By Nicholas Damascus
What would you like to know about the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith? Submit your question.
Why do Eastern Orthodox stand during church services?
Orthodox Christians know that when they enter the church, it is where heaven and earth meet. They know they are stepping into an ark that joins them with that which is sacred and holy. That same majesty of God which is in heaven is also in his church, and on this account the Orthodox Christians must enter with reverence and awe.
Why do we say this? Because the “the Presence” of Christ is always on the alter table when you walk into an Eastern Orthodox Church. In this house of God there is no holier place for Eastern Orthodox Christians.
To be more specific, for Eastern Orthodox Christians, the Orthodox Church that they enter is the same as being in the presence of the Ark of the Covenant or the presence of Christ on Mount Tabor where Moses removed his sandals standing on hallowed ground in the presence of God.
For Orthodox Christians, this Trinitarian God is sacred, holy, and held in awe. Jesus is not my buddy or my pal, but my ‘Father who art in Heaven, hollowed be thy Name.’ Quoting 1 Peter 1:15-16 … but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
If let’s say you were greeted by the president of our country or let’s say the leader of your church, or the governor or senator of your state, would you be sitting down while they continued to stand? Would you not show some reverence or respect by standing and greeting them?
If one does not show or acknowledge honor, authority and reverence, let alone sacredness then I would say we have lost something that is an essential part of the moral makeup of who we are.
On further comment, the sense of the sacred appears to be vanishing from our culture and especially in the worship of our churches. I would say in a lot of cases it’s about the latte in the pew, the great sermon, the band on the stage, the music heard, the gymnasium, it’s where my grandmother went to church, it’s where my friends go, not essentially about worship, but about entertainment.
Pews are a western innovation, not that they are a bad innovation, we do have a lot of sick and elderly. When a person is sitting they are not as active and tend to get comfortable and less focused. They are more likely to become distracted in observations and their thoughts. Worship is defined as “the work of the people” and by standing we are making an effort to participate in a proactive and communicative way.
In conclusion, I hope I have not offended anyone in relating what an Eastern Orthodox Christians believe and practice. If I have, I humbly ask your forgiveness may God continue to instill in you his presence and understanding, your question was challenging and thank you. I leave you with a verse from a Psalm of David.
Psalm 143:1 : O Lord, Hear my prayer, In Your truth, give ear to my supplications; In Your righteousness, hear me. And enter not into judgment with Your servant, for no one living is justified in your sight.
I agree with the loss of the sacred in our churches. It’s too uber casual sometimes, and yet I sometimes flinch when it gets too High Church. I guess I am a product of my era.
Good article, Nick!
Nice post Nick. I’m typically not a big fan of tradition for tradition sake, but I am a big fan of symbolism and that’s what I appreciated the most; the symbolism behind why Orthodox Christians stand (“the church is where heaven and earth meet”) the sense of the sacred, the depth and beauty so precious to symbolic meaning, which so often is lost in spirituality today. The baby many times has been thrown out with the bath water and the sense of spiritual mystery loses its numinous qualities and becomes mere catalogued artifacts in our consciousness.
Thanks Nick