When I was in seminary, I sometimes visited with a local Russian Orthodox priest. One day, we were sitting at the coffee shop, and he said, “Your problem is that you’re always inventing new liturgies, or messing around with the ones you have. You have to change the order around here, or the music around there. Look at me.” I looked at him. Clearly and slowly he said these words, “I do not innovate.” He went on. “Our liturgy started around the time of the Apostles. In the sixth century it was revised. In the thirteenth century it went through some small revisions, and that’s it. Done. I
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