Sunday of Orthodoxy

Well, this was a profound post. That is, until my cute little 19 month old decided to pull out the power plug and destroy my post along with it. So rather than try to rehash what I said in the first post, I will operate under the assumption that the majority of my readers understand the role of icons in the Orthodox Church and the rest can google it.

The Sunday of Orthodoxy commemorates the triumph of icons over the iconoclasts, affirming the necessity of icons in the worship of the Orthodox Church. Why are they necessary? In brief, Christ is the greatest icon of all. When Christ became man and dwelt among us, he united heaven and earth. The icons we use today serve as windows into heaven and are, in a sense, shadows of the greatest icon of all. They bear witness of the kingdom of God to us and vice versa. At the end of Divine Liturgy this day, parishioners carry icons in a procession around the church while the clergy makes petitions. The icon procession is also done at the Pan-Orthodox evening vespers service.

Readings: Hebrews 11:24-26,32-40; John 1:43-51.

For families: Remember to bring your favorite icons to church for the procession. Bring one for each family member.

For the little ones: This is a real fun activity! My husband and I did this for one of our Sunday School classes and it was a big hit. Have the children make their own icons to be blessed at church. Buy an unfinished wood piece at an arts and crafts store (like this) and some gold and red paint. Help the kids paint the wood gold with red trim like you see on icons. While this dries, print out a black and white picture of your child's patron saint (or Christ) and have them color the picture (even toddlers can do this!). Cut out the figure and help your kids glue it onto the painted wood surface. If you can finish it beforehand, get it blessed on the Sunday of Orthodoxy.