Eastern Orthodox Churches

Absolutely central to Orthodox worship is its concern to remain faithful to apostolic Christianity and its worship. Consequently, renewal in Orthodox worship always seeks to incarnate the old into the new situation of history and culture. Some Orthodox churches incorporate praise-and-worship music during the reception of bread and wine.

Within the past decade a great many things have been happening in the worship of the Eastern Orthodox church. The majority of these changes have been generated within the liturgical tradition, as a natural flowering or fulfillment of the church's experience of itself in the twentieth century, rather than resulting from external pressures or sources. It has been said that the Orthodox church only changes to remain the same, and while that may sound like a contradiction, it captures two fundamental truths. The first is an absolute commitment to remain true to that which has been taught from the beginning, that which constituted the faith and practice of the early Christian church. The second truth is the commitment to incarnate that faith and practice in a manner that makes it relevant to today's Christian. Origins of Orthodox Liturgical Worship A commitment to be true to that which has been taught from the beginning requires asking not just what was done in the beginning, but what were its origins? Just where did Christian worship "come from"? The apostolic church did not create a new form of church worship ex nihilo. Rather, early Christian worship was a continuity of Jewish synagogue and temple worship practices, to which was added that which was both unique and fulfillment, the Eucharist—the body and blood of Jesus Christ. As one contemporary liturgical scholar has stated, "the structure of Christian worship originates in the worship of Judaism, primarily in its synagogue variation. Hebrew worship can be definitely characterized as a liturgy of time; it is set up in relation to the daily, weekly, and yearly cycles." The product of this liturgy of time is the liturgical year, the weekly and daily cycles of worship and the lexical approach to Scripture reading. Liturgical scholars are in agreement that the earliest Christian worship was composed of two parts: synaxis and Eucharist. The synaxis, or gathering, is that portion of the church's worship that begins with the literal gathering of the people of God to worship, and is both part of and preparation for the second portion, the Eucharist or Holy Communion. While the Eastern Orthodox church is a "sacramental" body, it does not hold to the view that the Eucharist is the sole sacrament but rather affirms a sacramental view of life. Thus the gathering for worship is the first sacrament to be experienced in worship that consummates with the reception of the ultimate sacrament. The earliest structure of the synaxis parallels the synagogue service: opening greeting, psalmody, lesson, and sermon. From the temple worship of Judaism came additional forms of worship such as icons, vestments, incense, singing, and altar. The Eucharist was added to these Jewish forms, and the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox church still follows this pattern until today. Building upon this core, elements of beauty, antiphonal singing, and ceremonial action were added to show forth the glory of the kingdom as the liturgy flowered during the first few centuries. Yet, it remained true to the fundamental structure that constituted the worship of the early Christian church. The Orthodox understanding of worship is based upon two elements: liturgy and the kingdom of God. Liturgy literally means the "work of the people," and all the people must work together to accomplish this thing called worship. In Orthodox tradition, the Eucharist may not be celebrated by clergy alone; it requires the presence of the people, who cocelebrate as members of the royal priesthood of believers. The second element is the simple acknowledgment that worship of God must occur in the place of God, that is in the kingdom. Worship as Ascent The almost universally celebrated liturgical form within the Eastern Orthodox church today is called the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, which represents the consummation of the liturgical period of the first centuries. Like all other Eastern liturgies, it is characterized by ascent—worship as ascent to the kingdom of God. A recent author summarizes thus: "The Orthodox liturgy begins with the solemn doxology: 'Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.' From the beginning the destination is announced: the journey is to the Kingdom. This is where we are going—and not symbolically, but really" (Alexander Schmemann, For the Life of the World [Crestwood, N.Y.: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1973], 29). The kingdom is the goal and the end of all our desires and interests, of our whole life. It is the supreme and ultimate value of all that exists. This understanding and the "Amen" of the people to the doxology is in fact the first act of liturgy. It is also critical to full comprehension of both liturgical worship and the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox church. The doxology is followed by the Great Litany, an antiphonally chanted series of prayers and petitions. The litany is followed by the Antiphons and the Entrance, the coming of the celebrants to the altar. Both of these components have their roots in early Christian practice. The antiphons are the remnants of the singing of psalms by the faithful as they awaited the arrival of the clergy. The Entrance is the direct descendent of that arrival, the clergy entering the church carrying the Gospel and the sacred vessels to the altar. The Entrance into the sanctuary takes place with the prayer "grant that the holy angels may enter with us, to serve and glorify Your goodness with us." This is the first formal step in ascending from this world, in entering into the kingdom within the communion of the saints. The singing of the Thrice-Holy Hymn [Trisagion], among the oldest hymns in Christendom, immediately follows. Then comes the epistle and Gospel readings and finally the sermon, which concludes the Liturgy of the Word, the parallel to the synaxis of the synagogue. Focused on the Eucharist All of the foregoing may be seen as preparation for the ultimate purpose of the Divine Liturgy: participation in the Eucharist. A reading of the apostolic Fathers makes it quite apparent that the early church was a eucharistic community. As St. Ignatius said, the Eucharist is "the medicine of immortality, the antidote against death, and everlasting life in Jesus Christ." This conviction still animates the Divine Liturgy and constitutes the sacramental conviction of Orthodox Christians. The Eucharist is the body and blood of Jesus Christ and provides spiritual nurture and life. The balance of the liturgy is ascent, an actualization of the kingdom and participation in its gifts. It is the worshiping assembly being taken up into the company of the saints gathered round the heavenly altar. Thus the altar is not a place where a new sacrifice is offered, but where we may participate in the eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Discovery as Renewal Little if any "renewal" is going on within the Eastern Orthodox church if by renewal we mean restoring something to its former state, for, as we have seen, it has hardly changed from the beginning. Nor is there renewal as a result of contemporary or innovative processes being imported from without. On the other hand, a very real renewal is occurring in terms of recognition, understanding, and participation. This is the case because historically the Orthodox church has suffered from a handicap the churches of the West never really experienced. From the time of the Ottoman conquest in the fifteenth century, almost all of the Orthodox church (except in Russia) fell under the oppression of Islam. The Bolshevik revolution resulted in similar oppression and persecution for the Orthodox churches of Russia and Eastern Europe. The result in those countries was the closure of churches, seminaries, and monasteries, with the consequent impact upon faith and practice. The establishment of Orthodox Christianity in North America paralleled the arrival of immigrants from the Old World. These immigrants were typically uneducated and spoke little if any English. While the importation of ethnic priests assured the establishment and continuity of the Orthodox faith, it also assured a ghetto mentality with a very low level of liturgical understanding. In North America the Orthodox church has transcended its identity crisis and is recognizing the rich liturgical heritage it possesses. The single most important contribution to this process is the increasing use of English for most, if not all, liturgical worship. Few third- or fourth-generation children of immigrant families speak the old language; thus the use of English is designed to include these newer worshipers as well as make liturgical worship accessible to English-speaking people not of Orthodox heritage. The value of this process is further confirmed by the thousands of Protestants who have converted to Orthodox Christianity in the past few years. In Eastern Europe and Russia, a similar rediscovery is taking place as the faithful, whose religious practice had been suppressed for so long, are recovering their churches and monasteries, and reclaiming their faith and its practice in an environment of personal freedom. Characteristics of Orthodox Worship The worship of the Eastern Orthodox church is, as we have seen, an unbroken historical continuity, a commitment to that which has been taught and practiced from the beginning. For Western Christians, that means an unsullied liturgical treasure that truly shows forth historical Christian worship practices. While Orthodox worship is both liturgical and sacramental, it can be characterized by one word: mystery. We ascend to the kingdom to partake of the divine mysteries, that we may be spiritually nurtured and return to the world to incarnate that of which we have partaken. Equally significant, Eastern Orthodox worship is holistic. It addresses the whole person: body, soul, and spirit. We are created as psychosomatic beings, and worship must address all aspects of our being, including all of our senses. Thus in Orthodox worship sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch are all addressed. The iconography of Orthodox churches not only creates a holy atmosphere, but evokes deep spiritual meaning and states a theological understanding that we are all created in the icon (image) of God. Jesus Christ is the image of the Father, and his redemptive work consists in renewing the image of God, which was distorted by sin. Thus Jesus Christ is at the heart of all iconography. Further, the entire service is sung or chanted, and involves the people as well as the clergy in the very act of worship. While the clergy are understood to be the celebrants, it is also understood that the laity cocelebrate and the Holy Spirit fulfills a dynamic role in worship. Orthodox doctrine does not understand the laity to be passive observers, but full participants. Orthodox seminaries include a strong emphasis on liturgies, and this includes musical as well as rubrical understanding. The liturgical year requires specific worship material for each feast and commemoration. Thus there are substantial worship resources such as liturgical guides, service books, and books of prayers and services, some of which are listed below.