412
Crescent St., Wheaton, IL 60187
February
2, 2014
Orthodox
Church in America, Diocese of the Midwest
Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your
regular context?
I grew up attending an Evangelical Free Church and I
have been attending College Church while at Wheaton College. I did not grow up
with liturgy as being a regular part of the worship service. At College Church
we say the Apostle’s Creed and the Lord’s Prayer but I have never experienced
anything more liturgical than that. This
service was almost all reading and singing of liturgy and I was surprised that
we read through the entire liturgy book that I was handed when I entered the
church. It was about 50 pages long. The service was more formal than what I am
used to; the reverends wore long, richly decorated robes and conducted the
service in a ceremonious manner. In my regular
church context God’s grace and love are emphasized through worship but I felt
the awe and majesty of God emphasized in the Orthodox church.
What did you find most interesting or appealing
about the worship service?
I loved listening to and singing the liturgy. I thought it was beautiful and full of
scripture passages. I liked singing the liturgy more than singing many modern worship
songs that are shallow and not full of the richness of Scripture. Many modern
worship songs could be about someone you are in love with just as much as they
could be about God. The liturgy was
clearly sung to God and Him alone. I
liked the way that children were involved in the worship service as well. The young boys in the church put on
beautifully decorated robes and they came out at different intervals during the
service carrying candles. The boys also
helped to distribute the sacraments during the Eucharist. Towards the end of the service, all little
children came to the front as the reverend spoke and they all placed their
hands on the gold covered Bible.
What did you find most disorienting or challenging
about the worship service?
I was surprised that some of the liturgy was
addressed to the Virgin Mary and that she was considered greater than the
angels. I was also surprised when
prayers were offered for the dead throughout the service. At the beginning of the service, most of the
congregation came up to the alter and kissed the icon that was there, made the
sign of the cross, and then went back to their seats. It almost seemed as if they worshiped the
image. The reverend who brought out incense waved it in front of the icons
painted on the front of the church and this appeared to me as if he was also worshiping
the icons by offering them incense. The
whole service led to the Eucharist and I was surprised that they allowed very
young children to take the sacraments even though they would not fully
understand what they were doing.
What aspects of Scripture or theology did the
worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in
your regular context?
I think that I felt the majesty and awe of God more
in this church than I do at my normal church service. I realized how great God is and how He is
worthy of the best worship we can give Him.
In my regular church context, God is often portrayed as a friend and
comforter which He truly is but I do not see the Majesty and mystery of God
portrayed as much. This church seemed
very much like a family and I felt they gave me a wonderful example of the body
of Christ. The reverend knew the names
of his congregation and acknowledged the anniversaries and birthdays within the
congregation during the announcements. After
the service when there was an optional memorial for a man that had recently
passed away, almost everyone gathered to attend the service and support his
widow. The congregation seemed like a
supportive family as the body of Christ should be.
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