After a service at St. Peter and Paul Cathedral, our hostess was accosted by a tall stately man for the way these Americans were behaving in worship. We really hadn't done anything we thought was disrespectful. By the way, I am a bit apprehensive about the visit of our Sister Church Parish Priest next spring. Father Sergii will come in April along with eight other priests as a part of the tenth anniversary of the Sister Churches Program between Seattle and St. Petersburg. My apprehension has to do with how Fr.
Worship is so intense in Orthodoxy.
The intensity of their worship provides us with a sharp contrast for the complacency of our spiritual endeavors. But for many of us, and our neighbors, an easy and comfortable life can seduce us into a frightful complacency toward God. This is why suburban America has been called one of the most difficult places for Christian ministry in the whole world. It is only when we know we are lost that the coming of God is welcome in our lives. I love the way John calls us to wake up, turn around, and put our life in God's hands.