Cloud of Witnesses

This past weekend, I went with some of my classmates to two Orthodox church services.  The experience was different from the evangelical-style worship services I am accustomed to.  There was a lot of standing, there were candles, icons, incense, special robes for the priests, alter boys and nearly the entire service was sung.

The tendency for a lot of Christians is to hold so tightly to what we believe in that we forget to take a step back and first examine why we believe what we believe, and second, to decide what things we believe are more important than others.  Just because Methodists and Baptists have different beliefs in some areas doesn't mean they can't share the same faith.  While I knew this long before this past weekend, the trip helped me not only process which issues are vital to Christian doctrine and which issues are of lesser importance (albeit influential in practice), but also to allow the study of another belief to enrich my own faith.

The part of Orthodox worship that intrigued me the most was the feeling of stepping into a story bigger than myself.  With my evangelical background, I know that there's a multitude of believers around the world and a history of faithful people, but there's also such an emphasis on personal relationship with God that sometimes it can feel like I'm in it alone, or perhaps with only a small group of other church goers and I fail to see the bigger picture.

The Orthodox churches follow liturgies that are hundreds of years old, modeled after a style of worship used by the Jews long before that.  Orthodox Christians around the world use the same liturgies, building a sense of community and unity within the Church.  Additionally, Orthodox churches are lined with icons of saints and martyrs.  These icons are intended to encourage Orthodox Christians in their faith by having an example to look to and to emphasize the fact that the faith carries a long tradition.

I believe God can work in powerful ways through communities of believers and that we, as believers, should seek unity.  Furthermore, while I do believe that Jesus is the best example we can follow after, I think there is value in learning about the struggles other Christians have been through and how they walked in faith.  Hebrews 11 is filled with faithful historical figures who were examples to the early church and is followed by these verses in Hebrews 12: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith."

Practical advice?  Study the lives of people of faith and remind myself of the whole story, starting with Adam.  Take part in things that are bigger than myself, perhaps global relief organizations or something of that sort.  Join with local Christian believers and build my faith in community, like being in a small Bible study.  I don't quite agree with everything in the beliefs and practices of the Orthodox church, but there are some aspects of their faith that have been lacking in my own, and it's been beneficial to step back and look at things from another angle.