Easy to read and understand. Clear text, well organized book. Everything as described on the website. The importance and value of repentant is explained. Thank you, Amazon!

This book was written as I hoped it would be, from the point of view of a learned practitioner of the apostolic faith who is able to share the deep meanings of what can at first seem dauntingly difficult to understand things and puzzling or contradictory events and quotes from scripture in the historic life of our savior. He sifts through those questions to provide reasonable answers with with plentiful references from the perspectives of the early Christian faith fathers, and scholarly wrings passed down throughout history. There are many visual artistic works throughout history added to the pages to help the reader visualize the written explanations. It is an illuminating book worth five stars.

This was on my Lenten "to read" list. It was not what I was expecting but it was very good. I guess I was expecting a "how to manual" even though I know that is a little silly. Albert S. Rossi offers a lot of personal insight and I found the book to be very moving. Particularly when thinking about topics such as "why good things happen to bad people" and just the great questions surrounding death, this book gives you more to think about from an Orthodox perspective.

i just finished reading Orthodox Worship: A Living Continuity with the Synagogue, the Temple and the Early Church a revised edition of the book by Benjamin D. Williams and Harold B. Anstall.  Written with the average lay reader in mind this modestly sized (199 pages) book offers a history and explanation of the Divine Liturgy. 

The book explains how early Christian worship developed out of Hebrew worship as demonstrated by the descriptions in Acts and other New Testament references. Antiphonal singing of the psalms, a practice that comes from Jewish worship practice is still a feature of the liturgical churches of numerous denominations.  The eucharistic focus becomes the dominant feature of Christian worship practice. After the legalization of Christianity under Constantine vestments distinguishing the clergy develop along with church architecture. 

By the latter part of the third century the structural change had concluded and the recognizable form of the Divine Liturgy was complete. The movement from Jewish worship in the temple or synagogue, followed by an Agape meal culminating in the celebration of the Eucharist in private gathering had become a divine joining in the heavenly worship in a beautifully adorned Church filled with rich fragrance, and glittering icons. 

Liturgy means work of the people. We were created to worship, thank and praise God. In the Fall, our worship became self-centered. As the royal priesthood of believers worships, they join the heavenly worship with the communion of saints. Linear time is transcended in the Divine Liturgy and the worshiper co-celebrates with eternal worship. “…we join with those in heaven before the Throne of God and offer Him praise and blessing.”
 
In the second section of the book entitled, “A Journey Through the Liturgy” the reader is thoughtfully led through the entire process of the Preparation Service of Matins, also called Orthros to the Divine Liturgy. This is particularly instructive since many people arrive after the process is underway and never experience the Orthros. The authors clearly show how the service grew out of the original practices of the first Christians. Each part of the worship as celebrated by the first Jewish Christians is still present in the Orthodox service. The vesting and preparation of the Bread and Wine in the Orthros is clearly explained. 

The Liturgy of the Word will be the most familiar to Protestants, although most Lutherans will also be well acquainted with the Liturgy of the Eucharist along with the Roman Catholics. The differences between the Eastern (Orthodox) and Western Rites is striking. i for one love the power of the scripture evident in the Western practice and the music in western churches can be hauntingly beautiful, but St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil packed a theological depth and richness into their liturgies that stagger the careful reader. Those accustomed to “high church” worship in western churches will be able to see an echo of what they see on some Sunday’s but the processions of the Gospel and the Communion elements are often simplified drastically or eliminated altogether even in traditional services. The dismissal of the catechumens (no one is sent away) harkens back to when Christianity was illegal and those who were not baptized were sent away before the Liturgy of the Eucharist began. The reminder of the ancient past is still included in the Divine Liturgy.
In Eastern Christianity time is transcended in many ways and the past, present, and future are all joined together in the worship of the Lord Eternal.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist begins with the Cherubic hymn which says, “No one bound by fleshly desires and pleasures is worthy to approach …You, the King of Glory…Yet because of Your ….immeasurable love for mankind…You became man…our High Priest…” The great entrance then processes the Eucharistic gifts. “Your own of Your own we offer you…” the priest sings.  Orthodoxy adamantly declares the Eucharist to be the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Unlike in western theology, the Orthodox do not offer speculation on how the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Our Lord. Mystery is embraced. Holy Communion is called the Mystical Supper. 

The Nicaean Creed is proclaimed by the Orthodox in its original form as agreed upon in the Ecumenical Councils of 325-381. In the West the “Filioque," Latin for “and the Son” was added to the creed. This has been the subject of heated debate among theologians for 1000 years and i will not enter the fray here.
The statement of Faith which the creed represents is incorporated into the Liturgy in both Orthodox and western liturgical churches. 
The Great Anaphora follows. Anaphora means elevation or lifting up. In all liturgical traditions, we are told to lift up our hearts. In Orthodox Worship, we learn that we are lifting our souls to join in the Heavenly worship. The original Greek word for remembrance that Our Lord requested in the Gospel carries with it a sense of process and continuing. Christ offered Himself for the whole world, for all time. There is an “Eternal, eschatological dimension of the Kingdom of God to which we ascend spiritually.” The Holy Spirit transforms the simple bread and wine into the very Body and Blood which the faithful will receive. 

The Church Militant, “earthly," joins the Church Triumphant before the Holy Gifts in the eternal. The saints throughout time are present and remembered including the Virgin Mary the “Theotokos” or “bearer of God” in the next prayer. Then, “… with one mouth and one heart we glorify and praise Your all-honorable and majestic name: of Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit, now and ever unto the ages of ages. Amen.”
The Lord’s Prayer follows as we dare to call God our Father.
The entire Divine Liturgy is included and clarified in a way that is accessible to anyone, teenager or adult. The sacrament is placed in the mouth of the faithful by the priest directly from the chalice on a spoon. Having received the Divine Mysteries, “…turning wholly to Christ, that we may perceive the world as it really is, the full glory of God’s creation in the reality in which it was made. In Communion, Christ comes to dwell within us, and we partake of Him.”
Thanksgiving is next, for it is in receiving Communion that we become capable of real communion with one another.  We “… go forth from the Church, having partaken of heaven, to live out the Gospel.”

Those interested in the Divine Liturgy succinctly and simply explained will enjoy this book, which i was pleased to receive from the publisher.


I lent it to a friend a few days ago and I want it back already. This author knows kids. He had 7. So he gets that parents mess up and are overwhelmed. He's got strategies for loving your kids while setting boundaries and teaching them to be people. This is a wonderful and useful parenting book.

Love it!

This is a beautiful bracelet! Thinking about the tears shed by the Theotokos at the crucifixion helps me focus.

It is beautiful. ❤️

Smaller than it looks

Beautiful!

Absolutely beautiful!

Parishioners are intrigued by the story behind the formation of these Beads and how they are used to make this beautiful Prayer Bracelet which is suitable for all ages.

My wife loved it!!

Lovely! I really like your and it doesn't stretch and works well to do prayers.

was beautiful. I very much likeed it.

It was a present for my daughter, she thought it was beautiful.

Fr Andrew Damick always communicates so well and I find his books a very easy read. This book was no disappointment and I find myself deeply convicted. How often do I approach God merely to request something?And how I long to be truly transformed by Christ and become one with Him. The desire for salvation to become living a life deeply united with Christ so that everyone I meet sees Jesus clearly vs just adhering to a list of rules while focused on getting out of this world. Absolutely love the Orthodox Christian perspective on this!

I was a bit apprehensive when I first received “Tending the Garden of our Heart: Daily Lenten Meditations for Families” because I had no ready family with whom to share it. When I started making my way through the book, however, I found its explanations and anecdotes absolutely refreshing, as the chapters were more like short homilies and akin to what the Church Fathers call “arrow prayers”: direct yet spiritual and full of meaning.

The book is divided into seven chapters covering the weeks of Great Lent, and Holy Week and Pascha, and built around the saint or event commemorated that each week (Sunday of Orthodoxy and Orthodox Christianity; St. Gregory Palamas and prayer; St. Mary of Egypt and fasting, etc…). Each chapter has daily readings that are three to four pages long, replete with stories from the Bible which are complemented by short hagiographical stories, ending with a series of questions and answers to reinforce the theme, and with corresponding appendices for activities by age groups.

The tone of the book makes you feel as though someone is reading it to you, so one can only imagine what the Audiobook version is like! It is highly readable, and not mired down in the usual theological-speak that many Orthodox books have, especially those on Great Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha. That being said, “Tending the Garden of our Heart” is not simplistic: it uses the rich language of the Church without making the text inaccessible to its audience (those exploring or reacquainting themselves Orthodox Christianity, younger audiences, etc…). Had “Tending the Garden of our Hearts” been released some ten years ago, I would have most certainly used it as my parish’s Sunday School curriculum for the whole year, and I could even see it used as such in many Summer camps.

With “Tending the Garden of our Hearts”, Elissa Bjeletich and Kristina Wenger have blessed us with a comprehensive and practical spiritual tool, and I highly recommend it for all readers. It would be a welcome addition to a parish or personal library.

Full disclosure: I was provided a print copy of this book by Ancient Faith Publishing for a fair review.

Last year we, at Orthodox Pebbles, discovered a wonderful Lenten family resource, the Ancient Faith blog and podcast “Tending the Garden of our Hearts” by Elissa Bjeletich and Kristina Wenger. We were so inspired, that we created printable activities to coordinate with some of its material. This year, we were very excited to find out that the contents of this enriching project have also been collected into a book. We received it a few days ago, eagerly read it through, and were reminded of how spiritually uplifting the Great Fast can be if approached in the right frame of mind.

The book is a daily devotional guiding the reader into a journey of spiritual growth during Great Lent. The text is clearly written, so that the children can have a greater understanding of that important period in our Faith, and at the same time, equally benefitting to the adults, prompting them to reflect on fundamental concepts and values of our Faith.

It is divided into seven parts, one for each week of Lent, and one for Holy Week and Pascha. Each week of Lent focuses on a theme inspired by the specific Sunday of that week: Forgiveness, Orthodoxy, Prayer/St.Gregory Palamas, The Cross/Humility, The Ladder/Almsgiving, and Fasting/St.Mary of Egypt. Each day explores the theme of the week using examples from Holy Scripture and the lives of the Saints, some of them ‘everyday Saints’, equally remarkable as the glorious and well-known heroes of our Faith. At the end, the Appendix offers a variety of crafts and activities that the whole family can do together.

“Tending the Garden” is a wonderful Orthodox resource, designed to make our precious family time spiritually uplifting during the preparatory period of the Great Fast. It has come at just the right time, filling the need for Orthodox Christian devotionals for both families and individuals alike. We wish “Tending the Garden” a blessed journey in the hearts of all of us!

We were offered a free copy of the book in exchange for our honest review.

Beautiful and so honest.