Betrothal service
Categories: orthodox-life
Date: 05 December 2004 05:42:11
Today was the first time I attended a Betrothal service. It certainly was a joy to participate in. The petitions were soaked through with rich imagery, and the exchange of the rings with the three-fold “The servant of God [name], is betrothed to the handmaiden of God [name], in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” (and then repeated with the woman first and the man second), sealing their commitment, was inexpressibly beautiful.
Each time I attend Liturgy, and each time I am blessed with a service I have not yet encountered, I continue to be amazed at the richness of imagery and deep theological content of each service. Thanks be to God. I eagerly look forward to the Crowning Service in three months.
S & N: may God grant you many, many years!
In addition, we celebrated the Feast Day of Saint Nicholas, the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia. The Church School put on a Christmas Play and there was a visit from St Nicholas and giving of gifts to the children in the parish. I heartily recommend reading about the life of St Nicholas: he was indeed a Saint pleasing to God, and the real-life of St Nicholas is far more encouraging and hope-giving than what we in the Western world hear about St Nicholas in the form of Santa Claus.
