As noted in the earlier post, the Liturgy is best understood not as “the work of the people” but rather as a Public Work: something we Christians do for everyone’s benefit, like building a bridge or installing a sewer system. We have the necessary tools and we have the necessary knowledge.

Heaven strikes earth, eternity breaks into time: we stand on the edge of forever before the Throne of God participating in the only intercession ever made, thanking him for even the final things in the Anaphora. The “Canon” as it’s called in the west, makes no sense at all if it’s read offered from within time.

You brought us into being out of nothing, and when we fell, You raised us up again. You did not cease doing everything until You led us to heaven and granted us Your kingdom to come… Remembering, therefore, this command of the Savior, and all that came to pass for our sake, the cross, the tomb, the resurrection on the third day, the ascension into heaven, the enthronement at the right hand of the Father, and the second, glorious coming.

As Saint Cyprian wrote, “Our Lord’s Church is radiant with light and pours her rays over the whole world.” We stand in intercession “for all mankind” as the OCA liturgy says, the GOA more prosaically, parochially (and incorrectly) renders it “For all your people”. Memory says the Antiochians follow the Russians here, “For all Mankind”. The Greek makes the purposed intercession quite clear: και παντων και πασων “for everything and for all”. We offer the liturgy for all the reposed (including the Saints themselves, interceding for Mary as she does does for us) and for all the living and for everything.

Since that is our job, our duty, the active participation of all the People of God is needed. What is active participation? It’s certainly not enough to say “everyone is participating by attending”, nor is it intended that everyone say or sing something or that everyone should all do the same things as the liturgical leaders. The participation of the the Laity follows from the leadership and so, rightly, the first place we must turn is the liturgical leadership. What are we doing and what, then, do we expect the people to do with us? This is slightly backwards, of course, for liturgical function evolved from the needs of the people. But it will do for now.

What are the duties of the Readers/the Choir, the Subdeacon/Servers, the Deacons, the Presiders (Bishops and Priests)?I don’t mean to explore mystical meanings of the vestments or how the priest represents Christ and the Bishop God the Father: what are we doing, exactly? How might we do it better?

A series of posts to continue…