The Gospel procession is the moment during the Divine Liturgy when the priest or deacon carries the Book of the Gospels from the altar, through the congregation, and back to the sanctuary. It happens early in the service, after the Antiphons and before the reading of the Gospel itself.
You’ll see it coming. The deacon (or priest, if there’s no deacon) emerges from the Royal Doors holding the ornate Gospel Book high. Someone carries a candle ahead of him. They process down into the nave, right through the middle of us, then return to the altar. We bow as the Book passes. Some kiss it if they’re close enough.
This is called the Little Entrance. Not because it’s unimportant, but to distinguish it from the Great Entrance that comes later, when the bread and wine are carried to the altar.
Why we do this
The Gospel Book isn’t just a book. It’s treated as an icon of Christ himself. When we carry it in procession, we’re enacting Christ’s movement among his people. He walked through Galilee teaching. He entered villages and synagogues. He went out to the crowds on hillsides and lakeshores. The procession makes that visible again, right here in Beaumont on Sunday morning.
The candle carried before the Gospel means something too. Christ called himself the light of the world. His teaching illuminates. His words guide us out of darkness. So we carry light ahead of the Book, announcing what’s coming.
This isn’t just symbolism in the abstract sense. We believe something real happens when the Gospel is proclaimed in the Liturgy. Christ himself speaks. The procession prepares us for that moment. It says: pay attention, the King is entering his throne room to address his people.
What it means for us
If you’re used to a Baptist or non-denominational service, this might look unfamiliar. You’re accustomed to the pastor walking up to the pulpit with his Bible, maybe. That’s fine, but it doesn’t carry the same weight. The Orthodox procession says the Gospel isn’t just information to be downloaded into our heads. It’s an encounter with a Person.
The Book moves through the congregation because Christ came to us. God didn’t stay distant. The Incarnation means God walked among us, touched lepers, ate with tax collectors, taught fishermen. The procession reenacts that every Sunday.
And notice where the Book goes afterward. Back to the altar. Because the Word we hear will become flesh again in the Eucharist. The Liturgy of the Word leads to the Liturgy of the Faithful. First Christ teaches us, then he feeds us. It’s all one movement.
How it’s different from the Great Entrance
The Little Entrance carries the Gospel Book. The Great Entrance, which happens later during the Cherubic Hymn, carries the gifts of bread and wine. Both are processions, but they mean different things.
The Little Entrance shows Christ coming to teach and reveal the Father. The Great Entrance shows Christ moving toward his Passion, offering himself. One is about the Word proclaimed. The other is about the Word made flesh and given for our salvation.
Fr. Alexander Schmemann wrote about how the whole Liturgy is a journey. The Little Entrance is the beginning of that journey, when Christ calls us to follow him. By the time we reach the Great Entrance, we’re walking with him to Golgotha and beyond it to the Resurrection.
A practical note
The first time you see this, you might not know what to do. Just bow your head slightly as the Gospel passes. If you’re standing on the aisle and the deacon pauses near you, you can reach out and kiss the cover of the Book if you want. Don’t worry about getting it perfect. The point isn’t flawless execution. The point is recognizing Christ present among us.
After you’ve been Orthodox a while, that moment when the Gospel Book processes past you becomes one of the anchors of the week. You’re standing there after a long shift at the plant, or you’re worried about your kid, or you’re just tired. And here comes the Word of God, physically moving through the room, close enough to touch. It’s Christ saying: I’m here. I’m still teaching. I haven’t left you.
