Religion and Relationship

What I wanted to write about is not anything new in our culture or in Christianity. It has been the topic of many discussions through out time. Many Pastors, Priest and everyday folks have talked about this topic. They have all come to varied conclusions about this subject, that being Religion.


Has anyone ever asked you, "What is your religion?" I’m sure someone has asked you this at some point in your life. What was your response? Some may have answered Catholic, Orthodox, Judaism, Muslim etc. Some folks may have said "I’m not religious. Some reply, "I don’t have religion, I have a personal relationship in Christ." In our society the answers are wide and varied.



The two key words I would like to address are religion and relationship. Let us just briefly define the two terms.

Religion - Belief in or worship of God. A specific system of belief or worship. Religious - devout or pious.

Relationship - Connection by thought or meaning. Connection by blood or marriage. Connections between or among persons or nations.



These are brief Webster definitions I think we can understand their meanings. Many folks both non believers and even believers feel religion is a bad thing. I suppose I could understand the former for thinking this way, but the later, it somewhat troubles me.


I grew up as a Protestant mainly within the Charismatic/Pentecostal circles. In my prior denomination I often heard a song that had a verse that went something like this. You can’t join in; you’ve got to be born in. Well within this denomination it made perfect sense since we understood the salvation experience as a "born again" one time event. The born again salvithic idea being related to the renewing of ones soul to God thru Christ and the forgiveness of Sin. This experience would allow one to be born into the body of Christ and not into a specific church denomination. Now that I look at the line of this song, it has a tint of Orthodox thinking to it. Since as Orthodox believers we know that you can not join the church, but you must be born into her thru the sacraments of Chrismation, Baptism etc. For the Orthodox Christian this may happen at birth or what may be also known as a cradle Orthodox believer. Or it may happen later as a convert to Orthodoxy. As Orthodox we also know that salvation is not just a one time event, but an ongoing process in this life thru faith, sacramental living, sanctification and theosis. But that is another topic for a later time.



So as I knew salvation, once you "got saved", you then began this relationship with Christ. You often hear many Christians say this "it’s not about religion but about relationship with Christ." You may even hear some say "I have a "personal relationship" with Christ."



Is this a biblical statement and in what way? Well to some degree it is and in many ways it is not. That may shock some, but I will try to break this down a bit.


Yes we are in a relationship with Christ. But, is this relationship just my own or is it connected to the church and the bride of Christ? The Bible, Church Fathers and the Holy Apostolic Church teach us this relationship comes within and thru Christ as well as the church and the body of Christ. One can not be a lone ranger Christian. Salvation is not about me, myself and I. We are instructed not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together and to be together in the breaking of bread. Some think this breaking of bread was hangin out and eating. No this was the Eucharist celebration.



Christ himself told us about leaving the 99 to look for the one sheep. He spoke of how there was great rejoicing because of this one. Why? Well it was not just due to the one being rescued, but also due to the one being gathered and not out alone. The missing one made the 99 complete and whole again.



In Orthodoxy salvation is not only personal, but it is also relational and intimate. Intimacy or "In to me see." We all as a community of fellowship help to develop, disciple, restore and love one another in Christ.



Now back to religion. Religion as we read is a belief in or worship, a system of belief. Belief is simply faith in something or someone. No matter if one is orthodox or even a non-denominational Christian you still worship God. Whether you desire to acknowledge this, you do have some formality and weekly tradition that play a part in your worship service. Every church service brings into it some aspect of culture, routine, style of preaching and type of music. I think the refusal of some to say they have a religion come from a fear that it may stifle or hinder what they deem is the moving of the Holy Spirit in their worship experience. This to me is kind of trouble some. If one has to be emotionally moved to know that God is alive and well, then I wonder what God they relate to. Now this belief in or worship of God even if you are of the "personal relationship" mind and a Bible only thinker, would still have to come into relationship with your particular church’s beliefs and practices or religion.



Relationship as we read is a connection to thought or meaning (religion) or blood and marriage. If one is scriptura only, does not the scripture say we are bought with a price? The price being the blood of Christ. So thru the sacrificial blood of Christ you have been connected to one another and in Christ thru this blood marriage relationship we all share in. So we are connected (relationship) to Christ and His bride the church or your particular church body. If you are in a church body you should worship and believe in what that particular body practices, (again religion). I know some of the new church’s do not have any structure, you basically do what you wish, they are mostly there to make you feel good and to do good. It’s sort of like attending a Tony Robbins motivational seminar, some you would think that you are at a rock show. I even heard recently of one church’s Friday night service they broadcast the TV show 24 (Jack Bauer). Ok I am moving away from the topic.



So in essence your relationship should be connected or within the same thought, meaning and worship of the fellowship. Religion and relationship seem to work together. Through out church history religion or the idea of religion was never a negative or bad thing to have. Religion is a vital aspect of the human experience. To make religion a bad thing, to me seems that the relationship experience will soon lose its full effect on the body and in the community. It seems that in the mainstream Christian world they often feel that if one says they have religion or a religion that those folks do not have God. If you look back to the church established by Christ and the 12 Apostles, they did not do away with the practice of the Jewish faith. They incorporated this worship into the new Christian movement. They themselves were devout Jews who prayed and read the scriptures in the synagogue and temples. They followed the various fasts and feasts, you even see later in New Testament teaching, that there was order and structure to the church service. Some of the newer churches seem to think that the early church was a free for all shout and dance festival. Christ did not do away with the Jewish worship and practice. He fulfilled them or made them complete.



In closing, I would tend to believe that if one is a lone ranger Christian either in thought or practice. Or if you hold to the idea of my personal, me, myself and I salvation or if you feel you could just hang out in front of the TV and do TV Church you may be in jeopardy of becoming disconnected from the head of the Church who is Christ.



Salvation was and has always meant to be within the relationship of Christ and to the church thru the sacramental life. Connecting with the community and fellowship of believers. So it is my hope and prayer that religion and its use not be seen as a negative part of the Christian community.



I am not anyone to judge where on is with God. Only Christ will be the one who makes this call. I would suggest that we sit back and rethink how religion is a powerful aspect of our relationship in Christ. To see how religion can and does keep us rooted and grounded in our worship and beliefs. St Paul often told his church's in history past and in the present, that we must hold to the Traditions that he handed down to us both in written form and orally. St Paul not only said this one time in scripture but many times. This also has been the instruction of the early church Fathers on the many teachings handed down from the 12 disciples to their students like Polycarp Bishop of Smyrna who was a student of St John. This is why and how we worship today. This why we hold to the sound foundation of church teaching and doctrine and we are not part of a free for all worship day.



So as Jesus prayed "Our Father" and not "My Father" let our religion and relationship be united.



Grace and Peace to all


Fr Elisha

New Parish accepted into the Syriac Orthodox Church

I know this was posted a few weeks ago, I thought it was worth putting up again. God Bless to all.
Fr Elisha

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,


Please join me in giving thanks this Christmas season to the merciful Incarnate Son for the gracious approval and acceptance by His Holiness Patriarch Ignatios Zakka I Iwas of St. Helena's Orthodox Mission in Leona Valley, California into the worldwide communion of our holy Church of Antioch.



The Patriarchal Document number 479/09 signed October 23, 2009 in Damascus affirming full communion marks the conclusion of over six years of communication between our mission and the SOC. We have been honored with two visits during that time from the Very Reverend Corepiscopa Kuriakose Moolayil of Kerala, India (the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church); four visits from the Reverend Sabu Thomas of St Mary's Church in Whittier, CA (the Malankara Archdiocese of North America); a visit in 2007 from His Beatitude Mor Baselios Thomas (Catholicose of India), accompanied by His Eminence Mor Titus Yeldho Pathickal (Archbishop of the Malankara Archdiocese of North America)and His Eminence Mor Clemis Eugene Kaplan (Archbishop of the Western Archdiocese of the USA); and several visits from faithful members of many SOC churches in the USA. It also follows upon my annual visits to India from 2007, several visits to St. Mary's in Whittier, my visit to His Eminence Mor Titus in New York in 2008, and many visits to His Eminence Mor Clemis in Burbank (which is happily only one hour from our mission).
We are a small group of Orthodox Christians, most of whom have come from other faith traditions.



We ask your prayers for us. Our mission hopes to serve as a light to our community of the beauty and joy of Orthodox faith and life, and to witness to its relevance to all - regardless of country of origin, ethicity or race.



I serve as pastor of the mission. I received my Master's degree in Religious Studies (Theology) from Mount Saint Mary's College in Los Angeles, California; and I am currently in the second year of my doctorate (the Eastern Christian Studies program of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary) co-sponsored by the Antiochian Orthodox Church (SCOBA) sited at its Ligonier, Pennsylvania location.



IF YOU LIVE in NORTH LOS ANGELES COUNTY our mission is now your closest church home.



If you are planning leadership meetings or retreats, youth retreats, young adult retreats, family or church retreats, picnics, etc.: we encourage you to use our facilities. Our overnight capacity is 33 at present; daytime use is 250. We believe we are the only Oriental Orthodox retreat facility in the United States at this time.



We have a YahooGroup (similar to this one) which you are invited to join:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StHelenasMission/



You may contact us at:


St. Helena's Mission & Retreat Camp

Fr. James Francis Gregory Colburn

9650 Lost Valley Ranch Road

P O Box 772

Leona Valley, CA 93551

phone: (661) 270-0616

email: StHelenasMission@yahoo.com

...........................................

Sinu P. John, PhD

3 Glenmore Terrace

Unit#1, Newton, MA,

02461, USA