I’m not your cruise director

I have the distinct pleasure of serving on a special board for our local newspaper. The board is known as the Faith and Values Advisory Board, and six or so Christian members of the greater city community gather each month to discuss trends and topics that might be developed as feature stories in our local newspaper’s Faith and Values Section with runs each Saturday. As part of this board I have the added pleasure of publishing a regular column on average of once every two months. Yesterday’s discussion centered around the question of why millennials are leaving the Church. In fact, even within the Orthodox Church this topic has been at the forefront of many conversations throughout the country, so I was interested to hear what others in the room had to say. The conversation was quite eye-opening.

It started with the standard excuses why millennials complain about “church” being boring, and how we as pastors don’t “speak their language”, and how we must be willing to come down to their level if we desire to reach them. One even suggested that if our Churches were not willing to install large flat screens and display the Scripture text as we preach, we will ‘never’ reach the young people. Others spoke of music styles, and still others focused on Church life outside the Sunday service.

So there I was, the only Orthodox member of the board in a room of men and women, white and black, young and old. I don’t want to get into too much detail of the conversation since most was arguing back and forth about whose approach was better etc. If those of us in the room hadn’t already been casual friends, one might have thought we were about to start throwing fists.

There was a common thread among the others – we must be willing to cater to the desires, styles, and priorities of the young people to get them in Church. Sure the Lutheran had a different version of catering than the United Methodist or Pentecostal, but each was fighting for their version of how to best cater to millennials. So I asked, “What then? What happens when their desires, styles and priorities change? What will you do then to KEEP them in Church?” Not surprisingly they would keep changing. And thus continues the patter of the ever-changing Church which reinvents itself every seven to ten years leaving last year’s millennials back on the outside.

As Orthodox Christians our worship reinforces our theology and our commitment to love God with all our heart, mind, body and soul MORE than anything else. Our worship reinforces the invitation to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ. Our worship directs (or at least it should) ALL our attention on God. This is beautifully expressed even in the point the clergy face God with the people rather than face the people. Our worship is about being in communion with God. But it doesn’t end with our worship.

 

Our very way of life as Orthodox Christians is meant to bring our entire being into communion with God. Our life of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, reading the Holy Scriptures, modeling our life after the Saints, attending the Divine Services (not just Liturgy) of the Church, etc are all meant to encourage us to become Holy.

Whether it is our Sunday worship, or Wednesday evening Paraklesis and Bible Study, our Orthodox Christian way of life is about being holy, it isn’t about flat screens and light shows. It is about focusing our attention on God, not ourselves. It isn’t about sponsoring the most exciting dance featuring the most popular rock-n-roll band, although we do enjoy dancing together. It is about being in the safety and comfort of the Ark of Salvation, not a holiday cruise ship. And that is why I am a Greek Orthodox Priest, and I am not a cruise director.

What Should I Focus on During Holy Confession?

A follow up question from our previous episode on “Preparing for Holy Communion” last week, this question focuses more attention on the actual Mystery (or Sacrament) of Holy Confession and what our attitude should while we are confessing to a Priest. The Mystery of Confession is expressed as a communion between the one who is confessing and God, once we have opened our heart to Him.

New Priest - New Gospel

When a new or visiting Priest arrives, it sometimes seems as if he is changing the rules. Why do different Priests do and say different things? PLUS a bonus question at the end....

Personal Time Management - A New Year's Resolution

 As we embark upon another year, I recalled a worship I offered last year to a group of fellow clergy. I thought it might be helpful for those whose New Year's Resolutions include better time management. With some minor alterations under "Professional", this might be a blessing for you this New Year, by God's grace. The last section is designed for clergy, but a a fine reminder for anyone who is in a position of guiding others, such as psychologist and counselors etc. Happy New Year.

I.                   Prayer at the center of life – Reference to a life of prayer both in the Old Testament and the New Testament should make clear that our life must center on prayer. Prayer must become not just a private event when we feel the call to prayer, but should be incorporated into our daily schedule as a “Non-Negotiable” appointment.

II.                Priorities – We must learn to set and balance our priorities before we can begin to manage our time and appointment books. These are in four categories:

A.                Personal – examples include: prayer, exercise, prayer, study, retreat, sleep, eat, etc
B.                 Family – examples include: mealtime, fun time, date nights, homework time, bed time with the kids, etc
C.                 Professional – examples include: meetings, classes, study, development, pastoral, etc
D.                Friends – examples include: birthdays, anniversaries, class reunions, etc

III.             Art of Creating (and maintaining) my schedule

A.                Materials – day timer, outlook, smart phone, etc
B.                 Establish basic patterns for regular events per week or month
C.                 Work the Schedule – once you have created a “standard” weekly schedule you can react as unexpected events such as funerals and hospital calls occur. You will often be called upon to amend your schedule for an emergency, but with a well made schedule you will be able to identify what has to be shuffled around rather than ignored.
1.                  Personal and Family – determine “non-negotiables” ie: home for dinner, story time with the kids, etc
2.                  Professional – determine “non-negotiables” ie: Sunday worship schedule, bible studies, classes, etc
3.                  Family and Personal – locate “random” events – ie: school programs, date nights, etc.
4.                  Professional – locate “random” events – ie: sermon prep, letter writing, blogging, etc.

IV.             Difference between working and being “on-call” 24 hours – Just because we (especially clergy) might be “on-call” that doesn’t mean we should be always working. It is imperative that we take time EVERY DAY with our families and spend days on excursions, etc. This is especially important for clergy who might be counseling young families. How can we advise real estate agents to go home for dinner with their family if we don’t? It lends to integrity, but it also honors God.

Accountability

When God created humanity, He created TWO people, man and woman, to help each other. Some think of the help only in human terms; cooking, cleaning, sewing, you get the idea. BUT what was really taking place was a system of accountability that human beings would need in order to find Christ. Of course, Jesus Christ reveals Himself to us, rather than us finding Him. However, if left to our own devices, we imperfect human beings fall to temptation. Eve was alone with she fell to the devil’s temptation. Cain was alone when he killed his brother and hid from God. And most of us are alone when we sin, or at least momentarily not accountable.

There is an old Greek saying, “The celibate priest has his abbot, and the married priest, his Presvytera.” We are only truly human IN RELATIONSHIP with another human being. In this way we help each other remain faithful to Jesus Christ. If only Eve had remained at Adam’s side, things might be different.

As Orthodox Christians, accountability is taken seriously through the practice of a Spiritual Father, who through a relationship of accountability guides us in our spiritual life toward God. The Church, in her wisdom has established the practice of Holy Confession not only for the forgiveness of sins, but for the guidance of each member of the Church toward God. Jesus Christ appointed His Holy Apostles as Overseers (Bishops) of the Church to keep the People of God accountable. The Holy Apostles kept each other accountable by requiring ALL doctrine to be confirmed by the Church. The Clergy is accountable to the Laity, and the Laity to the Clergy. Priests are accountable to the Hierarchy. The Hierarchs are accountable to the Synod. The Synod is accountable to the global Church. The global Church is accountable to God. To whom are you accountable?

Before it’s too late, find a spiritual father who can guide your journey toward God.

This post is written for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge sponsored by the Preachers Institute. You may find other blogs participating in this challenge. I hope you enjoy this year’s Advent journey.

Did God Command Bishops to Wear Special Hats?

In a recent article, Pope Francis was quoted as saying he was thinking of doing away with "the hat" and "Besides, you expect me to believe God really cares if I wear a big pointy hat or not? Come on.”  That got me thinking about Orthodox Clergy and the comments I often hear about we dress. I gather the Pope is trying to bridge the gap between the younger "more with-it" generation who might consider the Bishop's Mitre as old fashioned, ritualistic and therefore BAD. But did God say anything about hats?

I've already written my thoughts about clergy vestments in general, so I won't go into that here. You read about clergy vestments of the Old Testament Temple in Exodus 28-29, but I have quoted 2 points here...

"And you shall put it on a blue cord, that it may be on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban" Exodus 28.37

"You shall put the turban on his head, and put the holy crown on the turban." Exodus 29.6

I guess maybe God DID say something about how the celebrant must dress. Of course, I'm not a follower of Sola Scriptura, but even I can can tell the difference between a baseball cap and a holy crown.

UPDATE! I was going to delete the entire post as I "fell" for the satire. I don't normally fall for this stuff, but I saw this headline in a few locations, and in the growing context of coverage of the Pope's desire to "change things up" I didn't do the proper research. Having said that, I STILL think (which is why I didn't delete the post) there is benefit to reminding visitors/friends/society in general of the wealth of our ancient Holy Tradition.

2013 New Testament Challenge – Day 18 (Reflections on James & 1-2 Peter)

Every year I participate in a special effort called the New Testament Challenge sponsored by a priest of the Orthodox Church in America. He encourages Christians to spend the Christmas Fast, also known as Advent) reading the entire New Testament as a preparation for Christmas. Each year I have done this, it has been blessing to me and I pray this year will be no different. As part of the New Testament Challenge, I endeavor to blog a bit about the reading for that particular day. I may miss a few, but I pray for those who follow this blog (NOW ALSO ON FACEBOOK) it will be a blessing.

Today was one of those days while I was reading. Every few verses, I found myself saying, OOH, I can blog about THAT….no….THAT…..no…..THAT…..AAAAAA what in the world will I blog about with SO much to choose from in the today’s selections?

One thing that was a constant theme in today’s reading was the very fact that both St James AND St Peter considered it appropriate to write to the “global Church” rather than just a local flock. Being a Priest in the Bible belt, I find many people (including many Orthodox) who consider the local Church as the extent of their Church experience. There is a growing tendency to ignore the needs of the global Church in exchange for a more “self-focused” spirituality.

Another thing that struck me today was how these three letters address proper Christian living. The letters are written as corrective as much as they are instructive. That lets us know two things. First, we know early Christians struggled with the same spiritual temptations that we find ourselves faced with today. Second, it shows that the Church taught AGAINST certain "lifestyles" rather than just accepting them as a given.

The third theme that stuck with me today was how much the early Church must have questioned why they were not receiving (even more) blessings from God.

“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself a enemy of God.” (James 4.1-4)

Finally, (and please remember there was much more I WANTED to blog about today) we were reminded that just because someone calls himself or herself a Christian Pastor, doesn’t mean they have the proper intent..

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. (2 Peter 2.1-3)

In the environment of more than 25,000 denominations calling themselves Christians, we must be extra vigilant about false teachers. This is why the Church, while it would never suggest the Holy Spirit doesn’t inspire someone, has required EVERY teaching to have its foundation in the teachings of the Holy Apostles. Something may or not be true, but if the Holy Spirit hasn’t already guided the Holy Apostles to teach something, then Orthodox refuse to consider it as doctrine, as Jesus declared the Holy Spirit guided the Holy Apostles “into all truth” (John 16.13).

It should come as no surprise that many Protestants do not approve of the letters from James or Peter, as both warn against improper understanding of the Gospel. Both speak to a corporate Church structure. Both imply authority of Bishops and the role of Clergy-Laity relationships. I dare say that these letters are early apologies for the authority of the Church.

Until tomorrow…..if you’re not Orthodox, do your preacher’s teachings coincide with the Holy Apostles? If you ARE Orthodox, do YOUR beliefs coincide with the Holy Apostles? If not…..beware.

Vestments

As a general rule of thumb, I don’t spend a lot space on my blog dealing with deep theological issues, as they tend to distract from living the faith. It isn’t that I don’t believe they matter; they DO matter. They matter at a level I don’t normally have as the focus of my blog. Today’s topic, as given for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge sponsored by the Preachers’ Institute, is vestments. I’m quite sure there are many other more talented bloggers who can fill your brain with the details of exactly which piece of vestment symbolizes what and from which scripture quote. Again, I believe these things matter, but I’m not in that sort of mood today.

MOST people look at a member of the clergy and think one of two things…

Either “WOW! Where can I get me some of those cool duds?”

Or… “Why do they wear such funny clothes in this Church?”

Some MIGHT say, “I wonder why they dress like that.” (which is why I’m writing about the finer details)

But I’m sure NOBODY says, “Oh, that reminds me of heaven!” (and this is why I AM writing about the essence of clergy vestments)

When God established His Temple, and instructed Moses how to construct it, how to furnish it, how to decorate it, and how to operate it, He also instructed Moses to have the clergy dress in a certain fashion. For all these details, I suggest reading Exodus and Leviticus. God didn’t go such extreme lengths just for fun. He ALWAYS has a purpose for what He asks us to do. The Temple, and therefore temple worship, décor, and operation was to remind His people of Heaven. God has always had one thing in mind for us humans; to be with Him in Heaven. So the next time someone asks what Heaven will be like, tell them to visit an Orthodox Church (since there is no more Jewish Temple and we Orthodox Christians have inherited the fullness of the Temple Tradition) and watch the Orthodox Christian worship in action.

You see Orthodox Christian worship in and Orthodox Christian Church, and you see Heaven. The clergy attire was all part of this “foreshadow” of heaven. You can read for yourself in Isaiah 6 and Revelation 1. In both instances, we get a glimpse of God being worshipped in Heaven.

So, the next time you see an Orthodox Christian clergyman, dressed for worship, you will know that God has blessed you with a glimpse into Heaven. What remains is whether you are living with the understanding of that blessing or not.

This post is written for the 40 Days of Blogging Challenge sponsored by the Preachers Institute. You may find other blogs participating in this challenge. I hope you enjoy this year’s Advent journey.