Sarah De Geus - Church visit #1

Church name: Christ the Savior Orthodox Christian Church
Church address: 927 N. LaSalle St., Chicago
Date attended: Saturday, October 10, 2015
Church Category: Eastern Orthodox

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?

I attended a Great Vespers and Matins service on a Saturday evening, which I learned is sort of a preparation for the Divine Liturgy the next morning. When I first walked in the church, I was immediately struck by something very different from my regular context: there was no one waiting just inside the door to welcome you. I hadn't realized that I was counting on someone to explain the process to me until I was forced to jump right in. There were no chairs and everyone was standing on rugs. The church walls also had no white space, but were covered with paintings. But I think the biggest shock to me was the realization that they sang everything. For about two hours, I stood and listened to the priests pace around (always pausing before the paintings of Christ and Mary), burn incense, and exchange verses with the "choir," who stayed still and consisted mostly of women with their heads covered. The most awkward part for me, though, was suddenly when the priest brought out a red, velvet Bible and laid it down on a table. Everyone lined up to kiss the Bible and then to kiss the priest's hand. I was really uncomfortable with this, but I did it anyway (although I learned that I was supposed to kiss the priest's ring not his hand afterwards). All in all, the service felt sort of unworldly. 

How did the worship service illuminate for you the history and contours of global Christianity? 

One of my strongest impressions of the Eastern Orthodox Church was how greatly they depended on tradition. There was no need for programs or for the priest to say what was going to happen next, because it was the same every week. The service felt very old; I could imagine Christians hundreds of years ago attending a service very similar to this one. I sensed that this church also identified itself with a much larger church, was very aware of its place in the "holy catholic church," more so than Protestant Churches tend to be. They prayed constantly for their bishops in other parts of the US and the world. They also knew and emphasized the history of the Church in the world. It took me a while to be able to understand what they were singing, but, when I did, I understood that they were talking about the Ecumenical Councils, the defeat of Arius, the theotokos, and the blessedness of Constantine. This Church evidently had a very different focus than Protestant churches, which, I realized, tend to emphasize the individual over the unity. 

How did the worship service illuminate for you your personal identity as a Christian?

Before I attended this service, I checked out this Church's explanation of Orthodoxy and found the following explanation: "Some Orthodox theologians do not recognize the ecclesial and salvific character of these Western churches at all, while others accept that the Holy Spirit acts to a certain degree within these communities although they do not possess the fullness of grace and spiritual gifts like the Orthodox Church." This really added to my uncomfortableness during the service, because I was in the midst of others, who based on my evident lack of knowledge about Orthodox practice, would not consider me a sister in Christ or at least one that is equal to them. I honestly felt pretty foreign throughout the whole service. This was exacerbated by the priest's reading/singing of a text that spoke about the blinding of a Christian who did not venerate icons as much as they did. I did not feel like a Christian so much as a mistaken Westerner. I obviously did not like that very much, but I loved the reverence with which they spoke about the Lord. It reminded me of the fact that, as a Christian, I am saved by GOD. Not God, but GOD, to whom all glory belongs.