Matthew Prechter--Church Visit #1

Church Name: St. Peter & St. Paul Orthodox Church

Church Address: 6980 County Line Road, Burr Ridge, Illinois 60527

Date attended: February 14, 2016

Church Category: Orthodox

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

I attended an early morning Matins on the Sunday of Zacchaeus and upon entering the sanctuary, I was overwhelmed by colors, elaborate designs, incense and a sense of holiness. I sat down in silence, reverence and awe. I listened as the entire service was sung by a deacon and a young girl. Sometimes the two priests, who spread incense in the inner sanctuary, would also sing as they went about their work. During Matins, one priest emerged from the royal doors and walked the perimeter of the sanctuary singing in answer to the deacon while spreading incense. He concluded his walk at the icon of Zacchaeus placed at the bottom of the steps before the royal doors. When members of the Church arrived, they would approach this icon and kiss it sometimes bowing to the floor. After venerating the icon, they found a place in the pews but remained standing. Much of the service was spent standing. The deacon, the young girl, and the priests all sang Psalms of praise to God followed by singing the Lord's prayer. When the prayer was finished, they sang a song of confession pleading for mercy on behalf of the congregation.

There were almost no moments of familiarity for me in Matins. I attend College Church where our theology is sung in the form of old hymns, but the singing at the Orthodox church was not hymns based off Scripture, but Scripture itself. Furthermore, at College Church, the congregation engages in confession, but not in the form of song. Matins was a new experience for me to say the least.

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

Before Matins, a group of us met with one of the wives of the deacons who explained that historically, the Catholic Church split off from the Orthodox Church, the original Christian Church. She traces the history of the Orthodox Church back to Christ and his Apostles. When I asked what was the source of authority for the Orthodox Church, she replied "scripture and tradition." Indeed, the Orthodox Church (according to some pamphlets I read at the church) is proud of its "undiminished and unaltered faith and practice." It's "apostolic doctrine, worship and structure [has] remain[ed] intact" since Christ founded the Church. In Matins, I witnessed this deeply rooted practice which felt foreign and removed from me, yet I also worshiped God in the midst of these foreign practices, making the environment feel ineffably familiar and near--these foreign and familiar feelings describe how I feel in the presence of God. I realized the many diverse expressions of worship of God in the world, and this humbled me. Of further intrigue was the Orthodox emphasis on mystery and experience. This emphasis is also deeply rooted in tradition, and I benefited greatly from standing in awe and silence before God, rather than attentiveness before a preacher. 

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

The worship service illuminated my deep Protestant convictions. I come from a Presbyterian background and in my home and church the sovereignty of God was a big emphasis. In light of this background, I felt uncomfortable in the presence of icons in the sanctuary. Of particular shock was that the cross was in the corner of the Church. I am accustomed to either zero symbols in the Church sanctuary, or a central cross. This is to remind us that Christ is Lord in all areas of life. When I saw the icons, I immediately thought "idols...those are all idols..."--this was my natural reaction. Even so, what I found particularly intriguing was my sense of God's presence in St. Peter & St. Paul Orthodox Church. I felt certain that God was accepting their worship. What I called an idol, was not understood as one from the congregation's perspective. Also, my quickness to judge was forced back on me in the form of a challenge: to what degree do I neglect the holiness and mystery of God? How have I made idols out of my theological convictions? How can I learn from the Orthodox Church?

The service was a memorable experience, and one which caused me to examine many of my deeply rooted presuppositions. Lately, I have been wondering, what is the Church? Maybe the Church is a messy mixture of Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants (with their many denominations) all of whom think they have the right theology and practice and all of whom have one crucial similarity--the confession that Jesus Christ is Lord. The Orthodox Church service illuminated my personal identity as being a Christian first and foremost. I can learn to appreciate the different worship services of Christians while recognizing the common faith between us all.