Church name: St. Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church
Church address:
Date attended: 9/27/15
Church category: Greek Orthodox
Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
Of course, the standing is the most viscerally different experience I had; I tried to track along in the liturgy and figure out what "catchwords" signified rising and sitting and mostly failed. However, the people there were nicer, frankly, than most people in Protestant churches I have visited, greeting me and helping me to figure out in which part of the liturgy we were. The most beautiful distinction or difference in my opinion was the a cappella choir positioned in the balcony behind us. They punctuated the liturgy with both Greek and English lyrics, filling the chapel, which had wonderful acoustics, with a reverent sound. The music also somehow served to make me feel less loss and more at home. The most interesting difference, which stuck out in the way something does when you realize you have been doing something wrong, was the liturgy's prayer for our Armed Forces and for the President and the leaders of America. Why, it made me ask, does my church not take the initiative to pray for the Armed Forces and leaders corporately?
How did the worship service illuminate for you the history and contours of global Christianity?
The church seemed very, very modern. And yet this enlightened me in its way. To see what St. Athanasios has chosen in their services and building to modernize and what they have kept ancient truly shows what they treasure. These stand, in my opinion, in this order: Eucharist, liturgy, and music. The music, as I said, was classic liturgical music, but they did translate some of it. The liturgy as a whole, included some modern elements (which I praised above). The Eucharist, however, really seemed like being thrust back in time--in a good way. Here, the liturgy stayed entirely in Greek, the focus on the head priest and his preparation of the elements. Quiet interlaced with some liturgical chanting, and they let out a fresh dose of incense. It is always refreshing to be reminded of high church's treatment of the last supper, including the intense reverence and higher frequency of just doing it.
How did the worship service illuminate for you your personal identity as a Christian?
I think that I and my church go a little overboard with compartmentalization sometimes. As I keep mentioning, the use of prayer about the Armed Forces and the President in the liturgy really left a mark. In the liturgy! It doesn't get more integrative--or less compartmentalized--than that! As an American, it is really easy to separate my politics and patriotism from my faith. Of course, to some extent, they are distinct loyalties. However, my visit to St. Athanasios reminded me that although distinct, my faith should pervade my patriotism. There is no true hoping for a better America without praying for a better America; there is no true working for a better America without working for the kingdom. The integration has reminded me of a better way to be a citizen of heaven and a citizen of America.
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