The lecture explains the spiritual and behavioral etiquette a believer should observe when coming to church, emphasizing that the church is the House of God and the Gate of Heaven, and that entering it must be with love, reverence, and full spiritual, mental, and physical preparation.

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1. Coming to church with love and longing

The speaker stresses that the first etiquette is to come to church with a longing heart, as David the Prophet said: “I rejoiced when they said to me: Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
Attendance is not a routine or obligation, but an expression of love for God.

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2. Feeling the holiness of the place

The church is a consecrated place dedicated to God, like the Tabernacle and the Temple.
A believer enters aware that he is standing in a holy place, which appears through reverence, silence, and respectful behavior such as standing during the Gospel and never turning one’s back to the altar.

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3. Preparing before entering the House of God

His Holiness highlights the need for spiritual and physical preparation:

• Clearing the mind from worldly concerns.

• Purifying the heart through repentance.

• Coming with fasting and prayer.

• Entering clean in body and spirit, because the body affects spiritual feelings.

• Arriving early before the service begins.

He also mentions the “Psalms of Ascents” which the people used to chant on their way to Jerusalem.

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4. Order and quietness inside the church

The church is a place of order:
Designated places for clergy and deacons, proper vestments, deacons entering only with permission, organized movement, and reverence toward the sanctuary.
He also stresses the importance of special rooms for infants to avoid disturbance and the responsibility of families to preserve silence.

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5. Reverence before God

Reverence is essential:
Standing for the Gospel, humble bowing, guarding the senses, avoiding distraction and unnecessary talk.
A person stands before God, and should be in His presence with awe, like the angels who cover their faces.

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6. Humility and a sense of unworthiness

The believer enters church like the tax collector, not the Pharisee, with a humble and contrite spirit.
Even the priest begins the Liturgy with the “Prayer of Preparation,” confessing his unworthiness.

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7. Not leaving before receiving the blessing

It is an etiquette not to leave before the priest says: “Go in peace” and before receiving the final blessing.
Likewise, the deacon removes his vestment only after the priest does.

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Spiritual conclusion

The church is a heavenly meeting place. A believer must enter it with love, preparation, purity, reverence, silence, and understanding of every rite.
Whoever knows the holiness of the church lives in humility and awe and receives its blessing.

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