Series on the Divine Liturgy, Part 9

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The Intercessory Liturgy.

Oops!

Sometimes, when you commit to something, you fall short of what you thought you were going to do. Other times, however, the project becomes bigger than you thought it was going to be. 

For me and my sermon series on the Divine Liturgy, the latter is true. I originally thought that last week’s sermon was going to be the last one, but then another aspect of the Liturgy occurred to me. So, here we go with an encore!

I’ve never been in the military—I’m in a different sort of public service—but, if you decide to join one of the eight uniformed services of the United States, you don’t just show up for your first day of work. You have to go to basic training.

Now, boot camp, as it’s often called, is no picnic on the beach. It’s a seven-week training period that can be very physically demanding. In popular culture, we’re used to hearing about drill sergeants who run their crew absolutely ragged. There’s marching, physical exercise, weapon training, more marching, strict diets, and, still, more marching.

As grueling as boot camp is, it’s necessary if you want a well formed and discipled military. Additionally, I don’t think any soldier would want to enter a war zone without some preparation and training. 

Becoming, or even being a Christian, is very much like joining the military. Yes, we have a hierarchy, just like the military, but, even more importantly, we are entering a spiritual war. And, as such, Christians need to be properly prepared to *be* Christian. This is why we, and the early Church, have a catechumenate period—that is, a period in which those who want to join the Church are instructed in the faith and taught the essentials of Christianity.

Ugh!

Being prepared is essential to living a successful life. Who here hasn’t failed to prepare at one time or another? I think we’ve all fallen into that trap.

In fact, one of the most reoccurring nightmares for students—and I know this was true for me—is showing up for a class and that one hasn’t prepared for. For me, I’ve had nightmares where I completely forgot to go to class all semester and then, at the last minute, I have to pass the final exam.

I’ve also had nightmares where I show up at class and I completely forgot that a major research paper was due. In graduate school, you can’t just write a research paper in an all-nighter. They’re much too complex for that.

Not being prepared is not fun at all. And, not being prepared to join the Orthodox Church can also be disastrous. Some things are mere cultural expressions of Orthodoxy—things don’t really matter—so, if a new convert doesn’t know this small-t tradition or that small-t tradition, it’s OK.  

But, if someone really hasn’t been trained in the faith—in the essentials of the faith, the big-T Traditions—then, it’s that much easier for someone to fall away after only a few years. I think we’ve all seen it. An eager convert slowly stops coming, and then, after a while, we begin to wonder: What happened to so-and-so? 

While we may attribute someone’s inactivity to personal choice, it can still have profound consequences for that person’s walk with Christ. After all, what does it mean to have found the “true faith” only to treat it passively, at best, or reject it, at worst? I can’t imagine either are good for the soul.

On the flip-side, what about us, as the Church family? What does it say about us if we have’t properly prepared folks, or if we don’t notice when they’re gone? We are, after all, called not only to baptize all nations, but to teach all nations to obey everything Christ has commanded us (Mt. 28:19-20). This was a very direct instruction from our Lord, so how do we carry it out?

Aha!

Our Metropolitan has also been thinking about such questions, and also wondering about what can be done.

One pro-active solution he’s thought of is to reintroduce the catechumenate prayers into the Liturgy, which you heard today for the first time.

These prayers are very ancient. In fact, we can find them in the 4th-century Apostolic Constitutions. So, they date back at least that far, and some scholars believe they date back even further.

Now, praying may not seem like very much, but it’s actually a big deal, because I believe these prayers do two things.

Whee!

Firstly, they remind us that we, as the gathered body of Christ, have a responsibility to the gospel, to Christ, and that is to do the work of teaching our faith. 

There are those in our community who are still learning, still getting the hang of Orthodoxy. They may, in fact, still be learning the very basics of the gospel message. They may even still be learning that it’s normal to come to church every week to spend time with God and their Church family.

By being reminded of this, we are encouraged to continue the work of mentoring those we bring into the faith. This is the reason we have sponsors, or godparents. Our sponsors are our parents in the faith, and they have a very real responsibility to look after their spiritual “children.” To check in on them, and to raise them to be mature Christians themselves. So, every time you hear the prayers for the catechumens, remember your godchildren and your responsibility towards them. 

Secondly, I think these prayers are good for the catechumens themselves. We are praying for them, and prayer is always a good thing. Who here doesn’t want folks praying for them? I know I need all the prayers I can get.

These prayers also help guide the catechumens. They remind the catechumens about the purpose of the catechumenate. Here’s what the prayers say,

Let us, the faithful, pray for the catechumens.

That the Lord will have mercy on them.

That He will teach them the word of truth.

That He will reveal to them the gospel of righteousness.

That He will unite them to His holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

Save them, have mercy on them, help them, and protect them, O God, by Your grace.

As you can see, they are reminded of God’s mercy. Joining the Church, being admitted to communion, is to receive God’s mercy, which is everlasting life. 

They are reminded that they are learning about truth, which isn’t just a set of facts, but the very person of Jesus Christ who said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6). 

They are being instructed in the Good News that God, through Jesus Christ, has set the world right. Death’s judgment has been rendered through Christ’s resurrection. 

And, finally, they are shown that the goal isn’t just union with Christ, but union the Body of Christ as well, which is the Church. We are, as Christians, brothers and sisters, a part of the same body, united to one another. 

Yeah!

Becoming Christian isn’t club membership, one with certain religious overtones. It’s about becoming a new person and then living in a new way. It’s starting down a new path, one that ultimately leads to deification with God. 

This is serious business, and, as such, it should be taken seriously. It’s for this reason that we spend so much time preparing folks to join our church. It’s why we have catechumen classes, and why we’ve begun praying for the catechumens at Liturgy.

Though joining the Church may not be as physically demanding as boot camp, it’s much more consequential. Joining the Church has eternal consequences, so let us continue to do our job in praying for the catechumens, here are around the world

Amen.