Derrick Trent - The Divine Liturgy: Entering Heavenly Worship
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
For seven weeks, we asked
one question.
Where is the Church
that Jesus founded?
We let the Scriptures
correct the way we think abt
the Scriptures.
We learned why
we cannot live
by Scripture alone
& why we must live
by the Church’s teachings.
Then we learned abt the importance
of Apostolic succession
that the same faith
has been handed dwn
through a line of Bishops
that reaches back to the Apostles.
We learned the four marks
of Christ’s Church as confessed
in the Creed.
One…Holy…Catholic…& Apostolic.
Then we tested
the Protestant churches
the Catholic Church
& the Eastern Orthodox Church
against those four marks.
& we concluded that
the Eastern Orthodox Church
is the only Church that bears
all four marks.
Tonight,
we do a broad overview
of the worship
of the Orthodox Church.
We’ll explain everything
we talk abt tonight
in more detail
in the weeks to come.
For many of us,
this will be unlike
any worship
we’ve known.
It may seem beautiful, confusing, or even too much at first.
That’s all right.
The Orthodox Church—Christ’s Church—
Does not expect those who are learning
to know everything.
She invites us to
come with humility
To see.
To listen
& to learn.
We’ll see how she does that
as we walk through
the Divine Liturgy.
PRAYER
Let's pray.
Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the true High Priest
of Your people.
As we look into the worship
You’ve gvn Your Church,
open our minds,
stir our hearts,
& lead us into the truth.
Give us a holy fear,
humility
& a hunger to know You
more deeply.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
[Transition:
As we approach the Orthodox Church
it’s important to know…]
1. The ENTRANCE into Heavenly Worship.
1. The ENTRANCE into Heavenly Worship.
When we step thru the doors
of the Church,
there’s a distinct sense
that we’ve entered into
something that’s
not of this world.
& in Hebrews 12:22-24:
Paul tells us
where the Church takes us
when we participate in
the Divine Liturgy.
He says
…you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem)…
Notice the tense
of that first phrase.
Paul says
You have come.
He’s not just describing something
We’ll experience
in the future.
He’s describing something
we have come to now.
& what have we come to?
Paul says we have come to
Mount Zion,
The city of the living God,
The heavenly Jerusalem.
Those three phrases are
synonymous.
Mount Zion is
The City of the Living God
which is the heavenly Jerusalem.
This truth is
mind-blowing!
Paul’s says:
When Christ’s Church on earth
gathers for worship
she comes to—
she is joined to
the worship that takes place
in the heaven.
& Paul goes on in Hebrews 12:22-23,
to show us who
the earthly Church
gathers w/
when she engages in
heavenly worship.
He says we have come…
…to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and…to the spirits of the righteous made perfect…
In the Divine Liturgy
the earthly Church gathers w/
thousands upon thousands
of angels in joyful,
festive gathering
around the throne of God.
& we’re also gathered w/
the assembly
of the firstborn
& the spirits
of the righteous made perfect.
These are the righteous
who have died in this life...
but are now alive w/ Christ
in the heavenly Jerusalem.
Paul shows us that the saints
who have gone bfr us
are not absent
frm the Church.
They’re alive bfr God,
perfected in Christ,
& gathered in
the heavenly assembly.
& this is exactly
the scene John saw
in heaven in Revelation 5:11.
He says:
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.
In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
Thousands upon thousands of angels.
Gathered around the throne
of God with the living creatures
& the elders.
Heaven is alive
w/ expressions of praise,
thanksgiving, awe,
& love bfr
the throne of God.
The Orthodox Church confesses
that when the Divine Liturgy is celebrated,
the Church on earth is joined
to that heavenly worship.
In Christ,
heaven truly
has been opened.
This is why the Church worships
the way she does.
It’s patterned after
the worship
in heaven.
& this is also why
an Orthodox church
is not arranged like an auditorium
built around a stage.
It’s arranged so that everything
draws us into the worship
of heaven.
This is why the Church worships
the way she does.
It’s patterned after
the worship
in heaven.
Every Orthodox building
is designed
to draw us twd God.
APPLICATION
Everything that takes place
during the Divine Liturgy
points to the truth that
Christ is risen.
Heaven is real.
The saints
are alive in Him.
The worship of the Church
is so much bigger
than the ppl
we can count
in the room.
The Divine Liturgy turns us
frm being observers
of religious events
into ppl who participate
in heavenly worship
bfr the throne of God.
[Transition:
& one of the first things
we’re struck w/
as we enter the Church is…]
2. The SIGHT of Heavenly Worship.
2. The SIGHT of Heavenly Worship.
As we look around inside
what the Orthodox call
the Nave,
We cannot miss
the beauty all around us.
All around the Nave
we see Holy objects
like golden candle stands,
burning candles
& holy icons.
These are images of
Christ our Lord,
Mary, the Mother of God,
Angels,
Apostles,
Martyrs,
Pastors, & all sorts
of holy men & women
who are examples
of what it looks like
when human beings
become like Christ.
& these images
are what many who come frm
church backgrounds like ours
struggle w/ the most.
Honest inquirers often ask:
Why does the Orthodox Church
fill her worship
with images?
John tells us why
in John 1:14.
He says
The Word became flesh and dwelled among us. We have seen his glory, the glory he has as the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
& Paul tells us
in Colossians 1:15.
Talking abt Jesus
Pauls says
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation...
& in John 14:9,
Jesus Himself says
“The one who has seen me has seen the Father.”
Because Jesus Christ
truly became flesh,
& truly became visible,
& truly is the image,
of the invisible God
His Church depicts Him
in holy images
or Holy Icons.
they call “holy icons.”
But Christ’s Church
does not stop at
depicting Christ.
She also venerates the icons
& bows bfr
the Christ
they proclaim.
This does not mean
that the Church worships
the image itself.
She venerates the holy icons,
& she worships Christ,
whom the icons depict.
Saint John of Damascus
said it this way:
"I do not worship matter, I worship the Creator of matter, Who became matter for my sake." [On the Divine Images I.16]
Orthodox Christians
worship God alone:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
They venerate icons,
giving honor
to the person portrayed.
As Saint Basil the Great wrote,
"The honor rendered to the image passes to its prototype." [On the Holy Spirit 18.45]
When Orthodox Christians
kiss an icon of Christ,
they’re expressing love
for the Christ
who came in the flesh.
When they honor
an icon of a saint,
they honor the saint
in whose life
God’s grace
is made visible.
APPLICATION
When we approach the Church’s teaching
abt divine images
we shld not come as judges
looking for something
to protest against.
But as humble disciples.
Willing to learn
what Christ has preserved
in His Church.
Through holy images
the Church teaches us
a profound truth
bfr anyone ever says a word:
Jesus is truly God
& truly man.
He was truly born
of Mary.
His saints are truly alive
as examples of what
the grace of God
accomplishes in His people.
We live in a world
where we’re
surrounded by images.
Images that train our desires twd
money…vanity…
lust…greed…
anger…& fear.
Holy images retrain
our sight.
They call us away frm ourselves
& this world
twd the kingdom of heaven.
& they show us
what human beings can become
when God’s grace heals
& transforms them
into the image of Christ.
In a world that
has forgotten the dignity
of human beings
the icon says:
This face—
This person—
Was made for God
to be like God.
That’s the sight of heavenly worship.
[Transition:
The next thing we notice
in the Divine Liturgy is…]
3. The SOUND of Heavenly Worship.
3. The SOUND of Heavenly Worship.
As we continue
to look around the Nave,
we’re suddenly aware
of the sounds around us.
The Divine Liturgy
has a distinct sound.
We hear multiple voices—
from all over the building
a priest praying,
a deacon calling us to prayer,
the people answering:
“Lord, have mercy.”
We hear
the soft ringing of bells.
We notice the sound
is coming frm
the censer the priest
or deacon is swinging
as he moves
thru the church.
At times…
all you hear is silence[…1…2…3…]
not empty silence,
but reverent silence;
the kind that
teaches us to remember
we’re in the presence
of an all-powerful
& Holy God
& to approach Him
w/ Holy fear.
In the Divine Liturgy
We hear singing—
lots & lots
of singing
Almost every word
is sung or chanted.
It’s how Scripture
is proclaimed.
It’s how doctrine
is confessed.
& it’s how prayer
is offered
by the whole Church.
We may wonder why
the church worships this way.
Do they have to sing everything
like that?
The Church is merely doing
what Pauls says
in Ephesians 5:19
…addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
& again in Colossians 3:16:
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another…through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
Singing & chanting
the Divine Liturgy
is the Scriptural way
to worship.
Something else we notice
as we continue to listen to
the Divine Liturgy.
We hear the phrase
“Lord, have mercy"
being repeated
again & again.
This repetition
is not empty words.
This, too,
is Scriptural worship.
This is the Church
is using the words
of the blind man in Luke 18:38,
who cried out to Jesus
again and again:
“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
In the Divine Liturgy,
that cry becomes the prayer
of the whole Church…
As her people pray
for the whole world -
for the suffering,
the sick,
travelers,
civil authorities,
and even for
the departed.
That’s what we hear
in the heavenly worship
of the Divine Liturgy.
[Transition:
But Orthodox Worship
Does not stop w/
what we see and hear.
Let’s talk now abt...]
4. The SMELL of Heavenly Worship.
4. The SMELL of Heavenly Worship.
As the priest or deacon
moves around the nave
with the censer,
you’re enveloped by
the sweet smell
of incense.
Some have said
they’re offended
by this smell
the first time
they encounter it.
For others,
once they experience
that sweet aroma
for the first time
they can’t wait
until they smell it again.
Many of us
were never taught
that incense is
an important part
of worship.
But incense
has always been
a part of
biblical worship.
The Lord told His ppl
how to make
& burn incense to Him
under the Old Covenant.
& as we see
in Malachi
incense was to continue
to be a part of worship
under the New Covenant.
In Malachi 1:11,
the Lord says:
…from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.
How many of you
have heard or read
this verse
bfr today?
This verse is huge
for showing us how
everyone will worship God
under the New Covenant.
Yet many of us
have never seen
or heard it.
Notice the phrase
“among the nations.”
That’s talking abt
the same ppl Jesus
told His disciples to go to
in the Great Commission
in Matthew 28:19.
Jesus says:
“…make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
When we combine the verse in Malachi
w/ the words of Jesus
in the Great Commission
we learn that
One thing the apostles
were to teach the nations
to observe
is the offering of incense
to the Lord
in every place.
& this is being fulfilled
in the Orthodox Church
As she makes of all nations
& incense is offered
to the Lord’s name
in every place
where the Church
is established.
This was one of those verses
that led me to seek something
more than what I’d learned
as a Protestant pastor.
No one ever taught me
to offer incense
to the Lord.
But I learned
this is normal worship.
It always has been
& will be forever.
Several times
in the book of Revelation
John sees saints & angels
holding golden censers
full of incense
& offering incense
to the Lord.
& that incense
is usually connected w/
the prayers of the saints.
So again we see that
the Divine Liturgy
is patterned after
heavenly worship.
The rising smoke
gives us a picture
of what is actually happening.
Our prayers
are rising up & being received
bfr the throne of God.
Incense is the scent
of heavenly worship.
[Transition:
Let’s talk now abt
5. The TOUCH of Heavenly Worship.
5. The TOUCH of Heavenly Worship.
As we continue to look around
the Nave.
We see people standing.
Some bow.
Some make
the sign of the Cross.
Some light candles.
Some reverence icons.
Christian worship involves
our whole body.
As the Psalmist says
in Psalm 95:6:
Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
& in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20:
Paul
…glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which belong to God.
Scripture does not ask us
to leave our bodies at the door
of worship.
It calls body & soul together bfr
God.
This is important
bcs the Son of God
took a body.
He healed bodies,
gave His Body on the Cross,
rose bodily from the tomb,
& will raise our bodies
on the last day.
Orthodox Christians stand
for most of the Liturgy
as the posture of the Resurrection
& as servants
bfr their King.
Bows & prostrations
are made to show
reverence
and repentance.
The sign of the Cross
confesses the Holy Trinity
& the salvation won
thru the crucified
& risen Lord.
All of this is done
to glorify God
in our bodies.
Application
Application
Modern life trains us
to be spectators.
We sit,
We watch,
We applaud
while other ppl
do things.
The Divine Liturgy
calls us out of
that passivity.
It calls us to respond
in the prayers.
It calls us to stand,
bow and prostrate
ourselves bfr
our King.
It calls us to continually
To turn our whole selves
twd the Lord.
That’s the TOUCH
of heavenly worship.
[Transition:
Finally let’s talk abt
one more aspect
of the Divine Liturgy.]
6. TheTASTE of Heavenly Worship.
6. TheTASTE of Heavenly Worship.
Everything in the Divine Liturgy
has been leading here:
the prayers,
the readings,
the confession of the faith,
& the ppl standing together
bfr God.
The Church calls it
The Eucharist
or Holy Communion.
This is the point
of the liturgy
where the faithful
practice the words of Jesus
in John 6:53-56.
The Lord says
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
At the Last Supper
in Matthew 26:26-28,
Jesus tells us what He means
by eating His flesh
& drinking His blood.
He takes bread,
blesses it,
breaks it and says:
“Take, eat; this is my body.”
Then Jesus takes a cup
of wine
gives thanks for it,
& says:
“Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant…”
& in Luke 22:19,
Jesus says
Do this in remembrance of me.”
The Orthodox Church
receives these words
not symbolically
but literally.
In the Great Eucharistic prayer,
the Church remembers
His Cross,
His Resurrection,
His Ascension,
& His & promised return.
& then the priests call
upon the Holy Spirit to
“Make this bread the precious Body of Thy Christ ... and that which is in this cup the precious Blood of Thy Christ, changing them by Thy Holy Spirit."
The Church never
has tried to explain
this mystery.
She simply believes it
& receives it with awe.
As Saint Cyril of Jerusalem
tells new Christians,
"Do not regard the bread and wine as bare and common elements, for they are the Body and Blood of Christ." [Mystagogical Catechesis 4.1]
After this blessing
The priest comes out
frm behind
what the Church calls
the iconostasis
carrying the cup
of the Eucharist
thru the Royal Doors.
& then he gives this invitation:
"With fear of God, faith, and love, draw near."
The faithful approach
the cup w/ reverence.
This is not a private moment.
It’s Christ giving His own life
to His one Body.
Application
Application
The Orthodox Church
does not invite every visitor
to receive Holy Communion.
Not even those
who come frm
a dfrnt Christian background.
Why?
Bcs Holy Communion
is only for those
who are in full communion
w/ with the Church’s faith
& life.
Orthodox Christians
receive the body & blood
of the Lord
only after being received
into the Church
& preparing to receive
under the care
of their priest.
Those who are learning
are invited
to watch with reverence…
to listen closely…
& to let
a holy hunger grow.
There’s a path
to the Eucharist
that includes:
Instruction in the faith.
Repentance.
Baptism.
& Chrismation.
It also includes learning:
to pray…
to fast…
to confess…
& to live
in communion
w/ Christ
& His Church.
All of this bcs
The Church requires
every member to take seriously
the words of Jesus
in Luke 14:27.
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
The Christian life
is not an easy life.
It’s abt dying
& rising
w/ Christ.
It is being joined
to His Body.
Where we carry
our own cross
like Christ
As we learn to live
in His grace.
In the Eucharist,
Christ is feeding
His ppl
w/ His own life.
So they have the strength
to follow in His footsteps
w/ their own cross.
This is the hunger
at the heart
of Orthodox worship.
The goal
of Orthodox worship
is not to make us feel
a certain way.
The goal
is to be united
to Jesus Christ Himself
& become like Him
in true righteousness
& holiness.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
As we close:
Tonight,
we’ve talked abt
what the Divine Liturgy is:
It’s not a performance for spectators
or empty ancient customs.
It’s Christ’s Church at worship:
Gathered bfr the Holy Trinity,
joined to the heavenly praise
of angels & saints,
formed by the Scriptures,
praying for the world,
offering thanksgiving,
& receiving the life of Christ.
Some of us,
no doubt,
will think
this worship seems strange.
But we shld remember
that the Church who
has worshipped this way
for 2000 years
wld see our worship
as strange.
The Church received her faith
frm the apostles
who received it
frm Jesus.
& she not only
communicates that faith
thru written words.
She sings it.
She paints it.
She invites the world to
See…Hear…
Smell…Touch…
& eventually Taste it.
The Church teaches
the Faith thru
the way she worships.
& this worship
forms a ppl
into the likeness of Christ.
So hear again
the invitation of the Church:
"Come and see."
Come w/ your questions
cautiousness
& concerns.
But don’t come
as critics.
& don’t come
as consumers.
Come w/ a humble hunger
eager to learn.
Christ Church invites us
to look at Christ,
listen to His Gospel,
& learn the life
He has gvn His ppl.
PRAYER
PRAYER
Let's stand for prayer.
Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the Bread of Life
& the true Light
of the world.
Teach us to worship You
in spirit and truth.
Give us humble hearts,
clear minds,
& a holy hunger
for all that You’ve gvn Your Church.
In the name of Your Son
have mercy on us
& save us.
Amen.
Patristic and Liturgical Source Notes
- St. John of Damascus, On the Divine Images I.16.
- St. Basil the Great, On the Holy Spirit 18.45.
- Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Anaphora (epiclesis).
- St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Mystagogical Catechesis 4.1.
- St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Ephesians 20.2.
