One idea for sure about Christianity is we are ever moving ahead – sojourning toward the Kingdom of God. Christianity’s purpose is not to try to preserve some “Golden Age”- when Christ walked upon the earth. We are not trying simply to relive and re-enact those days. We do remember in the Church and the liturgical life is about remembering but it is always directed toward the kingdom which is to come. As St. Paul said:

“Brethren, . . . one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

Orthodox sometimes are tempted just to preserve the past, to treat the Church like a museum of antiquities. The Church however is the people of God striving for the Kingdom empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Church is always elevating us toward that Kingdom, it is not trying to constrain us by keeping our hearts in the past to avoid the problems of the present.

“To some, faithfulness to Christ is often identified with the uncritical preservation of institutions, customs, and traditions. For the lack of vision, the prophetic spirit decelerates and weakens. For the fear of change, the zeal for mission falters and wanes. As evangelical endeavors suffer from the spirit of complacency and accommodations, the faith community more and more becomes insular and protective of the status quo.” (Alkiviadis C. Calivas, Essays in Theology and Liturgy Volume Two: Challenges and Opportunities – The Church in Her Mission to the World, pgs. 7-8)

We do not follow Christ into the past, into the First Century, but rather we follow Him forward toward His Kingdom which is to come.