Hawken Sawyer - Church visit #1

Church name: St. Demetrios

Church address: 22909 Center Ridge Rd, Rocky River, OH 44116

Date attended: 10/16/16

Church category: Greek Orthodox

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?

As I walked into Divine Liturgy at St. Demetrios five minutes before it officially started, the choir was singing in a foreign language which I think was Greek. The choir and the priest were the only ones who participated in the liturgy. The priest sang most of the things he said, and the Bible readings were also sang. There wasn’t really a sermon at all except for a brief break in the liturgy for the priest to say good morning and welcome. Also, when I arrived at 9:30am, not many people were present, but by 10:15am, right before communion started, the church was packed. It was similar to what I’m used to because of all the liturgy, but it was very different because the people didn’t participate in the liturgy. Also, it sometimes felt like the priest prayed the prayers and sang the liturgy as quickly as possible just to get it done. 

How did the service illuminate for you the history and contours of global Christianity?

This simply makes me more aware of different traditions that exist within the religion of Christianity. Before this experience, I did not know what it meant to be a part of the Orthodox tradition. The fact that this tradition exists all around the world, and has a deep history of its own causes me to have more respect for it. Traditions within the Christian faith seem to emphasize different aspects about God or Christianity, but one of the things that does not change is worshiping Jesus. As a part of a unique culture, traditions often have unique ways of worshiping Jesus – and that is the biggest difference between them. However, this experience has reminded me that it is so important for Global Christians to avoid letting the differences of our traditions stand in the way of our unity as the body of Christ.

How did the worship service illuminate for you your personal identity as a Christian?

As I sat (and often stood) in the service, I was struck by the amount of reverence that was present throughout the morning. The liturgy, the choir, communion, and making the sign of the cross every time a saint or the trinity was mentioned (even in a different language) were all examples of this reverence. This illuminated for me the reverence that should be attributed to these things. When we speak about the church fathers or the trinity, we must be aware of who we are talking about. As a Christian, I get to be a part of the same body as these saints – and it's important for me to know how amazing that is. There should be enormous amounts of awe and reverence associated with the Trinity and the body of Christ; this is something that we can learn more about from the Orthodox tradition.