Worship in Spirit and Truth

Start date: January 2011 2206 minutes, 17 seconds in 51 episodes

A series of reflections by Fr. Thomas Hopko on the Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox Church. Fr. Tom reads all of his email but it is unable to respond due to the volume of mail he receives. However, your comments and suggestions often find their way into future podcast episodes.

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Episodes

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Date	Title & Description	Duration
Apr 29, 2013	The Trisagion Prayers - Part 4 Fr. Tom continues to talk about the "Little Entrance" and how it is done when a Priest is presiding as opposed to a Bishop. Click to play	47:06
Apr 16, 2013	The Trisagion Prayers - Part 3 Fr. Thomas continues to describe the "Little Entrance" in the Divine Liturgy when the Trisagion hymn is sung. In this episode he talks about the hymn and prayer when a priest is presiding. Click to play	42:07
Apr 08, 2013	The Trisagion Prayers - Part 2 Fr. Tom continues to talk about the Trisagion Prayers (Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us) and talks specifically about the recipient of this prayer. Is it Christ or is it the Holy Trinity? Click to play	44:05
Mar 26, 2013	The Trisagion Prayers - Part 1 Fr. Tom has come to the point in the Liturgy where we sing the first of 2 thrice holy hymns. This one is in the Liturgy of the Word - Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal have mercy on us. Click to play	45:25
Feb 20, 2013	Come Let Us Worship Virtually every liturgical service in the Orthodox Church includes this call to worship: "Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ." Fr. Tom takes us to the source of that call in the Psalms. Click to play	33:57
Jan 09, 2013	The Little Entrance The first procession in the Divine Liturgy is referred to as the "Little Entrance" where the Gospel Book is brought into the altar and the call to worship is proclaimed. Click to play	42:54
Dec 20, 2012	The Two Prayers of the Antiphons After the hymn, O Son of God, the next antiphons are sung in the Divine Liturgy. O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance. Click to play	37:18
Dec 04, 2012	Only Begotten Son and Word of God In his continuing series on the Divine Liturgy, Fr. Thomas reflects on the hymn sung at every Liturgy with its origins attributed to Sts. Justinian and Theodora in the sixth century. Click to play	32:57
Nov 18, 2012	The Antiphons Moving on from the Great Litany, Fr. Tom talks about the antiphonal verses and how they are treated in the Divine Liturgy by the various jurisdictions. He also talks about the Psalms and how the Church reads them. Click to play	39:26
Oct 28, 2012	The Great Litany - Part 8 In this final reflection on the Great Litany, Fr. Thomas talks about the exclamation made at the end. He also talks about silent prayers and audible prayers in the Divine Liturgy.	54:04
Oct 18, 2012	The Great Litany - Part 7 Calling to remembrance - let us commend ourselves. Fr. Tom speaks about the liturgical use of the word remember and how it relates to God and our salvation.	39:09
Oct 04, 2012	The Great Litany - Part 6 Continuing his look at the first Great Litany of the Divine Liturgy, Fr. Tom explores what it means to pray concerning wrath, danger, and need. Also included is a helpful reflection on the most frequent phrase in the Liturgy - Lord Have Mercy.	29:40
Sep 18, 2012	The Great Litany - Part 5 Fr.Thomas reviews the important elements of the last episode and then begins talking about the prayers in the Great Litany for "Seasonable Weather." Don't miss his little side trip when he talks about God's role in storms, tragedies, and disasters in light of our prayers.	46:52
Sep 05, 2012	The Great Litany - Part 4 As he continues to look at the Great Litany which begins the Divine Liturgy, Fr.Tom examines the petitions for the president, the country, those in civil authority, and our armed forces.	40:17
Aug 22, 2012	The Great Litany - Part 3 As he continues his commentary on the Great Litany, Fr. Thomas reflects on the prayers for the bishops, presbyters, and deacons.	33:07
Jul 31, 2012	The Great Litany - Part 2 Fr. Thomas continues to talk about the Great Litany at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy. In particular the "union of all men" and "the fear of God."	46:14
Jul 15, 2012	The Great Litany Fr. Thomas reflects on what it means to say "In peace let us pray to the Lord." What is the significance of this peace?	41:32
Jul 03, 2012	The Two Parts of the Divine Liturgy Fr. Tom talks about the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Faithful which comprised the worship of the Church from the very beginning.	53:07
Jun 19, 2012	Amen! The response of the people in the Divine Liturgy is "Amen." What does it mean and how important is it that the people understand what they are responding to before they can say it?	41:18
Jun 02, 2012	Blessed is the Kingdom In this 32nd episode of the series, Fr.Tom gets to the very opening statement in the Divine Liturgy - Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.	51:53
Apr 23, 2012	Practical Preparations for Liturgy Before the Divine Liturgy begins, we must be prepared from a practical standpoint. Fr. Tom gives some personal reflections on doing things decently and in order.	33:18
Apr 05, 2012	It is Time for the Lord to Act After 29 episodes leading up the beginning of the Divine Liturgy, Fr. Thomas begins his line by line commentary.	43:29
Mar 21, 2012	Vesting for Liturgy - Part 7 In the final section on vestments for the Divine Liturgy, Fr. Tom talks about crosses, hats, and crowns.	44:29
Mar 06, 2012	Vesting for Liturgy - Part 6 Fr. Tom continues his comments on the vestments worn in the Divine Liturgy. Today he talks about the sacramental significance of the omophorion and epitrachelion.	38:46
Feb 20, 2012	Vesting for Liturgy - Part 5 Today Fr. Thomas focuses his attention on a part of the vestments that many wonder about. What is the significance of that square or diamond shaped attachment that sometimes hangs above the knee of the bishop or presbyter?	47:41
Feb 07, 2012	Vesting for Liturgy - Part 4 As Fr. Tom continues to look at the vestments worn by the clergy for the Divine Liturgy, he today talks about the "girding of strength" as signified by the belt and the cuffs.	42:37
Jan 23, 2012	Vesting for Liturgy - Part 3 Fr. Tom continues his look at the vestments worn by the clergy for the Divine Liturgy. What vestments are appropriate in non-sacramental settings?	39:30
Jan 06, 2012	Vesting for Liturgy - Part 2 In part 2 of Fr. Tom's comments on the vesting for liturgy, he talks about the importance of dress not only for the clergy but for all of us as we come to church.	44:42
Dec 21, 2011	Vesting for Liturgy - Part 1 In this episode, Fr. Thomas explains the basic vestments worn by the priests and bishops for the Divine Liturgy. This is part 1.	44:05
Dec 06, 2011	The Prayers for the Bishop Before the liturgy begins, there are prayers that are said as the Bishop and Priest enters. Fr. Tom explains those prayers in this 22nd episode.	50:24
Nov 20, 2011	The Entrance of the Bishop In the first 20 episodes of Worship in Spirit and in Truth, Fr. Thomas gave us the background and basis for our eucharistic worship. He now begins his walk through the Divine Liturgy itself beginning with the entrance of the Bishop and Clergy leading up to the start of the Liturgy.	37:33
Oct 10, 2011	The Mystery of Mysteries The West identifies seven sacraments, but how does the Orthodox Church view such things? Fr. Tom teaches on the place of the Eucharist in the sacramental life of the Church.	42:45
Sep 22, 2011	Clergy and Laity - Additional Reflections Fr. Tom takes some additional time to teach on the meaning and roles of the clergy and laity when it comes to Worshipping in Spirit and in Truth.	50:26
Sep 10, 2011	Worship as Clergy and Laity What do we mean when we say "Clergy and Laity?" Fr. Tom says there is a real sense in which we are all both!	47:53
Aug 25, 2011	The Divine Liturgy and Physical Place Is there a prescribed physical place where the liturgy is to be served or not served? Fr. Tom traces the history from the "house church" to the present day.	51:05
Aug 14, 2011	The Divine Liturgy and Place Where is the Divine Liturgy to be celebrated and by whom? Fr. Tom traces the early practice of the Church and relates it to what we are doing today.	47:19
Jul 31, 2011	The Divine Liturgy and Time How does time relate to our worship and prayer both corporately and privately? Fr. Thomas tells us how the Church looks at time.	46:52
Jul 14, 2011	The Divine Liturgy and Personal Prayer Some say they go to church to "pray." But is that why we gather together as a Eucharistic Community? Fr. Tom explains the differences between our worship together and our personal prayer life.	48:06
Jul 04, 2011	Worship in the Apostolic Writings How did the New Testament Church worship? Fr. Thomas shows a specific structural practice that Orthodox worship today is based on.	48:36
Jun 16, 2011	Jesus and the Worship of God How do people worship when they believe in Jesus? Fr. Tom looks at the four Gospels to think through what they say about Jesus relative to the worship of God.	45:57
May 28, 2011	Daniel and the Three Youths - Part 2 Fr. Tom now looks at the story of the 3 youths in the flaming furnace and the beautiful correlation to our worship as Orthodox Christians.	28:47
May 25, 2011	Daniel and the Three Youths Fr. Tom continues to look at worship in the Old Testament as a prelude to his in-depth teaching on the Divine Liturgy. Today is part 1 of a 2 part episode concentrating on Daniel and the Three Youths. He begins with an overview of Daniel.	28:43
May 10, 2011	Worship and the Prophets The Prophets in the Old Testament had a lot to say about sacrifices that are unacceptable to God. Fr. Thomas explores how they relate to our worship of God today.	48:56
Apr 21, 2011	Joshua, Judges, and the Kings of Israel Fr. Thomas shows us the patterns of obedience and disobedience in the Old Testament rulers and how that relates to worshipping God in spirit and in truth.	47:18
Apr 06, 2011	The Passover Exodus In this important episode, Fr. Thomas shows how the Passover Exodus pre-figures the work of Christ and how that relates to our worship today.	41:54
Mar 03, 2011	Abraham’s Worship There are so many images of Christ, the Trinity, and our worship as Orthodox Christians in the Old Testament but perhaps none so powerful as the story of Abraham.	50:40
Feb 18, 2011	Noah’s Worship What made Noah's worship a sweet smelling savor to God?	37:48
Feb 10, 2011	Worship in Genesis Fr. Thomas Hopko looks at Abel and Cain and why one offered acceptable worship and the other did not.	39:45
Jan 27, 2011	Created to Worship Fr. Tom talks about how human beings are created by God for worship in spirit and in truth.	49:05
Jan 12, 2011	It’s All About The Gospel In the second installation of his new series, Fr. Tom Hopko talks about the biblical and evangelical nature of the Divine Liturgy. True worship in Christ and the Holy Spirit.	42:05
Jan 10, 2011	Introduction to Worship in Spirit and Truth Fr. Thomas Hopko begins a brand new series taking us through the Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox Church.	53:15