3 Wishes - Fr. Thomas Hopko

My Three Wishes by Fr Thomas Hopko Since I travel a lot around the USA and Canada, I'm often asked what I think about our churches. When that happens, I always mention my three wishes. My first wish is that our church buildings would be neater, and that holy things would be treated with greater respect. Our churches, and the offices, rooms and halls in and around them, are often quite messy. Icons, crosses, winding sheets, vestments, service books, calendars and educational materials are often scattered around. They are piled on tables and chairs, left on the floor, or stuffed carelessly in closets and cabinets. Empty wine and oil bottles, dried up flowers, palms and branches, candle stubs and boxes, and all kinds of ecclesiastical paraphernalia, are often strewn around the altar area, and in adjoining rooms and offices. Church halls and rooms also often abound with the depressing remnants of classes, meetings, sales, parties and projects. A special part of my "first wish" is that churches in temporary quarters, and even some churches in permanent buildings, would not use cast-off or poorly made altar tables, liturgical stands, candle stands, icon screens, icons, holy pictures, altar covers, vestments and server's robes that often don't fit, and should have been discarded long ago, or never used in the first place. It is spiritually more effective, in my opinion to have a few good, simple and beautiful things in church, rather than lots of old, expensive and worn out stuff. I also wish that when church things need to be packed and unpacked, greater care would be taken that they be neat and presentable. My second wish is that greater care would be exercised in assigning people to do things in church. Some priests, deacons, servers, singers and church officers are incapable of performing their duties. Sometimes they just can't do them. Sometimes they could do them if they were better trained. And sometimes they try to do things beyond their competence, including things that they don't really have to do, like, for example, singing to difficult liturgical music at church services, or following rubrics too legalistically. When people read, sing or serve in church only because they "have always done it, and we can't replace them," or they "have to be included or need to have a turn," or because "they need something to do," or because "it's cute," as in the case of children, or because "we have to get through this somehow," the result is that the people who come to church dismiss what is done as trivial and unimportant. The same is true when people who can't make icons, sew vestments, build furniture, or even design buildings, are allowed, and even encouraged, to do so, with their poor products being used, sometimes for many years. More than one person has remarked to me that our churches seem to be the only places where people who can't do things are permitted, and even encouraged and assigned, to do them. My third wish has to do with words. I feel so sorry for words, and for those who have to hear them, in most of our churches. Words in church, like words everywhere, are to be used and pronounced properly. Our clergy, singers and readers often pronounce and accent words wrongly, not only in foreign languages, but even in English, sometimes even when they know what is correct. They do this because of the way the reading, chanting and singing are done in their traditional non-English languages and cultural styles. This, in my view, again causes people not to take what is said and sung in church as serious, important and meaningful for their "real lives." Experiencing the way reading, singing and serving are done in some of our churches almost makes one feel as if the church were some sort of game or hobby for those who like to do such things. Because I'm mostly invited to preach when I visit churches, I don't get to hear many sermons. But when I do, I have the impression that the preachers don't spend much time and energy in preparing their words. In most instances the scripture readings, verses and hymns at the service are not the main inspiration for the sermons. And it seems that the lack of care in this area has nothing to do with education or charisma. In fact sometimes those who are less trained and less gifted actually speak more effectively than those who know a lot and speak easily because they prepare themselves better and work harder at their task. Though I don't get to hear many sermons in our churches, I do get to hear many greetings, announcements, appeals for contributions and requests for participation in events and projects. I shudder over how many powerful and beautiful services and sacraments in our churches are spoiled by the careless, lengthy and sometimes even frivolous ways in which this necessary duty is often done. I believe that greetings, announcements and appeals have to be prepared as carefully as sermons, with a brevity, dignity and sobriety that befit words that are spoken in church. I also believe that these necessary words should be said at the end of church services, and sermons should be delivered at some point within them, normally after the scripture readings. So my third wish is that those who preach, read, chant, sing and speak in our churches would be more respectful of words. My "three wishes" for our Orthodox churches in the USA and Canada, therefore, are these. I wish for clean, neat and orderly church buildings, sanctuaries, offices and halls; with proper appointments and equipment, and greater love and respect for "holy things." I wish for capable clergy, readers, singers, servers, musicians, iconographers, architects and church workers who demonstrate the importance and seriousness of what is said, done and shown in church. And I wish for the careful and respectful use of words in church, with proper pronunciation and accenting. Having revealed my "three wishes," I'm delighted to say that I have seen committed, careful and capable clergy and people in our churches who perform their duties admirably. Their ministries are truly inspiring, enlightening, encouraging and edifying for those whom they serve. May God guide us all, as we work for His glory and the good of His people. Source: