One might imagine that the very first words of the Orthodox Liturgy consisted of a blessing pronounced by the priest saying, “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!” It is not so. The very first words of the Liturgy consist not of a blessing by the priest but of an observation by the deacon. He turns to the priest and says, “It is time for the Lord to act!” Then follows a brief dialogue between priest and deacon which ends with the deacon exiting the altar to stand before the Royal Doors to invite the priest to offer the loud initial blessing. It is only after this that the priest intones “Blessed is the Kingdom”. Most of the people are not aware of this bit in the service books, either because their congregation does not include a deacon or because the exchange between priest and deacon is conducted in low voices.

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