A Baptist walks into a Coptic Orthodox Church...

“Anianos, we have business up front!” your wife calls out to you. You’re the city cobbler, and peace within the Roman Empire has made safe travel abundant. The shoe market isn’t dying out anytime soon and business is good.

Wack 

But steady income freed you up to ask the bigger questions in life. Growing up in the melting pot city of philosophy, gods, and cultures called Alexandria meant these questions were in your face. How did we get here, who are the gods, and how do I relate to them?  

Wack 

Over time, growing old, family life, and business all have distracted you from the pondering of your youth. But lately, your youth has been trying to get a hold of you, and it often succeeds. Taking you captive in daydreams at work, trying to decipher between the gods of Egypt, Greece, and Rome.

Wack 

But it’s the god of the Jewish minority in your city that you can’t seem to place in a box. While most people ignore or think them strange, you are intrigued by their exclusive god and…

Sliiiiiice 

“Ahhhhh ******!!” You yell in pain.

Chaos ensues. Your wife rushes in. Pain tremors through your body. You’ve hammered the spike meant for the traveler’s sandal straight through your hand. You cry out instinctively “Oh one God!” as the traveler and your wife work to pull the spike out.

You’re delirious, but suddenly the traveler grabs your hand, and you feel peace. Then the pain disappears so fast it’s hard for you to believe it was ever real. You’ve been healed. [1]

Ancient Roots

While not found in scripture, this is the story of how Saint Mark breaking a sandal led to the first follower of Jesus in Alexandria, Egypt. This city would become one of the most influential hubs of Christianity in the early church.

In time, Mark would ordain Anianos as the first bishop of Alexandria, and the Egyptian church quickly grew from there.

Today, driving past the mass of Baptist, Methodist, or Non-Denominational churches in the southeast, it could be easy to miss the unique minority of believers who maintain their ancient apostolic roots in Egypt. They call themselves the Coptic (Egyptian) Orthodox church and I was recently blessed to attend their liturgy.

I attended St. Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church in Mauldin, South Carolina. This particular congregation has weekly liturgies in both English and Arabic. Even though I am quite early in my Arabic study, I chose to sit in on the Arabic service.

Walking in, I immediately noticed the beauty in the architecture, icons, and art beckoning you into a state of awe and worship before the Lord. The environment seemed to emanate the sacred in a way that was new to me.

With anything new, the opportunity for a guest to feel intimidated or just confused will come. But instead, I was both welcomed generously and invited into a safe space of learning throughout my whole visit.

Just within the door, I found a few papers that included helpful graphics giving me an overview of the liturgy and the significance of each part. Also, the liturgy was laid out in Arabic, Coptic, and English on the screens at the front of the church which allowed me to follow along easily throughout the whole liturgy.

In addition, one of the deacons came and introduced himself to me before the liturgy started to welcome me. He continually returned to me during each transition moment of the liturgy to explain what was about to happen and its theological significance.

During the kiss of peace (the liturgical form of a “meet & greet” moment), so many people came and warmly greeted me. And when he was trekking down each isle, swinging incense, the priest stopped to welcome me in English as well.

A Language Hanging On

As someone with a deep affection for both languages and history, hearing the Coptic tongue spoken was an added blessing!

The Coptic language was the final evolution of the language spoken by the Egyptian people historically. When Egypt was conquered by the Arabs, Islam and the Arabic language greatly diminished both Egyptian Christianity and the Coptic language. But holding to their apostolic roots and cultural heritage, the Coptic tongue has been preserved within the church’s worship. 

As many parts of the liturgy were read or chanted in Coptic, it was an opportunity to travel back and imagine myself 1500 years prior in Egypt, chanting along to the same words. This made the worship service feel both universal and apostolic in a way I had never experienced before. 

Reflections: What I Loved

In no particular order, here are a few other elements that left an impression on me from my Coptic liturgy experience:

• How the liturgy paints a picture of continuity between the Old and New Testaments. It was impossible to miss how God reveals himself as the author of one narrative that traces itself throughout all of scripture during the readings or in the imagery of the service.

• Feeling as if you are ascending a mountain throughout the liturgy. The feeling of having been on a journey and finally arriving at the peak which is the Eucharist prepares your heart magnificently to feast on Christ in the Lord’s Supper.

• The passion week is acted out in front of you. Specifically, the moment when the whole congregation sings somber alleluias lives rent-free in my head. The best loaf of bread has just been chosen for the Eucharist and was covered to signify Christ’s burial in the tomb. In the somber singing, you are stuck in the moment when Christ had been crucified but not resurrected yet. It truly makes you long for Christ and remember all that he sacrificed to save us.

• Throughout the liturgy, all five senses are engaged. The architecture and art draw your eyes. Incense fills the room. You hear the sermon and the congregation chant. The sign of the cross is made, and icons are kissed. And finally, you feast on Christ’s body and blood as you remember all he did.

Reflections: Questions I Have

As a protestant, there will be many areas of difference with the theology of the Coptic Orthodox church. Below are just a few questions that I was left asking after I visited St. Mary’s:

• It was explained to me that the priest was required for a true Eucharist to take place and was the only one who could touch the bread. What is the biblical argument for priestly exclusivity in the sacraments or how did that view develop in church history?

• What is the origin of the idea that “heaven comes down” during the Eucharist and what is its greater significance?

• What is the Coptic Orthodox Church’s definition of catholicity? Is only the non-Chalcedonian church the true church? If so, how does one make that argument biblically?

[1] St. Mark the Apostle, the Founder of the Coptic Church – The Coptic Church – Coptic Orthodox. (n.d.). Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. https://www.suscopts.org/coptic-orthodox/church/saint-mark/