One does not have to be a keen observer of life to know that things change. The rate of change may be fast or slow, but everything changes. Social and cultural groups are no exception to this, though they may have traditions that only change in relatively minor ways over time. In the case of the Christian church, there have been many changes over its 20-century life. Much of what characterised the life of the first church has been lost, buried in the sands of time. The form of its meetings developed over the first three centuries, culminating in the earliest liturgies that have survived, and which form the basic liturgical structure of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom has been traced to the fourth century, and the liturgy of Saint Mark is even more ancient. Although these beautiful liturgies are based upon earlier forms, much change took place over the intervening three hundred years, and research into these early forms represents a valid area of theological study. Whilst it may be possible to identify a variety of factors contributing to this process of change, the leadership of Jesus in the first church of Jerusalem no doubt had the greatest impact on the subsequent development of Christian tradition. The principles and practices established during this formative period influenced the structure, liturgy, and mission of subsequent
Christian communities. The Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, as the direct historical descendant of this first church, continues to preserve and honour these traditions, as do those of us today who seek to rediscover the life, love, and community of the first Christian church.