Morning service in the church. First Steps in the Orthodox Church: Twelve Things You Need to Know

And communion is the reception (with due preparation) of holy gifts. Communion is like a new fresh shirt - you can’t put it on a dirty body. Communion is given as a reward for and enhanced reading of prayers.

1. How to prepare for the service in the church on Sunday (for the Liturgy) correctly if you want to take communion?

If you decide to visit the temple on Sunday "in full", then you should prepare in advance. The Sunday morning “most powerful” service in the church is called the Liturgy (when they take communion, that is, the priest gives the “blood and body of Christ” = a piece of bread in wine). We can talk a lot about the benefits of the sacrament, but here we will talk about how to prepare for it:

- Need to get ready for a coupledays.

- You must fast at least Friday and Saturday: do not eat animal food, do not sin: do not drink alcohol, do not commit "marital intimacy", try not to swear, do not offend or be offended.
- on Saturday, read 3 canons at night (it will take about 40 minutes) (the canon of repentance to our Lord Jesus Christ, the canon of prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos, the canon to the Guardian Angel) + another 35 minutes “Following Holy Communion.”
- in the evening you should also read prayers for the coming dream (about 20 minutes)
- after midnight do not eat, drink or smoke, that is, go to bed until 00-00.

2. When to come to church before the morning Sunday service (Liturgy)? When does Sunday morning service start?

We arrive at the church at about 7-20 (but better see the schedule).
Until then, you need:
- be strictly on an empty stomach, incl. Do not smoke. You can only brush your teeth, and then try not to swallow anything.
– read the morning rule (min 15-20)

In the church itself? When is the Liturgy and Communion:

—writing notes for health and peace (can be simple)
- We approach and kiss the central icon.
— put candles to whom we want (I usually put 3 candles: on the main candlestick, on the saint at will and for the rest).

There is no need to light candles during the service itself, as this distracts everyone.

We are in line for confession. It usually starts at 7-30 (again, see the schedule of services in your church). We confess.
- we take a place: men in the right side of the temple, women in the left.
— Liturgy goes on for about 2 hours. All this time we listen to prayers, we think “about life, what was done wrong where” and all the time we repeat “Lord, Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.”

Time usually passesquickly when there is Liturgy and Communion.

Liturgy takeaway

When everyone began to read the "Symbol of Faith" - it means that communion itself will soon be.
- When everyone began to read "Our Father" - it means that communion will be very soon.
- When the priest takes out 2 large bowls for the first time, we simply bow our heads.
When the priest takes out a small bowl (it is with the sacrament) - then we bowgetting on your knees.
- They can carry alms trays around the church. Donate money there, no matter how much you don't mind.

3. What to do during the actual communion?

- Participle: First, small children receive communion, then men, then women. Only those who have properly prepared themselves have the right to receive communion. Don't anger God.
- When approaching communion, we cross our arms over our chest (right above). We approach the bowl as close as possible. We do not cross ourselves, so as not to hurt the thicket. We call the name, open our mouth, eat Communion from a spoon, let ourselves be wiped, kiss the cup and go to eat and drink.
- On a special table we take a small cup with a drink and a piece of prosphora. They seize and drink so that the pieces of the Communion completely get inside, and do not accidentally fly out with saliva or something else. It is better to drink first, then eat the prosphora.
We are waiting for the end of the service to kiss the cross. The priest can say, “Participants, listen to the words of the thanksgiving prayer,” then we go to listen to the prayer. If this did not happen, then at home we ourselves read "Thanksgiving prayers for Holy Communion".

4. What to do after taking communion?

- we don’t kneel anywhere anymore: neither in front of the icons, nor in the rest of the service
- we wait for the end of the service and kiss the cross of the priest.
- we read thanksgiving prayers for Holy Communion
- you can go home. Immediately after communion, do not immediately smoke or drink alcohol (at least eat normally at first). Do not desecrate the Holy Communion.

Liturgy is the main church service. What time does the liturgy begin and how long does it last? Why and when is the liturgy held in the evening or at night?

Below is the main thing you need to know about the time and duration of the Liturgy in Orthodox churches.

Liturgy is held in every church

The Divine Liturgy is the central service, since during it the Sacrament of the Eucharist and Communion take place (or rather, the Liturgy itself accompanies these Sacraments). All other services in one way or another precede the Liturgy - although they can take place the night before or even earlier.

Liturgy takes place at least every Sunday

The regularity of services depends on the temple: the place where the temple is located, and the number of parishioners. In other words, the Liturgy takes place in the church as often as it is actually needed.

Icon of the Mother of God "It is worthy to eat" at the Moscow Compound of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra

How long does the liturgy last in the temple?

The duration of the liturgy may vary depending on the day or temple. But this does not mean that the composition of worship is changing in some fundamental way. For example, on especially solemn days, part of the prayers, which are sometimes read by the reader, this time are sung by the choir.

In addition, how long the liturgy lasts can be influenced by such seemingly insignificant factors as the speed with which the priest and deacon serve: one leads the services faster, the other slower, one reads the Gospel at the same pace, the other more measuredly . Etc.

But speaking in general terms, on days the Liturgy lasts longer than on ordinary days - sometimes up to two hours.

On Easter night or the Christmas Liturgy, the Liturgy lasts no longer than usual, but the nightly service itself turns out to be many hours long - since the Liturgy is preceded by a long All-Night Vigil.

Night service in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, photo: patriarchia.ru

What time does the morning service start at the church?

On the one hand, the answer to this question is most often the same as to the question: "What time does the Liturgy begin", since in almost all non-monastic churches the only morning service is the Liturgy.

Another thing is that in some churches (where there is only one priest) sometimes it takes place not during the service, but before it, and therefore those who want to confess or take communion come earlier.

But in the monasteries, morning services begin much earlier, since a full daily circle of services is held there.

For example, before the liturgy in the monasteries, the Hours are necessarily read (this is a small service that includes the reading of certain prayers and individual psalms), and on most days, the Midnight Office is also served, which can begin at 6 in the morning or earlier.

In addition, the charter of some monasteries also suggests, for example, the daily morning reading of akathists, and the prayer rule, which will also take place in the temple. Therefore, in some monasteries, morning services, in fact, stretch for several hours, and the Liturgy, as expected, crowns this cycle.

This does not mean that laymen who take communion need to be present at all monastic services - they are intended primarily for the inhabitants of the monastery (monks, novices and laborers). The main thing is to come to the beginning of the Liturgy.

What time does the church service start?

As in the case of morning services, the specific start time of the evening service is determined by the charter of the temple or monastery (they can always be found either on the website or on the doors of the temple). As a rule, the evening service begins between 16:00 and 18:00.

The service itself, depending on the day or the foundations of a particular temple, lasts from an hour and a half to three. In monasteries, on solemn days, evening worship can last much longer.

Evening worship is obligatory for those who are going to take communion the next morning. This is due to the fact that the Church has adopted a daily circle of services, which begins in the evening, and the morning Liturgy crowns it.

Read this and other posts in our group in

And now everything is in order. Church services or public worship is the main purpose of all churches. Evening, morning and afternoon services are held daily, and each of them consists of three types of services. Thus, it turns out that 9 services are held per day, which are repeated every day, therefore such daily services are called the daily circle.

There is also a seven-day circle of worship - a sequence of services that repeat within 1 week (1 week). There are services that are held once a year, they are called annual. The church bell calls all believers to the temple for prayer, but it is better to come to church in advance in order to have time to venerate the icons before the start of the service, order a commemoration, and light candles.

Women should wear a dress or skirt to the temple, they must come with a covered head, it is also advisable not to use cosmetics. Men, on the contrary, must bare their heads when entering the temple. If you have a desire to take part in the service, it is better to find out in advance how the service is going on in the church.

Entering the temple, you should cross yourself 3 times and bow. As soon as the service begins, you should stand in one place. The service itself is prayers and church hymns performed by a clergyman, who is often assisted by a church choir. From these hymns, Christians learn about the life of Christ and his disciples; in prayers, believers thank the Lord.

During the service, you can’t walk around the temple, you can’t talk, you must stand and listen carefully to everything that the clergyman says. Only seriously ill people are allowed to sit, while the rest can only sit down while reading some prayers. If you are late for the start of the service, then you should enter the temple and join the worshipers.

But the Orthodox celebrate the most important parts of the service, such as the Six Psalms, the Gospel, during which entry is prohibited: you should stay at the door, waiting for the end of these prayers. Leaving the temple during the service is a great sin. If you see someone you know while there is a service in the church, you are only supposed to nod your head to him, it is forbidden to shake hands in the temple.

The duration of divine services is not limited by any canons, the service can last from 1.5 to 3 hours. The Orthodox Church attaches great importance to any prayer, but it is believed that it is the conciliar prayer of the assembled believers that has the greatest power. In addition to the daily, seven-day and yearly cycle of services, services are also held in the church, called trebs, which means according to the needs of Christians. These include baptism, prayer services, weddings, funeral services, memorial services, etc.

Attending a church service is one of the most important events for every Christian. It is aimed at introducing an adult, a child into the life of the temple, which implies communication with God, the study of religious dogmas, the search for unity with God and eternal salvation.

Church work schedule

The church is not just a place for prayer, it is believed that Christ resides there. Everyone who comes to the temple must adhere to special rules of conduct (women cover their heads with a scarf, men take off their hats, before entering, after leaving the temple, you need to make the sign of the cross, etc.) and it is advisable to know the schedule of the church. This will make it possible to avoid awkward situations, waste of time.

In almost all churches, the daily routine is the same. At 7-8 o'clock in the morning the priest begins the morning service, which lasts for several hours. At the end of it, the clergyman conducts various sacraments at the request of the laity - weddings, baptisms, prayer services, funeral services, etc. At about 17.00, the evening service begins, it ends at least 2 hours later. After that comes the hour of confessions, conversations with parishioners. But sometimes, if the priest went to the service (communion, unction of the sick, funeral with a trip to the cemetery), it may not be held.

When does the Palm Sunday service start?

Divine services are daily (they are held for believers according to a special schedule - morning, afternoon, evening, midnight office, liturgy, etc.) or festive, organized in honor of religious holidays. Church service does not mean passive listening to prayers, but active participation through thinking, turning to God and performing ritual actions. During it, prayers, psalms from the Bible are read, church songs are sung.

Divine services are needed to bring a person closer to God, to grow in grace, as the priests say. They are held according to a special schedule, and on the days of religious holidays it is special, as well as in honor of the celebration of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. It is also called Palm Sunday (since Jesus was greeted with green twigs of a date palm, our prototype is a green willow, as one of the first trees to wake up from winter sleep).

The festive liturgy begins at about 7 am, in some churches it is repeated at 10-11 am, much depends on the daily routine of a particular parish. It is best to check the time with the priest, write it down, and always be guided by this, but there should not be big discrepancies. But the All-Night Service the day before begins at 5-6 pm and continues until 5-6 am. The willow, which is traditionally carried by the parishioners, can be blessed after the evening service on Saturday, but more often this is done at the end of the Sunday morning liturgy (depending on the parish).

What time do church services start on Easter?

Easter is the most significant holiday in Christianity, glorifying the resurrection of Christ. On the eve of Saturday, at about 20.00 pm (liturgy of the pre-Easter evening), the priest begins the service with a reading of the Acts of the Holy Apostles. At about 23.00-00.00 bells ring out, calling the parishioners, and he proceeds to the night service (midnight or all-night vigil). At about 12 o'clock at night, the priest makes the first religious procession around the temple. At the end of the service, the pascas begin to be blessed. At 7-8 in the morning they organize a morning service, and around 15.00 - an evening service. In the church service in honor of Easter, reading is not used, all services are only sung, bows are canceled.

Church service means serving God through the reading of prayers, hymns, sermons, sacred rites, according to the charter of the church. They are held for spiritual connection with God, the expression of one's faith. Liturgies in honor of the holidays are held at approximately the same time everywhere, although hours may vary slightly in different parishes.

During the service, you need to carefully monitor its progress, be baptized and bow with all those present in the church. Before you put a candle or approach the icon, you should also cross yourself. When entering and leaving the church, they also bow and cross themselves. Service in the church does not tolerate fuss. Unnecessarily, they don’t leave it during the service, women come with their heads covered and modestly dressed, if possible, without makeup, it is strictly forbidden to go to the temple on the days of menstruation, this is a great sin.

Conducting services in accordance with the church charter

There is a church charter, according to which the daily service is held in the monasteries and must be held in the church. How long is the church service? First comes the morning service, then the Divine Liturgy. Evening service is around 6-7 pm.

A certain time of the day is not obligatory, but the service, by its purpose and content, is tied to a certain time of day, so the church adheres to holding services during the hours allotted to it. The duration of service is also not limited by any canons. There is a centuries-old custom of conducting a service, which averages from 1.5 to 2-3 hours.

Church services are divided into daily, weekly, and yearly services. Daily services go on throughout the day, then repeat, thus closing in a circle. The same thing happens with the septenary, with the yearly circles. Services do not have a specific ritual, only daily daily services are unchanged, this is the basis of worship.

How is the service in the church

Daily services are held daily. On the days of fasting, Great and others, not only service to God is performed, but also a service is held in the church with confession and communion of the Holy Mysteries of Jesus Christ. Large parishes, where a large number of believers gather for services, can celebrate two liturgies a day. Rural parishioners go to services on Sundays and holidays.

How are the services in the church? It must be said that services are not performed one at a time. For example, a service dedicated to the Birth or Baptism (that is, an event that takes place once a year) is not separated into a separate service, but is combined with the services of the daily circle. The daily cycle includes weekly and yearly services. They are combined into one service, in which prayers, readings and chants are heard, which are associated with the days of the year and the week.

There are 9 types of church services in the church: In the morning - the 9th hour, evening service, Compline, then Midnight Office. Matins, and then by the hours: the first, third and sixth. In the evening, after the sixth hour - Divine Liturgy. The first hour joins the morning prayer, but is a special service. All the services that should be held in the temple are usually seven.

All prayers, with the exception of "Our Father", were invented by people

The history of Christianity knows only one prayer, transmitted directly by Jesus Christ: "Our Father." Then the apostolic instructions gave recommendations for reading daily prayers. In the morning, at the third hour, at the sixth, at the ninth and in the evening. In the morning - in gratitude to the Lord, in the third because Christ received the sentence. The sixth hour is the hour of the crucifixion and the ninth hour is the hour of tribulation. Evening prayer - thanksgiving to God. Just as in ancient times the apostles praised Jesus Christ and the most significant events associated with his life and death, so today the tradition of worship in the temple is preserved.

Each of the listed services should be sent to the church daily and independently. But, condescending to the conditions of worldly life, the church holds morning and evening services twice a day, that is, in public churches they do not adhere to strict observance of the charter. In the monasteries, services are held in accordance with the church charter, as expected, seven times a day.

Jesus in his instructions to the apostles says that prayer must be sincere. Whatever the prayers written by others, a person always has the opportunity to turn to God directly, in his heart, and He will certainly hear a sincere prayer coming from the heart.