“I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!’ And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.” - Isaiah 6:1-4 NKJV
"After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, 'Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.' Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!' Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 'You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.'" - Revelation 4:1-11 NKJV
"When we journeyed among the Bulgars, we beheld how they worship in their temple, called a mosque, while they stand ungirt. The Bulgarian bows, sits down, looks hither and thither like one possessed, and there is no happiness among them, but instead only sorrow and a dreadful stench... Then we went among the Germans, and saw them performing many ceremonies in their temples; but we beheld no glory there. Then we went to Greece, and the Greeks led us to the edifices where they worship their God, and we knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth. For on earth there is no such splendor or such beauty, and we are at a loss how to describe it. We only know that God dwells there among men, and their service is fairer than the ceremonies of other nations. For we cannot forget that beauty. Every man, after tasting something sweet, is afterward unwilling to accept that which is bitter, and therefore we cannot dwell longer here."
- From the Russian Primary Chronicle, describing Prince Vladimir's emissaries visiting Constantinople's Hagia Sophia in 987 AD
After reading these passages, is this what you expect people to experience when they attend the liturgy at your church? I don't mean to "see" with physical eyes, but to see with their spiritual eyes. If so, then Glory to God. If it’s a work in progress (1. Liturgy will always be dysfunctional), then Glory to God! If you haven’t even thought about it, and it doesn’t seem that anyone else has considered it, then maybe it’s time to consider the question…
Let’s not forget our starting premise that first and last it is Christ on the Altar. If in any way questioned or pressed, I will always answer “please forget everything I said, it’s all nonsense, just always remember Christ is on the Altar” and that’s all that matters.
It is also true that there is a divine presence in liturgy, one that we can perceive just as we perceive God's Glory in a sunset, majestic mountains, or a pristine beach. While the liturgy's primary purpose isn't beauty but rather experiencing Christ in our midst, this truth remains whether we perceive it or not. The liturgy's beauty serves as one way of helping our physical eyes glimpse what our spiritual eyes are always invited to see, regardless of outward appearance.
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We have the Arabic expression “سبحان الله" (Subhan Allah) which literally translates to "Glory be to God." It's an Arabic phrase commonly used to express awe and amazement at the magnificence of God's creation. In this context, it's being used to acknowledge the divine presence that can be appreciated in both nature and liturgy.
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Look at your deacon structure. Where are they standing? What are they doing? Are they singing together or are a couple of guys playing 3. Pass the Pacifier while everyone else spaces out? I’m not saying it needs to be perfect in execution, but is there even an attempt at design that gives the deacons the chance to eventually get it right?
<aside> 🌪️
There is no way around the reality that little deacons create chaos. There is also no way around that not every little deacon grows up … we have some “little deacons” that are fairly advanced in age. That chaos needs to be contained within a system.
I know what you’re saying “dude, we have a system.” Yes, of course you do, but is the chaos contained within the system or is the system contained within the chaos?
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Every system is not created equal, and not every system works in every church; however, it is possible to see some patterns that emerge in seeing how churches approach deacon service:
This “chorus” of deacons has no specific place to stand, and they just wander around wherever they want. They sprawl across the altar, congregation benches, and side entrances, sometimes gathering in clusters to create impromptu mosh pits in various corners of the church. Of course we must also mention the deacons you don’t even see — the saintly pious monk deacons praying by themselves inside the altar instead of doing their job.
In this model, the congregation often only hears the voice of a single person on the microphone, who happens to have other people around him who may or may not be singing along. At times, this has the guise of equality when instead of just one person dominating the microphone you see a group of deacons playing the 3. Pass the Pacifier Game.