“Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’ They said, ‘Rabbi [which means Teacher], where are you staying?’ ‘Come,’ He said, ‘and you will see.’” (John 1:38)
If today seekers are out searching for Jesus Christ, where shall they go to find Him? Many who are lost among the plethora of competing places of worship are turned off by them all. They want to wade through the words of those promoting a brand of Christianity that does not satisfy the deep waters of the soul. Like Andrew and John, they know what they want. They ask more than words about Jesus; they are searching for the place where He is staying. We know where that is. We would answer, “The Church.” Specifically, the Orthodox Christian Church. That’s where He abides. It’s where those out looking for Christ will find Him—is that not true? We like to think so. Indeed, many have discovered a faith they had not known before finding the Lord Jesus in the Church, especially through the Divine Liturgy. If this is the meal anticipating the feast of Heaven (Matthew 22:2), the servants of the King ought to go out into the “street corners,” inviting everyone whom they find to the banquet.
But it’s not our way. Who could imagine our young people upon graduation giving a year to proselytize for their faith, like the Mormons; or our people canvassing a community house to house like the Jehovah Witnesses? We are satisfied just to hold onto our children after they complete high school or enter college. In a much-quoted description of what passes for evangelism in our Church, Fr. Sergius Bulgakov wrote:
“Orthodoxy does not persuade or try to compel; it charms and attracts.”
Assuming that’s the case, the most positive element of that form of evangelism is that it respects the free will of the non-Orthodox. Come and find us, we say to the world. An Anglican bishop criticizing the Orthodox says we are like people in a village next to the well; a house in town is on fire, but we are content to say: “Over here! Come and draw water!” We excuse our apathy: We are an immigrant people, we say—but are we? We have a peculiar way of worship and life style, which may be true, but is certainly not a hindrance to those intent on finding salvation.
Even given the fact that we are not going to “go and make disciples of all nations” as our Lord demands (Matthew 28:19), at least we ought to “charm and attract,” as Fr. Bulgakov explains. At minimum we ought to welcome visitors to our worship, invite them to meet us and offer simple hospitality. It’s common sense hardly worth mentioning, but it is not always done. Those looking to find Christ may enjoy our holy worship and grow to appreciate the Holy Spirit through our precious icons; however, if they don’t discover the Lord Jesus in our faces, they will go away unfulfilled. Jesus promised to be where two or three are gathered. It means that we are a family invited into His holy Family. The implications are that we belong to one another in Him, and we are to share that precious gift with all others. Salvation is not a private affair between the Lord and you. One Christian is no Christian, an ancient adage states.
To be charming and attractive ought to be done simply and unconsciously. It should require no effort. If we had been raised with proper Christian courtesy, respect for others and genuine affection towards all that the heavenly Father has created, the Church should be as warm, welcome and inviting as a normal Christian home.