Who Are We?
Fr. Andrew Maginas, January 2005 Lamplighter Message

We say that we are Orthodox Christians. When we make that statement we are joining ourselves to a faith and tradition of worship that bridges the centuries and the divisions within Christianity. When we say that we are Orthodox Christians we acknowledge that we are followers of Jesus Christ and that we hold dear the teachings of the early church, the church of the Apostles, the church as established on the great day of Pentecost.

We are beginning a new calendar year and with it many opportunities to express our faith. We express our faith by practicing the worship which is the cornerstone of our lives as Orthodox Christians. An Orthodox Church is primarily a house of worship in the Orthodox Christian tradition. This is our primary purpose, to provide a house of worship for the Orthodox Christians who attend the Divine Liturgies and other services which are part of our worship tradition. We have maintained our identity unbroken from the time of the Apostles by holding firm the faith, theology, beliefs and practice of the early church.

We have not changed our practices to adapt to social pressure; we have not changed for convenience’s sake or under the influence of any one powerful leader. Rather, through hard times and easy times we have maintained our faith in our Lord and have modeled our lives to the ideal as taught by Jesus Christ, and reflected in the life and practice of the Church.

Now who are we who enable the Church to continue from one generation to the next? We are the stewards of the Church, the stewards of each individual parish through whose support the ministry of the Church is extended from one generation to the next. Each parish ministers to all the Orthodox Christians who come to worship in it. However, it is the stewards of each parish who enable this valuable work to proceed. Those who seek the Church’s ministry through its services (at certain seasons), its clergy, and the various programs offered but do not support the parish as stewards actually hinder the Church’s progress.

As we begin the New Year of 2005 let us all strive to first live our life as taught by our Lord and His Church. Secondly, let us each commit to the furtherance of Christ’s message by being Stewards of our parishes. It is likely that each of our faithful stewards knows at least one person or family who uses the Church but does not support it. Make it your goal to bring at least one (more are welcome) of your friends to become a supporter, a steward, of our parish and our Orthodox Christian faith.

As Orthodox Christians we must also be active participants in the worship of our parish. The Divine Liturgy is the best known of our worship services; the Holy Eucharist, Holy Communion, is the high point of this service. We have become too much a part of the society we live in, because some continue to refer to this as the “Mass.” They are apt to wander in even during the final blessing. Quite obviously, they are not here to hear the scriptures (the first part of the Liturgy), to proclaim their faith (the Nicene Creed), to be present at the holiest moment of the Liturgy (the epiklesis, when we kneel and pray that the Holy Spirit descends and makes the offering bread and wine, the body and blood of our Savior), or even to receive Holy Communion.

Take the time as we begin the new year to examine your priorities, devote yourself to your church as a steward, practice the faith in worship and promote the understanding of the Orthodox faith among all our parishioners.