Observations on a church service
Nov. 7th, 2005 11:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lesliepearThe church we went to on Sunday was an Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church. (I think it is somewhat similar to Greek Orthodox, but our friend’s family is Syrian).
We came in for the communion part of the service. Apparently the first Sunday of every month they have the Sunday school children take communion. I had seen Catholic communions and this was different.
First of all, I saw all ages take communion (preschool and up). I know in Catholicism there is a big first Communion ceremony about age 9 or 3rd grade. So this surprised me. Even the form of communion seemed different. I thought it was sipping a glass of wine and eating a round wafer. It looked like cut up bread and everyone took the wine from a spoon held by the priest(s).
There was a small transfiguration ceremony at the end of the regular mass – 2 families were having a 9 day one, Ray’s family the 40 day one (I don’t know the difference). I saw they blessed some bread – there was a baked cake in a foil tray, Ray’s family had pita bread and one family brought a framed photo.
After the mass was over, they took the 2 big bowls of bread and just left them on the side of aisle. People took them on the way out. I didn’t think Mark and I should since we are not Christian, so we didn’t. I thought they’d not leave the leftover communion bread out?
Also, I wore my Jewish star to the mass – I always wear it. On the way out people passed the priest and some kissed the cross. We just passed by, I hope my star showed I was just visiting – we headed over to give our condolences to Ray’s family, passing by the row of other mourners.
All in all it was interesting, but I always feel slightly weird in Christian services.
We came in for the communion part of the service. Apparently the first Sunday of every month they have the Sunday school children take communion. I had seen Catholic communions and this was different.
First of all, I saw all ages take communion (preschool and up). I know in Catholicism there is a big first Communion ceremony about age 9 or 3rd grade. So this surprised me. Even the form of communion seemed different. I thought it was sipping a glass of wine and eating a round wafer. It looked like cut up bread and everyone took the wine from a spoon held by the priest(s).
There was a small transfiguration ceremony at the end of the regular mass – 2 families were having a 9 day one, Ray’s family the 40 day one (I don’t know the difference). I saw they blessed some bread – there was a baked cake in a foil tray, Ray’s family had pita bread and one family brought a framed photo.
After the mass was over, they took the 2 big bowls of bread and just left them on the side of aisle. People took them on the way out. I didn’t think Mark and I should since we are not Christian, so we didn’t. I thought they’d not leave the leftover communion bread out?
Also, I wore my Jewish star to the mass – I always wear it. On the way out people passed the priest and some kissed the cross. We just passed by, I hope my star showed I was just visiting – we headed over to give our condolences to Ray’s family, passing by the row of other mourners.
All in all it was interesting, but I always feel slightly weird in Christian services.
