The service is progressing smoothly so far, even when we don’t quite understand everything that’s going on. The clergy and attendants have completed the circuit around the nave in the Great Entrance, and they have placed the gifts on the altar. So far, so good. Next the priest turns to face the gathered worshipers and says, “Let us love one another” and proclaims, “Christ is in our midst.” We respond, “He is…
When I set out on a trip, I usually consult Google Maps on my phone. To get where I want to go, I input my current location then type in my destination. My starting point is always located at one specific address, because it is physically impossible to be present in two places at once.In the spiritual life, however, this is not so. I attend the Divine Liturgy with other parishioners at a Denver-area church on a physical street. But at the same time, we are present in the ongoing worship in heaven. A local parish might be in Tulsa, London, or Sydney, but the Divine Liturgy occurs in the Kingdom of God. As we worship, we are in two places at once—physical reality and heavenly reality.
