Everyone agrees that the worship of God’s people in Old Testament times was liturgical in nature.

As the Orthodox Study Bible indicates:

‘Immediately after the giving of the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:1–17), instructions for building the altar were set forth (Ex 20:24–26). Then comes instruction concerning keeping the Sabbath (Ex 23:10–13), the annual feasts (Ex 23:14–19), and the various offerings and furnishings in the sanctuary (Ex 25:1–40). Following this, chapters 26—30 deal with such matters as the design of the tabernacle, the altar, and the outer court, the priests’ vestments and their consecration, and instructions for daily offerings.’

Since Moses was commanded to make earthly worship ‘a copy and shadow of the heavenly things’, it is argued that liturgical worship takes place in heaven, too (Heb 8:5; cf. Ex 25:40).  Indications of such heavenly worship are found in isa 6:1-8 and Rev 4.

Since the Lord Jesus Christ is ‘a priest forever’ (Heb 7:17,21), it is ‘unthinkable’ that he would not serve liturgically.  As priest, then, he is also a liturgist (lit. ‘leitourgos‘) of the sanctuary (Heb 8:2).

It follows (in Orthodox thinking) that true Christian worship on earth must mirror the Christ’s worship in heaven.

This same Christ is ‘the Mediator of a better covenant’ (Heb 8:6).  And we are brought the fullness of that new covenant in the eucharistic feast.  As Christ offers his once-for-all offering of himself at the heavenly altar (Heb 7:27), so believers participate in that same offering through the Church’s Divine Liturgy.

This understanding sheds light (it is claimed) on a number of New Testament passages:

Acts 13:2 – “As they ministered to the Lord [lit., “as they were in the liturgy of the Lord”] and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to me Barnabas and Saul.’ ” This indicates that Barnabas and Saul were called by God during worship, and that the Holy Spirit speaks during liturgical worship.

Acts 20:7 – “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them.” The Eucharist was held each Sunday.

Romans 16:16 – “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” A ‘holy kiss’ was more than a greeting: it was an element of Christian liturgy that indicated that believers were at peace with one another, and ready to receive the sacrament.

Ephesians 5:14 – “Awake, you who sleep, / Arise from the dead, / And Christ will give you light.” This is an ancient baptismal hymn.  Other examples of creeds and hymns of New Testament times are seen in 1 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Timothy 2:11–13.

Hebrews 13:10 – “We have an altar” indicates the continued use of an altar in Christian worship.

Revelation 1:10 – “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.”  Given that the Lord appeared to John ‘in the midst of the seven lampstands’, and that lampstands were common in the Christian sanctuary, just as they had been in the Hebrew temples, it is likely that John received his vision of Christ during the Sunday liturgy.