Coptic Orthodox : Part 3
I arrived at the church 15 minutes early and was sitting in my car saying a silent prayer. The night before I had a night terror due to my nervousness over going to yet another Coptic Church. It is so easy to sit behind a glass screen and observe; it's a whole different animal having to take that leap and putting yourself in firing range.
During my prayer, my fears overcame me and I began to tear up. My thoughts were:
During this thought process, I texted one of my friends for spiritual encouragement. Her text simply read, " You are brave." And so with this in mind; I went into service.
Even though I know I have the support of many, I am doing this alone and I'm doing this knowing that if the outcome is my conversion I will now cut out the majority of the population in terms of a potential spouse. The Coptic faith is very beautiful but it takes a really strong person to stand by these conviction as their own. I'm not even sure if I am strong enough to do this. The cultural barriers are huge and it would be foolish for me to believe that it is an easy walk. But, God has been asking me for so long to take this Journey; it is time that I obey.
During this thought process, I texted one of my friends for spiritual encouragement. Her text simply read, " You are brave." And so with this in mind; I went into service.
When service began, it was a very slow trickling of people who were making their way in. And as they were sitting down, there was no division amongst men and women. Everyone sat together. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this in contrast to the tradition of separation other than the fact that it implies men and women are equal in God's eyes.
As the service progressed, Fr. Kyrillos spoke about faith. He stated that in times when we don't 'feel' His presence; that those moments are when God is closest. It is in these moments we are tested by our faith and not our senses. Fr. Kyrillos placed a great emphasis on the fact that we seek the 'feeling' aspect of our relationship to God to fulfill a selfish/ humanistic means. We should know without doubt that God's presence is here despite all else.
This concept falls into alignment with scripture; 2 Corinthians 5:7 states "For we live by faith and not by sight." It is such a moving message because how often do believers, Christian or non-Christian, fall from their religious practices because they no longer 'feel' the presence of the great divine? It is in fact most impertinent to press in when circumstances are the bleakest.
These moments show our faith in HIM and his ability to guide us through. It is not to say that eventually there is a rainbow at the end of our suffering, but that the suffering ends because we believe in Him and His grace upon our existence. The miracle that God performs through our suffering is OUR ability to see beyond and to rise above. Because in the end "only God can judge me." Please, tell me someone got that. ;)
Anyway, now that I've managed to preach and bring 2Pac into a discussion....Overall, I enjoyed the service and the people. (Thank God they were all VERY friendly and warm) Fr. Kyrillos sets up a median amongst the extremes of Orthodox practices and the modern practices found in other Christian churches. This bridge allows people to still practice the old ways but with more application towards daily life as a Christian.
I feel that a church like this allows for longevity the Coptic Orthodox Church beyond the next few generations in modern society. For me personally, this church is allowing me to slowly warm up to the idea of being a Coptic Christian because, honestly, its not something you jump into over night and call it an end. (IF this sticks...I need to learn Arabic, which could be fun or a major headache. I want to be able to attend the other churches.)
Side note: A walk with God is never ending. We are/ should always be in thirst for Him because if we stop and become content the ever growing relationship with God ceases. There is always more to learn and experience in our understanding of HIM.
In conclusion: I found a church that I will be attending for awhile. So stay tuned...I'm going to go more into the history of Coptic religion as it rose in Egypt later this week.
Many Blessings.
Linda
PHOTO: It's a photo of Wizard's Hat in Oregon. I chose it because I thought it was pretty. :p
As the service progressed, Fr. Kyrillos spoke about faith. He stated that in times when we don't 'feel' His presence; that those moments are when God is closest. It is in these moments we are tested by our faith and not our senses. Fr. Kyrillos placed a great emphasis on the fact that we seek the 'feeling' aspect of our relationship to God to fulfill a selfish/ humanistic means. We should know without doubt that God's presence is here despite all else.
This concept falls into alignment with scripture; 2 Corinthians 5:7 states "For we live by faith and not by sight." It is such a moving message because how often do believers, Christian or non-Christian, fall from their religious practices because they no longer 'feel' the presence of the great divine? It is in fact most impertinent to press in when circumstances are the bleakest.
These moments show our faith in HIM and his ability to guide us through. It is not to say that eventually there is a rainbow at the end of our suffering, but that the suffering ends because we believe in Him and His grace upon our existence. The miracle that God performs through our suffering is OUR ability to see beyond and to rise above. Because in the end "only God can judge me." Please, tell me someone got that. ;)
Anyway, now that I've managed to preach and bring 2Pac into a discussion....Overall, I enjoyed the service and the people. (Thank God they were all VERY friendly and warm) Fr. Kyrillos sets up a median amongst the extremes of Orthodox practices and the modern practices found in other Christian churches. This bridge allows people to still practice the old ways but with more application towards daily life as a Christian.
I feel that a church like this allows for longevity the Coptic Orthodox Church beyond the next few generations in modern society. For me personally, this church is allowing me to slowly warm up to the idea of being a Coptic Christian because, honestly, its not something you jump into over night and call it an end. (IF this sticks...I need to learn Arabic, which could be fun or a major headache. I want to be able to attend the other churches.)
Side note: A walk with God is never ending. We are/ should always be in thirst for Him because if we stop and become content the ever growing relationship with God ceases. There is always more to learn and experience in our understanding of HIM.
In conclusion: I found a church that I will be attending for awhile. So stay tuned...I'm going to go more into the history of Coptic religion as it rose in Egypt later this week.
Many Blessings.
Linda
PHOTO: It's a photo of Wizard's Hat in Oregon. I chose it because I thought it was pretty. :p
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