Invisible to make God visible

by Shari

This was on the back of our church bulletin today.  I found it very profound.  An incredible snapshot of what church should be like.  And if we take the liberty to extend it a bit further…to what our own lives, everyday, should be like.  Me – invisible – making God visible.

Quote from a Maryland TV Newscast Recently on The Glory of the Liturgy of the Orthodox Church

“We could take a cue from Orthodoxy, whose priests stand with their backs to their congregation, leading a liturgy that is neither clever nor impassioned but simply beautiful, like stone smoothed by centuries of rhythmic tides.  It’s an austere ritual, in the sense of – there’s nothing new here; it’s sublime, in the sense of creating a clearer view into Heaven.  The priest can be any priest. Who he is, what he looks like, how he speaks, and what he thinks matter little.  He hasn’t written the service that he officiates.  It isn’t about him or his prowess. He’s an interchangeable functionary draped in brocaded robes, obscured by incense, and, as such, never points to himself, a flawed human, pointing ever and only to the Perfection of the Mysterious Divine.

That is the role of every priest or preacher – invisibility, while making God seen.”