Heavenly Worship in the Holy Scripture
Prayer and incense Psalm 141
Prophet Isaiah’s vision of heaven Isaiah 6.1-8
Prophet Ezekiel’s vision of heaven Ezekiel 1
Christ, our High Priest Hebrews 4.14-5.10, 7.11-10
St. John’s vision of heavenly worship Revelation 4.1-11,; 7.9-8.5
St. John’s vision of heaven, cont. Revelation 21.1-8, 22-27; 22.1-5
The Centrality of Sunday as a Celebration
of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
** See also the above paragraph from St. Justin on the centrality of Sunday in the life of the Church.
St. Gregory Palamas, Homily “Explaining the Mystery of the Sabbath and of the Lord’s Day and Referring to the Gospel of New Sunday,” regarding the significance of Sunday for healing:
(The following passage refers to the account of Christ’s appearances to his disciples after His Resurrection as recorded in The Gospel of St. John20.19-29).
“You will see that it was Sunday when the disciples assembled and the Lord came to them. On Sunday He approached them for the first time as they were gathered together, and eight days later, when Sunday came round again, He appeared to their assembly. Christ’s Church continually reflects these gatherings by holding its meetings mostly on Sunday, and we come among you and preach what pertains to salvation and lead you towards piety and a godly way of life.
Let no one out of laziness or continuous worldly occupations miss these holy Sunday gatherings, which God Himself handed down to us, lest he be justly abandoned by God and suffer like Thomas, who did not come at the right time. If you are detained and do not attend on one occasion, make up for it the next time, bringing yourself to Christ’s Church. Otherwise you may remain uncured, suffering from unbelief in your soul because of deeds or words, and failing to approach Christ’s surgery to receive, like divine Thomas, holy healing. There exists not only thoughts and words of faith but also deeds and acts of faith – ‘Shew me’, it says, ‘thy faith by thy works’ (cf. Jas. 2:18) – and if someone abandons these and is completely distanced from the Church of Christ and given over wholly to worthless pursuits, his faith is dead, or non-existent, and he himself has become dead through sin.”
St. Gregory Palamas, The Homilies, edited and translated by Christopher Veniamin, homily 17, “Explaining the Mystery of the Sabbath and of the Lord’s Day and Referring to the Gospel of New Sunday” (Waymart: Mount Thabor Publishing, 2009), 141.
More on the Priority of Worship in the Church Temple
Selection from St. John Chrysostom, Homily LVIII (John 9.17-18), warning against being carelessly distracted from worshipping in the church:
“For if the blind man, the beggar, who had not even seen Him, straightway showed such boldness even before he was encouraged by Christ, standing opposed to a whole people, murderous, possessed, and raving, who desired by means of his voice to condemn Christ, if he neither yielded nor gave back, but most boldly stopped their mouths, and chose rather to be cast out than to betray the truth; how much more ought we, who have lived so long in the faith, who have seen ten thousand marvels wrought by faith, who have received greater benefits than he, have recovered the sight of the eyes within, have beheld the ineffable Mysteries, and have been called to such honor, how ought we, I say, to exhibit all boldness of speech towards those who attempt to accuse, and who say anything against the Christians, and to stop their mouths, and not to acquiesce without an effort. And we shall be able to do this, if we are bold, and give heed to the Scriptures, and hear them not carelessly. For if one should come in here regularly, even though he read not at home, if he attends to what is said here, one year even is sufficient to make him well versed in them; because we do not to-day read one kind of Scriptures, and tomorrow another, but always and continually the same. Still such is the wretched disposition of the many, that after so much reading, they do not even know the names of the Books, and are not ashamed nor tremble at entering so carelessly into a place where they may hear God’s word. Yet if a harper, or dancer, or stage-player call the city, they all run eagerly, and feel obliged to him for the call, and spend the half of an entire day in attending to him alone; but when God speaketh to us by Prophets and Apostles, we yawn, we scratch ourselves, we are drowsy. And in summer, the heat seems too great, and we betake ourselves to the market place; and again, in winter, the rain and mire are a hindrance, and we sit at home; yet at horse races, though there is no roof over them to keep off the wet, the greater number, while heavy rains are falling, and the wind is dashing the water into their faces, stand like madmen, caring not for cold, and wet, and mud, and length of way, and nothing either keeps them at home, or prevents their going thither. But here, where there are roofs over head, and where the warmth is admirable, they hold back instead of running together; and this too, when the gain is that of their own souls.”
St. John Chrysostom, Homily LVIII (John 9.17-18), NPNF, Vol. 14, 210-211.
Selections from St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ:
“Nothing in the world is more important than the salvation of human souls, and there is no subject more worthy of unceasing and perpetual remembrance than the redemption of the world by the Son of God from sin, the curse and eternal death. The Holy Church has engraved in her Divine services, by means of eternally indelible letters, by images and rites, the whole ordering of our salvation, in order that men—so inclined to forget God, and the salvation of their souls, and all that God has done for their salvation, eternal joy and bliss—should constantly have, so to say, before their eyes, and as though within their reach, all God’s great, most wise and good deeds concerning them, and that they may continually be urged to repentance, amendment, and salvation, and shun the vanities of this corrupt and fleeting world. ‘The world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.'”
“In the temple, in its arrangements and parts, in the icons, in the Divine service, with the reading of the Holy Scriptures, the singing, the rites, the entire Old Testament, New Testament, and Church history, the whole Divine ordering of the salvation of mankind is emblematically traced, as upon a chart, in figures and in general outlines. Grand is the spectacle of the Divine service of our Orthodox Church for those who understand it, who penetrate into its essence, its spirit, its signification, its sense!”
St. John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ or Moments of Spiritual Serenity and Contemplation,of Reverent Feeling, of Earnest Self-Amendment, and of Peace in God: Extracts from the Diary of St. John of Kronstadt (Archpriest John Iliytch Sergieff, trans. by E. E. Goulaeff, Christian Classics Ethereal Library, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/kronstadt/christlife.html, 335, 340.
Worship Toward the East
Selection from St. John of Damascus, “Concerning Worship towards the East,” An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith:
“It is not without reason or by chance that we worship towards the East. But seeing that we are composed of a visible and an invisible nature, that is to say, of a nature partly of spirit and partly of sense, we render also a twofold worship to the Creator; just as we sing both with our spirit and our bodily lips, and are baptized with both water and Spirit, and are united with the Lord in a twofold manner, being sharers in the mysteries and in the grace of the Spirit.
Since, therefore, God is spiritual light , and Christ is called in the Scriptures Sun of Righteousness and Dayspring, the East is the direction that must be assigned to His worship. For everything good must be assigned to Him from Whom every good thing arises. Indeed the divine David also says, Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth: O sing praises unto the Lord: to Him that rideth upon the Heavens of heavens towards the East. Moreover the Scripture also says, And God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed: and when he had transgressed His command He expelled him and made him to dwell over against the delights of Paradise, which clearly is the West. So, then, we worship God seeking and striving after our old fatherland. Moreover the tent of Moses had its veil and mercy seat towards the East. Also the tribe of Judah as the most precious pitched their camp on the East. Also in the celebrated temple of Solomon the Gate of the Lord was placed eastward. Moreover Christ, when He hung on the Cross, had His face turned towards the West, and so we worship, striving after Him. And when He was received again into Heaven He was borne towards the East, and thus His apostles worship Him, and thus He will come again in the way in which they beheld Him going towards Heaven; as the Lord Himself said, As the lightning cometh out of the East and shineth even unto the West, so also shall the coming of the Son of Man be.
So, then, in expectation of His coming we worship towards the East. But this tradition of the apostles is unwritten. For much that has been handed down to us by tradition is unwritten.”
Selection from St. John of Damascus, “Concerning Worship towards the East,” An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Bk. IV, Ch. XII, NPNF, Second Series, Vol. 9.
The Divine Liturgy
Selection from St. Justin the Philosopher, “The First Apology,” describing the worship of the early Church:
“But we, after we have thus washed him who has been convinced and has assented to our teaching, bring him to the place where those who are called brethren are assembled, in order that we may offer hearty prayers in common for ourselves and for the baptized [illuminated] person, and for all others in every place, that we may be counted worthy, now that we have learned the truth, by our works also to be found good citizens and keepers of the commandments, so that we may be saved with an everlasting salvation. Having ended the prayers, we salute one another with a kiss. There is then brought to the president of the brethren bread and a cup of wine mixed with water; and he taking them, gives praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and offers thanks at considerable length for our being counted worthy to receive these things at His hands. And when he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all the people present express their assent by saying Amen. This word Amen answers in the Hebrew language to ge<noito [so be it]. And when the president has given thanks, and all the people have expressed their assent, those who are called by us deacons give to each of those present to partake of the bread and wine mixed with water over which the thanksgiving was pronounced, and to those who are absent they carry away a portion.”
“And this food is called among us Eu]xaristi<a [the Eucharist], of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh. For the apostles, in the memoirs composed by them, which are called Gospels, have thus delivered unto us what was enjoined upon them; that Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, said, “This do ye in remembrance of Me, this is My body;” and that, after the same manner, having taken the cup and given thanks, He said, “This is My blood;” and gave it to them alone. Which the wicked devils have imitated in the mysteries of Mithras, commanding the same thing to be done. For, that bread and a cup of water are placed with certain incantations in the mystic rites of one who is being initiated, you either know or can learn.”
“And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things. And the wealthy among us help the needy; and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost. And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration.”
St. Justin the Philosopher, “The First Apology,” Chps. LXV-LXVII, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, pp. 184-185. This text is available for free at this address: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.txt
Divine Liturgies of the Church:
Eastern Rite
The Liturgy of St. James, the Brother of the Lord
*The Liturgy of St. Basil the Great
*The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
Western Rite
The Liturgy of St. Gregory the Great
The Liturgy of St. Tikhon
* The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom and the Liturgy of St. Basil, which are very similar, are the most commonly celebrated Liturgies.
Note: The Divine Liturgy is a participation in heavenly worship, revealed in the Old and New Testaments. It is the fulfillment of the worship revealed to the nation of Israel, whom God chose among all peoples to reveal Himself, and carried out in the Tabernacle and Temple. The worship of the synagogue is also fulfilled through it. Since Jesus is the Christ (Messiah) of Israel and King of All, the Son of God, the worship of the Old Testament is fulfilled through Him. Indeed, the Divine Liturgy is the right way for all humanity to worship the true and living God together. Only Orthodox Christians fully participate in the Divine Liturgy. God, who loves us all, calls all people into the arms of His Church, where right faith and right worship are accomplished.
Review the Pre-Communion Prayers and the Post-Communion Prayers to help you learn and remember both (1) the significance of the Eucharist (Holy Communion) and (2) the proper attitude for participating in this Holy Mystery.
The Ministry of the Word –
The Value of the Homily
St. John Chrysostom, “The Ministry of the Word,” On the Holy Priesthood:
“People who are keen for athletic fitness need doctors and trainers and a careful diet and continual exercise and any amount of other precautions. For the neglect of a small detail in these matters upsets and spoils the whole scheme. Then what about those whose vocation it to look after this Body which has to contend, not against flesh and blood, but against the unseen powers?[1] How can they keep it spotless and sound, unless they possess superhuman wisdom and fully understand the treatment suitable for the soul? Or do you not realize that that Body is liable to more diseases and attacks than this flesh of ours, and is infected more quickly and cured more slowly?[2]
Doctors who treat the human body have discovered a multiplicity of drugs and various designs of instruments and appropriate forms of diet for the sick. And the character of the climate is often sufficient by itself to restore the patient’s health. And sometimes a timely bout of sleep relieves the doctor of trouble. But in the present case there is nothing like this to rely on. When all is said and done, there is only one means and only one method of treatment available, and that is teaching by word of mouth. That is the best instrument, the best diet, and the best climate. It takes the place of medicine and cautery and surgery. When we need to cauterize or cut, we must use this. Without it all else is useless. By it we rouse the soul’s lethargy or reduce its inflammation, we remove excrescences and supply defects, and in short, do everything which contributes to health.”
St. John Chrysostom, Six Books on the Priesthood, trans. by Graham Neville (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1964), 114-115.
[1] St. John Chrysostom explains the focus of this passage: “It concerns the very Body of Jesus. For the Church of Christ is Christ’s own Body, according to St. Paul,“ 114.
[2] As the Body of Christ, the Church is pure, perfect, and the incorruptible source of healing. The Church is a hospital wherein those who are sick in the soul receive divine therapy. The spiritual illness of congregants can create turmoil in a local parish if individuals are not attending first to the spiritual life of the Church to gain their own healing. In this section, St. John goes on to specifically address the problem of heresy, noting that “when it is false doctrine that the soul is suffering from, words are urgently needed, not only for the safety of the Church’s members, but to meet the attacks of outsiders as well”, 115.