Meaning of Liturgy

Meaning of Liturgy

Liturgy (from Greek leiturgia, "public work") refers to the Church's communal public worship, especially the Divine Liturgy, the Eucharistic service. It is the sacred action where the faithful participate in the life of the Kingdom of God, offering praise, thanksgiving, and communion with Christ through the sacraments.

The liturgy is deeply biblical, filled with scriptural quotations, prayers, and hymns, and serves as a primary means of encountering divine grace, uniting heaven and earth. A core aspect of Orthodox understanding is the continuity of liturgical tradition; faithful preservation of apostolic forms of worship without innovation. This ensures authenticity and guards against distortion.

A biblical example is 2 Chronicles 29, where King Hezekiah restores temple worship after its neglect under Ahaz. He stations the Levites "according to the commandment of David" (v. 25), using "the instruments ordained by David king of Israel" (v. 26–27) and commanding praises "with the words of David and of Asaph the seer" (v. 30).

Hezekiah revives the exact liturgical order established by David, emphasizing that true worship must adhere to the divinely inspired tradition handed down, rather than inventing new forms.

This prefigures the Orthodox commitment to maintaining the ancient liturgical rites received from the apostles and fathers, as a safeguard of orthodoxy and communion with the historic Church.