Pope Tawadros II Discusses ‘Law of Fellowship’ in Wednesday Meeting

Pope Tawadros II Discusses ‘Law of Fellowship’ in Wednesday Meeting.

Pope Tawadros II delivered his weekly sermon during the Wednesday meeting at the Saints Church of St. Shenouda the Archimandrite and St. Hermina the Pilgrim in the Dena area of Alexandria. The sermon was broadcasted via Christian satellite channels and the Church’s C.O.C media center online.

During the evening prayers, His Holiness was joined by Bishop Angelos, General Bishop of Northern Shubra Churches, Bishop Pavly, General Bishop of the Montazah Sector, and Bishop Hermina, General Bishop of Eastern Alexandria Churches, along with Father Abraham Emil, the General Secretary of the Patriarchate in Alexandria, other priests from the church, a large number of deacons, and many church members who filled the church.

Following the evening prayers, Father Shenouda Anis warmly welcomed His Holiness Pope Tawadros, expressing joy on behalf of both the congregation and local community for his visit and appreciating his commitment to attending.

Bishop Hermina also welcomed Pope Tawadros and congratulated him on the 29th anniversary of his ordination as a bishop. He provided a brief history of the church and the Dena area, known for its cedar trees, highlighting service challenges since its inception by the late Father Constantine Naguib on July 8, 1973. He noted that Father Abdul-Masih Labib began serving there on January 27, 1974, discussing how the church’s name is linked to its patron saints and recounting stories from their service efforts.

In his sermon opening, Pope Tawadros expressed gratitude to all clergy and officials. He praised Dena Church saying: “This church with its beautiful white color resembles a shining jewel. In Monday’s hymn we pray: ‘God is light and dwells in light,’ which applies to your church; let your hearts and homes always be illuminated. May God bless this small, beautiful church and its congregation.”.

Pope Tawadros continued his series on “Spiritual Laws for Life,” focusing this week on “The Law of Fellowship.” He read from Acts chapter two, verses 42 to 44, emphasizing: “And all who believed were together and had all things in common,” explaining that fellowship is inherent to God’s nature.

He elaborated that God wanted us to share in existence by granting us three gifts to reflect His image:
– The mind to think creatively.
– The hands to work innovatively.
– The heart to feel compassionately.

His Holiness discussed how God desires us to live in fellowship through various means:
– The Tabernacle in the Old Testament representing God’s presence: “And behold I am with you and will keep you wherever you go…” (Genesis 28:15).
– The Incarnation: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” (John 1:14), indicating God’s presence among us.
– The sacrament of communion (fellowship): “The cup of blessing which we bless is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16).
– In heaven: “I saw the holy city New Jerusalem… Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man” (Revelation 21:2–3).

Pope Tawadros explained our role in life together as follows:
– Fellowship begins in the heart; as St. John Chrysostom stated: “This is mine and that belongs to another,” reflects true love without selfishness.
– Cooperation through our hands as exemplified by a widow who gave two mites out of her poverty for temple expenses receiving praise from Christ.
– Intent matters; God values quality over quantity; as late Pope Shenouda III said: “When intention exists, God provides capability.”
– When we work together on any task we present an exemplary image of Christianity as seen in Acts 2:47.

He pointed out barriers to fellowship including:
1. Love for possessions (Mark 10:22).
2. Lies (Acts 5:3).
3. Absence of love (John 13:35).

The Pope outlined types of fellowship for living as God intended:
1. Spiritual fellowship through regular scripture reading together at home.
2. Sharing suffering (Job 2:13) by empathizing with those who hurt.
3. Sharing joy (Romans 12:15).
4. Fellowship with saints through their intercession (Hebrews 13:7).

He concluded with a reminder that living out fellowship in its many forms presents a beautiful picture of faith in Christ.