Interested in Orthodoxy but don't feel ready for the Divine Liturgy?
If you are interested in Orthodox Christianity and are interested in visiting an Orthodox Church but are scared about attending a Divine Liturgy - you're worried about the length, you're worried about doing the wrong thing, or whatever else.
I would recommend you look to see if there is a Church nearby that offers Vespers services. These are much shorter than the Divine Liturgy - they are usually around 45 minutes. On the eve of feasts this is slightly longer but usually around an hour. There is no Holy Communion given at Vespers services, so you don't need to worry about that. A lot of Churches also keep the Church lit just by candlelight (or low lighting). There tends to be a lot less people compared to the Divine Liturgy. It is worth mentioning that Incense is used during Vespers. If you have any concern with regards to health issues, you are more than welcome to email/call a Priest. He should be able to help you.
Going to a Vespers is a great way to get yourself in the Church and experience what the inside of the Church is like. You can light a candle if you want to. Vespers services usually don't have a coffee hour afterwards (although some Churches do offer this or offer a talk/film screening after). So if you're worried about the socialising element, this is a good way of not having to worry about that side of things either.
Vesper services begins with the reading of Psalm 103 (104), which recalls the beginning of the world, and praises God as the creator and sustainer of all things. While the Psalm is being read, the priest silently reads 7 short evening prayers. After this, the service proceeds into the Litany of Peace which asks for:
For the peace from above and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
For the peace of the whole world, for the stability of the holy churches of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
For this holy house and for those who enter it with faith, reverence, and the fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.
For pious and Orthodox Christians, let us pray to the Lord.
For our Archbishop (name), for the honorable presbyterate, for the diaconate in Christ, and for all the clergy and the people, let us pray to the Lord.
For our country, [Leader of Country], all those in public service, and for our armed forces everywhere, let us pray to the Lord.
For the Holy and Great Church of Christ, for our Sacred Archdiocese, [for this Sacred Metropolis,] for this city and parish, for every city and land, and for the faithful who live in them, let us pray to the Lord.
For favorable weather, for an abundance of the fruits of the earth, and for peaceful times, let us pray to the Lord.
For those who travel by land, sea, and air, for the sick, the suffering, the captives and for their salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
For our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger, and distress, let us pray to the Lord.
Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and protect us, O God, by Your grace.
After this litany, Psalms are prayed depending on what day of the week it is. The choir then sing Psalms 140 (141), 141 (142), 129 (130), and 116 (117). As the choir sings the verse, ‘Let my prayer be set forth as incense before Thee, the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice’ (Psalm 140:2), the deacon (or priest) will process through the church, censing the altar, the icons, and all those present, while the choir continue to sing the rest of the Psalms. Hymns called stichērá (verse-hymns) are inserted after the verses of Psalms 129 and 116. These hymns relate to the saint or feast being celebrated on that particular day (e.g., the Birth of Christ on December 25th, or the Resurrection of Christ on a Sunday).
While the last hymn is being sung, the priest (holding the censer, and preceded by a lit candle) comes out of the sanctuary and walks around the front of the church, stopping in front of the altar doors, where he silently recites an evening prayer and then censes the icons on the templon and the people.
The choir then sing the Fōs Hilarón: ‘O Joyous Light of the holy glory of the immortal, heavenly, holy, blessed Father, O Jesus Christ: Having come to the setting of the sun, having beheld the evening light, we praise the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: God. Meet it is for Thee at all times to be hymned with reverent voices, O Son of God, Giver of life. Wherefore, the world doth glorify Thee’.
They then sing the evening prokeímenon — short verses from the Psalms —; each day of the week has its own prokeímenon. If it is the eve of a great feast, the prokeímenon is followed by three readings from the Old Testament related to the feast.
After another set of litanies, and a final evening prayer, the choir sing a set of hymns similar in content and style to the stichērá, but which are called apósticha (after-verses) since they are sung towards the end of the service.
After the apósticha, the priest recites the prayer of Symeon:
‘Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, O Master, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples; a light of revelation for the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel’ (Luke 2:29–32).
The reader will then read the Trisagion prayers (the ‘Holy God’, the ‘All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us’, and the ‘Our Father’), after which the Choir sing the final Dismissal Hymns (apolytíkia).
[Above text adapted from here]
I hope that this gives you an idea of what to expect at a Vespers service. I know that a lot of people feel intimidated because they have no idea what to expect, so hopefully this helps. You do not need to do anything at a Vespers service. You can just stand or sit somewhere that feels most comfortable to you. You don't have to worry about saying anything or doing anything, you just need to listen to the prayers and psalms being sung (all of the terminology listed is purely something for the choir and Priest/deacon to worry about). Some people close their eyes and just listen to the prayers. If you feel that it's too much, you can easily slip out. Nobody is going to stop you. And likewise, if you arrive a little later that's okay too. It won't be disrupting anything.
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