable to the Pharisees that judged Him for His love for sinners. For they knew the law, they knew how to appear before the people. They thought they could steal the Kingdom in the same way they fooled the people into believing that they were the most righteous of all men. With the recent closure of many churches worldwide, we are faced with a similar reality check. Is my relationship with God based on a fulfillment of commandments and services of the church, or is there more?

Our relationship with God runs so much deeper than set church services and just doing good. Our modern servant did good, but I can’t even guarantee that my outward display comes close to this. I read this parable and get lost at the unjust steward that went to his master’s debtors and told the one that owed 100 measures of oil to give back 50 and to the one that owed 100 measures of wheat to give back 80. This is not good, it’s deceitful and he’s not getting back what his master was owed. Why does the master commend his shrewdness? I feel like he was just digging his own hole deeper out of desperation.

Instead of reading this as an outsider, I need to read it as if I were the unjust steward. My church has been taken away and I need God, so I need to find another way to love and serve Him. For the unjust steward, the thought of his stewardship being taken away from him was the wake-up call he needed to work and act differently because he could not the face the loss. I will do whatever it takes to give back to my God what He is owed. If I can’t spend time with Him in church, I will try to make up for it at home, even if I think it will not measure up.

It is no longer a matter of, “Does God care?” but “God, I need You to care,” and He does; “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26)

If I think that God does not care about me, that is not a reflection of Him, but a reflection of me. While I am caught up in life, He is still caught up in me, if there is any consolation to coronavirus, it is the time it has forced me to spend with my Beloved. The ones that love you are the ones that gets excited by what makes you excited, the ones that are sad when you are sad, the ones that are happy when you are happy. How could you ever question that your loved ones cared about you? God is greater than these! If I go to work, come home – a standard day, but it is all I can offer in conversation, God wants to hear it, He wants to know how my day went, He cares about all the little things.

Whenever I have thought that God doesn’t care, I can’t recall ever asking Him honestly for His opinion. If my prayers are surrounded on one external factor, He will respond kindly; “My grace is sufficient for you, do not worry.” If it causes sadness, grief, anguish, distress, then He will shift my focus to the eternal. If I want Him just as Saviour from this world that causes me pain, then I won’t see His concern for the little things.

But God starts small, He is faithful in the little, if you want Him as Father, Friend, Biggest Fan, He will be all those things, too. He loves you with an everlasting love and will do anything to have a meaningful relationship with you.

Once we have daily and meaningful conversation with Him, everything is in His Hands without question. And then we can truly say when faced with this larger scale pandemic, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much.” There may be so many things that are taken away from us, but we will do whatever it takes to keep building our relationship with God and serving those in need. We can’t have big answers to big questions if we don’t start small, start now, even if you feel there is no relationship and you’re starting out of the desperation. He does care and He will continue to work overtime until we see it. To any doubt that God cares about what is happening to our world, He responds,

“Can a woman forget her nursing child,

And not have compassion on the son of her womb?

Surely they may forget,

Yet I will not forget you.

See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands

– Isaiah 49:15-16.

Where are You, Lord?

Where are You, Lord?

by Marcus Mikhail

Where are You, Lord, can’t You see I need You?

Where are You, Lord, I need You to be true.

True to your promises, true to your love,

True to Your blessings and grace from above.

Where is the strength that You promised to give,

Or the peace that surpasses all understanding to let me live?

Why can’t I stand up?

Why don’t I have strength to live?

Did I forget that with You all things are possible;

Did I forget that all things will work for good for those called to Your purpose?

I feel like my problems are not salvageable,

But really, they are only on the surface.

I live a life that is external,

When all the joy in the world resides internal.

In the secret place, You reward me openly

In the secret place, I fall in love with You totally;

So much that I can’t remember the force of the external.

Help me, dear Lord, to get up and not forfeit.

This life is tough but I know You will not leave me orphan.

I love you, Lord, I want to trust You with all my being

I need to trust You, but sometimes I can’t believe what I am seeing.

I’ll climb every mountain cross every ocean

Until I find You and cease the commotion.

Lord, help my unbelief help me to stay true

Help me to stop questioning, “where are You?”

You are always there regardless of the distractions.

You are my Lord, You are my comfort.

Your ways are higher than any worldly attraction,

Help me to trust Your promises so that my life reveals You triumphant.

Let me never let you go and always pray,

That you will be my hope and help me through the grey.

You are my shield, my counsellor and guide

You’ve helped me so much, how could I deny?

Let me live according to Your will

And help me to remember to be still.

Be still and know that you are God

Be still and know You are my rod

As I feel a sense of relief You have helped me overcome my unbelief.

Finding One’s Calling In Life

by John
Original post by Becoming Fully Alive blog site

I wanted to share this simple but powerful pamphlet I stumbled upon on my visit to St Vladimir’s Seminar by the late Fr Thomas Hopko. It is a refreshing take on answering the question “what’s my calling in life?” Although many of these are highlighted in the pamphlet itself, I wanted to share some of my favourite:

“God knows every person from before the foundation of the world and provides their unique life and the specific conditions of their earthly way that are literally the best possible conditions for them.”

This is a convicting statement as Fr. Hopko explains that it is pride that leads us to say things like, if only I would have been born in this time period, or into a wealthy family, or this or that way… We think we know better than God what is best for us! It is an awe-inspiring and humbling thought to know that God has placed us exactly where and when we need to be, and given us everything we need.

Another quote that touched me was:

“…’form of life’ is not necessarily a job or profession. For example, some people may be called to suffer on this earth and to bear the results of fallen humanity in the most violent manner—to be victimised by disease, affliction, or both physical and mental disability; to be the objects of other people’s cares or disdain.”

Our vocation isn’t necessarily tied to what we do in this world, but rather who we are becoming. Being a doctor, lawyer, or engineer should not be an identity but rather a means to an end. Furthermore, we are instructed to bear illnesses that come to us patiently knowing that it is God who has allowed them and is using this vocation of suffering as a means for salvation.

This pamphlet also touches on the ‘ways of salvation’ that the Lord has given us:

“Some will sanctify their lives being married; others will be single. Some will do it in clerical orders; others as lay people. Some will be monastic; most will live in the everyday secular world.”

But it also affirms the vocation we share in common:

“In a certain sense, every person has the same vocation, which is to be a saint… We can cooperate with God. We can share His holiness. We can become, as the saints themselves teach us, all that God Himself is by His gracious action in our lives”

These last two quotes really sum up the entire matter for me:

“In the eyes of God none is better than the other. None is higher or more praiseworthy. Each must find his or her own way and glorify God through it. Ultimately this is all that matters”

“Being faithful were we are is the basic sign that we will God’s will for our lives”

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! (download by clicking this link)

Original blog found at – http://becomingfullyalive.com/finding-ones-calling-in-life/

From Theology, with love: Eponymous

From Theology, with love: Eponymous

by Tom Seodyu

My thanks to A,

with ornery irony,

you above others are responsible

for my most mature spiritual ideas

and incendiary hopes for this life.

You’ve asked me why I even bother with this (and you).

And again, I have repeated the only real answer I can give –

it’s because you have a beautiful soul, and are a misunderstood sort.

I understand why you hate this answer. Even more so because you don’t believe I am being sincere:

‘I’m just another person he has decided to be nice to today.’

‘He’s only listening to me because he’s naïve for the church and rituals.’

That you’ve mistaken me for a liar makes it hard for me not to feel hurt. But I know why you would think that way – that I’m some “Sunday school agent” here to pretend that he cares long enough to return you to “the quack priests who cannot give [you] a straight answer”, who are totally worthless and despicable to you. You’ve even asked before, “if you really understand how incompetent our church is, why don’t you speak up about it?” Because I learned long ago that this earthly body of Christ does not need any more ‘fixing’ by way of noise, and recommendations, and complaints (especially Facebook rants). Rather, it needs Christ; examples of His love, and a serious personal start – and perhaps, if I myself cannot succeed in setting this example, and inspire change through that love, then I am another mouthy critic. Though I am too ironic, and sarcastic to be that example…

I know that you are a sweet person (since you care so much about those who are nice to you and the suffering of innocents,) which begs the first question you asked. What is all this for? Because of all the commandments you had to stomach being raised here; of all the beliefs that we possess, the one that you feel most betrayed by; is the commandment to love our neighbour.

“If it’s real then why is it, when we try to love our neighbour, we act more out of pressure than genuine love?”

Perhaps it’s our poor understanding of Gospels and the story of the Good Samaritan:

A man left beaten and half-dead, ignored by the priest and the Levite but rescued by the Samaritan; bandaged with oil and wine, and taken into an inn in care and mercy. We were told growing up that the Samaritan was the enemy, but because he loved his ‘neighbour’ he overcame this and we are called to become like him and treat everyone like our neighbours with our love. But even atheists can ‘become the Good Samaritan’, loving their neighbor; like we were taught.

But no church father has ever understood the parable like this…

For them, we do not play the role of the Samaritan, but rather the dying man on the road.

Chrysostom wrote:

“Here then was man (that is Adam) lying destitute of the aid of salvation, pierced with the wounds of his sins, whom neither Aaron the high priest passing by could advantage by his sacrifice […] Nor again could his brother Moses [the Levite] assist him by the Law […] Naked and afraid we lie. Until the Good Samaritan – who is Christ – rescues us. He poured in wine, that is, the blood of his passion, and oil, that is, the anointing of the chrism, that pardon might be granted by His blood, sanctification be conferred by the chrism. The wounded parts are bound up by the heavenly physician, and containing a salve within themselves, are by the working of the remedy restored to their former soundness […]”

Since it was Him who first showed us great love through His Incarnation, all humanity is called to love to the end, without exception.

Augustine wrote:

“He shows mercy to us because of His goodness, while we show mercy to one another because of God’s goodness. He has compassion on us so that we may enjoy Him completely, while we have compassion on another that we may completely enjoy Him.”

If we tried to love everyone from our own power, without remembering – and deferring first and foremost to the lover of mankind – how could we not become practitioners of guilt and slide inevitably into hypocrisy and sin in exhaustion? Likewise, if the atheist has no one who loves them and can return to to be refreshed, how can they prevent despair and not abandon their righteous instincts?

Ambrose said:

“Since no one is closer than He who tended to our wounds, let us love Him as our Lord, and let us love Him as our neighbour. Nothing is so close as the head to the members.”

You may despair about your upbringing and your surroundings, but always remember Him, for He is blameless in His love for you. You may not accept this parable, or even believe that this love is a real contending force on this miserable earth. But I see evidence of a girl, who (though, all her life is one long disaster) races eagerly to feel embraced. Her head leaning into the other, cradling into the warm tenderness available for her. Held in the envelopment, she experiences in those moments the idea that she has found a home that reciprocates her – and she thinks, for a single moment, for one absurd second, that it may really be possible that God had sowed this friend into her life.

This leads me to your second question…

Even if, in the end, you still cannot find meaning, or purpose, or drive in your life remember that you and I who are so young have very limited right to nostalgia. You need only to learn what Life is.

Smile sweetly to strangers on your walks.

Learn humility from nature.

Listen to music that makes you want to sing and look ridiculous!

Laugh and be full of good humor.

And young woman,

do not forget to pray.

And with that,

I want you to know that I meant it when I said I loved you.

Christ be with you always.

Walking by Faith

Walking by Faith: A Contemplation on the Man Born Blind

Transcribed sermon by Marc Bastawrous

Passage: John 9:1-38

When we read the story of the man born blind, we notice that Christ does something unusual compared to His other miracles. He puts the healing in the hands of the healed. He doesn’t immediately restore his sight, but asks the man born blind to go and wash in the pool of Siloam.

What is noteworthy in Christ’s words is that at no point did He say, “wash and you will be healed.” There were no guarantees made. In this moment, Christ had picked up some mud, threw it in the man’s face and told him to walk through the town, past all the townspeople, to wash his face for no suspected purpose except to get the mud off his face. The pool was outside the walls of the old city of Jerusalem, approximately 2 km away from where the temple was thought to be. It would take the average person 15 minutes to walk this distance, not to mention he had to navigate through the city without being able to see where he was going.

How would you feel if you were the blind man in this situation? You had sat at the temple for most of your life, you were ignored by the people, you were judged sinner by those that didn’t know you. But then, you hear a Man. You hear a Man say to His disciples, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). What does this mean? Who is this Man, and could He be the One that you have waited your entire life to hear? This quite possibly could’ve sparked a small glimmer of hope that he would be just like everyone else, that there was hope that he would be able to see.

Alternatively, he could have been at a point where he had lost hope entirely. He had lived his entire life sitting outside the temple, being ignore and judge by the most religious people. At the words of Christ, he could’ve thought to himself, “please don’t. Don’t give me false. Just leave some money and be on your way.”

Still, Jesus draws near to him. To which the blind man may still be wondering if He would mock him. Jesus comes to him and spits on the ground before him. At this point, his heart would have sunk – another mocker. He could’ve been at his lowest and thought, “Ideserve this. I deserve to be shamed. But just leave me alone.”

Jesus takes one step closer and picks up the mud and anoints his eyes. Imagine the heartache he would’ve felt. He would’ve felt like Christ was making fun of him. In case people didn’t realise he didn’t have eyes, he now had mud where his eyes should be.

After all this, our Lord makes a request. “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (John 9:7). I can only imagine what I would have done in this man’s shoes. A beggar that had endured abuse, humiliation and was then told to walk a considerate distance with mud on his face so he could wash with no indication as to what would happen after he washed. It makes sense in hindsight that he would wash and receive his sight, but in the moment, he had no idea.

Something compelled him to walk through the crowds and get out of the city. All logic would have told him to stay where he was and avoid further humiliation. This man thought, “even if I can’t see, I will walk.” He probably tripped a few times along the way but he continued, for he had a goal. You can imagine as he bumped into the crowds, there would have been people that yelled abuse and told him to watch where he was going, yet he continued. He blocked out the noise of the world and remained on the path the Lord had paved. He could’ve stayed at the temple where he was comfortable. But where there is no risk, there is little reward, and had the man born blind man not chosen to take the risk, his story would not have been remembered for generations to come. Despite how the people saw him, there was something in him that knew he wasn’t the product of his parents’ sin; he was fearfully and wonderfully made and the glory of God was about to be revealed in him.

When he finally arrived to Siloam, he would have been tired, bruised even. Logic would tell him that washing his face would only get the mud off. Yet he washed and hoped. In our own lives, there are oftentimes that we cannot see, but we strive to imitate the man born blind, to wash and hope. When we cannot see, logic tells us to grumble, complain and become frustrated. We lose sight of the fact that God is in complete control.

In despair, we say to our Creator;

“Why are you letting me suffer? Why are you putting me through all this pain and anguish and hurt? Why couldn’t you just leave me where I was comfortable?”

I don’t always need to see the road ahead because the One I walk is the Creator of all. The story of Job explains this same concept in the most profound way. Job went through tribulation, unlike anyone has ever seen. He lost his children, his livestock, his wealth and his servants and was left with nothing. Through his suffering, he never cursed God. After 38 chapters of agony, he finally questions God and why He would allow him to suffer and why He would allow his closest friends to think that God was punishing him. God finally responds, but He doesn’t answer Job’s questions but instead asks some of His own.

“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?”(Job 38:4)

Had Job not been through enough? Is God not meant to heal him at this point, alleviate all his pains? But it was through God’s rebuke that Job was able to say, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You” (Job 42:5).

Job had heard of God’s comfort before, but it was through his deepest despair that he felt God and he could see that He was sufficient for all his needs. This is what sustains us during times of suffering and it is through our suffering that we are given revelation of God, for it is enough to see Him.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). To truly exemplify this verse, we cannot look past the man born blind as he stumbled to the pool, being led by faith alone. We can only pray that on our own spiritual journeys, we can continue to walk, even when we cannot see. No matter the tribulation, we keep walking along the path, knowing that God is our eyes. If we hold on to our faith, no tribulation can take it away. This is our strength in all difficulties alike.

Faith is the one thing we can hold on to in this life. No matter what happens in my life, no matter what is taken away from me, if I walk by faith, nothing can harm me. All of it can be used as a catalyst to strengthen my faith. When I stop doubting and remember that my resting place is in the palms of the hands of the Maker of Heaven and Earth, nothing in this world can move me. Even though we cannot see, we are called to walk by faith and look for the glory of God at each new day.

Faithfulness

Faithfulness

by Meray Shehata

Yesterday I walked on water, but today I held Peter’s hand as we both started to drown.

Yesterday I slaughtered the lion, but today I cowered next to Samson as we betrayed You.

Yesterday I watched as Goliath fell, but today nothing could have prepared me for how low I was willing to sink for worldly things.

Yesterday I stood solemnly in my place not willing to budge as You threw blow after blow at me, but today I denied You to lessen my own pain.

Yesterday I wiped Your face with my veil, but today I stabbed You with my spear.

Lord, why do I sometimes accept You when you give me riches but discard You when I have plenty, only to cry out again when the riches have drowned me? I’ve grown to expect the world at my feet but when I have achieved the impossible I lose sight of You in all my success. I declared with all Your people to have brought myselfout of Egypt and then, as if to boost my own ego, I built a golden calf to praise.

“O you of little faith, why did you doubt? (Matt. 14:31)

I have no reason to doubt, I sat with Job as I lost everything but I was also there when my riches all multiplied. Our lungs filled up with water as we drowned but I was there when you took our hand and pulled us out of the water. They cut my hair and reduced me to not even a third of the man I was but You gave me strength to abolish their temple. I killed a man but my name is remembered honourably until now.

What is this faith that people speak so highly of?

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11:1).

It’s a concept so beautiful, yet so hard to attain. Although I can provide one million reasons for you to have faith, it’s still a constant battle. When tribulation comes knocking, doubt follows soon after. Sadly, doubt doesn’t like announcing itself as it enters your mind. This uncertainty is much more sly and tends to build up over time, masked by stress or anxiety. Sometimes losing faith is not as simple or clear cut as discontinuing your belief in God but rather a growing distance between God and yourself, when all your mind really yearns for is His embrace. Oftentimes, it seems that the answer is so far away from the truth. If only you get a bit of fresh air, a change of scenery, watch a movie? Then you’ll feel better. Of course, that may work short term as it does for me, but frequently I find myself right where I started if not worse, until I seek Him again.

I tend to see Job as a pillar of faith. How does one man stand to watch everything but his life waste away yet return and pray, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”(Job 1:21). God knew the depth of his faith and when Job hesitated even for a second, God responded in a whirlwind saying, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding.”(Job 38:4).

Although our tribulations sometimes are not as clear as it was for those who came before us and Christ may not appear to pull you out of the water, there is only one solution. Faith. If you knew the plans He had for you, you would stick by Him through it all, but if a faith is never tested, where would it come from? If we are aiming to be filled with virtue and have faith like Job, we need to remember this always. Ask yourself, where were you when He engraved you on the palm of His Hand? Where were you when He made you fearfully and wonderfully in His image? God doesn’t just have a plan for your life, He has the greatest plan. Do not walk begrudgingly through trials and do not assume you’re doing Him a favour when you turn to Him as times get tough.

Remember Job, remember Joseph, remember Moses, remember Esther, remember Abraham and all the characters throughout the Bible and the history of our church. God’s love is magnificent and if you allow Him, He will work in you as He worked in them. Praise Him through the storm and you will not only receive blessings of grace, but your faith will be refined. “Man plans his path, but God direct his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9). Let Him be your guidance. When all we want is to stand on our own two feet, God is placing obstacles along the way to make us soar like eagles.

Set Yourself Apart

Set Yourself Apart

by Catherine Gerges

What is faith?

Faith is defined as a complete trust or confidence in someone or something or, strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual conviction rather than proof. Based on these definitions we can look at faith in a faithless society from two different perspectives.

The first definition of faith can be applied in a “worldly context”. In a world where the media portrays betrayal, jealousy, coveting and all the other evils present in the world we cannot blame society for lacking faith. How can we have trust and confidence in people in general when all we see is the evil in them. Evil is magnified in this world, the good is supressed and as such it can be easy be completely pessimistic in our dealings. To have faith in a faithless society something about us must be different. When everyone is going one way an individual must choose a different path. We must choose to see the good, look for it, seek it out. Instead of stalking models on social media, stalk a spiritual page, instead of watching the dramatized news outlets portray the happenings of the day choose the more reliable, make your own opinions, see the other sides of the story. Instead of gossiping about someone, ask them, speak to them, support them. Instead of seeing the glass as half empty, see it as half full. The way we have faith is by looking for the good, believing in the good despite all the evil. In a faithless world this is not easy but that is why it is called a leap of faith, if it were easy, we would call it a step.

The second perspective, and probably the more relevant for us as Christians, is the religious perspective. The definition above states belief based on spiritual conviction rather than proof; that is believing without seeing. In an overly educated and logical world it can be easy to be bogged down in proof equals fact, but proof comes in different forms. The world tells us we must see to believe, science says if it is not supported by evidence it cannot be a fact, but we must not be ignorant for Christianity does have proof beyond the confides of spiritual convictions. Historians noted the life of Jesus, the Bible correlates with history, this is proof in and of itself. Furthermore, a person’s relationship with God, the peace and comfort we receive when we are in distress and call out to him, although not a physical form of proof, supports our beliefs. The world wants hard facts in order to believe in something, but this is foolish in and of itself. I remember hearing a quote someone said: they asked the listener do you believe in the wind, the listener said yes, he said but you do not see the wind how can you believe in it and he replied because I feel it. Proof comes in many forms; feelings are a form of proof. It is important for us not to be ignorant for we believe without seeing yes but we do not believe without proof. The ignorance of the world is what leads to a faithless society, and for us to remain faithful among these faithless people we must strive to be different. We must acknowledge our personal encounters with Christ, the way he saves us, supports us, heals us, hears us and carries us through life. If we do not recall and remember these things our faith dies, and we become as those around us.

Set yourself apart from the world. This is the way we become faithful. The faithless society around us leads us to a multitude of sin and leads our spirit to depression and anguish “but do not fear for He has overcome the world”

Glory Be to God. Amen.

Faithful Living in a Faithless Society

Faithful Living in a Faithless Society

by Bethany Kaldas

When a Christian says society is ‘faithless’, they mean godless, or sinful. There is, however, a kind of faithlessness that often goes unacknowledged. A kind of faithlessness that does indeed permeate much of modern Western culture today…a faithlessness we Christians are just as susceptible to as everyone else—perhaps even more so.

To show you what I mean, I’m going to tell you about Percy Jackson. You’ve probably heard of this series of fantasy novels, but if you’re one of the people who enjoyed the series, I can all but guarantee your reaction to the movie adaptations. You might say that the movies did not at all follow the design of the original tales, that they were a betrayal to the design that the author intended, trading the wonderful, unique stories for something lesser to pander to a wider audience…I’ll stop now, but you get the idea. The movies were not faithful to the books. They tried to be something they were not, something other than what their creator had made them to be, out of fear they would not be accepted as they were. You might say, they were faithless.

It’s easy to see in movies. Perhaps too easy to miss in ourselves.

The modern Western world is full of good things—but it is also, in my opinion, a breeding ground for fake personalities. It is only in first world countries where our basic needs are thankfully provided for (for the most part), that we can become so preoccupied with the most trivial of commodities—how we appear to others.

In a world like this, it is easy to forget that how others perceive us is, strangely enough, not a matter of life or death. It has very little survival value, and in and of itself, is neutral regarding our spiritual health.

‘…For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’ – 1 Samuel 16:7

Yet in this society, it is so easy to slip into the selves we’ve built up so that we can shine for other people. Indeed, when wandering the wilderness, it is easier to forge gods of gold than to continue following a God who does not look like what we expect. If we ourselves do not appear as expected, why should those of the wilderness not reject us?

This is faithlessness in one of its most potent and dangerous forms. A faithlessness that is ever more tragic for the Christian than for anyone else, because we know not only the intended design, but the Designer, too.

I would dare to say, that compared to our other conceptions of faithlessness—those of disbelief or sinfulness—this kind is far more devastating to the Christian.

‘As long as we ourselves are real, as long as we are truly ourselves, God can be present and can do something with us. But the moment we try to be what we are not, there is nothing left to say or have; we become a fictitious personality, an unreal presence, and this unreal presence cannot be approached by God.’ -Anthony Bloom, Beginning to Pray

That’s the bottom line. If you are not faithful to yourself—to the person God made you—if you live your life as a lie to please others, even if they are your fellow Christians—you can never meet God. An unreal person cannot commune with the real God.

This notion is presented perfectly in C. S. Lewis’ novel, Till We Have Faces. The novel asks the question we must ask ourselves:

‘How can we meet [God] face to face till we have faces?’

We must recognise that although the world may never be satisfied with who we really are, though it may only want to look at masks forged of gold, God wants to meet us face to face. He will settle for nothing less.

And when we do muster the courage to be faithful to who we were made to be, when we finally cast away the false self we’ve created, we see the person that God created, the person we were so frightened of setting free. We stand in the light of our Creator, fully real, fully exposed—and see what we truly are. And what will we say?

‘I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvellous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.’ – Psalm 139:14

The Relevance of Orthodoxy

The Relevance of Orthodoxy

by Marc Bastawrous

It’s one of my earliest childhood memories. It’s a Saturday night and the whole family is together when my Dad asks those words us kids always dreaded hearing, “why don’t we all go and get dinner?”

Family dinner nights meant sitting around at some restaurant arguing with my sisters and fending off questions about school from both my parents. It almost felt like we were being punished for something. Although, every now and then on the way home, Dad would ask the only question we longed to hear from him, “who wants to rent a movie from Civic Video?”

You could not describe our joy! That feeling of running down the aisles of Civic Video looking for movies we would binge together that night over popcorn and ice-cream was so exhilarating. The process of finding a movie would often take about an hour; trying to find one that catered to everyone’s taste was not easy (I had to learn to enjoy Romantic Comedies).

Nights like these were so joyful in our family because they were so rare. The reason for this was due to a combination of school nights and more so, the sheer effort it took to go and rent a movie.

Enter: Netflix.

Since Netflix entered the scene, places like Civic and Blockbuster have fallen into an abyss of absolute worthlessness. In fact, the Blockbuster right beside my school burned down and we didn’t hear about it until we returned from our summer holiday. Such was their insignificance. However, that’s not to say they went down without a fight. Perhaps you would have noticed a few Blockbuster ‘vending machines’ whilst walking on the street. They downsized from large shops to vending machines in order to make it easier for the public to rent movies and more importantly, to stay relevant. Nonetheless, it was still no match for the simplicity and accessibility of Netflix.

Throughout all of history, you will find that businesses, the entertainment industry and even world leaders will have taken steps in order to remain relevant. In fact, life itself demands us to stay relevant if we are to thrive.

If you look up the definition of ‘relevant’ here’s what you’ll find:

def: Relevant /ˈrɛləv(ə)nt/

– appropriate to the current time, period, or circumstances; of contemporary interest.

So then, how does the church fit into this picture of relevancy?

Well, throughout the history of Christianity, many churches, like Blockbuster and Civic video, have tried to mould themselves to suit the interests of their times (hence the Protestant movement). One church has remained stubborn though. The Orthodox Church.

Orthodoxy means ‘right’ or ‘straight worship’ and the Orthodox Church represents the earliest church founded by the Apostles on the belief of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection over 2000 years ago. Thus, Orthodoxy embodies original Christianity. It is not a denomination; it is pre-denominationalas it has existed since before the schisms of Christianity. Through the course of these past 2000 years as such, the Orthodox church has held fast to its traditions, maintaining the sacraments and important elements of the liturgy.

Therefore, the obvious question that comes to us is, how does a church that holds so tightly to a 2000-year-old tradition, instituted by a bunch of old dudes preaching about the need to bear the heavy burdenof the Cross, stay relevant in an era that functions on simplicity? The answer: it doesn’t. And that’s what makes it relevant.

It is relevant in its need. As the cliché goes – “the church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.” The fact that the Orthodox faith has not deviated even in the slightest from the earliest church means it tailors to the needs of the world in the purest form of Christianity.

It is relevant in its worship. If I wanted to get the most out of my car, who would be the best person to talk to: the creator of the car, or the creator of a different car? Christ Himself established the Orthodox church and passed it on to the Apostles, hence providing us with the most unblemished way of worshipping God.

It is relevant in its universality. In our Creed we say, “in one, holy, universal and apostolic church.” There are no boundaries. The Orthodox church is open to all people from all different walks of life.

The church today has grown, been established abroad and progressed to the point where the liturgy and Gospel are spoken in many languages; but the fact that it remains unchanged until today is part of its beauty.

It is an ancient faith in a modern world!

So then, is Orthodoxy relevant? The simple answer is:

It’s not supposed to be.

But, here’s the thing. That which is timeless will always be relevant

Forgiving God (Barriers to Repentance)

Barriers to Repentance 3/7

Forgiving God

by Shery Abdelmalak

Forgive God does not need to be said in theory. In practice, in a life full of tribulation and faith that is not yet fully formed, blame is misplaced. We would all love to say, like Job, “Naked I came from the womb and naked I shall return, blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).

Job, you lost your children, your livelihood, blessed be who?

While we should be aiming to bless His Name through tribulation the way Job did, sometimes we can’t find the strength to even stand, let alone praise God. As Christians, we are gifted with the knowledge of faith. No matter what we go through, we are assured of His grace and that good will come out of the seemingly hopeless. Giving glory to God when things go right is easy, what becomes difficult is giving Him glory when things are not so good. What should be glory turns into blame, into resentment, into despair.

It is His fault that your plans did not go the way you wanted. It is His fault that He’s going to give you more than you could ever imagine, but for now, you can only see two steps ahead of you. If you knew what His plans were, if you knew the reason why you are in the tribulation you are in now, you would be on your knees in awe and amazement of the undeserving Love He has bestowed upon you.

While the end result is what we strive for, during the thick of tribulations, where can we draw faith from? This is when it gets difficult to stand and pray when the One that could get you out of tribulation at the click of His fingers, doesn’t. When you can’t see what He sees. When you are not capable of understanding of what He can do. When you think He has forgotten you. When you doubt that maybe you’re not His favourite anymore. Maybe He’s busy. Maybe He doesn’t love you anymore. As absurd as these all sound, these are the things that get in the way of repentance.

Job’s wife spoke as any one of us would when she told Job to forsake the God that had left him with nothing. As much as Job’s wife is ridiculed for what she said, we need to be sure we are not saying the exact same thing when troubles come our way. God didn’t fulfil our plans? On to plan B. There is an elevation of faith and of spiritual maturity when we put our desires aside for nothing more than to be united with our Lord. There is beauty in seeking Christ for who He is and not what He can offer. We remember Job, not his wife, who remains nameless. We remember Job as he was filled with faith and patiently endured tribulation. You have a choice; to chase a life like Job that is credited to him for faith or at best, be forgotten, like his wife.

What is pivotal to the story of Job is the moment he questioned God. To this, God responded to him in a whirlwind of anger and rebuked him for questioning that His love could ever fail. For the emotional outburst that was Job’s wife’s moment when she lacked faith, Job responded gently. The same way God gently responds to our lack of faith. We were never called to follow Him blindly. In peaceful silence, He waits for us to return to Him. He waits for us to stop focusing on ourselves and focus back on what truly matters – a life with Him.

If God does not respond to you in a whirlwind like He did to Job, know that your faith is not yet fully formed. How else can He show you His love? When you are going through tribulation, know that He is reaching out to you. This is not the time for you to let go. Cling to Him for surely He is the only One holding you together.

Job had lost everything, he was condemned as a sinner by his own friends and felt that the God whom he served had also forsaken him. For the moment that Job looked to himself instead of looking up to God, he fell into deep despair. He started to believe that God owed him something. If we are ever struggling to forgive God it is because we have fallen into the same trap – looking to ourselves instead of looking up to Him. There is purpose to your pain. If you can’t see it, look harder, look up to Him and He will reveal Himself to you. How can we ever question Him when we don’t even know how wisdom enters the mind, or who has given understanding to the heart? (Job 38:34).

Repentance is key to ensuring the virtues and lessons God has instilled in the tribulation you are in are fought and won. In true repentance, we stop looking to ourselves. We let go of the entrapment of our minds and look to Him. We look to His perfection and spread the love we are filled with to those around us. To think that some kind of reconciliation between you and God is necessary because He has wronged you makes no sense. You are not living a life to fulfil your own desires. You are living for Him. Focus on Him and His children and you will never be shaken by tribulation. Where were you when God made the heavens? Who are you to question His plans? A faith formed through trusting God when everything feels like it is going wrong is what makes questions like these fade away to nothing.

He is doing what is best for you, all that is left for you to do, is to thank Him, repent and make sure that no lesson is gone to waste. Let us pray for a faith that only grows and is not shaken by the tribulations of this world. Glory be to God forever, Amen.