Questions
Copy these questions into an email, provide brief answers, and send to Fr Charles who will comment on them. After you have received you comments, then you can go onto the next lesson.
Questions for Lesson 12: Orthodox Worship
Orthodox worship is not merely a religious service or symbolic remembrance, but a living encounter with God in which heaven and earth are united. In the Divine Liturgy, we join with angels and saints, offering ourselves to Christ and receiving His life through Holy Communion. Rooted in Scripture and Apostolic Tradition, worship forms the heart of Orthodox spiritual life, shaping us through prayer, repentance, and participation in the sacraments. This chapter invites reflection on how worship draws us into communion with Christ and transforms the way we live each day.
1. Purpose of Worship
Why do Orthodox Christians worship? How is worship more than prayer or instruction, but an actual encounter with the living God?
2. Heaven and Earth United
What does it mean that the Divine Liturgy unites heaven and earth, and that we worship together with angels and saints?
3. Continuity of Worship
How does Orthodox worship grow out of Old Testament worship and continue through Christ, the Apostles, and the Church Fathers? Why is this continuity important?
4. Liturgical Life
What are the daily, weekly, and yearly cycles of Orthodox worship, and how do they help shape a Christ-centered life over time?
5. The Divine Liturgy
Why is the Divine Liturgy the central act of Orthodox worship, and what is its main purpose in the life of the believer?
6. The Eucharist
What happens to the bread and wine in the Liturgy, and why is Holy Communion not merely symbolic but true participation in Christ?
7. Our Participation
What does it mean that worship is not something we watch, but something we enter into? How are we called to participate with attention, prayer, and reverence?
8. Preparation of the Heart
Why are repentance, prayer, fasting, and reconciliation essential preparation for receiving Holy Communion?
9. Community and Communion
Why do Orthodox Christians never worship alone? How does worship express our unity with Christ and with one another as the Body of Christ?
10. Frequency of Communion
Why does the Church encourage frequent Communion, and how does receiving the Body and Blood of Christ heal, strengthen, and transform us?
11. Worship and Daily Life
How should participation in worship shape the way we live outside the Church—our thoughts, relationships, struggles, and choices?
13. Integrative Reflection Question
How does Orthodox worship—especially the Divine Liturgy and Holy Communion—form us spiritually by drawing us into Christ’s life, healing our souls, and teaching us to live continually in God’s presence?