12 Things I Wish I'd Known - Frederica.com. First Visit to an Orthodox Church Orthodox worship is different! Some of these differences are apparent, if perplexing, from the first moment you walk in a church. Others become noticeable only over time. Here is some information that may help you feel more at home in Orthodox worship—twelve things I wish I’d known before my first visit to an Orthodox church. 1. What’s all this commotion? During the early part of the service the church may seem to be in a hubbub, with people walking up to the front of the church, praying in front of the iconostasis (the standing icons in front of the altar), kissing things and lighting candles, even though the service is already going on. In an Orthodox church there is only one Eucharistic service (Divine Liturgy) per Sunday, and it is preceded by an hour-long service of Matins (or Orthros) and several short preparatory services before that. 2.
In the Orthodox tradition, the faithful stand up for nearly the entire service. 3. 4. Not everyone prostrates. OrthodoxMysteries. Worship. O Come, let us Worship and bow down before our King and God.O Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ, our King and God.O Come, let us worship and bow down to Christ Himself, our King and God. This invitation marks the beginning of each day for the Orthodox Church. It comes from the office of Vespers, and it expresses the attitude which is at the heart of Orthodoxy.
The Worship of God - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, - is fundamental to the life and spirit of the Orthodox Church. Since Worship is so important to Orthodoxy, the best introduction to the Orthodox Church is for the non-Orthodox to attend the Divine Liturgy or the celebration of one of the major Sacraments. At first, the visitor may be overwhelmed by the music and the ceremonies, but it is in Worship that the distinctive flavor, rich traditions, and living faith of Orthodoxy are truly experienced. Worship is an experience which involved the entire Church. Worship is not simply expressed in words. Orthodox Christianity Information. Finding The New Testament Church : Journey To Orthodoxy | The Orthodox Christian 'Welcome Home' Network for Converts.
By Fr. Jon E. Braun Coming off a couple of decades of heightened awareness of our need for a personal knowledge of Christ–notably evidenced through such phenomena as the Jesus Movement and the charismatic renewal–most thinking Christians are realizing something else is needed: the rediscovery of the historic Church. Often, in heated reaction to dated and dead Protestant liberalism, we would hear evangelical preachers in the late sixties and early seventies say, “All you need is Jesus!” Such statements often got rave reviews, but just a little thoughtful reflection quickly showed such a simplistic religion to be shallow and unfulfilling.
“I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18)? But our need for the Church begs a question, a crucial question. We are in the twentieth century and our challenge is to find the New Testament Church in our day, being sure it is historically identical to the Church of the Apostles-the one Christ Himself established. “guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). 1. 2. Main Page - OrthodoxWiki.