The Two Important Things

Very Rev. Archpriest Robert Anderson

When people are attracted to an ecclesial community and they are proud to call it their own, there are two fundamental components which are absolutely necessary: a sense of divine presence and the experience of an authentic, welcoming, loving Christian community.

When people come to Church they are hoping to encounter God; in other words, the Church service must satisfy this desire. The service need not be elaborate, but somehow there must be a real sense of having made some sort of contact with God. It was precisely this which led St. Volodymyr to espouse the apostolic Christianity of the Eastern Roman Empire. Although often considered apocryphal, the story of the conversion of Rus’ to Christianity is probably essentially true. It is very important that the Church offices be served with reverence and respect according to the norms established by sacred tradition. Services which do not convey any sense of the sacred and transcendent will not satisfy most people over the long run.

Christians also hope to encounter God in their brothers and sisters who are members of their parish. There must be a real spirit of genuine welcome for all who come to Church, of concern about their well-being, and a willingness to socialize with them. The importance of this aspect of Church life must never be underestimated.

Unfortunately in some cases at least one of these components may be lacking.

A parish with beautiful services but a congregation which is habitually standoffish or exclusive and not willing to welcome new members will feel very incomplete as an apostolic community.

Likewise a parish with services which are performed perfunctorily and apparently lacking a sense of prayer will not be satisfactory. The same may be said for services which make humans central and treat divinity as an afterthought. If the transcendent element is lacking, sooner or later the congregation will be perceived as more humanistic than Christian.

It is, therefore, important that each local community strive to maintain both the vertical and the horizontal components at a satisfactory level.

Both the reverent celebration of the services and authentic loving Christian attitudes are necessary for the health and wellbeing of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

January 11, 2005