Harry Loutas invited me with his family to attend Easter services at midnight in Agios Andreas and it was the most profound spiritual experience of my life. Religion in America is mostly not all that convincing but there was no doubt with anyone in Greece. (CNN: CNN Evangelizes About Evangelizing for Easter | Ed Stetzer Shows Why Christians are Loathed)
The church doesn't look like much at all. Greeks don't evangelize since just about everyone is Greek Orthodox.
It struck me almost immediately that this is a carpenter's church. That carpenter didn't know anything of cathedrals.
Ed: he also didn't know of any churches since there were none of those in his time either
You know what I mean.
It was altogether different inside.
While outside the church seems poor or at least not rich, the inside has a wealth of spirit and that struck me as the life of a carpenter as well.
Note: I shot these pictures a day or two later since I felt it would have been tremendously disrespectful to shoot pictures during the service as if it's just some quaint local custom.
You will need to visualize the culmination of this with all of the people outside after the service and all burning candles. There were so many people in attendance it wasn't possible for everyone to get inside the church and I saw when I came out how lucky I was to get a seat but I didn't feel a hint of resentment from anyone that I had taken theirs.
Prior to this, my experiences with religion in America came mostly from people like Mike Huckabee who are total fakes but there was no agenda in Agios Andreas. The people came only for one reason and I've never experienced anything like that in my life nor even knew it existed.
May your Easter be as moving for you as this one was for me. Yes, Mystery Lady, this is for you ... and Cadillac Man ... and Lotho ... and anyone else who prays for peace and not more combat in the world.
Ed: you don't pray!
No but I wish really hard. Peace.
The church doesn't look like much at all. Greeks don't evangelize since just about everyone is Greek Orthodox.
It struck me almost immediately that this is a carpenter's church. That carpenter didn't know anything of cathedrals.
Ed: he also didn't know of any churches since there were none of those in his time either
You know what I mean.
It was altogether different inside.
While outside the church seems poor or at least not rich, the inside has a wealth of spirit and that struck me as the life of a carpenter as well.
Note: I shot these pictures a day or two later since I felt it would have been tremendously disrespectful to shoot pictures during the service as if it's just some quaint local custom.
You will need to visualize the culmination of this with all of the people outside after the service and all burning candles. There were so many people in attendance it wasn't possible for everyone to get inside the church and I saw when I came out how lucky I was to get a seat but I didn't feel a hint of resentment from anyone that I had taken theirs.
Prior to this, my experiences with religion in America came mostly from people like Mike Huckabee who are total fakes but there was no agenda in Agios Andreas. The people came only for one reason and I've never experienced anything like that in my life nor even knew it existed.
May your Easter be as moving for you as this one was for me. Yes, Mystery Lady, this is for you ... and Cadillac Man ... and Lotho ... and anyone else who prays for peace and not more combat in the world.
Ed: you don't pray!
No but I wish really hard. Peace.
3 comments:
I suppose you went to a small church service with Huckabee and then to his house for dinner
Maybe you spent Christmas service with Joel Osteen and went to their house for dinner.
Or maybe you had a friendship with Harry and his family before they invited you to Easter service. And maybe they were worried that you would be alone on a day that is very special to them.
To compare an intimate small church experience to Huckabee is unfair to all the small churches across America.
The super churches exist because people are hiding from relationships
They go because they can be anonymous but still be in a church
Peace and Serenity to Yevette and Yourself as well.
Fair enough on that since I haven't forgotten that little white church in Tennessee. They weren't Mike Huckabee.
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