Getting Pentecostal!

Typical Pentecostal Worship ~ emotional, sincere and spontaneous
photo by Richard Masoner, used under the creative commons license.
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Saturday was the 106th time I was at an Orthodox Service - we celebrated the feast of Pentecost. I like how the Orthodox follow the Jewish tradition of the day starting the night before. So Vespers on Saturday night was the beginning of the Pentecost Feast.  For ten years, back when I was a young man, I was indeed a member of the Pentecostal church, specifically the Assemblies of God denomination. I am grateful for those years because it was there that I learned the Scriptures.  This knowledge makes Orthodox worship so much more fulfilling because, despite what anyone might say, Orthodoxy is chock full of the Bible. So the worship was very familiar to me from the beginning, if not in style at least in content.

Fr. Gary's homily was great. He talked about how since we have "been saved" it is our responsibility to tell others about Jesus.  I almost thought I was at an evangelical church to hear him use the phrase "being saved" and "preaching the Gospel" to others.  This is one of the hallmarks of evangelical Christianity but, of course, the Orthodox had it first.  I love Fr. Gary's homilies.   They are simple, short, humbly delivered and yet he always talks about Christ.  I don't have to listen to a bunch of stories to "get the point across." I have, in the past, listened to sermons from others who told memorable stories but I couldn't remember the Bible verse they were preaching about.  Fr. Gary manages to stay focused on Christ and how we can know Him better.

For some reason I started thinking about clocks. In protestant churches, there is usually a clock in the back of the church. This way, the preacher will know when to shut up.  Orthodoxy, I suppose doesn't care about clocks on the wall (at least in our parish- I don't know if other Orthodox Churches have clocks.) I guess Orthodox Churches have the same philosophy as casinos, which also have no clocks on the walls. Casinos want you to "get lost in gambling" and not worry about the outside world. For them, the more you lose yourself to gambling, the more money they make. For Orthodoxy, we are to "lay aside all earthly cares" and concentrate on worshiping the Life-giving Trinity.  Who cares what time it is? Even when the Orthodox are done they are not done. "Let us complete our evening prayer to the Lord," is followed by 20 more minutes of prayer. ☺ Hey, that's okay.  It's a good idea to get "lost in worship" and not worry about the time. It seems appropriate on the Feast of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit is given to the Church, that we only concern ourselves with Worship.  That's good practice for eternity.

Hope everyone had a blessed Feast day.  I did, even if it was only participation in the Vespers service.  We did have Litya and that is always special.  Matushka Mary joked with us,saying now that Jim Martin (now known as Patrick) is Orthodox, he doesn't need her to give him bread anymore so he doesn't talk to her.  I had to rush out of there to pick up my son from work. Hopefully, I will be able to attend Vespers on Friday which is for the feast of Peter and Paul. If so, I'll be sure to blog about it.

Thanks for reading.

Up, Up and Away or How attending Divine Liturgy on Ascension Thursday is, well, uplifting!

Ascending to the Sky!!!
photo by flickr user, Bee Chalmers
All rights reserved, used with permission
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I intentionally did not go to Vespers Wednesday night so I could spend some time with my wife who is working a lot and whom I don't see as often as I used to. Wednesday was her day off and we had a nice time running errands together.  But, I was able to make it to Divine Liturgy on Thursday making that my 105th time at my Orthodox Parish.

I arrived early but I thought they had started early because instead of encountering silence, I heard reader John chanting a Psalm. Then, I realized that we were praying the hours before the Liturgy. One thing I love about Orthodox Worship is worship happens all the time. One service can run into the next service. That's a good thing because it will get me ready for heaven where worship happens all the time.☺

Fr. Gary's homily talked about how we, in Orthodoxy, are always talking about ascension. Whether it's Jesus rising to the heavens or we lifting up our hearts to the Lord, we have a desire within us to rise to the top. As kids, many of us climbed trees so we could look down upon everything.  Yes, when we lift our hearts to the Lord, we are raised with Him!

After communion, Daria handed me a piece of blessed bread which is a great custom to help those of us who are not Orthodox, feel included. After the service, I saw one of the choir members (She was college age and clearly the youngest worshiper of the day!) who asked me to move out of the way. I was blocking some table she wanted to go to. She went there and picked out some ziplock bags and put some of the blessed bread into them. How nice! I guess she was going to share some of that with some absent family members. Speaking of absent, I was sorry Tammy wasn't there. Reader John said, she was working.

Since Orthodox are supposed to fast before they partake of the Holy Mysteries, I guess they always like to have some food after the service. I was able to stay a little while and Fr. Gary sat down next to me. I filled him in on my schooling progress and my TSA application status and he talked a bit about his week. He said he was trying to move an adult study for a week night during the summer but his schedule was pretty full. He mentioned how he had attend a parish council meeting at a parish an hour's drive away. I said, Isn't it enough for you to attend your own parish councils? He joked that he was a Parish Council junkie. Now, that's funny.

Our conversation turned to why I haven't converted yet. I initiated that talk, not Fr. Gary. One thing I like about the Orthodox is they are NOT pushy when it comes to a person's spiritual journey. "Work out your own salvation, etc"  I told him I thought it would create a big riff between me and my wife and that I don't think such disunity would be good, considering we do attend church together, albeit, not Orthodox but, still, it is a Trinitarian church with no major heresies . Fr. Gary said, he always counsels people not to make that move to Orthodoxy if would damage a person's marriage like that.  In a previous conversation with me, he said, of course, I have to make sure my own salvation isn't "at risk." So, it turns out my caution is something Fr. Gary agrees with.  That's not to say, I should settle. I still constantly pray to be received into the Orthodox Church someday but, I don't think it's the right time yet.

Maybe some of you disagree with Fr. Gary. I'd like to hear what you have to say, if you'd like to comment below.

Thanks for reading and Happy Ascension day!

104th Visit ~ and still loving it!

My daughter's art Work
see more at:  http://halfeatencandybars.deviantart.com/

I missed Vespers last week because my wife and I were in Georgia watching my daughter graduate with honors from Savannah College of Art and Design.  It was great to see my daughter start down a path of doing something she loves!  Now, all she needs is a job.  If you know someone who needs artwork done, let me know. She majored in Sequential Arts which is just a fancy way of saying comic books. She is fantastic, as you can see from a sample of her work above.

Whenever I miss Vespers, it seems God is always gracious to me and allows me to quickly "get back into the swing of things" and I find I can easily enter into worship. I decided, when I walked into the nave, that I wasn't going to take a service book. After all, I know most of the responses already and the hymns that are specific for the day, I'll just pay close attention to.  Today, we learned about the blind man healed by Jesus and the hymns talked about how the disciples asked who sinned? so that this man was born blind. Of course, the reply is, it was all for the glory of God!

Father Gary gave his homily on the epistle reading, or, more accurately, the reading from the book of Acts. It was about the demon possessed girl who gave a great deal of profit for her handlers, as Father Gary called them. Of course, after St. Paul cast out the demon, she was not profitable to her owners anymore so the disciples were in trouble. Fr. Gary pointed out that it is important the motivation we have when worshiping God.  This demon possessed girl was saying correct things about Paul, that is, he was from God. Yet, the girl did not say it from a good motivation so Paul, annoyed by her, cast out the demon.  We must make sure that  we have the right attitutde when we worship Christ and not our own agenda. After all, many televangelists say glowing things about Jesus yet it is clear they have their own agenda at heart.

Next week, I will be going to a graduation party of  the son of a very close friend so I won't be at Vespers next Saturday either.

A bummer, but, don't worry, I'll be back! I promise!

Looking for that Eternal Moment!

photo by Flickr user, Newtown Graffiti, used under the creative commons license
check out more photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/newtown_grafitti/

As I arrived at Vespers for my 103rd visit to my Orthodox Parish, the words of Fr. Evan of Orthodoxy Live came to mind. He explained that there are times in our life where we seem to be outside of time. That is, we are hanging with friends and then we look up at the clock and can't believe that three hours has gone by.  He said this to explain what it is like for God who is outside of time. He also said we sometimes experience this in Worship.  I don't know if I have experienced this in worship; well, maybe a little. There have been time when I've been at Vespers that I've been very aware of the communion of Saints and felt a part of something bigger than myself. Perhaps that is what Fr Evan is talking about.

I know it's a bad idea to attend worship and look for experiences. If I wanted to do that, I should have stayed a Pentacostal.  But I do want to actually worship God, in Spirit and in Truth and being part of an eternal moment would, I believe, help rid me of the distractions that constantly bombard my mind as I sing hymns during Vespers.  I guess it's all about preparation, when possible. On my way to Vespers, I usually spend the 30 minute drive listening to podcasts form Ancient Faith Radio or some Orthodox Hymns.  Last night, however, I listened to Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Neil Diamond -not exactly theologically correct, although the music is soothing.

Fr Gary, in his homily, made reference to Pope Francis' statement that Christ died for Atheists. This statement by the pope caused a lot of stir in the news but Fr. Gary said, probably, Pope Francis was taking the same view as the Orthodox, that Christ died for everyone even though not all will accept. Jim Martin wasn't there last night, although I did see Tiffany and Ben. Tiffany remarked, "I've been seeing you all over the place." That is true. We ran into each other at Surf Taco a couple of weeks back and I saw Tiffany and Ben in Walmart last week.

Next Saturday I will not be at Vespers because my wife and I are driving south to my daughter's college graduation.  So, who is the patron Saint of traveling so I can ask for prayers? ☺

Cool Video!

  St. Innocent Orthodox Church, Macon, Georgia, USA from Ted Liedle on Vimeo.

My facebook friend, John Henson who is also a Catechism teacher, shared this video and I shared it on my facebook status. What I love about this parish in the video (which is in Macon, Georgia) is it is so very similar to my own parish in New Jersey. It's all about Worshiping the Trinity! Gotta love Orthodoxy!

Here is the status I put when I shared this video on Facebook:

As many of you know, I usually go to an Orthodox Church on Saturday nights (for the Vespers service). This video, which is of a parish down in Georgia, shows the same beauty, simplicity, depth, fullness, humility and Christ-centeredness that I experience when I worship on Saturday evenings. :)

So you were Twenty minutes late because....?

Happy, even though they ran out of gas; same as the couple who ran out last night!
photo by Greg Andrews, used under the creative commons license.
check out more photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregthemayor/

You might think that only catching half of Vespers is a good reason to stay home but I decided that I should go anyway. (Yes that means I count last night's visit as 102 times in my parish and not 101 1/2.)☺  This is my wife's Birthday weekend or, rather, the weekend before her birthday. In the past, when she had no job, we'd just go out on her birthday but now with her working it is a little more difficult. So my plan was to do something with Karen last night but she was tired and said "Go to Vespers." By the time all of that was decided, it would have put me ten minutes late.  Then it turns out, there is traffic on a main road due to a stalled car. I passed by that car just as a couple was pouring gas into the gas tank from a gas can. They were laughing and taking their predicament in stride. It's hard to be mad at people for making you even more late to Vespers when they are so joyful about their own trials.  In the old days, when I was a Pentacostal, I would have just blamed the devil.  Now, I don't know, it's just one of those things.

I am glad I went.  Worshiping is always a good thing to do. I stood in the back and located (finally) where the St. Mary of Egypt Icon was. I had read on the Church website that St. Mary of Egypt was one of the Saints that was recently added to the Nave but I hadn't been able to locate her. I love St. Mary of Egypt, only because she seems so American. I mean, she was a hedonist for the first half of her life.

I had with me a DVD on the life of St. John of San Francisco  He also is a favorite of mine.  The Russian Orthodox podcast sent it to me as a "prize" and I am so grateful to them for it. Check out their podcast here. What a holy man he was and it was so cool to see photographs of a real live Saint! God truly is glorified in His Saints and I can't understand how anyone would think that they detract from His Glory.  Everything about the life of St. John points to Christ and I was truly blessed by watching the DVD. So I brought the DVD with me to see if Tammy wanted to borrow it. It turns out she already owns it and said, next week, she would lend me a book about him.  After little chat, Tammy brought back into the Nave and pointed out St. John's Icon. She pointed out that it said, St.. John of Shanghai  which, of course, is accurate but she had wished the iconographer had put San Francisco instead.  "But, he was Russian," Tammy noted, "He probably didn't realize." Thank you Fiona and Terrance of the Russian Orthodox Podcast for your generosity! May God continue to use your ministry.

I did see Jim Martin along with Ben and Tiffany.  Recently, Karen and I ran into Ben and Tiffany at Surf Taco. It turns out that is a favorite haunt of theirs as well. Tiffany used to go to my protestant parish when she was a teen (her parents dragged her) and Karen hadn't seen her in about twenty years.  We all had a nice chat then.  When Tiffany introduced Ben, she joyfully commented, "He was just baptized " My wife replied that she had seen the pics on Facebook.  Gotta love social media!

So although I recommend everyone show up on time for services, I say, it's better to come twenty minutes late than to miss it altogether.

101 visits; Not Dalmatians!

not exactly 101
photo by Brian Timmermeister, used under the creative commons license.
check out more photos at:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/28004076@N04/

It was great to go to Vespers the Saturday after Pascha! Although, I love the solemnity of Great Lent, nothing tops the joy of the resurrection. Fr. Gary, I must admit, looked a bit tired but I understand that Great Lent is hard on a priest, not to mention the services of bright week.  But he was full of joy. After the service, I spoke to Tiffany and Ben and asked, with a chuckle, "So, do you feel newly illumined?" Yes, came Tiffany's reply and look at Ben, he's like a blushing bride!!  That made me laugh.

I got to Vespers five minutes late because it was the eve of Mother's day and I wanted to go to the store so that I would have my wife's mother's day gifts all set up for when she came home from working all night. You can see the gifts here.  But, even though I was late, I was able to get right into the spirit of things. The Psalms have a way of putting me in the right place. It didn't always used to be that way but Orthodoxy has taught me to acquire some different tastes. I am glad of it; It will get me ready for heaven where stuff like this happens all the time! ☺ 

One thing I really like about worship is it's orderliness  This is done for God so we want things to be right, even in the little things. For example, Fr Gary only had one server with him last night so when the time came for him to process during the great entrance, the server went before with the candle and Fr Gary had his incense. So who is going to close the door of the iconostasis? Well, it was arranged that Tom would do that. He quietly went to the door before it opened and shut it after Fr Gary passed through. A small thing, I know and it would have been no great tragedy had it just remained opened during the short procession yet since all of this is done for the Lord, why not do our best? And that is exactly what "right worship" in Orthodoxy is all about!