One of the many reasons that people have been flocking to the Orthodox Church is because of the reverence that is offered to God within our Churches and our services. When they enter into our Churches for the first time, many are surprised to not see a stage with musical instruments and whitewashed walls, but rather something that more closely resembles a Throne Room in a Kingdom. The walls are arrayed in beautiful iconography. The people are all facing front towards the altar area, where raised on several steps in the back, sits large chairs that represent the Throne of God in our midst. The altar table that we serve the Holy Liturgy is literally God’s Footstool. It’s this reverence, this beauty, this awe that is sorely missing from the world that Orthodoxy offers to us all.
Just this morning, I received a message from an inquirer on this exact topic. In reference to the way Orthodox Christians worship, she said: “One of the things that really stands out to me is the deep reverence for God. It’s always bothered me when there are so many distractions during worship. I’ve never been anywhere where all the members are so focused on God and hold such reverence for Him.”
It is our sacred responsibility to ensure that we maintain this understanding of what reverence should look like in the Church. As someone who was born into the faith, I think this is an area that we sometimes take for granted, or we just flat out forget when we come into the Church. We forget where we are…and what honor and respect are due in God’s House.
This is not meant to be an admonishment of anyone, or to embarrass anyone. All of us come from different backgrounds where being “in Church” means something different. For some, being in the “Church” on Sunday meant being in the place where we could drink coffee and raise our hands with the praise band. For others, being in the Church was the place we could send our children off to another room so we could listen to the preacher tell us how to lead a better life. But for the Orthodox Church, and for us as Orthodox Christians, we have a sacred duty to protect the sanctity and holiness of our Lord’s Throne Room…of our Church and the Divine Services.
It is my God Given responsibility to teach and to make sure that the flock entrusted to me remembers this incredible responsibility, so I challenge all of us to remember these 6 ways in which we can keep the reverence, awe, and respect of this Throne Room of God that we are blessed to enter for worship every week!
1.) Avoid Social Talking
If we were to enter Buckingham Palace in the presence of the King while he is sitting on the throne, would we be having social conversations with one another? How much more so should it be that we avoid unnecessary speech when standing in the presence of God, especially during the Divine Services and Prayer.
We are a family, and we have people that we love to see and greet every time we enter into the Church. Greet them with a hug, but it’s best to save the social conversation for the coffee hour after we leave the sanctuary. If we must speak, we do so in hushed tones so as not to disturb those around us praying before the Throne of God!
2.) Avoid Leaving the Church
While sometimes leaving the Church during the service is needed, especially with parents of young children, we should only leave when it is absolutely necessary. Going to the narthex for any other reason, such as casual conversations during the homily or to "take a break" during parts of the Liturgy are never acceptable times to leave the presence of God, especially after the reception of Holy Communion.
The early Church took being in the Church for the entire service very seriously…as we should as well! There were saints who would receive the Eucharist and go to a quiet corner of the Church to sit for hours after they had received God within them! At the very least, we can wait until the veneration of the cross before departing the Throne Room of God!
3.) Stillness
Walking into the House of our Lord requires reverence and stillness, which is often difficult for us living in such a fast paced world. With young children especially, we should endeavour to keep them close by. If they want to venerate an icon, we walk with them to do so in a reverent manner. It is never acceptable to allow children to run, jump off of steps, or crawl under the Church furniture.
We have a sacred responsibility to not only learn how to be still in our own lives, but to pass it on to our children to the best of our ability. The world is only getting faster…and our children won’t have as easy of a time as we did growing up to learn stillness. Church and prayer are the places that we can instill this incredible virtue within our Children(but of course, not without trial and error :) )
Parents, keep bringing those kiddos. It will get easier! If you are getting frustrated or want to vent a bit, come talk to me!
4.) Timeliness
We are often on time for work, for sporting events, and even early for concerts. Why is it that we don’t put as large of a priority in being on time to be in the presence of the King of Kings?!
Adults that come after the Epistle and the Gospel, unless they have a special blessing from the priest to do so, should not approach the Holy Chalice for Communion. It’s a scary thing to approach the chalice unworthily, and with the exception of an emergency, if we can’t get to the Liturgy at a decent time, we simply are in no position to approach the dread mysteries.
If you are having an issue getting to Church on time, talk to the priest!
5.) No Food or Drink
Under no circumstances should we bring food or drink (including gum) into the Church, with the exception of having a bottle for a baby. All of us who are preparing for Holy Communion, with few exceptions, should be fasting from food and drink before receiving the Body and Blood of God. For children, it is a general rule that they should start the Eucharistic fast after their first confession (around 7 or 8 years old).
6.) Standing, Sitting, and Kneeling
At certain points in the Liturgy, unless physically unable to do so, it is necessary for us to stand in reverence. These points include the reading of the Gospel, the Entrances with the Gospel and the Holy Gifts, the Anophora Prayers, and the Distribution of Communion to the faithful.
On Sunday’s with very few exceptions, we do not kneel. During the weekday Liturgies, it is appropriate for us to kneel during the Anophora Prayers and the Our Father.