Last night, as I was rounding home on the finishing touches to our living room, I was well aware of my need to be connected with God; and my stark awareness of just how far off I seemed to be from the Presence I once knew. So I made sure that I didn’t stay up until 2:30 a.m., that I would be able to get up in time to visit St. George Antiochan Orthodox Church again.

Frankly speaking, I don’t understand much of what’s going on—not so much the confession, or the reading of the Gospel text, or communion—but the clinging to a liturgical tradition that spans nearly 2000 years. As an outsider to the Orthodox faith, I don’t know all the symbolism, the reasons, and the fundamentals behind what they do throughout the service.

There is a lot of chanting—a lot. I thought it was bad at the Lutheran church that I grew up at; but this certainly has it beat. Pretty much everything is chanted, save for the morning text the priest reads about a certain saint that they remember for that Sunday, the announcements, and one of the creeds. Other than that, it was a lot of chanting.

But I don’t necessarily take issue with the chanting—I just want to know where the life is, the sustaining life of Christ in the midst of a tireless tradition that has preserved its way of doing things for so long. The people certainly seem filled with life, hope, grace, and a love that radiates.

And that is one reason why I am going back this morning—to look deeper into Orthodox, beyond the surface, and look for God in the midst of that tradition. I don’t necessarily expect to walk away with any new revelations or have a life-changing experience; but who knows, maybe God might surprise me and show a glimpse of His shadow to me.

March 18, 2007, 8:48 am

Filed under: Orthodoxy, Spirituality

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