Tag: st paul

Celebration of Service

Celebration of Service

Adapted from a sermon by Michael Iskander

Nowadays, we put so much effort into our jobs, our social life, our hobbies, our everyday mundane tasks. These may provide us with some sort of fulfilment or joy temporarily, however, once we have achieved that goal, that friendship, received that new promotion, we are constantly faced with the same question.

What next?

What do we do now, what is there to do, what else can give me a sense of fulfilment. This too can be said when it comes to death. We may grow old and pass away, but then what next? What happens afterwards?

The feast of the apostles has just passed, a day full of celebration and joy. But what exactly is being celebrated? This is the day we commemorate the martyrdom of St. Peter and St. Paul. Yet within the Church we sing joyful praises, there is a lively and jubilant aroma that fills the Church. Usually we associate death with mourning and despair. However, as Christians, we should in fact join the Church in these celebrations, since we know that due to Christ’s blood, we have so much more once we pass away.

We also celebrate this day as the apostles are the spreaders of the Gospel. They have seen Christ’s teachings and continued to preach them to both Jews and Gentiles to allow for our Church to still be standing today, and hence we celebrate them. Similarly, we also bear the same responsibility as them to ensure that we keep true to the doctrine of the Church to ensure Her longevity till His Second Coming.

Therefore, since we celebrate the apostles, we must also aim to serve they did to others. We are not only called to serve Christ, but to serve others also. We read in Matthew 25 that,

“Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” Matthew 25:40

Thus, in order to truly serve Christ, we must first serve those of the world, just as the apostles whom we celebrate, spreading the good news that is Christ. If we truly desire genuine fulfilment in our everyday lives, service is the only answer.

The Gift of Service

The Gift of Service

Adapted from a sermon by Fr David Shehata

Passage: Luke 10:1-20

On the day of the Apostles Feast, we commemorate the martyrdom of St Peter and St Paul. When we commemorate the death of any of the seventy apostles, we read the passage in the gospel of Luke that recounts Christ sending out the Apostles to preach.

This is a good reminder of Christ’s expectations when we come to serve Him. There are several different things He went through that give us a glimpse into the mind of Christ.

  1. [He] sent them two by two before His face into every city…. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals (Luke 10:2).

The first thing He did was sending them two by two. You would think a new movement that you would want to bring a lot of attention to and if you had seventy people, it would be most profitable to send the seventy out to seventy different places. Economically, it makes more sense than sending them two by two and only reaching thirty-five places. Our Lord’s mindset differs from our own in this sense.

Can you imagine a new business starting and your boss tells you not to take anything with you, no resources, no money, no sense of stability? You would be left feeling that you have nowhere to start and nothing to do. Logically, this is an inefficient business model, but this is what our Lord insists on. On their return, the Lord asks His disciples if they missed anything. Were you short of anything; did you lack anything? So we see that there is power in sending out two. Having another person with them eliminated the need for resources.

When you serve two by two, you are forced to rely on someone else. Christ gave them the ability to heal, to cast out demons, all in His Name. If they could do all these alone, they would feel self-sufficient and could easily fall into pride. By making them go out in twos, He allowed them to experience humility. When you have another person with you, you can depend on your brother or sister in the service. If I want to know if my service is pleasing to God and is for the sake of God, I cannot be serving alone. If I am stopping people from being involved in my service, then this is not for the sake of Christ, but is becoming for my own vain glory.

Serving in twos allows us to experience humility. When they went out in twos and a person was healed, each would presume it was through the holiness of his brother, and not his own. This humility is key in service. When I serve God in any capacity, I must be humble. This is key to the heart of God and the key to the success of service. In any relationship or marriage, the key is in humility. One person cannot impose their thoughts and beliefs upon their spouse, but in humility, they look to the desires of their spouse over their own. The Lord blesses us a relationship that has foundations of humility and servitude.

  • But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’

Before service, tell the people that the peace of the Lord is with them before all else. In the service, Christ is looking for peacemakers. A good point of self-reflection – Is my service producing peace? If my objective is to serve someone, I need to be a peacemaker. By God’s criteria, service must involve peace and unity. The Holy Spirit cannot work in a divided environment, but thrives on unity and love.

  • greet no one along the road (Luke 10:4)

The concept behind this instruction is to always remain focused and steadfast on the task at hand. In the Old Testament, Elisha sent his disciple with the power of raising the dead, but he also says, “Get yourself ready, and take my staff in your hand, and be on your way. If you meet anyone, do not greet him; and if anyone greets you, do not answer him; but lay my staff on the face of the child” (2 Kings 4:29).

Am I focused on my service, or is it an afterthought in my mind? Do I actively pursue service or do I serve only when I have time? Where does my service sit on my list of priorities? The truth is in the result. By worldly standards, the apostles appeared hindered in the service. They had no resources with them, they were limited in their reach because they were sent in twos. Despite this, “the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name”” (Luke 10:17). They did miracles and the miracles that the Lord allowed them to perform were greater than even He performed while on earth. We don’t hear of the shadow of the Lord healing the sick, yet this is attributed to St Peter.

Imagine the feeling of St Peter as he walked past someone and his shadow healed the sick. It would be impossible for him to think he was responsible for this. It was clear that the power of God was bestowed upon him. It would be difficult not to be joyful when seeing the hand of God working within us. And so comes the warning of the Lord;

  • “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:19-20).

The reason for our joy and servitude is because our names are written in heaven. We partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, we find our joy in that, and not in the works that Christ stirs within us. Christ constantly shifts our focus from the earthly to the eternal. Even to the paralytic man, Christ says, “your sins are forgiven you” before He says, “rise take up your bed and go to your house” (Matthew 9:1-6). This is for us to keep things into perspective, to value the forgiveness of sins over the healing of bodily disease.

Who did I serve? The people in front of me that I can see, or the Lord in heaven that I can’t see? This then influences on where I seek my rewards. Do I know that my name is written in the book of eternity, or do I despair because I am not thanked by the people I served? The Lord tells His disciples, and us, that yes, we will be successful in our service, but we rejoice in eternity and not success on earth.

The Greek Orthodox church celebrates the feast date of St Euphemia yesterday (the day before the feast of the Apostles). St Euphemia was a third century saint that endured much persecution. St Paisos was a modern day saint that once called upon St Euphemia and asked her about her persecution. She responded, “Father, if I knew back then what eternity looked like and heavenly beauty that the souls that are close to Christ enjoy, I would have requested that it lasted forever. Nothing in this world, no eye has seen, how amazing the gifts of God’s grace is.”

 When we reflect upon service, do I wait to be asked, or do I actively seek out service? From the moment we are baptised, we are called to service. We are called to jump every hurdle and obstacle that gets in the way of my service to the Lord. Service is to my benefit, when we are with the Lord, His grace is bestowed upon us.