The '''Service of the Bridegroom''' is an [[Orthros]] type service specific to the first three evenings of [[Holy Week]]and commemorates the last days in the earthly life of our Lord. They were sorrowful days because the purpose of the evil was to dispose of Jesus and rid His message for ever. The icon of Christ the Bridegroom is brought into the church wearing a crown of thorns and it remains in the church until Holy Thursday. These three In the services are chanted in anticipation we read and chant hymns telling us about the beginning of Christ’s the passion and anticipate His crucifixion and resurrection (or “Marriage” to the “Church”) – releasing of the passage from death to life. Each of these services Bridegroom service has its own particular theme.

==== :'''The Bridegroom icon ====''':The icon depicts Jesus dressed according to the mockery of the Roman guards just prior to his crucifixion.:*The crowns - The crown of thorns are a symbol of His marriage to the church.==== :'''The Hymn of the Bridegroom ===='''“Behold:''Behold, the Bridegroom cometh in the middle of the night, and blessed is that servant whom He shall find watching; and again unworthy is he ...”''

On '''Holy Monday''', the Blessed Joseph, the son of Jacob the Patriarch, is commemorated. Joseph because he is often seen as a prototype of Christ.  Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, thrown into a pit and sold into slavery by them. In the same way, our Lord was rejected, betrayed by His own, and sold into the slavery of death.  The Gospel reading for the day is '''The Barren Fig Tree''', which Christ cursed and withered because it bore no fruit. The fig tree is a parable of those who have heard God's word, but who fail to bear the fruit of obedience. Originally the withering of the fig tree was a testimony against those Jews who rejected God's word and His Messiah. However, it is also a warning to all people, in all times, of the importance of not only hearing the God's word, but putting it into action.