Russian Orthodox Reflections

Attending a Russian Orthodox Church service is a particularly unique experience for an observably Westernized Evangelical such as myself. The church I attended was ‘Prince Vladimir Cathedral’, erected in 1789, in St. Petersburg, Russia. Sunday morning service begins at 8 am, but I am thinking that some early morning singing was taking place much before that judging from the amount of people who were already there when I arrived. The first thing that any Westerner will notice, even before the elaborate setting, the icons, or the priests, is that there is nowhere to sit down. Rather, you stand for the entirety of the service. This is no easy task; their services can reach up to three hours if you are an ardent follower of the Orthodox Church. Of course, the church is almost always open and you can go to pray before icons at any time. What a Westernized Evangelical individual might also quickly notice is the amount of singing, praying, distribution of the elements, lighting candles before icons, liturgical readings, etc. is all taking place in different areas of the church at the same time.

I really enjoyed this part about the service. Though I couldn’t understand what anyone was saying, I could appreciate the liveliness of the fervent Orthodox worshippers anxious to get their prayers heard and candles lit. I wasn’t alone in not always understanding what was being said, in fact when it comes to the sermons and liturgical readings given by the priests, no one knows. Sermons and readings are all done in the old Slavic language that is no longer used except for in Orthodox services. But even with not understanding, one must admit that there is a certain beauty about all the songs and service structure that to change it now would be a great loss. I cannot express in words how beautiful the voices that filled the cathedral were. At one point, after the service, I sat at the back and simply enjoyed the sounds and smells that advanced my senses from all corners. Incense had been dispensed, candles were continually being lit, and the picture this paints in sync with voices of worship, priests going about rituals, and old ladies crossing themselves a hundred times over, is one of simple beauty.

I cannot say for certain at this point whether or not I would be up for standing another 2 or 3 hours at the early hour of 8 am, but I can certainly say that I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at the Orthodox Church. Matters of theology and ecclesiology are a discussion for another time. If they found out a heretic like me was at their church they might try to burn me at the stake the next time I try to get a peek inside!