Michael Mitchell - Church Visit #1

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

As my car pulled up to the church, it immediately became clear to me that my outfit (an electric salmon polo with blue pants) differed drastically from the black suits that all the other male attendees were wearing. As I walked into the sanctuary I was greeted by a few smiles and strange looks from children. Excluding a short sermon, the entirety of the service (singing and speaking) came out of a book of Divine Liturgy, read by the “pastor” and sung by the choir on the balcony. A few of the similarities of The Greek Orthodox service to my regular context include: the taking of communion, the “pastor’s” sermon, and the reading of the Lord’s Prayer. Some of the major differences include: a heavy emphasis upon the historical church/ saints, the amount of iconography present in the sanctuary throughout the service, the centrality/ importance of taking Eucharist to the gathering, and the transubstantiation of the bread and wine.

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

Before attending the Greek Orthodox service, I had no idea that there was so much variance within the practices of the Christian church. Much of my extended family is Catholic, so my experiences outside Protestantism have only extended that far; the Greek Orthodox Church expanded my view of Christianity drastically. The service revealed to me how little I had ever thought about communing with the saints throughout history in their worship of the Lord and how the worship of Him extends beyond those currently living on earth. The experience also reminded me that the worship of God extends beyond any geographical or language barrier. Close to half of the words spoken or sung were in Greek, which repeatedly kept me from minimizing God to the size of my American context. 

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

To be honest, one thing that I was reminded of over and over was my appreciation for Protestantism and the context in which I was raised. The Greek Orthodox Church – from my minimal experience with it – seemed to emphasize the Holiness and Supremacy of God well, while offering very little insight into His loving and relational nature. They seemed to reinforce religious disciplines while leaving the direction of the Holy Spirit and His work in the life of a believer out. I do feel that I often lack a fear of the Lord while coming into His presence, mostly because of a very limited understanding of his holiness; however, I have tasted the sweetness of His fatherly love and possess the fire that comes from being driven by the Holy Spirit. The Divine Liturgy, which is followed verbatim every week, emphasized works heavily and gave very little insight into the true gospel. I was reminded how much of a gift God’s nearness is and how heavy the yoke of striving to be righteous can be without the work of the Holy Spirit and an understanding of the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ.