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What to expect...
Posted by Fr. David in About Us
Tuesday, September 5. 2006
What to Expect . . . A Great Read Before You Come.
A great thing to read before (or even after!) visiting is: “Twelve Things that I Wish I Knew Before I Visited an Orthodox Church.” Our worship is structured, or liturgical, the spirit is both joyful and reverent, the people are friendly, and the focus is God!Who's Here?
Right away, you’re going to notice that we are folks just like you. Our service may seem really different from any worship that you’ve experienced, but please relax and come in! As our guest, you do not have to do anything outside your comfort zone.Children of all ages are welcome to all our services: Our worship is intergenerational: the Christian family of God worships together! Children love our services—there’s so much going on!—so don’t worry. We realize they get a little noisy at times; really, it is "holy noise." We have books and crayons for little children if that’s needed, and our members are glad to assist our guest parents. We really believe that this is the way we are meant to gather as the family of God—together. How else will our children learn to worship? To be sure, there is a cross and a challenge at times in leading our children in worship, yet (like any cross in life) the result of our faithfulness is awesome: leading our children to God. (We DO have "Sunday School" classes during most times of the year, but not during our worship.)
Tick-Tock.
"How Long Is Your Service?" When we are asked this very natural question, we Orthodox do feel a bit, well, sheepish. Our Sunday morning services last, more or less, an-hour-and-ahalf to two hours! Hold on, though! Before you ask us to pass the smelling salts, let us help make sense of that for you; there's a method to this madness.Orthodox worship is heavenly worship; when we gather, we are dipping our spiritual toes into the everlasting praise of God by all the heavenly hosts. So, our worship service prepares and trains us for eternity: it is a "sacrifice of praise" -- and sacrifice (if it is really that) is "costly," even painful. In the end, such worship transforms our hearts and (yes!) bodies for the Kingdom of God. So, put on a pair of comfortable shoes -- this ain't no fashion show! -- and join the assembly of the faithful. After all, if people can stand a couple of hours in line for 10-minute ride at the "Magic Kingdom" (i.e. Disneyland), we can handle the ancient traditions of Christian worship, and so experience God's future Kingdom now!
Make a Beginning.
Each service starts with a time of prayer & the singing of Psalms: While we do have service books for folks, we want to encourage—and even challenge!—our guests simply to listen and unite their hearts to the prayers and chanting of Scripture. Allow our Orthodox worship to lead your heart towards God in praise! Feel free to go and light a candle, offering your special prayers to God.Proclaiming the Word of God.
Our service then shifts to the God's Word: A change comes with a procession in which the Gospel Book carried forth. Psalm antiphons are chanted, the New Testament is read, and the Alleluia refrain is sung. The climax is the proclamation the Gospel, followed by the sermon. This portion ends with intercessory prayers.The Mystery of Holy Communion.
The climax of our worship is Holy Communion: A second procession--of bread and wine borne forth through the congregation and then to the Altar--signals the beginning of the Eucharist, or Holy Communion. Gifts of bread and wine are offered to God; in the Great Prayer they are consecrated, mystically becoming the true Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. This sacrament cannot be explained rationally. Yet, this is what Christians have historically taught and known!Receiving Holy Communion.
Holy Communion is not just a personal experience, but also an expression of the unity of the Church as the Bride of Christ with Christ the Bridegroom, a reality that bridges time and space. now across the ages. Because of this, preparation is crucial. We recognize, first of all, that no one is worthy of receiving the holy gifts of Christ's Body and Blood. Nevertheless, only those who are repentant of their sins, and fully committed to the teachings and life of the Orthodox Christian Church, may partake. That means that not every Orthodox Christian receives communion at every Eucharist (though this would be the ideal). This unity of mind and heart, in a spirit of repentance, contending to keep "the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." Such are the presuppositions of receiving holy Communion according to the ancient discipline of the Church.Therefore, if you are an Orthodox Christian visiting our parish, please do call the Pastor here ahead of time for a blessing to receive. If you are a follower of Christ but not a member of the Orthodox Church, please know that we love you and long for full unity in Christ with you, even though you cannot (for now) receive holy Communion with us. Such spiritual "boundaries" may seem overly strong in our day, but in the end it is "tough love" that forces all of us to deal with the real issues that separate Christians. Many folks do not know realize that today's casual approach to communion--without commitment to a common faith, and unprepared--is a spiritual innovation that departs from the ancient wisdom of the apostolic Church!
The End.
As you might expect, after the (final) blessing the priest greets the congregation and makes a few announcements. It is our custom, before we leave the chapel, to come forward and honor (venerate) the central icon, to do the same with the hand cross held by the priest, and to receive a piece of unconsecrated bread (available to all baptized Christians). You are certainly invited to join us in this, but if you are uncomfortable with kissing icons, come up anyway and greet the priest before leaving. We never want to pressure you to do something uncomfortable!Please know that you are invited to join us for our "Coffee Hour," for food and friendship in Christ, immediately after the service. (This "Fellowship Hour" is located a block down Canal Street, on the right, at the "Education Annex" of Mercy Medical Center.) We do ask that you sign our guest book… located in the lobby right outside the chapel—so that we have a record of your visit. Also, before you leave be sure to pick up any literature in our display rack. It includes information about our church and Orthodox beliefs! Our prayer is that each guest experiences the love of Jesus and warm acceptance from our church community.
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