Are we following Christ—or just going through the motions?

And before everything started, we found ourselves walking around to get comfortable. 

We were at St. Mary of Egypt Russian Orthodox Church. It was like I just walked into Dostoevsky’s last novel, Brother’s Karamosov. 

The people were sweet. The head priest came over because I’m sure we looked a little overwhelmed. He must be in his 80s with a long beard, just like all the other priests, and he greeted us. 

“Hello! How are you? Can I help you?” 

“Hey! Um, we’re here for the funeral and just looking for the bathroom.” Leslie answered. 

Warmly, he points, “It’s just down the hall. You can’t miss it. Thank you for coming!” 

The hallway walls are covered in paintings that look like they are straight out of the 15th Century. Head shots mostly. Each painting has a distinguishing characteristic that identifies each person. They’re small. Some are stacked on the wall, one on top of the other. 

There’s a garden in the middle of the church. A bookstore. A stand filled with tracts. But these tracts are different from the ones we are used to seeing. I saw one titled “Graven Images,” and I grabbed it, sticking it in my inside coat pocket for bedtime reading. 

Knowing that they were about to have a bunch of visitors who had never before entered an Orthodox Church, they had several people stationed to help us find our way as we walked into the main room. There were relics related to miracles from all over the world. Incense. Wood molding everywhere. Candle stands. Altars. Even more pictures of saints and of Jesus Christ, but these pictures were much larger and organized in a clear hierarchy. 

Why were we there? 

Well, my brother, who is 19 years younger than me, just converted to Russian Orthodoxy from being an atheist/agnostic. For years, I’ve been sharing the Gospel with him through Bible Studies. He’s been so curious and has asked great questions. Over and over, I declared to him, “Salvation is about what you believe about Jesus. It’s all about Jesus.” 

I remember describing grace to him and his having trouble understanding. It seemed too easy to him. 

Then, while we were in the hospital with my mom the last time, one of the priests from this church came to see my Mom three times, and then when she was in hospice, he came three more times. My mom’s Baptist church didn’t reach out at all. We never saw a pastor or received even a phone call throughout her entire illness. 

The latter really illustrates the problem with the church today… 

I remember once hosting a small two-day event focused on our Heart School content here in Greenville. Approximately 30 people attended this event. And as I was going through the content, I made an offhand comment about finding a good church and how important a good Bible-believing, community-oriented church is as the centerpiece of your family’s social experience. I told them that a good church is worth moving near so you can be involved. 

Honestly, good churches like this are surprisingly rare. 

I still believe this. It’s worth changing jobs, selling your house, and even moving away from extended family if necessary. Your family needs a good church.

What I found that day was that more than half of the families at this event had no church that they were invested in, and most could not describe what a good church should be or is. 

So, when the Russian Orthodox priest asked my Mom in the hospital if she was interested in baptism and communion, she said yes out of respect for the role the priest had played in my brother’s life and because he showed up to care for her. Like me, my brother has struggled with alcohol. 

I don’t think she fully understood everything this meant to the Orthodox priest. 

But this priest’s biggest influence came because he showed up when she was at her weakest. I think the same is true for my brother. 

My mom understood salvation. She is in heaven. I have no doubt. 

So, I know that raises a question among many of you. 

Why were we in a Russian Orthodox Church for my Mom’s funeral? The easiest answer, my younger brother insisted, and the priest’s kindness made it harder to resist. So Leslie and I, my oldest son and his fiancée, came to that second service for my mom. 

We held a protestant funeral on Friday and an Orthodox funeral on Monday. I gave the eulogy at the Friday service. 

At that Friday funeral, I made a point of telling the story of Mom’s Salvation testimony. I explained the clear transformation that occurred in my Mom’s outlook, her life, and her relationship with my dad and me when she came to know the Lord shortly before my dad passed away in 1982. Both my mom and my dad completely reoriented their lives around Christ. 

Then I made a point to explain that she was not religious. I called her a Christ-follower rather than a Christian. Then explained that religion is about effort. You do things and perform rituals to earn enough merit so that your good deeds outweigh your bad ones at the end of your life. 

Islam, Hinduism, Mormonism, Buddhism, etc are all religions, but following Christ is a relationship. It’s a relationship that begins once you surrender to Christ. 

My mom was not a religious person, and neither am I. My hope is in grace, not in the merit of what I do. And my relationship with Christ started when I was 24. My mom’s started when she was 26. 

So, on Monday, I found myself standing in an Orthodox funeral. They chanted prayers,  repeating them 7 times. The priest overseeing the funeral walked about the room, swinging incense from a thurible. He wanted to fill the room with the scent of the incense. The symbolism of this goes all the way back to the Temple. 

There were singers and two priests. It was like they were having a conversation through prayers, chants, and singing. 

They were going through the motions. Dedicated. Solemn. Genuine. 

But what do they think of Jesus? What about Grace?

Good people, but do they know Christ? Where does their hope reside? 

Then I think of our church…Stand up, sit down. Sing at the beginning of the service. Be quiet during the preaching. Open your Bible. And I wonder, are we just going through the motions? 

Do we really know Christ? Where does our hope reside? 

What do our kids see? What are we reproducing in them? 

It’s a sobering question, especially when considering research indicating that parents are the greatest influence on children’s faith formation. Not a church. Or a youth pastor. Or even a teacher. Parents have the greatest influence.