The Divine Liturgy

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:09:03 +0400

Worship

The Divine Liturgy
By: Father Thomas Hopko
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The word liturgy means common work or common action. The Divine Liturgy is the common work of the Orthodox Church. It is the official action of the Church formally gathered together as the chosen People of God. The word church, as we remember, means a gathering or assembly of people specifically chosen and called apart to perform a particular task.

The Divine Liturgy is the common action of Orthodox Christians officially gathered to constitute the Orthodox Church. It is the action of the Church assembled by God in order to be together in one community to worship, to pray, to sing, to hear God's Word, to be instructed in God's commandments, to offer itself with thanksgiving in Christ to God the Father, and to have the living experience of God's eternal kingdom through communion with the same Christ Who is present in his people by the Holy Spirit.

The Divine Liturgy is always done by Orthodox Christians on the Lord's Day which is Sunday, the "day after Sabbath" which is symbolic of the first day of creation and the last day -- or as it is called in Holy Tradition, the eighth day -- of the Kingdom of God. This is the day of Christ's resurrection from the dead, the day of God's judgment and victory predicted by the prophets, the Day of the Lord which inaugurates the presence and the power of the "kingdom to come" already now within the life of this present world.

The Divine Liturgy is also celebrated by the Church on special feast days. It is usually celebrated daily in monasteries, and in some large cathedrals and parish churches, with the exception of the week days of Great Lent when it is not served because of its paschal character.

As the common action of the People of God, the Divine Liturgy may be celebrated only once on any given day in an Orthodox Christian community. All of the members of the Church must be gathered together with their pastor in one place at one time. This includes even small children and infants who participate fully in the communion of the liturgy from the day of their entrance into the Church through baptism and chrismation. Always everyone, always together. This is the traditional expression of the Orthodox Church about the Divine Liturgy.

Because of its common character, the Divine Liturgy may never be celebrated privately by the clergy alone. It may never be served just for some and not for others, but for all. It may never be served merely for some private purposes or some specific or exclusive intentions. Thus there may be, and usually are, special petitions at the Divine Liturgy for the sick or the departed, or for some very particular purposes or projects, but there is never a Divine Liturgy which is done exclusively for private individuals or specific isolated purposes or intentions. The Divine Liturgy is always "on behalf of all and for all."

Because the Divine Liturgy exists for no other reason than to be the official all-inclusive act of prayer, worship, teaching, and communion of the entire Church in heaven and on earth, it may not be considered merely as one devotion among many, not even the highest or the greatest. The Divine Liturgy is not an act of personal piety. It is not a prayer service. It is not merely one of the sacraments. The Divine Liturgy is the one common sacrament of the very being of the Church Itself. It is the one sacramental manifestation of the essence of the Church as the Community of God in h...

St. George Church, Troy, MI

Pentecost

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 12:09:15 +0400

The Church Year
Chapter: Pentecost: The Descent of the Holy Spirit
By: Father Thomas Hopko

In the Old Testament Pentecost was the feast which occurred fifty days after Passover. As the passover feast celebrated the exodus of the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt, so Pentecost celebrated God's gift of the ten commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai.

In the new covenant of the Messiah, the passover event takes on its new meaning as the celebration of Christ's death and resurrection, the "exodus" of men from this sinful world to the Kingdom of God. And in the New Testament as well, the pentecostal feast is fulfilled and made new by the coming of the "new law," the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ.

When the day of Pentecost had come they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed as resting upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit ... (Acts 2:1-4).

The Holy Spirit that Christ had promised to his disciples came on the day of Pentecost (Jn 14:26, 15:26; Lk 24:49; Acts 1:5). The apostles received "the power from on high," and they began to preach and bear witness to Jesus as the risen Christ, the King and the Lord. This moment has traditionally been called the birthday of the Church.

In the liturgical services of the feast of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit is celebrated together with the full revelation of the divine Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The fulness of the Godhead is manifested with the Spirit's coming to man, and the Church hymns celebrate this manifestation as the final act of God's self-disclosure and self-donation to the world of His creation. For this reason Pentecost Sunday is also called Trinity Day in the Orthodox tradition. Often on this day the icon of the Holy Trinity -- particularly that of the three angelic figures who appeared to Abraham, the forefather of the Christian faith - is placed in the center of the church. This icon is used with the traditional pentecostal icon which shows the tongues of fire hovering over Mary and the Twelve Apostles, the original prototype of the Church, who are themselves sitting in unity surrounding a symbolic image of "cosmos," the world.

On Pentecost we have the final fulfillment of the mission of Jesus Christ and the first beginning of the messianic age of the Kingdom of God mystically present in this world in the Church of the Messiah. For this reason the fiftieth day stands as the beginning of the era which is beyond the limitations of this world, fifty being that number which stands for eternal and heavenly fulfillment in Jewish and Christian mystical piety: seven times seven, plus one.

Thus, Pentecost is called an apocalyptic day, which means the day of final revelation. It is also called an eschatological day, which means the day of the final and perfect end (in Greek eschaton> means the end). For when the Messiah comes and the Lord's Day is at hand, the "last days" are...

Teen SOYO

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:09:21 +0400

St. George Church, Troy, MI

Arabic Bible In Audio

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 10:09:17 +0400

Listen to the Arabic Bible in Audio.

St. George Church, Troy, MI

Arabic Bible In Audio

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 10:09:16 +0400

Listen to the Arabic Bible in Audio.

St. George Church, Troy, MI

Grade 6-8

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:09:12 +0400

Information on Grade 6-8 class.

St. George Church, Troy, MI

Sunday School Corner

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:09:11 +0400

This is our new Site...thanks

St. George Church, Troy, MI

http://stgeorgeoftroy.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=23

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:09:10 +0400

Soyo Classes
Grade 1
Grade 2

St. George Church, Troy, MI

Lazarus Saturday

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 22:12:37 +0400

Join us on Saturday April 19, 2008, 10 am, at St. George church for Lazarus Saturday.
Lazarus Saturday is when our Lord raised Lazarus from the dead.
There will be a Divine Liturgy at 10am, and brunch following.
Come learn how to lace Palms, just in time for Palm Sunday.
Contact the church office at 248-589-0480 for further information.

St. George Church, Troy, MI

St. John Summer Camp

stjohnalaska.org — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:00:00 +0300

St. John Summer Camp for 2008 will be held in August at North Star Bible Camp in Willow, Alaska. Click on the link at the left or click here for more information and to download applications for campers and counselors. Stay tuned for more information.

St. John Cathedral, Eagle River, AK

Forthcoming Services and Events

orthodox.clara.net — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 20:21:28 +0300

What's happening soon in the parish?

Orthodox Community of St. Aidan, Clare Road, Levenshulme, Manchester

Parish Reports

orthodox.clara.net — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 20:21:27 +0300

What's happened recently in the parish?

Orthodox Community of St. Aidan, Clare Road, Levenshulme, Manchester

Editorial

orthodox.clara.net — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 20:21:26 +0300

Something to think about this month ...

Orthodox Community of St. Aidan, Clare Road, Levenshulme, Manchester

Orthodox Lecture Series

stnicholascathedral.org — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 22:35:01 +0300

Beginning this November, the Antiochian and Greek Orthodox parishes of Brooklyn will sponsor a monthly lecture series. The lectures will be held on a Thursday night each month at a different parish and by a different presenter. Topics will include a variety of subjects including saints and angels, the Divine Liturgy, the Bible and its interpretation, the sacrament of confession, the Mother of God and others. The next lecture will be at the Three Hierarchs Church on Thursday, January 17 at 7:30pm and Father Thomas will be the speaker on the Divine Liturgy. Click here for the flyer and church addresses.

St. Nicholas Cathedral, Brooklyn, NY

Life of St. Raphael

stnicholascathedral.org — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 22:33:40 +0300

As we celebrate the 113th Anniversary of our Mother Cathedral in 2008, it is important that we know our history and where we came from. With that in mind, in addition to the history section of our webiste, you can download a brief life of St. Raphael of Brooklyn who founded our community in 1895. Please click on the following links below to download the Cathedral booklet about St. Raphael's life:

1. Cover

2. Inside of Booklet

St. Nicholas Cathedral, Brooklyn, NY

Parish Clean-Up Day!!!

saintpeterorthodox.org — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:53:22 +0400

Saturday, Oct. 6 is our Parish Clean-Up Day. Please come for breakfast, served at 7:00am, and then we will clean from 8:00 to 10:30 or 11:00. There's a job for everyone, so please come for the fellowship and help with the household chores.

St. Peter Church, Ft. Worth, TX

Tanya Dean Scholarship Golf Tournament

saintpeterorthodox.org — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:51:06 +0400

Golfers, please get your teams together for the Tanya Dean Scholarship Golf Tournament on Saturday, Oct. 27. Brochures with the registration for are available in the parish hall. Volunteers are also needed during the tournament. If you are able to help in some way, please contact Tanya Dean or Sarah Weber.

St. Peter Church, Ft. Worth, TX

Girl Scout Troop

saintpeterorthodox.org — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:43:13 +0400

If any girls (ages 5-17) in theparish are interested in joining a Girl Scout Troup, please contact Lisa Leuty at 817-244-8528.

St. Peter Church, Ft. Worth, TX

School Supplies for Sam Rosen Elementary

saintpeterorthodox.org — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 21:11:00 +0400

We will be collecting school supplies for Sam Rosen Elementary School throughout the month of August.

Folders with pockets and brads (no black, please)
Spiral notebooks one subject 70 pages wide rule(no black)
Notebook paper, wide rule
Crayons, boxes of 24 or 48
Markers, small boxes (8 or 12)
#2 Pencils
Red pens
1 inch binders
School glue
Construction paper

St. Peter Church, Ft. Worth, TX

One Mass, August 19th

saintpeterorthodox.org — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 21:05:21 +0400

Please remember there will be one mass only at 10:00am on August 19th.

St. Peter Church, Ft. Worth, TX

Early Orthodox Chant and Music

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 10:14:57 +0400

Early Orthodox Chant and Music, by Fr. Alexander Schmemann

St. George Church, Troy, MI

Early Christian and Byzantine Music

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 10:14:56 +0400

Early Christian and Byzantine Music, History and Performance, By Dr Dimitri Conomos.

St. George Church, Troy, MI

Chant development

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 10:14:55 +0400

Chant development�By Liturgica.com

St. George Church, Troy, MI

Upcoming Website Maintenance

saintpeterorthodox.org — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 01:56:27 +0400

The server hardware hosting this site will be receiving maintenance
beginning at 20:00 CT on Thursday, June 28, 2007 and lasting for 6 hours
until 02:00 CT, June 29. During the maintenance, this site will be
unavailable. It may be necessary for you to clear your Internet history
and cache to restore connectivity after June 29. Thank you and best
regards.

St. Peter Church, Ft. Worth, TX

Flower Memorials and Thanksgivings

saintpeterorthodox.org — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 05:47:04 +0400

In the coming weeks, there are open dates for flower memorials or thanksgivings. Please check the calendar in the parish hall for details.

St. Peter Church, Ft. Worth, TX

Orthodox Christianity::Parishes of Patriarchate of Antioch - Sites Updates

The Divine Liturgy

Pentecost

Teen SOYO

Arabic Bible In Audio

Arabic Bible In Audio

Grade 6-8

Sunday School Corner

http://stgeorgeoftroy.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=23

Lazarus Saturday

St. John Summer Camp

Forthcoming Services and Events

Parish Reports

Editorial

Orthodox Lecture Series

Life of St. Raphael

Parish Clean-Up Day!!!

Tanya Dean Scholarship Golf Tournament

Girl Scout Troop

School Supplies for Sam Rosen Elementary

One Mass, August 19th

Early Orthodox Chant and Music

Early Christian and Byzantine Music

Chant development

Upcoming Website Maintenance

Flower Memorials and Thanksgivings