O Come,
let us Worship and bow down before our King and God.
O Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ, our King and God.
O Come, let us worship and bow down to Christ Himself, our King and
God.
This invitation marks the
beginning of each day for the Orthodox Church. It comes from the office
of Vespers, and it expresses the attitude which is at the heart of Orthodoxy.
The Worship of God- the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,--is fundamental
to the life and spirit of the Orthodox Church.
Since Worship is so important
to Orthodoxy, the best introduction to the Orthodox Church is for the
non-Orthodox to attend the Divine Liturgy or the celebration of one
of the major Sacraments. At first, the visitor may be overwhelmed by
the music and the ceremonies, but is in Worship that the distinctive
flavor, rich traditions, and living faith of Orthodoxy are truly experienced.
DIMENSIONS OF WORSHIP
Worship is an experience
which involved the entire Church. When each of us comes together for
Worship, we do so as members of a Church which transcends the boundaries
of society, of time and of space. Although we gather at a particular
moment and at a particular place, our actions reach beyond the parish,
into the very Kingdom of God. We worship in the company of both the
living and the departed faithful.
There are two dimensions
to Orthodox Worship which are reflected throughout the many Services
of the Church. First, Worship is a manifestation of God's presence and
action in the midst of His people. It is God who gathers His scattered
people together, and it is He who reveals Himself as we enter into His
presence. The Worship of the Orthodox Church very vividly expresses
the truth that God dwells among His people and that we are created to
share in His life.
Second, Worship is our corporate
response of thanksgiving to the presence of God and a remembrance of
His saving actions--especially the Life, Death, and Resurrection of
Jesus Christ. Orthodox Worship is centered upon God. He has acted in
history, and He continues to act through the Holy Spirit. We are mindful
of His actions and we respond to His love with praise and thanksgiving.
In so doing we come closer to God.
EXPRESSIONS OF WORSHIP
Worship in the Orthodox Church
is expressed in four principal ways:
CHARACTERISTICS
Although Orthodox Services
can very often be elaborate, solemn, and lengthy, they express a deep
and pervasive sense of joy. This mood is an expression of our belief
in the Resurrection of Christ and the deification of humanity, which
are dominant themes of Orthodox Worship. In order to enhance this feeling
and to encourage full participation, Services are always sung or chanted.
Worship is not simply expressed
in words. In addition to prayers, hymns, and scripture readings, there
are a number of ceremonies, gestures, and processions. The Church makes
rich use of non verbal symbols to express God's presence and our relationship
to Him. Orthodoxy Worship involves the whole person; one's intellect,
feelings, and senses.
Services in the Orthodox
Church follow a prescribed order. There is a framework and design to
our Worship. This is valuable in order to preserve its corporate dimension
and maintain a continuity with the past. The content of the Services
is also set. There are unchanging elements; and there are parts which
change according to the Feast, season, or particular circumstance. The
regulating of the Services by the whole Church emphasizes the fact that
Worship is an expression of the entire Church, and not the composition
on a particular priest and congregation.
An important secondary purpose
of Worship is the teaching of the Faith. There is a very close relationship
between the Worship and the teachings of the Church. Faith is expressed
in Worship, and Worship serves to strengthen and communicate Faith.
As a consequence, the prayers, hymns, and liturgical gestures of Orthodoxy
are important mediums of teaching. The regulating of the Services also
serves to preserve the true Faith and to guard it against error.
The celebration of the Divine
Liturgy and the Sacraments is always led by an ordained clergymen. In
the local parish, this will generally be a priest who acts in the name
of the bishop, and who is sometime assisted by a deacon. When the bishop
is present, he presides at the Services. The vestments of the clergy
express their special calling to the ministry as well as their particular
office.
Since Worship in Orthodoxy
is an expression of the entire Church the active participation and involvement
of the congregation is required. There are no "private" or
"said" Services in the Orthodox Church and none may take place
without a congregation. This strong sense of community is expressed
in the prayers and exhortations which are in the plural tense. The congregation
is expected to participate actively in the Services in ways such as:
singing the hymns; concluding the prayers with "Amen"; responding
to the petitions; making the sign of the Cross; bowing; and, especially,
by receiving Holy Communion at the Divine Liturgy. Standing is the preferred
posture of prayer in the Orthodox Church. The congregation kneels only
at particularly solemn moments, such as the Invocation of the Holy Spirit
during the Divine Liturgy.
The Litany is an important
part of Orthodox Services. A litany is a dialogue between the priest
or deacon and the congregation, which consists of a number of prayer-petitions,
followed by the response "Lord, have mercy" or "Grant
this, O Lord." Litanies occur frequently throughout the Services
and often serve to distinguish particular sections.
Orthodox Worship has always
been celebrated in the language of the people. There is no official
or universal liturgical language. Often, two or more languages are used
in the Services to accommodate the needs of the congregation. Throughout
the world, Services are celebrated in more than twenty languages which
include such divers ones as Greek, Slavonic, Arabic, Albanian, Rumanian,
English, and Luganda.
This series has
been made possible by:
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Department of Religious Education
50 Goddard Ave.
Brookline, MA 02146
Copies of these
pamphlets may be ordered from the department of Religious Education
at the address above
The "Treasures
of Orthodoxy" was originally a series of pamphlets written for
the non-Orthodox, especially those who are considering becoming members
of the Orthodox Church and who wish to deepen their appreciation of
the Orthodox faith, worship, and traditions.
The pamphlets
have been authored by Fr. Thomas Fitzgerald, former faculty member of
Hellenic College - Holy Cross School of Theology.
