Walking an Ancient Path

In the final episode of Walking an Ancient Path, Lynnette ponders the words of Bishop Kallistos Ware as she struggles with practicing the Jesus Prayer. She examines the reasons the Church emphasizes "the Prayer" as well as ways to incorporate it into our lives as we press forward together in Christ. Thanks!

One of the most beloved icons of the Orthodox Church, the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is a wonderful example of "theology in color." In this episode, Lynnette talks about various elements in the icon and the lessons they have to teach us.

Lynnette contrasts her de-churched Christian friends and their nonsacramental beliefs with the necessity of the Liturgy and community in the Orthodox Christian life. She also talks about the upcoming end of Walking an Ancient Path.

Orthodox Christians begin Christmas preparations long before the beginning of Advent. Our Lenten disciplines of prayer, almsgiving, and especially fasting are out of step with the surrounding society, including the practices of Western Christians. In this episode we explore these differences and how they prepare us for the celebration of the Incarnation.

In this fourth and final episode on death & burial in the Orthodox Christian Church, Lynnette walks listeners through the journey from the point of death to the final resting place. With the continual recitation of psalms and the various services offered from the deathbed to the graveside, the Orthodox believer in death is surrounded by prayer.

In this third episode of a four-part series, Lynnette discusses reasons for pre-planning the care of our bodies in dying and death, issues with embalming, making a death plan, and remembering that our most important preparation is for standing before God.

In this episode Lynnette looks at the meaning of the human body, three reasons our bodies our sacred, the Catholic Church's grudging acceptance of cremation, and five reasons the Orthodox Church remains opposed to cremation.

In the first of a short series on the Orthodox Christian approach to death and burial, Lynnette considers the Church’s emphasis on the remembrance of death and looks at changes in the wider Christian world in the ways we remember and honor the dead.

Lynnette's first exposure to relics was a shocker. Bits of bone in every parish? Why? In this episode we explore what relics are and what they tell us about the reality of the Incarnation and God's mysterious works within His saints.

Sometimes inquirers are not sure if they'll ever reach the point of desiring to be baptized or chrismated into the Orthodox Faith. In this pressure-free episode Lynnette examines three common struggles in becoming Orthodox, as well as the blessings within the difficulties.

The music of the Orthodox Church can feel strange and foreign. But in the current Protestant worship landscape, concert-style performances and emotionalism dominate. In this episode Lynnette explores our need for the Church's otherworldly music.

When Lynnette’s husband contracted a painful case of shingles, neither of them thought to use holy oil in his journey of healing. Why not? This episode explores three reasons—faith background, culture, and personal doubt—that many of us don’t connect the physical and the spiritual in prayer.

Hymns about the three Holy Youths in the furnace keep popping up in Orthodox services. Their placement seems random, but it’s not. In this episode Lynnette discusses the meaning and symbolism in this story, as well as the sections of the Book of Daniel that are missing from Protestant Bibles.

How do we continue celebrating the living reality of the Resurrection once Pascha is over? In this episode we look at habit formation and applying to our daily lives the lessons we’ve learned during the Great Fast.

Great Lent is the season for making prostrations. But aren’t these a Muslim thing? Lynnette explores the history and powerful meaning behind falling to the floor in our prayers to the Lord.

The Akathist to the Theotokos is an important part of Great Lent in many parishes. But why do we stand? And why is the Virgin Mary called “Champion General”? In this episode, Lynnette explores the content and history of this beloved hymn.

Outward silence can be difficult to find, but the Church is more concerned with inner silence, a quietude of the heart. Lynnette explores the saints’ advice for cultivating stillness at times, regardless of our circumstances.

In Lynnette’s Protestant past, “speaking the truth in love” was emphasized. The Orthodox Church’s emphasis on silence, both outward and inward, was new to her. In this episode, we’ll consider what the saints teach about limiting what we say.

It happens to all of us—our minds drift, and we’re filled with worries when we should be worshiping. Yet God meets us in the nave even when we’re distracted. Lynnette shares some wisdom from the saints as well as some truths to keep in mind when we struggle to pay attention during the Divine Liturgy.

The Christian life is a path of repentance, but lots of us carry negative attitudes about repentance and confession. In this episode, Lynnette discusses the Fathers’ life-giving understanding of repentance and the baggage we carry

As an adult Lynnette noticed that a favorite Scripture memory passage was meant to emphasize the idea of salvation by faith alone, but the following sentence was left out. In this episode she considers the importance, in Scripture and in the Orthodox Church, of both our faith and our works.

Scripture memory is a good thing . . . except when an important subject is omitted. Lynnette remembers the Scripture memory courses she and her children participated in, including some problematic biases in Evangelical programs. She suggests some additional memory verses to bring balance to the popular verses’ individualistic focus.

What happens after the prosphora and the wine are brought to the church? In this episode, Lynnette traces their journey and details the reverent and respectful treatment of the Gifts before and after they are transformed into the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lynnette explains the Vesting prayers of the priest before the Liturgy and the “whole armor of God

In this short series we take a peek at some of the things that occur in the Church mostly out of sight of the laity. In this episode Lynnette examines the Kairos service, the first of the three short services that take place before Matins, and the lessons there apply to all of us in the pews.

Bad behavior has become normalized over the past few years, and society has become ruder and more disrespectful. Our words and deeds flow from our thoughts and our hearts, as Jesus taught. Lynnette muses on her main takeaway from the pandemic years: the importance of guarding our hearts, especially when chaos reigns.

After Great Lent and Pascha, we want to look back and check our progress. But spiritual growth is not an easy thing to measure, either by our accomplishments or our feelings. As in marriage, we grow in immeasurable love for God over time.

n this episode we consider the facial features and expressions of the saints in iconography as well as the meaning of the objects they hold. Then, in preparation for Holy Week, we consider the icon of the Crucifixion of Christ and the powerful lessons it teaches us.

We may be excited about the ancient faith, but people around us often aren’t. Their responses to Orthodox Christianity can range from confusion to indifference to hostility. In this episode Lynnette considers some of the emotional reasons behind others’ negativity as well as how to respond—or keep silent—in loving ways.

In the Church, we fast in community, traveling together on our journey to Pascha. In this episode, we explore the blessings of fasting under spiritual direction and the pitfalls of going it alone.

Just as the birds herald the coming of spring, the Church prepares us for the coming of Great Lent. The readings lengthen, the Triodion period centers our hearts and minds, and anticipation grows. Lenten journey is arduous, yet the arrival of spring during these weeks reminds us that it is a time of healing and renewal.

It seems that every time we Orthodox gather in Church, we’re asking for mercy. Is all the repetition of “Lord, have mercy” a bit much? In this episode, Lynnette looks at pleas for mercy in the Bible and in the services of the Church, contrasting the Western, juridical view of mercy with the Eastern understanding of God’s lovingkindness and compassion.

After spending so much time thinking about the Eucharist during the Divine Liturgy, Lynnette reflects on her earlier experiences with Protestant approaches to communion, including the “memorial supper” view, multiple theologies in a single gathering, and the ever-present little plastic cups of grape juice

The Divine Liturgy has ended with a ringing “Amen!” Now what? In this final episode of the Liturgy Quick-Start Guide, Lynnette explores “the liturgy after the Liturgy.” Like the apostles, we are sent out into the world to experience an endless cycle of communion with God, thanksgiving, living out our lives in Christ, and preparing again to receive Hi

As we reach our liturgical destination of receiving the Eucharist, Lynnette shares some Church Fathers’ words about the placement of the Lord’s Prayer in the service as well as the significance of bringing the Chalice out to the people.

As we worship during the Divine Liturgy, it’s easy to see the parishioners in the nave. But they are not the only faithful ones present. As we enter into heavenly worship, the saints and angels surround us. We are in two dimensions: the earthly and the heavenly, the seen and the unseen.

The ever-virginity of Mary was new to Lynnette when she found Orthodoxy, and the concept required some thought. In this episode, we look at typical objections to the doctrine, the views of the Church Fathers and early Reformers, and an Old Testament prophecy that has been largely ignored in the Evangelical world.

In this episode, we consider the Great Entrance of the Eucharist, the rest stop at the Cherubic Hymn, and the Creed. We also look at some of the scenery on the liturgical journey, such as the people reaching for the priest’s vestments and the meaning of the doors in the altar.

In this episode we consider the remaining sections of the Liturgy of the Word, which is the first part of the Divine Liturgy. In our journey to the Eucharist, the musical theology prepares our hearts, and the words of Jesus are honored above all other parts of the Scriptures.

The Divine Liturgy can seem long and repetitive, but by thinking of it as a spiritual journey leading us to the destination of the Eucharist, we can enter more deeply into worship. In Episode 1 of this six-part series, Lynnette provides an overview of the Liturgy—a trail map for fellow pilgrims as we begin our ascent.

The “point of no return” is a place of inner wrestling that is very uncomfortable. It’s a realization of, “I can’t go back to the way I was,” yet the parish worship experience is still foreign. Lynnette discusses some reasons for reaching the point of no return, the tension she and Rob experienced when they were not on the same page spiritually, and the reality that Orthodoxy itself is not the goal.

Orthodoxy can feel foreign and demanding, and the local megachurch with its comfortable seating can be tempting. But in seasons when the Orthodox road is a weary journey, Lynnette focuses on five reasons to keep returning.

The saints had never been a part of Lynnette’s life, so she didn’t understand why the Orthodox emphasized reading about them. But over time she discovered three spiritual benefits from getting acquainted with their lives and teachings.

Some of the lives of saints leave us scratching our heads. Hermits, stylites, fools-for-Christ . . . To modern readers, they seem like poor witnesses, isolated and odd. But the principles behind their unusual practices can teach us deep spiritual lessons.

For many people, veneration of the Virgin Mary is the biggest of the “Stumbling Stones on the Orthodox Road.” As we reconsider the Virgin Mary, we will acknowledge various fears, look at the Protestant Reformers’ exalted view of her, and consider the Archangel Gabriel’s praise of Mary in the Annunciation.

Sometimes the major obstacle to becoming Orthodox isn’t theological at all—it’s the worship service itself. In this episode, we consider the question, “Why is Orthodox worship so formal?” and examine the ancient understanding of worship as a journey into the Kingdom of God.

In this episode we’ll look at the Theotokos’s importance as the new Eve, in the early Church and in Old Testament typology, and why the Immaculate Conception is not Orthodox. Then we’ll talk about ways to get to know her in addition to knowing things about her.

Our sense of smell brings immediate associations to our hearts and minds, and the fragrance of incense reminds us of the presence of God. It can help us “attend” at church and also bless our homes.

For anyone from a heterodox past, the absence of theological debates during coffee hour is refreshing and a bit miraculous. Members of an Orthodox parish still argue with each other, but not about doctrine.

The pandemic showed us that the online experience will never replace in-person Orthodox worship and its use of all five senses. Most importantly, we cannot replicate the one experience that is the center of our worship.