neuroBIBLISTICS

St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church, Lansing, IL

Date:
April 9, 2022

Annual Lenten Seminar sponsored by St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church and Narrow Path Bookstore, Lansing, IL

The Great and Holy Saturday has truly special worship services. Namely, there are two main worship services that we will focus on today: 1) Matins of Holy Saturday, and 2) Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great. At the Matins, the Church utilizes Ps 119 as the foundation of the lamentations over Christ’s tomb. At the Vesperal Divine Liturgy, Church uses 15 readings from the Old Testament to teach the faithful and those who are preparing to get baptized that a life-changing event will take place – the Resurrection of Christ.

The worship of the Holy Saturday is a great example of the re-enactment of the Holy Scriptures. Holy Scriptures teach us practically how to grow spiritually: in our works – relationship toward God and people. Written truth inspired by or forged by the relationship with God becomes “a model, a guiding pattern for the believer’s search for personal knowledge of God today” in the words of Theodore Stylianopoulos. Above all, the re-enactment of the Word of God is the relationship of adoption. Receiving a Father, a Brother – Christ and a Guardian – the Holy Spirit. In fact, this is true and concrete contact with God, based on the truth that: “Christ made me his own!” (Philippians 3:8, 12).

The whole, complete man that is a product of living out the Ps 119, or the masterpiece made in the Image and Likeness of God, is being taught by the Old Testament readings that the darkness will be overcome with light and that death will be conquered with life in Christ.