Group healing, worship is best

People who don’t have a religious affiliation often say that they keep their distance because churches are filled with hypocrites and self-righteous people.

In some cases this may be true, yet it is in community that God wishes us to worship Him and to serve one another’s needs.

Many people express that they can worship God and approach Him solely on a one-to-one basis, but you would be hard pressed to find any scriptural basis to support such a viewpoint.

As an Orthodox Christian with 2,000 years of heritage, one could not conceive of a solely individual relationship with God.

Having one’s sins forgiven, feeding on the body and blood of Christ, even proper prayer can not be accomplished outside community.

Jesus directed us that he is present with us when at least two or three are gathered together.

This continues the Old Testament way of life in which, with blessing of Sabbath candles and welcoming of Sabbath with offering of wine, worship is conducted in the community of one’s family.

Public worship, morning and evening and especially on the Sabbath, is conducted in the community of the synagogue.

In order to have a full Jewish life, one must live, interact and pray in community.

In New Testament times, salvation is seen as emanating from and being nurtured in community.

In the Acts of the Apostles and in the Epistles of St. Paul, it is noted that the church met in someone’s house.

Deacons and organizations addressed the needy.

Community is always implied, beginning with family.

When a person comes to Christ, one sees that he and his whole family are baptized as a consequence.

This continues the pattern one sees when Jesus spoke daily at the synagogue services.

Being baptized into Christ, one puts on Christ-like a garment.

To the community, it is then expected that the person should have Christ living in and through him or her self.

A high standard is demanded, and all things should be tempered with love.

This certainly is the ideal, but not everyone lives up to that high standard.

Jesus himself decries leaders who say one thing and put demands on the people and yet find a way around it for themselves.

These are spoken of as blind guides and hypocrites.

St. Paul warns people that in various communities there will arise wolves in sheep’s clothing.

This does not mean that people are to shun the assembly of community, but rather should be discerning.

A local church always contains a true cross-section of people.

It will include the pious and firm believers and sinners along with hypocrites and self-righteous, judgmental ones.

Jesus spoke that he did not come for the righteous, but that he came for those sick with sin.

The church should then be likened to a spiritual hospital.

For sinners, it preaches forgiveness and teaches them to forgive others as well.

It takes some people a long time before they get any self-insight or even the desire to change for the better, but Christ is patient with Christians, though they be slow to learn.

In every service we pray that people come to grow in wisdom and understanding. Through preaching, the sacraments and the Liturgy (the common service) every opportunity is given in the scope of community to teach and provide enlivening unto Christ.

In every church, you will find people who claim to be Christian, but do not live up to the calling.

It is a self-deception to go through the external motions.

Without the love and forgiveness, those who only put on outward Christian actions do not fool God, and are condemned.

The call of John the Baptist and Jesus was “repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.”

Repentance does not mean a vague feeling of being sorry.

Metanoia must take place. Metanoia is shown by making a choice to change what we are doing wrong in our life.

The church does contain some hypocrites, but hopefully its role as the spiritual hospital will transform them.

Some Christians and churches are in spiritual hospital therapy.

We are all on the way to transformation and this too is best done in community, where we are to serve one another and the Lord.

The Rev. John W. Harvey is pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Youngstown.