Christ is in Our Midst

The traditional greeting among Orthodox Christians is much more than a greeting. To be able to say, “Christ is in our midst,” is only possible because the Holy Spirit has revealed the truth of God to us. We cannot see Christ among us, but through the Holy Spirit we know He is here.

The Lord said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven. For the Son of man came to save the lost. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven, for where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Matthew 18.10-20

This Gospel lesson normally invokes thoughts of faithful children and lost members of the Church. What often gets lost is the final verse which is a promise from God to be among us every time we gather as a Church.

The reason being lost is so painful isn’t sin. Being lost means being alone. We cannot be Christians living as lone rangers saying our prayers and doing our prostrations. We cannot show love to others being alone. If we want to show our love for God, then we must seek out the lost.

We must never be satisfied with being in the Church if it means leaving others alone outside the Church. Of course, there will always be some who refuse to come in, but that doesn’t mean we do not invite them in, when we find them.

There is a difference between being lost and refusing to come in. God has given every human being free will, and we can choose to remain outside the Church of come inside the Church. Once we have been found, the rest is our free will to come in, or to remain outside lost.

Every time I think of someone refusing to come in, I remember the parable of the Prodigal Son. The older brother was tormented by his free will to refuse to enter the banquet. He wasn’t lost. He chose to remain outside. The Father begged him, but to no avail, so the doors were shut.

Today the Church commemorates the Holy Spirit, the “giver of life, Who proceeds from the Father.” The Holy Spirit is knocking at the door of your heart today. The Holy Spirit found you and is waiting for you to open your heart. Come in and be found by God and His Church.