Eastern Orthodox Churches

The Orthodox church sanctifies time with daily, weekly, and annual cycles of celebrations that commemorate instances of God's redemptive action in human experience. At the center of the numerous events of the Orthodox church year stands the Easter celebration of the triumph of life over death and light over darkness. The rhythm of Orthodox Christian worship and spirituality is governed by recognition of the relationship between time an eternity, of the presence of God with us (cf. John 14:16-23), and of the Sunday worship liturgy as a journey to heaven, where we worship God in the presence of and with all the heavenly host (see Alexander Schmemann, For the Life of the World: Sacraments and Orthodoxy [Crestwood, N. Y. : St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1973], 2628). The evening-morning cycle of daily life, the recurring sequence of the week, the revolving of the years, and the ongoing stretch of time from one's birth to death are all sanctified by prayer and observance. From Creation …