ORTHROS (MATINS)
Sunday 9:00 am
The Orthros (Matins) Service precedes the Divine Liturgy on Sundays. This service consists of readings from the Book of Psalms, the Old Testament, and the Gospels. The beautiful hymns throughout the service are rich with profound theological meaning. The service follows a rotating theme from which the Gospel passages and hymns are selected. The lights of the church are dimmed during the service so as to physically represent the time before Christ. Following Orthros, the Divine Liturgy begins at which time the lights are fully lit. Again, this physically represents that Christ has come and is in our midst.
DIVINE LITURGY
Sundays – 9:50 am – 11:30 am
Weekdays (only when a Liturgy has been scheduled) – 9:00 am – 10:30 am
Sunday being both the first day of the week and eschatologically the eighth day of the week represents the day of our Lord’s resurrection and our entrance into the Kingdom of God. The Divine Liturgy or Eucharist is celebrated every Sunday and on major feast days of the liturgical year. By immersing oneself into The Divine Liturgy, with it’s petitions and antiphons, it’s hymns and prayers, reading of Holy Scriptures, and by participation in the Eucharist-the Body and Blood of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ-Orthodox Christians participate fully in the ultimate worship of God.
Other services are held throughout the year as specified by the liturgical calendar. Those will be listed in the monthly Community Newsletter and the Church Calendar.
In the Orthodox Faith there are seven sacraments, which by the divine Grace of God are granted directly to the members of the Church. These sacred ceremonies have been instituted either by Christ or by His Apostles. The number seven was determined in the 13th century
Birth, marriage, and death form the basis for three essential sacramental services of the Greek Orthodox Church, the celebration and observation of these important events are also characterized by special Greek customs and social traditions.
The Orthodox Church in every service and especially at every Divine Liturgy calls upon the people to pray to God for the union of all Christians.
THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH
- Baptism – the Christian rite of initiation in the Church (Baptism Responsibilities) (Baptism Form) (Membership Verification – Baptism)
- Chrismation – bestows upon us the Holy Spirit
- Holy Communion – receiving the resurrected body and blood of Jesus Christ
- Confession – although all Orthodox Christians are to confess their sins daily to God privately, all are encouraged to participate in the sacrament of Confession with a priest
- Marriage – a sacrament of the Church for it is Christ himself through the priest or bishop that joins the couple together (Marriage Responsibilities) (Marriage Forms) (Membership Verification – Marriage)
- Ordination to the sacred priesthood
- Holy Oil (Unction) – the faithful are anointed for the healing of soul and body, and for the forgiveness of sins