Sergius Bulgakov delivers an exhortation that most Christians probably need to hear, especially those of us in the West whose only experiences of culture and sociality, ecclesial or otherwise bear deep vestiges of artificiality and triviality. Too few of us even know how to think about our participation in gathered worship as an event actually occurring within the economy of God’s salvation of the world, whether we come from a high church background or not. Here is Bulgakov’s timely remark:
“Our liturgies are not theatrical productions, devoid of the power of reality and containing on an ideal remembrance. No! They are real events for us. In these events we are contemporaries of Christ’s earthly life, which enters into our very own life. Christ’s earthly life did not take place only for the small number of people who saw hum with fleshly eyes. It also takes place for all of Christ’s humankind in the church (‘blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed’ [John 20:29]).” (“The Holy Grail,” p. 50-51)
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