Well, everyone, I want to share something on my heart today about our brothers and sisters, the Maronite Christians.
You know, the name "Maronite" isn't found anywhere in your Bible, and that's okay, because a lot of good, solid fellowships today aren't named in Scripture either. But their roots? Oh, from what I have read, they go way back to the early days of the church, right there in Antioch, where Acts 11:26 tells us plainly: "And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." That is what I think is their heritage that these dear folk carry, the same Antiochene tradition where the Gospel first exploded out to the Gentiles.
It all started with a simple hermit named Saint Maron, back around AD 350-410, living up on a mountaintop in Syria, he was praying and seeking the Lord with all his heart. He was a man of God, full of miracles and holiness, and folks flocked to see him. After he went home to glory, his followers kept on in that monastic way, prayer, fasting, devotion.
Reminds me of a place I visited and had many walks here in Scotland, near Dunkeld: they built this beautiful Ossian's Cave in the 1700s as a romantic hermitage, even advertised for a real hermit to live there with a long beard and all, acting wise for the tourists. But get this, no one ever moved in permanently! It was all show, more folly than faith; you have more chance of seeing salmon jump. Thank the Lord, Saint Maron was the real deal, no advertising needed; the Spirit drew people to genuine holiness.
When tough times came, persecutions after the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the Maronites fled to the mountains of Lebanon, carving out monasteries in places like the Qadisha Valley, that Holy Valley full of cliffs and caves. They've endured invasions, trials, and heartaches for centuries. Yet, they have held on, preserving that ancient Syriac liturgy in Aramaic, the very language closest to what our Lord Jesus spoke on earth.
So, today, the Maronites are the biggest Christian group in Lebanon, part of about 32-35% Christians overall in that land, the highest proportion anywhere in the Middle East.
That is something to praise God for. In a region where believers are often so few, here is a whole nation with churches in the valleys and on the hillsides, under those famous cedars of Lebanon that the Bible mentions so often, like in Psalm 92:12: "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon".
They have got beautiful traditions, incense, chants, a deep reverence in worship, and many live devoted lives amid real hardship. But friends, as we pray for them and we should, like Psalm 122 says to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and why not Lebanon too? let us remember the heart of it all: true faith is not about traditions or history alone. It's about knowing Jesus Christ personally, as your Lord and Saviour.
Ephesians 2:8-9 puts it so simply: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." And Romans 10:9: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
There are genuine believers among the Maronites who love Jesus with all their hearts and praise God for everyone! But if the Lord opens a door, let us gently share this simple Gospel truth: Come to Christ directly, just as you are, by faith alone. No layers needed, just Him.
In the UK, small Maronite communities exist, such as in London (though I’m unsure about Glasgow or Edinburgh), where Lebanese people have settled.
What an opportunity to love on them and point them to the Saviour!
Let's keep praying for Lebanon, that the light of the Gospel would shine brighter than ever in those mountains.
God bless you as you walk with Him today.
Peter
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