Mission Monthly – April 1997

“When you are a Bear of very little brain, and you think of things, you find sometimes that a thing which seemed thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.”

The House At Pooh Corner

This last Christmas Khourii Vanessa was given a Winnie the Pooh calendar. The above quote is from January 1; isn’t it amazing just how true it is! How often have I been guilty of big “plans” or “ideas”, only to find out how incomplete or uncritical they were by not having thought them through or talked to someone about them. Maybe it was fear or embarrassment, or just plain pride of authorship. Whichever it was there is no question that at times my “very little brain” was thinking rather “thingishly!”

The aspect of community in the Church is so much deeper than simply coming together for worship or for social time. True community means that interaction exists between its members at all levels, one of which is the seeking of counsel and the sharing of ideas and support. The Book of Proverbs has many verses which support this way of thinking. The following are a few examples:

“Do not be wise in your own eyes… ” (3:7) “…but those who take advice are wise.” (13:10 [mine]) “Without counsel plans go wrong, but with many advisors they succeed.” (15:22)

Doesn’t it make sense that we should bounce ideas off one another? The bottom line weaving through Winnie the Pooh’s seemingly childish words is the concept of accountability. When we hold ourselves accountable (since we are truly the only ones who can) there is a great sense of blessing and comfort in having opened the doors of our “very little brains” to the checks and balances of the community. It’s not that we have to share every thought with every person, but rather that we are willing to turn to a place where we can expose the isolation of our minds and hearts; the isolation where sin can creep in and where there is a lack of self-criticism or objectivity.

That community must be a sincere and struggling Christian community, however, because just as it is dangerous to keep things to ourselves it is equally as dangerous to open ourselves towards wrong-thinking people. The feeding frenzy created by mass ignorance, or as author M. Scott Peck labeled in his book, People of the Lie, “group evil” can lead large numbers of people into dangerous deceptions. The abortion debate comes to mind as I wonder how our civilized, God-fearing society can be duped into allowing the legalized procedure of partial birth abortion or what was in the “little brains” of the Madison West High School students who recently attacked demonstrating Pro-Life activists and ripped and stomped on graphic posters depicting aborted human babies.

Thank God societies and groups are made up of individuals who can be taught how and towards what direction we are to open our hearts and minds. “The Light of Christ illumunes all!” declares the priest at Pre-Sanctified Liturgy; and “Come receive the light from Him Who is the Light!” proclaims the priest announcing Christ’s Resurrection on Holy Pascha. Yes, when placed in the brilliant and joy-filled Light of the Resurrected Lord the Thingish Things inside of us can never be covered or hidden. (Matt. 10:26) And thank God that we have our blessed communities! Orthodox Christianity has very little room for “rugged individualism” [only in personel discipline and in the secret place where only God and Father Confessor can see (Matt. 6:1-6)]. We believe that we need a place where we can turn for godly and objective wisdom and advice as we proceed through the decisions of our lives.