25 May 2026

When I was a child, morning worship in the kirk began with what we called ‘The Little Entry’. The Beadle came out of the vestry carrying a large edition of the Authorised Version of the Bible,  ceremonially climbed  the pulpit steps, opened up the Bible gravely and returned to the vestry.

This was the cue for  the minister to enter the pulpit. He  opened our worship with a formal but striking, ‘Let us worship God.’ Our eyes had already been lifted up to God in ‘The Little Entry’ for it drew our attention away from mundane things to the living Word  and the transcendent God.

‘The Little Entry’ has its origins in the early Church and has been preserved in a much more elaborate form in the Orthodox Church. It was first observed by Egeria, a wealthy woman, who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land around 381AD and recorded it in a book.

The Holy Gospel Book sits on the altar behind the Royal Doors. It is carried in procession around the altar and  into the Church through the North Door. It is elevated so that it may be venerated by the people. It is then returned to the altar.

When the Holy Gospel is blessed by the priest, the deacon sings, ‘Wisdom! Let us stand straight.’ The purpose of this invitation is to encourage the congregation to become alert to what is going on and  attentive to the wisdom contained in the Gospels.

The journey from the altar through the North Door and back through the Royal Doors symbolises the journey which Jesus made in his  itinerant ministry. ‘The Little Entry’ symbolises the entry of Jesus at the start of his public life and the beginning of his preaching ministry.