Lecture Series 2026
The Liturgy: Why We Do What We Do
A six-part journey through the Byzantine-Catholic Divine Liturgy
Wednesdays in Lent · 5:00 PM Pacific / 7:00 PM Central / 8:00 PM Eastern
Videos of each session are posted here within 24 hours.
Session 1: The Language of Worship
Setting the Stage
What is liturgy, and why does it look, sound, smell, and feel the way it does? In this opening session, we explore the idea that liturgy is a language—a rich, multi-sensory form of sacred communication that the Church has been speaking for two millennia. We’ll meet the ministers and the vessels, tour the sanctuary, and discover why the space itself is theology.
Session 2: From Israel to the Pulpit
The Introductory Rites and the Liturgy of the Word
We cross the threshold and enter the liturgy itself. What happens from the opening procession through the Scripture readings, and why does it happen the way it does? We’ll unpack the Proskomedia (the Preparation of the Gifts, done before the congregation arrives), the Little Entrance, and the Liturgy of the Word.
Session 3: The Hinge
Offertory and the Preparation of the Gifts
The Great Entrance is one of the most dramatic moments in the Byzantine liturgy—and one of the most misunderstood. What exactly is being carried, and why do we treat it the way we do? This session explores the Offertory and the theological pivot from Word to Sacrament.
Session 4: The Heart of the Matter
The Eucharistic Prayer Unpacked
The Anaphora is the great prayer of the Church—the thanksgiving, the institution narrative, the epiclesis. What are we actually saying, and what do we believe is happening? We’ll walk through the Eucharistic Prayer phrase by phrase.
Session video will be posted after March 18.
Session 5: Breaking and Communion
The Lord’s Prayer to the Dismissal
From the Lord’s Prayer through the Fraction, the Communion, and the Dismissal—how does the liturgy bring us to the table and then send us out? This session covers the most intimate moment of the liturgy and what it means to be “sent forth.”
Session video will be posted after March 25.
Session 6: The Whole as Greater Than the Parts
Stepping Back — What We’ve Seen and What It Means
In this final session, we step back and look at the liturgy as a whole. What is the arc? What is the story it tells every single time it’s celebrated? And what difference does it make that we know?
Session video will be posted after April 1.