DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Hebrews 13:7-16 (01/11 or 01/24) Theodosios the Great, Head of
Monasteries in Palestine
A Sacrifice of Praise: Hebrews 13:7-16, especially vs.
15: “Therefore by Him let us
continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our
lips, giving thanks to His Name.”
Consider the nature of Orthodox
worship, as offered in the Divine Liturgy from start to finish: as Christ’s
Church, we present “...the sacrifice of praise to God...” in our
Lord. The Liturgy begins as the
celebrant offers The Enarxis: “Blessed is the
kingdom of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit....” Throughout, the language of our worship
is eucharistic, an offering
of “...all glory, honor and worship...” to the life-giving Trinity,
“...now and ever and unto ages of ages.”
In the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, The Prayer of the Proskomedia that follows the Great Entrance is offered as
the Divine Gifts are placed upon the Holy Table. Compare it to the Apostle’s words:
“O Lord...Who dost accept the sacrifice of
praise from those who call upon Thee with their whole heart....” Likewise, the opening words of the
Priest as he offers The Holy Anaphora are “It is meet and right to hymn
Thee, to bless Thee, to praise Thee, to give thanks unto Thee, and to worship
Thee in every place of Thy dominion....”
All these words come out of the same Tradition that is
expressed in this passage from the Epistle to the Hebrews. The central act of Orthodox Christian
worship is pure adoration of God; for, in the Liturgy, we recall the Apostles
“...who have spoken the word of God” to us, whose faith we strive
to follow, as we consider “...the outcome of their conduct” (Heb.
13:7).
Jesus Christ, our God, remains as the unchanging focus of
Orthodox praise and worship (vs. 8).
Through the Church’s two-thousand year history, we continue in
praise to the Lord, refusing to “...be carried about with various and
strange doctrines...” (vs. 9), refusing to diminish the
centrality of our Savior, both God and Man. Instead, having a
“...heart...established by grace” (vs. 9) the Church worships
“...the One to come” (vs. 14).
On entering an Orthodox temple, the visual impact of icons
predominates. The message is
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (vs.
8). Among all that may be said of
the Divine Liturgy, foremost it is the celebration of Jesus Christ, Savior and
Lord. We speak “again and
again” of the only-Begotten, the eternal Word of God the Father; and we
recall ourselves to His coming in the flesh from the all-holy, Birth-Giver of
God, the Theotokos, and ever Virgin Mary. We celebrate with the Angels and the
Magi Jesus’ birth in the cave.
We speak of His Baptism at the hands of the Forerunner John in the
Jordan. In our prayers, we call
upon the Twelve and the Seventy who were our Lord’s Disciples and, later,
His Apostles to us.
The dominant message of the Divine Liturgy, as the Apostle
Paul says, is to “...proclaim the Lord’s
death till He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26).
So, in the Liturgy, we hear of the “...night in which He was
betrayed, - or rather, gave Himself up for the life of the world.” We celebrate “...the Cross, the
Grave, the Resurrection on the third day, the Ascension into heaven, the
Session at the right hand, and the second and glorious Advent.” Christ is the One Whom we
“...offer in behalf of all, and for all,” and to Whom
we address the words, “We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we give thanks unto
Thee, and we pray unto Thee, O our God.”
To be Orthodox is to be sanctified with Jesus’ blood
(Heb. 13:12). “We have an
altar from which those who serve...” in any other earthly tabernacle have no right to eat (vs. 10). May the Lord help us to be worthy of our
calling as His people! May He
always receive our sacrifices “...upon His holy, most heavenly, and ideal
altar as a savour of spiritual sweetness!”
Send down upon us, O Lord, Thine
unworthy servants, in Thine unspeakable and boundless
love toward mankind, Thy divine grace, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Return to the January Calendar