The Divine Liturgy

When do I stand? If the priest is outside the doors to the altar, standing is called for unless the homily is in progress or if prayers are being said while kneeling. Standing is almost always appropriate; pews are a recent occurrence in Orthodox services; pews are useful but should not be overused. Especially stand during the Gospel reading, the Little and Great Entrances, the Creed, the Anaphora, the Lord's Prayer and while Communion is distributed. When sitting, one should remain reverent. We have saintly examples of worshipping peacefully, reverently, simply, joyfully, and tearfully, but no examples of worshipping casually.

What about clothing? The worship of God should ultimately come to evoke an attitude that is neither casual nor immodest and pretentious. Traditionally, men are not to cover their heads, and women are to wear head coverings. Shoes may be removed in accordance with some Orthodox traditions. At no time will a visitor be criticized for their clothing; it is up to the person to conscientiously choose their attire.

Who can receive holy communion? Only those received into the Orthodox Church by baptism and/or chrismation. Additionally, the faithful should confess at the frequency agreed upon with the priest in order to receive. The ancient churches have never distributed communion incautiously, as it is sacred.

What do we do with our children? Children become full members in the Orthodox Church, receiving baptism, chrismation, and communion. As such, they should grow in capacity to attend the whole service. Screens should not be used to pacify. Soft toys, drawing, and books may be helpful at times. Children having an unusually difficult time may be taken out for a break but please bring them back in soon, as being in the service should be normative and is necessary for them to become calmer and more attentive over time.

The Sign of the Cross is of apostolic origin. Early Christian writers of the 200s AD, such as Tertullian and St. Cyprian speak of its antiquity. Tertullian wrote about its use in daily life: "when we come in or go out, when we dress, when we wash." The gesture involves tracing a cross on one's body, from the forehead to the chest, then from the right shoulder to the left shoulder.

When people make the Sign of the Cross they are "blessing themselves." This is a physical prayer. The body prays and worships, too. The body, and physical world matter. Faith is not limited to our thoughts. As taught since the time of the earliest Christians, making the sign of the cross is a powerful symbol of protection by unity with Christ.

Apart from the young children, adults also move around during the service. You may see people venerate icons or light candles during the service. People usually do this when they arrive, even if they are late. When the priest addresses the people, or at sacred times like the Great Entrance or Gospel reading, people remain still; at other times it is normal to occasionally go about one's prayers within the ongoing prayer of the community as a whole. Visitors are always welcome to light candles and venerate icons.

The Church is pre-modern and manifests a nearly timeless life within the Holy Spirit. Candles are not only for beauty, but also join a physical, olfactory and visual aspect to prayer. People placing candles are giving small gifts of beauty to God while also "materializing" their prayer. Because of the multi-faceted meaning of the candles, they have been lit in worship since the earliest years of the church, even in the daytime. Like candles, incense is present from Old Testament times, and in accordance with the book of Revelation. Incense is offered by the priest with the sign of the cross and the prayer, "We offer Thee incense, O Christ our God, as a sweet smelling spiritual fragrance, receive it upon Thy heavenly altar and send down upon us, in return, the grace of Thy Holy Spirit."

The Orthodox Church has historically valued the languages and music of multiple cultures. Our services are in English, but you may occasionally hear a bit of Greek and Slavonic for the Trisagion or the Cherubic Hymn.

The predominant use of English allows many people to participate, and the Liturgy is indeed meant to be truly prayed by everyone in attendance. This begins with attention. St. Theophan the Recluse says that prayers without attention are like letters without addresses. We should mean the lines of the liturgy and make them our true prayers.

When singing along with the choir and congregation, sing what you've learned, chant what you've heard enough times to remember. The services are internalized over the course of time. Do not feel as though you are supposed to understand or remember every prayer immediately.