Divine Liturgy Class 2 – The Church Gathers
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The Divine Liturgy begins with a proclamation: “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” These are not simply opening words or a formal way to begin an Orthodox service. The Orthodox Church teaches that the Divine Liturgy is the gathering of the whole Church to worship the Holy Trinity and participate in the Kingdom of God.
Orthodox Christians believe that worship is the work of the entire Church, not something performed by a priest while everyone else watches. The bishop, priest, deacon, readers, servers, choir, and faithful each have a place within the Eucharistic assembly. Understanding these roles, and the prayers that begin the Divine Liturgy, helps us understand what the Church is and what it means to offer our whole life to God.
Why Does the Orthodox Divine Liturgy Begin With “Blessed Is the Kingdom”?
Before we can understand the opening words of the Divine Liturgy, we need to understand who has gathered to worship. The service assumes the presence of the whole Church with its various ministries: bishop, priests, deacons, subdeacons, readers, altar servers, choir, and faithful. In an ordinary parish, some of these ministries may not be present, so their necessary functions are supplied by others.
This explains why the Divine Liturgy may look different when a bishop visits a parish. A hierarchical Divine Liturgy is not a different service, nor is the bishop simply adding extra ceremony to make the occasion seem more important. Instead, more of the structure that is already built into the Liturgy becomes visible because more of the Church’s liturgical ministries are present.
The different ministries do not mean that some Christians matter while others do not. They are different forms of service within one Eucharistic assembly, as St. Paul describes the Church as one body with many members in 1 Corinthians 12. The structure of Orthodox worship teaches us that the Church is not simply a collection of individuals but a body gathered together in communion.
The Church Gathers Around the Kingdom of God
Why is the bishop important in the Orthodox Divine Liturgy?
The bishop is the chief celebrant of the Eucharistic assembly. In the early Church, the local Christian community gathered around its bishop for the Eucharist. St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote in the early second century, “Where the bishop appears, there let the people be; as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the catholic Church.”
As Christianity spread and local communities multiplied, priests began serving Eucharistic communities on behalf of and with the blessing of their bishops. That relationship remains visible today. The priest commemorates his bishop during the services and celebrates the Divine Liturgy on an antimension issued and signed by the bishop.
This means an Orthodox parish is never supposed to function as an isolated congregation. A priest does not possess an independent priesthood that allows him to establish his own church or celebrate however he wishes. Even when the bishop is not physically present, the parish remains connected to him and, through him, to the larger life of the Orthodox Church.
What does an Orthodox priest do during the Divine Liturgy?
When the bishop is absent, the priest presides over the Eucharistic assembly with the bishop’s blessing. He offers the priestly prayers, including the Eucharistic prayer, and leads the people in worship. But the priest is not performing the Liturgy by himself while everyone else watches.
In many parishes, the priest also supplies the functions of ministers who are absent. When there is no deacon, for example, the priest says petitions that ordinarily belong to the deacon. This can make the priest appear to be doing nearly everything, even though the structure of the service assumes several distinct ministries.
What does a deacon do in Orthodox worship?
The deacon helps reveal the dialogical nature of the Divine Liturgy. He leads the litanies, calls the people to prayer, proclaims the Gospel, censes, assists in processions, and helps direct liturgical movement. His familiar call, “In peace let us pray to the Lord,” is not simply an announcement but a summons for the entire assembly to pray.
Other ministries also have their proper places. Subdeacons assist especially with episcopal services, readers proclaim the appointed readings, and altar servers assist with candles, processions, the censer, and other liturgical actions. These are genuine ministries within the worship of the Church, not merely jobs given to people so they have something to do.
Are the choir and congregation participating in the Divine Liturgy?
The choir is not performing religious music for an audience. It leads the sung prayer of the Church, while the faithful actively participate through their responses, prayers, hymns, attention, and presence. When the people say “Amen” or “Lord, have mercy,” those words belong to the action of the Liturgy itself.
The faithful, therefore, are not spectators. Orthodox worship is something the Church does together. The clergy have particular ministries, but the congregation is not an audience watching those ministries take place.
Who is the center of the Orthodox Divine Liturgy?
After discussing bishops, priests, deacons, readers, servers, choirs, and faithful, an important clarification must be made. None of them is the center of the Liturgy. Christ is the true High Priest and the One toward whom the entire structure of Christian worship is directed.
Church hierarchy properly understood does not exist to create religious celebrities or draw attention toward personalities. Each ministry exists to serve the Church and direct her toward God. The order of the Liturgy teaches us that Christian worship is greater than any individual person who happens to be serving within it.
What happens before “Blessed Is the Kingdom”?
Before the public portion of the Divine Liturgy begins, the Gifts have already been prepared during the Proskomedia. The Lamb has been cut from the prosphora, and particles are placed on the diskos commemorating the Theotokos, the saints, the living, and the departed. The arrangement presents an image of the Church gathered around her Lord.
This prepares us to understand what happens next. The congregation has gathered physically, but the Liturgy reveals a Church much larger than the people standing inside one building. The earthly and heavenly Church belong to one communion gathered before God.
What does “Blessed is the Kingdom” mean?
The first public words are, “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.” We do not begin with announcements, greetings, or an explanation of what is about to happen. The first thing the Church does is proclaim and bless the Kingdom of God.
The Kingdom is not merely a place where Christians hope to go after death. In Matthew 4:17, the Lord announces that the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. The Kingdom means God’s reign, presence, life, and communion with His people.
There is both a present and future dimension to this reality. Christians await the fullness of the Kingdom at the Second Coming, yet the Kingdom has already entered history through Christ. The Divine Liturgy is therefore not merely a gathering where Christians talk about heaven; it is a participation in and foretaste of the Kingdom that is coming in its fullness.
Why does the Divine Liturgy begin by naming the Trinity?
The opening blessing immediately names the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Orthodox Christianity does not worship a vague spiritual power or an undefined supreme being. Christian worship is directed to the Holy Trinity.
The entire Divine Liturgy unfolds within this Trinitarian life. The Church comes to the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit, and this becomes especially clear as the Eucharistic prayer unfolds later in the service. Communion with the Triune God is the purpose for which humanity was created and the goal of the Christian life.
Why do the people say “Amen” during the Divine Liturgy?
The people’s first response to the opening proclamation is “Amen.” This is important because it immediately shows that worship involves both clergy and faithful. The priest proclaims the Kingdom, and the assembled Church responds by affirming what has been proclaimed.
The pattern continues throughout the Liturgy. The ministers call the Church to prayer, and the people answer. Orthodox worship is filled with this dialogue because the whole Church is participating together.
What does “In peace let us pray to the Lord” mean?
Immediately after proclaiming the Kingdom, the Church is summoned to prayer: “In peace let us pray to the Lord.” Every part of this sentence matters. The peace being sought is not simply a calm feeling or the absence of conflict but the peace that comes from above.
The words “let us” are equally important. The deacon or priest does not announce that he is going to pray while everyone else listens. He calls the entire Church to pray together.
What is the Great Litany in the Orthodox Church?
The Great Litany is one of the first major prayers of the Divine Liturgy. The Church prays for peace, salvation, the Church, the bishop and clergy, civil authorities, the local community, favorable conditions, travelers, the sick, those suffering, captives, and people in danger. Within only a few minutes, the Liturgy has moved our attention far beyond our personal concerns.
This reveals something important about Orthodox Christian prayer. Christianity is never simply an individual relationship with God separated from everyone else. The Church stands before God carrying the needs and suffering of the world with her.
The petitions are also remarkably practical. Orthodox Christians pray for seasonable weather, abundant crops, peaceful times, health, travel, government, and community life. The Orthodox Church teaches that there is no artificial wall separating spiritual concerns from ordinary human life because all creation belongs to God.
Why do Orthodox Christians say “Lord, have mercy” so often?
One of the most common responses during Orthodox worship is “Lord, have mercy.” Mercy means far more than asking an angry judge to withhold punishment. In Scripture and Orthodox worship, God’s mercy includes compassion, forgiveness, healing, protection, help, and loving-kindness.
When Christians answer a petition with “Lord, have mercy,” they place that need into God’s hands. They are not demanding that God solve a problem according to their preferred plan. They are asking Him to act according to His goodness and entrusting the situation to His will.
Why are the Theotokos and saints mentioned during the Liturgy?
Near the conclusion of the litany, the Church commemorates the most holy Theotokos together with all the saints. This reminds the congregation that the people physically present in the building are not the whole Church. The saints are alive in God, and the Church in heaven and the Church on earth are one Church.
This does not replace the Lord with the saints. After commemorating the Theotokos and the saints, we commend ourselves, one another, and our whole life unto Christ our God. The saints reveal what communion with God looks like, while the entire movement of the prayer directs our lives toward Him.
What does “all our life unto Christ our God” mean?
One of the most important lines in the opening portion of the Divine Liturgy is, “Let us commend ourselves and each other and all our life unto Christ our God.” Christianity is not limited to Sunday morning or to the part of our lives that we consider religious. The Church calls us to offer ourselves, the people around us, and everything that we are to God.
Our work, family, money, relationships, suffering, joys, plans, desires, decisions, and future belong to Him. The spiritual life is not about keeping a religious compartment alongside the rest of our existence. Repentance gradually teaches us to bring every part of life into communion with God.
All of this happens within the opening minutes of the Divine Liturgy. The Church has proclaimed the Kingdom, confessed the Trinity, prayed for the world, asked for mercy, remembered the heavenly Church, and offered the whole of human life to God. These opening prayers are not preliminary material to endure until something more important happens; they already reveal the shape of the Christian life.
The best way to understand these prayers is eventually to pray them with the Church. Come to the Divine Liturgy, listen carefully to the petitions, answer “Amen” and “Lord, have mercy,” and notice how the service continually draws you beyond yourself. Orthodox Christianity is not simply something to study from a distance but a life of worship, repentance, communion, and participation in the Kingdom of God.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Opening of the Divine Liturgy
Why does an Orthodox bishop’s Divine Liturgy look different?
A hierarchical Divine Liturgy is the same Divine Liturgy celebrated in the parish. It looks different because the bishop and more of the liturgical ministries assumed by the service are present, making the full structure of the Eucharistic assembly easier to see.
What does “Blessed is the Kingdom” mean in Orthodox worship?
It proclaims that Christian worship is directed toward the Kingdom of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Liturgy is a participation in and foretaste of that Kingdom, not simply a religious meeting about it.
Why do Orthodox Christians repeat “Lord, have mercy”?
God’s mercy includes compassion, healing, forgiveness, protection, help, and loving-kindness. Each repetition entrusts another need of the Church and the world to God’s goodness and will.
Are Orthodox Christians supposed to participate during the Divine Liturgy?
Yes. The faithful are part of the Eucharistic assembly, and their prayers, responses, hymns, attention, and presence belong to the worship of the Church. The Divine Liturgy is not a performance by clergy for a congregation to watch.
Why does the Orthodox Church pray for ordinary things like weather and travel?
Orthodox Christians believe that the whole of life belongs to God. The Church therefore prays not only about explicitly religious matters but also for food, weather, health, government, communities, travelers, the suffering, and the ordinary needs of human life.