Cody Andersen – Visit #1

Saint Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church

1855 E. Fifth Avenue, Aurora, IL 60504

October 9, 2016

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

I attended morning prayer (Orthos) as well as the liturgy service.  The morning prayer service was a lot less attended compared to the Liturgy service.  The morning prayer service consisted of song and scripture reading.  There were two men who alternated between English and Greek prayers.  While these men performed the prayers the priest was preparing the Eucharist for the liturgy service. The chapel was lined with icons and upon the front wall was three paintings depicting different scenes from Jesus life.  The ceiling was vaulted with an image of Jesus, I think, at the top and Old Testament prophets below him.  The liturgy service followed the liturgy of Saint John of Chrysostom.  There were some similarities between the church I attend while at Wheaton and this church. The church I attend follows a liturgy, some of which was familiar to me in the orthodox service.  The church I attend also says the Nicene Creed and Lord’s prayer.  I think one of the main differences was the emphasis upon the saints.  There was a new icon that was introduced to the church the day I attended.  This icon also included a relic from this saint.

One aspect of this service that allowed me to see a greater depth in global Christianity was the creed and emphasis on the saints.  When we recited the Nicene creed the filioque clause was left out.  I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of a service where we recited the creed in this way. Knowing that the difference between how I say the creed and how eastern churches say the creed was because of a decision made about 1500 years ago is pretty significant.  The icons were also significant in illuminating the history and contours of global Christianity.  In a way the story of Christianity is told non-verbally by entering into this worship space.  Seeing these heroes of our faith reminded me how the history of Christianity is largely non-American.  The majority of Church history took place on foreign grounds.  Seeing these figures allows me to remember that America’s role in Christianity is pretty small. There is a richness that comes with history, and I think often times that richness can be lost because of the myth of progress.

A significant aspect of this worship service to me was our collective reading of the Lord’s Prayer.  There were some things in the service that made me aware of the differences between those members and myself, but the Lord’s prayer gave me a strong sense of our similarities.  Saying things such as, our Father, and forgive us our sins was very important for me.  I think this was significant to me because there were several aspects of the service in which I felt like a spectator.  The liturgy was one that I’ve never said before.  The language was different than I am used to hearing.  The Eucharist service was for members of the orthodox church.  This made the difference between the members in the church and myself seem pretty big.  When we said the Lord’s prayer the differences didn’t seem as big anymore.   Throughout the service I was praying that God would show me how I could participate in the service. The Lord’s prayer became the avenue through which I felt I was able to participate in the service.