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What Delights the Heart of the Shepherd

Keraza Magazine issue 13-14 April 5, 2013

Our teacher St. Paul says, "Obey those who rule over you [NLT translates this as, "Obey your spiritual leaders" –which is a closer translation to the Arabic], and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you (Hebrews13:17). This reveals that the shepherd who undertakes his duties joyfully reaps benefit for his congregation, whereas undertaking them with grief is harmful to his flock.

In March, the church celebrated the ordination of seven bishops, and the enthronement of four others. This truly indicates church growth, prosperity, and success.

Yet, we need to ask, what delights the heart of the bishop, so that he undertakes his ministry without grief, but rather joy, and so reaps benefit to the served, and maturity and growth to the service.

Reasons for the bishop’s heart to rejoice are either specific to him personally, or specific to the flock. In the abovementioned verse, our teacher St. Paul stressed the reasons specific to the flock, therefore, today, we will discuss some of these reasons:

• Repentance and return to God: Akin to the father who rejoiced at the return of his lost son, the bishop rejoices at seeing one of his sheep returning to the fold of Christ, rejoicing that this soul responded to all the efforts exerted in seeking and restoring it.
  
  
• Love within his flock: When the bishop sees the members of his congregation disputing and hateful, he is fully saddened, because the absence of love is the absence of God, since "God is love." Did not the Lord Jesus Christ tell His disciples, "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John13:35).
  
  
• Unity of his congregants and his churches: The Lord Jesus Christ warned us of division because it leads to destruction, while unity leads to growth and maturity. In the church in Corinth, there were many and various gifts, yet it was also a divided church, grieving the heart of St. Paul the Apostle. He sent to them, urging them to the unity of heart, mind, and opinion.
  
  
• Submission and obedience: St. Paul the Apostle advised the Hebrews to submit to and obey their teachers who keep watch over their soul’s salvation, which will ease their service and delight their hearts. How pained was the heart of St. John the Beloved by "Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them" (3 John1:9), and how pained was the heart of St. Paul the Apostle by Alexander the coppersmith who did him much harm (2 Timothy4:14).
  
  
• Enthusiasm and commitment to the service: The Lord gave each believer a gift with which to serve, yet some do not use this gift, but rather dig and bury it, affecting the service negatively. If each one uses the gifts given, the church of Christ would be alive and radiant: "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter4:10).

May the Lord bless these ordinations for the glory of His Holy Name.

Bishop Youssef
Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States