by Abbot Tryphon Closed communion protects those who do not hold to the Church's teachings regarding the Holy Mysteries When a stranger approaches the Holy Gifts during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy it is the norm in the Orthodox Church for the priest to ask the person to "kiss the chalice". Not knowing if the person is Orthodox, or whether they are in good standing with the Church, the priest can not give them communion. This "closed communion" is not meant as a way of separating ourselves from visitors as though we were better than them, but as our way of guarding the Holy Mysteries from being received by someone who is not part of the Church and who may hold to views concerning … [Read more...]
Sacrament or Symbol?
What is the Lord's Supper? What is the Eucharist? Was it always understood as a Sacrament? Throughout the history of Christianity, the overwhelming majority of Christians have consistently believed that Jesus Christ, in a mystery, imparts His Body and Blood to His people though the vehicle of the Lord's Supper. Bypassing all the Biblical references, here is a small, non-exhaustive sampling of what they've had to say in every generation. If you're going to read any of them, please read them all. Ignatius of Antioch AD 35-107 "Mark ye those who hold strange doctrines touch the grace of Jesus which came to us, how they are contrary to the mind of God... They abstain from Eucharist and … [Read more...]
Why the Seder?
Part three of our republishing of 'The Contemporary Protestant Seder: Anachronistic Revisionism?' by the Rev. Dr. Dcn. Timothy J. Wilkinson Why the Seder? Given the clear linkage between the Passover, the Seder meal, and the Eucharist – and the apparent lack of understanding of, or interest in this linkage – motives for participation in the Seder meal appear to fall into two categories. The first revolves around the well-known philo-Semitic evangelical desire for rootedness and connection with the early Church and its predecessor, the Jewish religion. Since the publication of Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline in 1978, ancient source literature, particularly as it relates to … [Read more...]
The Contemporary Protestant Seder: Anachronistic Revisionism?
by the Rev. Dcn. Dr. Timothy J. Wilkinson The protestant Evangelical world has, for many years now, appropriated the Jewish Seder service in an attempt to 'reconnect' with something more ancient, and I would contend, something more authentic. We offer this excellent piece by Dcn Tim Wilkinson, Reprinted (with permission) from Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies 56 (2015), published by the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies, this article is being published in three installments, with endnotes included on the third installment. Introduction The Jewish Seder has become a routine part of contemporary Easter services in many American churches. … [Read more...]
“Don’t You Dare Not Go To Church On Sunday!”
Church - as the Body of the Resurrected Christ - is of paramount importance! This priest gets it, and clearly so did his people. Wonderful! Enjoy! … [Read more...]
