Kneeling and prostrating. Kneeling is an expression of our obligation to God, and prostrating ourselves is an expression of the deepest humility and recognition of the thought that we are earth and dust before God (Gen. 18:2).

Benediction. The blessing of the clergy is a sign of the bestowal of God's blessing on people. It is God's blessing, because: the priest represents the image of the Savior during the service; the priest blesses the worshippers with the sign of the Cross, which is the instrument of our salvation; in the very sign of the finger are depicted the initial letters of the Name of the Saviour: Is. Xp.

Lighting candles. The use of candles and lamps during divine services existed in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament it existed from the very beginning of the Church of Christ. Candles are not only necessary for the illumination of churches, which are sometimes dark, but also increase the solemnity and joy of the service. In addition, fire is a sign of ardent love and fervent faith in the saint before whom we place a candle. Light is a sign of our enlightenment, which we receive from imitating the life of a saint. The whiteness of wax signifies the purity of our soul, and its softness signifies the goodness of character.

Censing. The censing of St. The icons express our reverence for the saints depicted on the icons, and the censing of the people inspires the worshippers that their prayers must be fervent in order to ascend to heaven like incense. In addition, the smoke of incense that embraces the worshippers signifies the grace of God, which also surrounds us.

Sprinkling with holy water. Giving cheerfulness to a person, like any water, consecrated water reminds the Christian of spiritual cleansing and spiritual vigor, giving this purification and cheerfulness to those who take holy water with faith and are sprinkled with it.

16. The Necessity of Rites in Divine Services

Rites and symbolic actions are necessary in worship not only because they are a natural manifestation of the human soul and because they express sacred thoughts, but also because they are of ancient Christian origin. Most of them are sanctified by the example of Jesus Christ. From various Gospel stories it is evident that during the days of His life, Jesus Christ, when praying and communicating grace-filled help to people, repeatedly raised His eyes to heaven (when feeding 5000 people with five loaves of bread (Matt. 14:19) and during the high priestly prayer (John 17:1); kneeling in the Garden of Gethsemane before suffering (Matt. 24:39; Luke 22:41-44), with raised hands He blessed the disciples (before the ascension – Luke 24:50) and children (Matt. 19:15); after the healing of a man born blind commanded him to wash in the holy water of Siloam (John 9:11). In the radiance of light – oil and lamps in the parable of the ten virgins he depicted the triumph in the Kingdom of God (Matthew 25:1-13). Likewise, in the days of the Apostles, divine services were accompanied by genuflections (Acts 7:60; 9:40; 20:36; Ephesians 3:14), the raising of lamps (Acts 20:7-8), and the lifting up of hands (1 Timothy 2:8)... The best Christians, the holy martyrs, did not shorten, but enriched the divine services with ritual and symbolic actions.

17. The purpose of the divine service

It is necessary to study the divine services: in order to understand the order and alternation of the various prayers, hymns and sacred actions that are part of the church services, to understand the meaning of these prayers, hymns, rites and actions, and, finally, to create in one's heart a reverent love for the Church of God and Orthodox worship.

18. Worship at home and in church

Divine services can be performed either for the whole community of believers, or at the request of individual Christians. Most services can be performed not only in church, but also at home. However, most often our services, not excluding those that can be performed at home, are performed in church because the church is more suitable for performing divine services. In church, believers can better remember that they are children of the One Heavenly Father. Here the distinctions of class, social and property are rather forgotten, and, thus, public worship is more conducive to the awakening in the hearts of people of the feelings of Christian love, brotherhood and mercy.