Homily by Priest Sergiy Lisurenko on the Importance of Attending Church Services #
What is our attitude toward the church service? Father Deacon and I begin the service at seven o’clock in the morning. I do not expect any of you to arrive that early. But you come at nine, at half-past nine. Some even rush into the church with their little ones, snatching off their hats just in time for Communion. This should not be so.
Previously, I served in the Smolensk region, in the town of Sychyovka. There, half of all the parishioners were already present by half-past seven, for the Midnight Office. When we travel somewhere on vacation, we always book a taxi in advance to make sure we do not miss our flight. We do not sleep in as if the plane will wait for us—it will not; it will depart. Likewise, during the six days of the week, you work, develop yourselves, eat, and sleep. But on Saturday evening, you must pray and set your mind on coming to church by half-past seven on Sunday.
We feel sorry for waking our children early in the morning. But they should not be indulged in this way. If we care for them, it is better to put them to bed earlier, to pull them away from the computer and the television. Then they will wake up easily, whether at six or seven in the morning. Many people deliberately set their alarms for eight o’clock, even though they know the Midnight Office begins at half-past seven. And then, with an hour needed for travel, they arrive at church by nine or half-past nine. This is not how we should treat the service. Today, we are all alive, but tomorrow, we do not know what will be. Death can come suddenly and take our souls. And what will we say to the Lord then? How did we treat His service? He commanded us to labor for six days and to dedicate the seventh to the Creator. Yet we show such negligence.
Imagine if I were to arrive at the service around nine, and everyone sat in the church waiting for the priest to appear. But I am just as much a living person as you are. I have my responsibilities, and you have yours. You are Christians, soldiers of Christ; therefore, you must be at the divine service on time. Only exceptional circumstances can justify being late. There are times when you leave on time, stand at the bus stop, and public transport does not run. You wait an hour, two hours. In such a case, there is no fault on your part for arriving late to church. But if you knowingly set your alarm in a way that ensures you will be late, you will have to give an account before God.
We have grown used to fewer parishioners attending weekday services because people work and study. We must understand this. But only ten percent of those I have baptized and married over the years do I see in church on Sundays. Yet on Pascha, when 450 people attend, they all come. This is how it should be every Sunday.
I constantly notice how the church gradually fills up toward the end of the service. And at that very moment, when everyone has finally arrived, we would, in theory, need to begin the prayer a second time. The Nikonian churches, for example, do this: they serve an early Liturgy (roughly from 7 to 10 a.m.) and a late Liturgy (from about 10 to 12 p.m.). However, it is not permitted to serve two Liturgies on the same Altar. Even if the church were to allow it—by serving one Liturgy at the main Altar and another at a side chapel—it still should not be done. Because the only reason for such an arrangement is to accommodate people’s convenience—that is, everything is arranged for those who want to sleep in. Yet the Apostle Paul said: “For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10). He called people to salvation, and for that, he was not loved. After all, people are lazy, they love comfort, sleep, food, and dressing elegantly. But Holy Scripture teaches us: “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12). A Christian must compel his body, must discipline it inwardly.
Many say that when they are at home getting ready for church, they often feel unwell, but once they arrive at the service, all discomfort disappears. This is how the devil tempts us.
Our children are being turned into real zombies by television, the internet, and mobile phones. That is why we must bring them to church as often as possible—where none of these distractions exist. Let them breathe in at least a little of the spiritual air and break away from worldly distractions. Whether they want it or not, this is our duty while they are still young. If we fail to raise our own children as Christians, the Lord will hold us accountable and punish us. I know many zealous Christians who regularly attend church and fast, yet their children never set foot in the house of God. They believe that faith is a personal matter for their children to decide on their own. This is wrong. It is the duty of parents to lay the foundation of Christian life for their children, so that when we leave this world, there will be someone to offer fifteen prostrations in our memory. There will be someone to order a memorial service for us in church and light a candle. Many parents only begin to worry in their old age when they see that their children have not grown into faithful Christians. If we do not instill faith in them from childhood, no one else will. Only if the Lord visits that person later in life will they change.
How I wish to see men in church wearing traditional kaftans and women in sarafans! It is said that when we cross the threshold of the church, we must leave behind all that is worldly. During prayer, the devil strives all the more to tempt us, filling our minds with vain thoughts and distracting us from the service. And traditional clothing greatly helps one to focus—it inwardly disciplines the Christian. Even St. John Chrysostom rebuked his parishioners for dressing inappropriately in church. In earlier times, the church was the only public place where people gathered, so many—especially women—sought to “present themselves” by wearing expensive garments, jewelry, and makeup. But all of this is incompatible with prayer and leads to temptation. And Holy Scripture warns us: “Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” (Matthew 18:7). This is one of the reasons why the Orthodox Church has special requirements for attire. When all parishioners dress specifically for the service, the entire atmosphere in the church is different. However, no matter what we wear to the service, it means nothing if we spend our time in idle chatter.
Many ask me whether they should correct someone if they see them doing something improper in church. My answer is: you must! However, it should be done with politeness and kindness. If the person is at fault but responds with indignation, then that is on their conscience. But if we remain silent and fail to correct such things, disorder will take hold in the church—heterodox visitors will begin entering, lighting candles, and kissing icons; people will walk about the church or sit when they should not, and so forth. A Christian cannot be indifferent to disorder in the house of God.
Only exceptional circumstances should cause a Christian to leave the service early. Church rules allow for the Liturgy to be stopped only in the event of fire or an enemy attack. In all other cases, the service must not be interrupted. It is better to come to church at the very beginning and stay for only five minutes than to stand through the entire service and leave five minutes before the end.
Always remember that it is of great importance to arrive at church on time, to be properly dressed, to keep silent, and to focus on what is being read and sung. If you fulfill these three things, you will save your soul.
The transcription of the audio recording was prepared by Evgeny Khebnev.