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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
Lent: On Humility
We in the West have already had two of the six Sundays of Lent. The East is just ramping up. They start on a different schedule, and each of the four Sundays before Lent begins has its own clear focus. It is all about getting ready for Lent. The Pharisee & The Publican It started this week […]
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