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ORDINATION OF JOEL MACHARIA INTO THE DIACONATE
BY: ARCHBISHOP MAKARIOS
DATE:12/05/2019
 VENUE: @ HOLY RESURRECTION ORTHDOX CHURCH
Your Eminence,
Standing in front of the Beautiful Gate, waiting to cross it for the first time in my life in order to receive ordination to the Holy Diaconate through your hands, I cannot describe what goes through my heart and my mind except in a typical Orthodox apophatic way.
• Indeed, I do not feel excited that I have finally reached a milestone in my life, fulfilling a personal dream, for it is a dream of God that I will be fulfilling, by responding to His call, to leave everything behind at my mature age and prepare myself for this moment, and for all the moments that will follow in the years of my service to His people. JOHN 15:16 “you did not choose me but I the lord appointed you that you should bear fruit….”
• Nor do I feel satisfaction that I managed to overcome the many obstacles, for I felt the call so strong that I could not afford not to become a priest, and these obstacles did not intimidate me to abandon God’s call, or to doubt if the call was real, since I knew that God is in control, and that all these obstacles were to lead me to the specific path that He had prepared for me and which it seems it goes through this exact place.
• Nor do I feel thankful for this ordination, for the priesthood is not an award that I earned or I deserve, but it is complexity beyond anybody’s abilities and worthiness for divine Grace fills what is lacking. Timothy tells us in 1 Timothy 1:12 “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our lord because he judges me faithful, appointing me to His service.”
• Nor do I feel intimidated by the coming responsibilities to run away, for despite my unworthiness and inadequacy for the task, bravely and with solid confidence in God, I stand ready for the challenge, so much it is a sin to avoid it when called by God.





• Nor do I feel proud that I will be granted any divine gift or privilege, for the grace of the Holy Spirit that I will receive, will not aim at my own personal
sanctification and spiritual needs, but at the sanctification and needs of the people who I will be serving, and that in administering His sacraments, and in serving His people, I will only be an instrument of the grace of God.
Your Eminence,
• Moments before my ordination I would like you to know that:
• First, I will have a continuous persistent effort of spiritual growth will be required of me, with a life deeply involved around the tri-step spiritual ascension of purification, illumination and divinization, and I pledge to work towards the goal of living not I anymore but Christ in me.
• I also recognize that the clergymen must be well trained technically as well, and for that, I tried to gain as much as I could during my studies at the orthodox patriarchal seminary, but also, that there is still much more to learn, and I pledge to continue studying and practicing with zeal, continuously advancing my skills and experience.

TO WINDUP I WISH TO:
Thank God for His grace and allowing me to serve in His vineyard.
Thank my darling wife Julia Njeri for her continued support
Thank my parent’s joseph Macharia and Esther Wambui
Thank my parish Holy Resurrection members and priest in charge Fr Markos who recommended me join seminary and has been my role model, Fr vicar protopresbyter Makarios and the entire Nakuru Bishopric.
1 Timothy 1:12 “and I thank Christ Jesus our lord, who have enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.” For this I promise to willingly serve God, the church and all his people whole heartedly with love, humility and respect to my Archbishop young and old.
Finally, Your Eminence, by the intercessions of the WOMEN BEARERS, whose memory we celebrate today, may God grant you many successful healthy years of service in leading this divine-human institution of the Metropolis of Nairobi. Eis polla  eti Despota.
 GLORY TO GOD
THANK YOU

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