Can we really bring heaven down to earth? The Eastern Orthodox Church try their best to do just that in their worship. Robert Webber explains what we can learn from them.

I grew up in the free church tradition of worship, which traces its roots to the Puritans. While most free church communities no longer worship as their Puritan Fathers and mothers did, they retain some of the convictions of Puritan worship.

One primary conviction of Puritan worship is that Christians are to be plain in their worship. This concept of being 'plain' extends to every aspect of worship - including plain and direct speech, plain dress (as opposed to vestment), plain and simple music, and a plain setting for worship.

Puritans and those who followed them interpreted New Testament worship and the teaching of Jesus about worship (and life in general) as promoting simplicity and plainness. They believed the ceremonials of the Old Testament temple, with all of their beauty and sacred ritual, ministry and Festivals, had been done away with. You can imagine my own first impression of Orthodox worship. I missed its heart and saw it as empty ritual

I came to Orthodox worship out of that perspective. You can imagine my own first impression of Orthodox worship. I missed its heart and saw it as empty ritual.

Autor: Robert Webber

Jahr: 1994

Update: 18.10.2010

weitere Infos: http://www.kingsway.co.uk/what-we-can-learn-from-worship-within-the-orthodox-church/