An Orthodox Concern

Orthodox historians and theologians trace their tradition back to the apostolic faith of the early centuries of Christian history. This "living tradition" of apostolic Christianity, they hold, is preserved in the worship of today. Contemporary Christians typically ask the same question at their first visit to an Orthodox church: why does the liturgy follow such a set structure or order? Their assumption is often that worship in the New Testament was spontaneous. In fact the "order" of Orthodox liturgy has its very roots in the Scriptures, and the Orthodox Christian church has been worshiping this way, without major changes, for almost its entire life of nearly two thousand years. Two words need to be kept in mind as one first experiences the Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox churches: "origin" and "changelessness. " We should recall that the apostles and the first Christian disciples were fulfilled Jews. From their heritage, with its history of liturgical interaction with God, came th…