As Eastern Christians, we have distinctive tradition and a particular style of
Christian living all our own. We Especially stress:
* A belief in our call to divinity.
* Union with God through the Holy Mysteries.
* A "public' life of worship, fellowship and service.
* A "secret" life of prayer, fasting and sharing.
* The need for "spiritual warfare".
Most importantly, we believe we care called to become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), not just to be saved from sin.
We see ourselves as invited to live the very life of God, to become intimately related to God, to be physically united to Christ and to have the Holy Spirit dwell within us! The Church Fathers saw this as the reason for Christ's coming: "God became man so that man might become God:" (St. Athanasius).
This relatio9nship begins when we recieve in faith the Holy Mysteries (sacraments). In Baptim we are made one wiht Christ as we reenact His burial and resurrection. This takes place when we are buried (immersed) into the water and are raised from it. We immediately received the gisft of the Holy Spirit, "the first of "God's gifts" (Romans 8:23) in Christmation (confirmation). In creeiving the Eucharist, we recongnize that our mortal bodies are united to the Body and Blood of Christ as a toke of the live to come, when they shall be united to Him in glory forever. Thus we see these Mysteries, not merely as pious devositions, but as encounters with God, actually producting the effecty they sysmolize.
Our style of worship in the Eastern Churches refelects the presence of the risen Christ amoung us in glory and joy. All the senses thake part in our worship to express this glory. We see icons, vestment, candles: we smell incense and perfumes; hear continuous singing; we taste blessed foods and use physical gestured such as bowing, prostrating and crossing ourselves to express our wonder that the glory of God.