Grade 12 Lesson 4

Grade 12 Lesson 4: The Mission of the Church

Learning Outcomes

Mission and Evangelism

• G12.LO14 - Describe the various styles of evangelism and their efficacy in modern-day society.
• G12.LO15 - Perceive the mission of the MOSC in [America/UK/Europe/Africa/Canada].
• G12.LO16 - Discuss the reasoning behind the practice of closed communion.

Feast of the Holy Cross (Sleebo)

• G12.LO36 - Identify how the Cross is the presence of Christ as well as that of the Gospel.

Textbook Lesson

• USA & Canada: Lesson 4 Textbook PDF
• UEA: Lesson 4 Textbook PDF

Expanding Thoughts on Lesson

• Being an Apostle to Others
  • What St. Seraphim Meant, Fr. Stephen Freeman

• Being an Apostle to Ourselves
  • [St. Seraphim of Sarov, Conversation on the Goal of the Christian Life] “Fasting, prayer, alms, and every other good Christian deed is good in itself, but the purpose of the Christian life consists not only in the fulfillment of one or another of them. The true purpose of our Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. But fasting, prayer, alms, and every good deed done for the sake of Christ is a means to the attainment of the Holy Spirit. Note that only good deeds done for the sake of Christ bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Everything else that is not done for the sake of Christ, even if it is good, does not bring us a reward in the life to come, not does it bring the grace of God in this life. This is why our Lord Jesus Christ said, ‘Whoever gathereth not with me scattereth’ (Matt. 12:30).
  • What Is Godly Grief?, Fr. Barnabas Powell

Fr. Barnabas Powell in his essay on Godly Grief says that true metanoia means taking to heart and mind, and it is wisdom that leads to a corrected pattern of life. True repentance leads to reconciliation with God comparable to the experience of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:8 and the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32. In both of these instances, there is a decision and a determination to change one’s life. The state of those who do this is described beautifully by the hymn, “Blessed are the good servants…” (Matthew 24:46-47). (NOTE: Fr Mat Alexander: some explanation here, I'm not sure I see the connection to the hymn. There are a lot of really nice repentance hymns in the Soutoro/Compline prayers that might work better here)

Lesson Resources

• Vocabulary
  • mission – an important assignment carried out for political, religious, or commercial purposes, typically involving travel.
  • missionary – a person sent on a religious mission, especially one sent to promote Christianity in a foreign country.
  • Apostle - a vigorous and pioneering advocate or supporter of a particular policy, idea, or cause.
  • metanoia – a transformative change of heart especially a spiritual conversion.
  • Didache – also known as “The Teaching,” or “The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles,” is an enigmatic primitive Church document describing early Christian ethics, practices, and order.
  • anathema – something or someone that one vehemently dislikes.
  • repudiation – rejection of a proposal or idea.

Connecting Materials

• Articles
  • The Mission of Orthodox Youth, Fr. Alexander Schmemann (OCA)
  • WHAT IS THE GOSPEL? FR ALEXANDER SCHMEMANN ON BEING TRULY ORTHODOX
  • The Mission of Orthodoxy, by Fr. Alexander Schmemann
  • Lecture Notes on the Mission of Orthodoxy, Fr. Alexander Schmemann (Pravmir)
  • The Mission of the Malankara Orthodox Church in North America, HG Alexios Mar Eusebius