Someone once asked me why we sing so much in our Church. This is to distinguish our conversation with God from our other conversations with other humans. Truly, the ability to sing is a very special gift from God. Think about birds. The only way that they communicate with one another is through song. They don’t just make noise, but, rather, they have a melody. Singing adds a certain join to our worship. Most people sing when they are happy.

The problem is, I guess, that some find it more difficult to carry a melody. That doesn’t really matter. Making the effort, however, to sing does remind us that we are talking to God and not just another person.

Some have asked me, after telling them this, why we recite, for example, the Creed. Many churches sing it. I have always felt that the Creed is truly one of those prayers that we all should be able to say without worrying how we sound. It is a declaration of the major beliefs of our religion. Likewise, I believe that there are several other prayers which can be recited in order that everyone clearly understands them or can fully participate. The prayer before Communion is another prayer that all should be able to say together. So, we recite it.

Before I get too far from the subject, I would like to make another important observation. The entire format of our Liturgy is meant to be dialogic – is meant to be like a back-and-forth dialogue between the congregation and the celebrant, who is supposed to be the spokesman for the Community and, at times, represent Christ. When a deacon serves the Divine Liturgy, he becomes the spokesman for the congregation and the role of the priest as representing Christ becomes clearer.

This also highlights another important idea that the Eastern Church has about our worship. We worship God WITH Christ. He worshipped the Father through the power of the Spirit – we join Jesus in doing the same. Since bread and wine (i.e., food) represent human life, we offer, together with Jesus, our life to God and ask Him to transform us into Christ, the anointed of God. Jesus, as we know, offered His life back to the Father in thanksgiving for the gift of life. So too are we called to do the same, together with Jesus. This act brings us into communion with God in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I believe that it is essential that we see ourselves as worshipping God together with Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. This involves us in the act of worship in a totally different way. Our worship must be an offering of our very lives to God in thanksgiving for the gift of life He has given us.

Think about this!