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 […]
Great Compline
One of the Lenten services I’ve experienced in the last couple of years is the Orthodox “Great Compline.” I’ve known the Western version of Compline very well for a very long time. In the West, Compline is the last of the monastic hours, a short gentle service, maybe 20 minutes of brief prayers and Psalms, […]
What Was Holy Saturday About?
Christ is risen! That really makes all the difference. Or at least we know that it should. My fellow Protestants, as I’ve noted before, have a hard time really focusing in on just how Christ’s resurrection makes the difference. We are so committed to preaching only “Christ and him crucified” that we find ourselves inextricably […]
Celebrating the Birth of Jesus with His Mother
During Advent I went one Wednesday night to St. George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral in Pittsburgh. I was surprised to hear a service that was new to me: Not the ordinary Vespers, but the “Advent Paraklesis.” As in so much of Orthodox worship, the hymns carry a huge freight of theology. As always there is much […]
Good Friday: Mystery and Paradox
Last year I posted on the meaning of “Good” in “Good Friday.” Today my thoughts go more to the stunned awe that the Cross of Christ inspires. My love for Jesus always makes a reading of the Passion painful, especially read aloud in worship, and most especially if I am the one doing the reading. […]