Orthodox Worship: Guest Post, Review by Jason Gagnon

There’s a poem by Walt Whitman, When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer, that tells a little story about sitting in a hall listening to a lecture about the facts and figures and proofs about the stars- but he was disquieted.  He left, went out and looked up in wonder at the stars.  This is a poem that has always stuck with me- that we don’t want to get bogged down in the details of a thing, and lose the thing itself.  But is he right?  When I look at a flower, my appreciation is pretty superficial.  When a botanist looks at a flower, with their expert knowledge, they can appreciate the flower on a much deeper level.  They understand the various parts of the plant and how they all work together, and what role the plant has in the wider environment.  They know the plant as it lives through the seasons.  If they can take that knowledge and still keep the sense of wonder and joy of experiencing a flower, then I envy the extra depth of their experience.

What does this have to do with Orthodox Worship?  The most common refrain I hear when it comes to evangelizing the Orthodox faith is to “Come and See” the Divine Liturgy – which really is a beautiful little phrase straight from the scriptures- ““Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.”  (John 1:46)  Those of us that have experienced the Divine Liturgy know that you can’t understand it until you experience it.  So why write a book about it?  Because some of us need this book. 

The book is divided in two major sections.  The first half looks at how Jews in the first century worshipped.  It then looks at how that worship is reflected in the Divine Liturgy.  The early Christian Community came out of the first century synagogues.  If you are a convinced Christian already, looking for the authentic expression of Christianity, finding that the “foreign” Divine Liturgy is rooted in the biblical tradition of First Century Palestine is a huge relief.   The second half of the book dives into the Liturgy itself, exploring the Liturgy in all it’s parts and litanies.  This is also helpful for the inquirer who can be overwhelmed by the beauty and miss the deep theological meaning of what is occurring around them.  

  

Thinking again of that passage from John, this book is an introduction to Orthodox Worship – you do still need to “come and see” because as  “Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”” (John 1:50-51)

I would recommend this book for inquirers from non-liturgical Protestant backgrounds, for high school Sunday School groups, and for Orthodox Christians looking for an introductory text on the Divine Liturgy.   

When I heard the learn’d astronomer,

When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,

When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,

When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,

How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,

Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself,

In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,

Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.