Church honors Mary with Akathist service

BY CHRISTIE STORM

Posted on Saturday, April 9, 2005

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For those in the Orthodox Church, Lent rarely falls during the same time frame as for Catholics and Protestants who use the Gregorian calendar. This year, Orthodox Lent began March 14 and ends with Easter, or Pascha, on May 1.

And as in the larger Christian traditions, the Orthodox Church sees Lent as a time of reflection and repentance in anticipation of the Holy Resurrection. The 40-day journey is a time of fasting, prayer and liturgy. But it is also a time to honor Mary, the mother of Christ.

One of the liturgies is a hymn of thanksgiving to Mary, the Akathist Hymn; it is considered by many to be a masterpiece of poetry. The congregation of St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, 105 S. Blair St., Springdale, will have an Akathist service at 6 p.m. Friday.

The Rev. John Atchison says although other congregations have Akathist services each week during Lent, his congregation will only have one service. The service is similar to a vesper’s service, with no Communion, he says, and the service is chanted. "It’s simply a prayer."

At St. Nicholas, the service is chanted by Atchison and the choir. The original hymn was written in Greek and arranged in 24 stanzas but has also been translated into English. Marilyn Atchison, wife of the pastor, leads the church choir, which has a back-and-forth role with the priest during the service. She says the service has a special beauty. "I like that we have a service to honor Mary, the Mother of Christ. To me, it’s like a love letter to her,"she says. "It’s very uplifting."

Marilyn Atchison adds that Mary can serve as an example to others. "To me she was a willing vessel to receive Christ in order to offer Christ. I think we can emulate her life and also bring forth Christ to others,"she says. "She’s just a very sweet lady. Not everyone knows the depth of who she is or very much about her."

STANDING LITURGY While it is customary to have an Akathist service on Fridays during this season, Atchison says it can also be done on other occasions, such as in times of great danger for the country. "Even in personal life when something serious is facing us, sometimes people will want to do this service,"he says.

The Greek word akathist means "without sitting,"so the services are usually done standing. "Historically, this was a commemoration of a very special event, and we are commemorating and respecting Mary,"Atchison says. "To us it really exalts Jesus even more because she was a wonderful person that influenced Him, taught Him how to pray and gave Him a physical body."

ABOUT MARY Atchison, who came to the Orthodox church from an Assemblies of God background, says as a Protestant he did not know much about the saints or Mary. "The concept of Mary has been the premier pearl I’ve found in orthodoxy,"he says. "It’s nice to be able to think about her."The Akathist service, he says, is simply a time to thank Mary. "It’s a tender, moving experience."

Atchison says Orthodox Christians do not worship Mary, but do honor her as the mother of Christ as instructed in the Scriptures in Luke 1:48. "‘ All generations shall call me blessed’ and that includes this generation,"Atchison says. "It’s saying ‘ Mary you are blessed. ’" "She is not one of the Trinity. Mary was a human being and always will be, so there is no place for worship. That belongs to God,"he says. "This concept of saints, who are still active and alive and can intervene in daily life, is foreign to many people’s theology — to their loss, I think."

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