I asked one Orthodox priest what he thought the typical newcomer would experience when visiting the Liturgy. His response: Chaos! He was joking. His congregation has a lot of free-range children. But I think he was right. Once the service begins in that icon-filled space, your typical Protestant is hard pressed to make much sense […]
First Visit to an Orthodox Church (pt. 3): Eyes vs Ears
Step into the Nave Then you walk into the main worship space. Look around. You will see icons. Lots and lots of icons. You will have come into the “nave,” the place where the congregation gathers, through a door on the West wall. Ahead of you, toward the East you will see a wall, or […]
First Visit to an Orthodox Church (pt. 2): Passageway vs Preparation
Last week I started writing about how to have a really excellent first visit to an Orthodox church. I think you need to be aware of several differences — just six or so — between the Christian East and the Christian West. The first one is outside, when you look up and see a dome […]
First Visit to an Orthodox Church: Domes vs. Steeples
If you’re a regular here on my blog you’ve seen me writing on a variety of topics relating to Orthodox Christianity. I don’t mean “little ‘o’ orthodox” — like any Christianity with good theology. We’re talking “big ‘O’ Orthodox” — Eastern Christianity, the part that was divided from the West back in 1054 and is […]
Forgiveness Vespers
A couple weeks ago I attended a gathering for the night before Lent began. No, this was not a Shrove Tuesday pancake supper. Nor was it a Mardi Gras carnival. This was a Sunday evening worship service. It was an Orthodox church — and for the East Lent does not begin on a Wednesday. Orthodox […]
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