By Miriam from Nigeria
Richness, awesomeness, goodness, and the wonder of God enveloped me in a way that I had never experienced before!
I’ve been eagerly envisioning the first time I would finally get to experience an Orthodox Divine Liturgy on a Sunday. I finally did, and it was so much more than I expected. Even the mixed creole language used in the service was intriguing to me, and wasn’t a hindrance.
The Divine Liturgy was similar to my experiences with Anglican services, yet it was more intentional and more intense. It was mostly a back-and-forth chanting, if I may put it that way, between the priest, acolytes, and the congregation. It was such a harmonized way of worshiping God, and I loved it.
At the beginning of the service, the priest stayed in the inner chamber, but came out at some point, holding a red board (the pax) and we all went and kissed it in reverence. I saw a semblance of the face of Jesus when It got to my turn and it became clear to me what everyone was doing. Afterwards, the priest went back to the chamber. Subsequently, he would come out at intervals, holding a censer and walking through the church, shaking it; the strong rich fragrance of the incense filled the parish. The priest had two young men walking behind him every time. All of them wore beautiful robes, but the priest’s robe was different; it was more decorated and elegant. I felt that the priest was leading us all into the presence of God in worship. Everyone just knew what to do and how to behave.
It was mind blowing.
I had no idea what to do or how to do it. But again, God assured me that He had my back. There was someone there to help me, of course. I was introduced to an older looking woman and told to sit beside her because she speaks and understands some English. She was the best help. She guided me through the service like a mother would to her daughter. I want to say to her, Thank you, ma’am!
The service was all about reverencing God. It was very orderly, very guided, very sacred and sublime. My mind went to books in the Old Testament that described how God wanted the temple to be built, how His priests should be dressed, and how they should lead His people to worship Him. All my senses were on alert, especially my sense of smell. It was such an overwhelming new experience for me.
My background is Evangelical, so you can imagine my experience. Sunday service has never been like this for me. This was highly reverential, and I loved every single aspect of it. I felt God was given the utmost respect throughout the service and I loved that all my senses were involved while worshiping Him; even my mind stayed on Him throughout the service.
This was so powerful to me that I pray this sacred experience should be the heart posture of everyone—even outside this parish and beyond Sunday services.
Something happened to me after the service. I stepped out of the parish and started walking toward the building I was staying at, and just before the entrance, I perceived this amazing smell. It took me aback because it wasn’t a smell I was familiar with, nor was it the same smell I perceived inside the parish. This was different: lavender-vanilla-and something else; a blend of awesome redolence. It was so sweet, so pleasant, and so good. I wonder if God was giving me a sign that His presence was everywhere.
God is indeed taking me through a refreshing ride of experiencing Him on a completely different level.
I am just going to simply enjoy the ride.
