The healing of the paralytic described in the second chapter of the Gospel of St. Mark is extraordinary and awesome. Consider how great those four men are to go through all that trouble to get their friend into the presence of Christ. They don’t let the crowd, the terrain, or any other type of obstacle discourage the mission. They eventually rip the roof right off the house to get their paralyzed friend to Christ.
All of us have obstacles that keep us from a greater connection to Christ. Each of us has some sort of spiritual infirmity that needs to be presented to Christ. What things do we need to cultivate a deeper purpose in our lives? Essentially, what are the four friends that carry us, with our spiritual frailty, to Christ? How do we rip open the roof of our heart to engage our deeper purpose in life?
Have we considered How do we do that and what is it we need to do to expand on the foundation we have created? Our purpose in life is to engage relationship
we are told Pastor Rick Warren’s best-selling book, The Purpose Driven Life, was actually a sequel to a lesser known book he wrote called The Purpose Driven Church. In The Purpose Driven Church he gives a great list of “purposes” that the local Church should aim to accomplish. Liberally summarizing Warren’s work, he says: “warmer through fellowship, deeper through discipleship, stronger through worship, broader through ministry, larger through evangelism.”
I often wonder as a Priest and Pastor, does the Parish I serve hold strong and fast to these “purposes?” I reviewed the Archdiocese Bylaws that state, “The diakonia (work, ministry, mission) of the parish will include proclaiming the Gospel in accordance with the Orthodox Faith, sanctifying the faithful through God’s grace in worship, the Divine Liturgy and the other Sacraments and Devotional Services, enhancing the Parishioners’ spiritual life; and adding to their numbers by instructing others and receiving them into the Church through Baptism and/or Chrismation, catechizing them in the Orthodox Faith and in the ethos of the Church through the establishment of programs, schools and philanthropic activities, and implementing Christian ministries.”
Does St. Demetrios in Camarillo, CA hold true and fast to the aims and purposes established by the Archdiocese? Are you doing your part to grow in faith and advance the mission? Am I? Am I fulfilling my duty as a priest? How do we define ourselves as Orthodox Christians?
Both Warren and the Archdiocese statements reflect the sentiment that a healthy parish, becomes stronger through worship and is to sanctify the faithful through God’s grace in worship.” Neither of these happen without the presence of the faithful and the committed service of the clergy. Joyful worship is key to the success of any healthy parish. It is essential that the community gather often for worship. Sunday mornings are the traditional times in which we are called to worship, to be sanctified by “God’s grace in the Divine Liturgy.” Our society has positioned activities to compete with our desire to participate in the Eucharist on Sundays. Kids activities, weekly chores, or simply time to recuperate from an exhausting week take precedence over our call to gather as God’s people. How can we become stronger through worship, if we don’t worship? How can we be sanctified by God’s grace and enhance our spiritual lives without participation in the Divine Liturgy? To continue to develop as a healthy parish, we must commit to participating in the Sunday liturgy on a regular basis.
“Receiving others into the Church and warmer through fellowship” is the discipline each of us must employ if we are to grow as a healthy parish. It makes me proud when newcomers tell me how warmly they were welcomed when they enter our church. It is a cliché, but true, we never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Every person entering our fold must be grafted into a relationship that goes beyond a mere hi and bye on a weekly passing. We must show deep concern, affection, and love for one another.
“The establishment of programs and activities, and implementing Christian ministries, becoming broader through ministry and larger through evangelism” is another key to a successful community. We can’t be defined as merely having an active building project, or a healthy Philoptochos. It is not enough to say we have plenty of youth programs, an essential bible study, or an organized Parish Council. All of these activities and groups must be charged with the task of EVANGELIZING and bringing new people into the Church.
St. Demetrios is a growing Parish and we have a lot of great things going for us. It is not enough to just add to our numbers and the bottom line. We must “commit ourselves and one another to Christ our God!” In order for us to be a healthy parish we must all resolve to do the following:
- Attend services on a regular basis
- Participate in the Holy Sacraments of the Church
- Be warm and welcoming to all people
- Share the good news of the Gospel
- Contribute to the ministries of the Church
Great Lent and Holy Week gives us the opportunity to experience the passion Christ our God has for us. The additional services, the supplemental prayers, the fasting and reflection allows for us a time to reconsider our dedication to Christ and His Church. I pray that this time be productive and allow us all the chance to find our purpose in the Orthodox Church.
