Cade McDonald- Church Visit #1

Church name: Holy Transfiguration Christian Orthodox Church

Church address: 28W770 Warrenville Road, Warrenville, IL 60555

Date attended: 10/22/16

Church category: Orthodox Church

The service I went to was a Saturday night Great Vespers. The service began with singing and there was much singing all throughout of Psalms and prayers. At one point in the service the priest brought out what looked like a swinging chain that was spraying incense. The priest got up for the homily and spoke on the authority of the Church. After the homily, the congregation sang a few more songs and prayers. We concluded with the Lord’s Prayer and the service was over. This is very different from my regular worship context at a 200 person non-denominational church. First, there were only about twenty people at this service. Second, at my church we don't sing as much or follow a liturgy from a book. Additionally, at my church home we don't have icons adorning the room. The sermon seemed to be pretty similar to my normal context, however. 

This worship service illuminated to me the history and contours of global Christianity because it made me realize that even though I had never seen a service like this, there are many Christians all over the world who are worshipping like this today. Furthermore, there's not just a lot of Christians today who worship like this, but there have been many Christians throughout history who have worshipped like this dating back to the Middle Ages. Lastly, in the sermon the pastor referenced the Reformation and a couple of doctrines that have flown from it that he believes to be damaging. This awakened me to the reality of how big of a deal the Reformation actually was and that it truly impacted global Christianity. This also made me think about what a big deal the Great Schism must have been as well, even though I cannot as clearly see the effects of it based on my context and upbringing.

As far as identity goes, I was certainly a bit out of my comfort zone. I was the only Wheaton student there, so when the priest began speaking about the Reformation I felt like there was a target on my head as the only Reformed Christian in the room. However, I think my personal identity as a Reformed Christian was strengthened and established and I am grateful to be a child of the Reformation. On another note, I did feel very uncomfortable about some of the practices, such as the incense. But for the most part I was glad to sing along, pray, and listen to God’s Word. Ultimately I realized that I find more camaraderie with an Orthodox Christian who is passionate about the gospel than with a Protestant who is passionate about their Protestantism.