Christianity's Family Tree - Chapter 1 - Orthodoxy

Have you every been to a family reunion, wedding or funeral?  Sometimes, there are many people there that you know that you're related to, but you have a hard time figuring out how you're all connected.  And no matter how long it takes, eventually you figure out who you're all related to by figuring out how your lives are connected.  Adam Hamilton tells us that it's just like that with the church... we may not know everything we need to about each other, but once we peel away the layers of our differences, we remember that we are connected as brothers and sisters in Christ.  Read chapter 1 and learn more about this ancient church in the Christian tradition.

Click here to listen to the sermon this lesson is based on.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that has been set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.  (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Orthodoxy may be the Christian tradition with which many Christians in the United States are least familiar.  Orthodox Christians believe that they carry out the traditions which are most closely descended from the practices of the apostles and early church.  Some of our own religious experiences are very different from the practices of the Orthodox Church.  Incense, icons, chanting, domed religious spaces... for some of us they might be more than unfamiliar... maybe even uncomfortable.  But each of those practices say something important about who God is and the space that we occupy in God's world.  And they connect us to roots that many of us have never explored before.  We are connected to all Christians by our belief in the same Father, the same Lord – Jesus Christ – and the same Holy Spirit.  As we learn from one another, we have the opportunity to understand our own stories better and become more-faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.  

Key Insights:  

Trinity icon
Museum of Russian Iconography
Clinton, MA

1. Orthodoxy claims to be the one true church and the tradition that holds most closely to the traditions of the early church.
2. The Orthodox church bases its doctrine on Christ, the Scriptures, and the ecumenical councils that summarize the beliefs of the early church (such as the Nicene Creed).
3. Orthodox Christians place an emphasis on both Scripture and tradition.  They consider the early church Fathers as interpreters of the Bible whose writings bear witness to what it means to be a Christian.
4. Orthodox worship is a mystical experience designed to help worshipers “see” divine reality.  Orthodox worship shows us the importance of gathering with other Christians to remember that this is not the real world and that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, which builds our faith.
• The dome in many Orthodox churches signifies the cosmos and reminds worshipers of the vastness of God’s kingdom and God’s presence, which continually surround us.
• Icons of saints and martyrs remind worshipers that they are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.  Veneration of icons is not about worshiping the icon, but about recognizing the way that God uses people from every time and place to do the work of God.
• Each service includes the liturgy of the Word (reading from the Scriptures) and the liturgy of the Eucharist, which includes remembering the cross, the tomb, the Resurrection, the Ascension, and the Second Coming – something yet to happen in earthly terms but already accomplished in mystical terms.  These actions redefine the church as the "real world" for the Christian believer.

Each week there will be an opportunity to build on the lessons from the chapter with study of scripture and our own personal journeys.  Feel free to spend some time thinking about how the Orthodox tradition might enhance your own practice of the Christian faith.  

Taking it Home

• Read about the Book of Hebrews.  Who was the letter written for and why?  Consider what encouragement you may need to persevere in the faith.  How might you seek out this encouragement?  If possible, plan to read the entire Book of Hebrews by next week.
• Focus on Hebrews 5:11-14: Note the author’s frustration with the lack of spiritual growth of the recipients of this letter.  Ask yourself – how are you maturing as a Christian?  What might you do to grow more?
• Read Hebrews 11, the “hall of faith” chapter, reading on through 12:3.  What is the author’s point? What helps you to see this life as only a foretaste of the “real world”?  How is God calling you to live by faith this week?

Questions and resources are taken from the book and leader's guide: Christianity's Family Tree by Adam Hamilton (Abingdon Press: 2007)