In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
I have discovered Christ and his Church, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, and I rejoice, I am thankful and I am strengthened by the Life I have received. And I speak to others about the truth of the Church, the beauty of worship, the depth of the theology, the profound dogmatic statements. I say all these and those around me are not interested: they smile and nod politely but really they are looking to escape from this awkward situation. They make their polite excuses and leave making me feel dejected and rejected. “How can they walk away from Orthodoxy?” I ponder in my heart.
But the truth of the matter is that I have walked away from Orthodoxy because I have walked away from Christ. I have transformed Christianity into dialogues and arguments on the topics of religion, of historicity, of the concept of truth, of the existence of God. But Christianity is centred on Christ. I have replaced Christ with “Orthodoxy” and the words of the beloved disciple apply to me,
Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.
First John 2:22
Yet the Lord, for my sake and for my salvation, sets before me a different model.
At that time, Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
And Philip did not prepare himself for philosophical arguments nor debates, he kept the encounter with Christ at the centre of his mind.
Philip found Nathanael, and he said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
There is here no arguing of the truth, because the Truth cannot be argued, rather he is proclaimed. Philip does not place himself at the forefront, as the one with power and authority, but as a servant wishing to bring another to the Lord. Nathanael challenges him, yet he does not change this into a confrontation, he simply says, “Come and see.”
And the Lord meets Nathanael in the place where he is. Philip, meanwhile, does not place himself as the mediator between Christ and Nathanael, he brings his friend before Christ and then moves into the background.
And I must do the same. I cannot argue the truth of Christ, I cannot debate someone into belief, but I can invite a person to meet Christ, and then disappear into the shadows. Our community is not about me, is not about us, our community is about Christ. We are—all of us—to be for Christ, serving Christ, assisting Christ, proclaiming Christ, loving Christ.
And someone misunderstands, or wants to walk away, and I have the urge to step back in—“No, you don’t understand!” I want to cry out. But if I step back in I would step between the person and Christ, I would replace Christ, as if I had more strength and love than the Lord, as if the Lord needs me to do his work: I must resist this urge.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to bring others to the Lord as did Philip. We do not bring them to “my religion,” to “Orthodoxy” nor even to “this community:” we must bring them only to Christ. And in bringing them to their Creator we must make sure that we do not get in the way, that we do not replace Christ with ourselves.
May this be, that we focus not on the externals but on the very centre of our Faith, and remain loyal to him, our God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is not argued nor debated but proclaim as risen from the dead and invites as many as are faithful to him eternal Life, and to whom belongs all glory, honour and worship, together with his unoriginate Father and the All-holy, Good and Life-giving Spirit. Amen.
Brethren, by faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered abuse suffered for the Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to the reward. And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets — who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign enemies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated — of whom the world was not worthy — wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
— Hebrews 11:24–26, 32–40
At that time, Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael, and he said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”
— John 1:43–51