And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke 19:9-10
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”
Matthew 28:9-10
The purpose of a restaurant is to sell food. If a restaurant has the nicest dining room, the fanciest menu, the nicest staff, and even the best food, but doesn’t sell any of it, then the restaurant is failing. The purpose of a church is to make disciples. If the church has the most beautiful icons, the most stunning church edifices, a great choir and even the best priest, if it is not filled with people, and if it is not bringing in new people, then it is failing.
Before we continue with the work of the church, let us talk about the work of the individual Christian. I recently had the privilege of leading two retreats for the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. One of the primary goals of the Archons is to defend the religious freedom of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, as well as religious freedom throughout the world. I challenged the Archons that one cannot defend religious freedom if one does not know Christ. Religious freedom is freedom to worship Jesus Christ in lands that are hostile towards Christians. It is a noble cause. But if one is defending a cause without the knowledge of Christ, the cause becomes an empty one.
For many years, I have been involved in summer camp. We have three core values summer camp: Safe. God. Fun. Having done this for twenty-five years now, I can attest that it is very easy to leave God out of it. We are very concerned with safety. And the kids want to have fun. Where is the balance between the two? And even writing this, it seems that we can’t have God and fun at the same time, which is not true. When we plan wholesome activities, we honor God. Our kids should have fun when they go to camp. But they should also grow closer to God. Because the primary goal of an Orthodox Christian summer camp is for campers to grow in their faith in a way that they can’t at home.
In my twenty-seven years as a priest, I’ve had Parish Council members who didn’t regularly attend church, or receive Holy Communion often, or didn’t go to confession ever. I’ve seen Sunday school teachers come in time to teach (after Holy Communion) and bypass worship. These aren’t complaints. They are realities in our churches. There are times as a priest that I’m so involved in some activity or meeting that I forget that the first role of the church is to make disciples, and we do that by talking about Christ, first to make sure that WE are faithful disciples and second, to go out and make new disciples.
The going out and making disciples is the work of an Apostle, one who is sent. Before we can be Apostles, we have to be disciples, students. We are supposed to be teachers of the faith, but before we can teach, we have to learn what it is we are supposed to be teaching.
There are two very succinct mission statements of the church. The first is the Great Commission, Matthew 28:9-10, where Jesus sends His disciples out to be Apostles. And by extension, He commissions us as well in the same way. The difference for us and them, is that His commission over the disciples came after they had been with Him for three years of learning and watching. Our “commission” is read at our baptisms, when most of us were infants, having learned nothing of the faith. His commission over us therefore charges us to be apostles, “to go out” but first to be disciples, students who learn and then go.
The second distinct mission statement comes from Luke 19:9-10. Jesus encounters Zacchaeus, a corrupt tax collector who is up in a tree because he wants to see Jesus but it too short to see Him. Jesus spots Zacchaeus in the tree and tells him to come down, that Jesus will stay at his home that very day. Zacchaeus, who had a desire to see Jesus, and who is lost in between curiosity about Jesus and guilt about his life’s work of stealing from people is so moved by the gesture, that he comes down from the tree and repents, offering to restore whatever he has stolen four-fold after giving half of his good to the poor. Jesus then proclaims that salvation has come to his home because “the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost,” (Luke 19:10) and the lost one in Jericho that day was Zacchaeus. Indeed “Zacchaeus” is all around us. Anyone who is seeking Jesus is a Zacchaeus. And that might be the new person in town, the person who comes to the Orthodox Church seeking truth (and we have a lot of those right now, young people between 25-40 who are flooding our churches), and it might be the person who has gone to the church his or her whole life who is finally discovering who Christ is. It might even be the person reading this message. And on a bad day occasionally, when I have gotten distracted, it might even be me. And a big part of the work of the church is identifying Zacchaeus and ministering to him.
There is not Christianity without Christ. There is no church community without Communion. This is why in all aspects of church life, Christ has to be at the center. Because the work of the church revolves around Him. It doesn’t revolve around freedom or philanthropy or fun. It revolves around Christ, and the noble causes of freedom, philanthropy and fun are extensions of Him. He must remain at the center.
The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims His handiwork. Day to day pours forth speck, and night to night declares knowledge; there is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tent for the sun, which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens and its circuit to the end of them; and there is nothing hid from its heat. The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The ordinances of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover by them is Thy servant warned; in keep them there is great reward. But who can discern his errors? Clear Thou me from hidden faults. Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19
The work of the church is to spread Christ to all nations. That is our WHY. Ministries are the “how.” However, we must never forget our why, and that is Christ.
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