Homily for Dec 21, 2014
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Monthly Archives: January 2015
Homily for Dec 24, 2014
Homily for Jan 4, 2015
Homily for Jan 11, 2015
Homily for Jan 25, 2015
2/1 announcements
February 1, 2015
Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican
Forefeast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple
The theme of the fourth Sunday before Lent is HUMILITY and the Gospel lesson of the Publican and the Pharisee (Luke 18:10-14) is read. Here we are taught to avoid the arrogant thoughts of the Pharisee and to emulate the humble prayer of the Publican “God be merciful to me a sinner.”
II Timothy 3:10-15: In St Paul’s second letter to Timothy we are reminded that godliness will bring persecutions; and we are encouraged to continue doing those things that we have been taught so as to gain the wisdom that leads to salvation in Christ.
Luke 18:10-14: In the parable of the Pharisee and the tax-gatherer, Jesus teaches us that justification does not come to those who are proud and arrogant, but rather to those who are humble and repentant.
Troparion of the Resurrection: The stone being sealed by the Jews, and thy pure body being guarded by the soldiers, thou didst arise on the third day, O Saviour, granting life to the world. Wherefore, the heavenly powers acclaimed thee, O Giver of life, crying, Glory to thy Resurrection, O Christ! Glory to thy kingdom! Glory to thy gracious providence, O only Lover of mankind.
Troparion of the Forefeast of the Presentation: The Heavens’ choir looked down from the vaults of the Heavens and gazing on the earth, they beheld with amazement the First-born of all creation brought forth as a suckling babe to the Temple by a pure and virginal mother; and with us, they now do sing a hymn for the Forefeast, astonished and full of awe.
Troparion of the Chains of St. Peter: O Holy Apostle, Peter, thou dost preside over the Apostles by the precious chains which thou didst bear. We venerate them with faith and beseech thee that by thine intercessions we be granted the great mercy.
Kontakion of the Presentation: Thou, O Christ God, who by your Birth, didst sanctify the Virgin’s womb, and as is meet, didst bless Simeon’s arms, and didst also come to save us, preserve thy fold in wars, and confirm them whom thou didst love; for thou alone art the Lover of mankind.
CALENDAR
Sunday, February 1 (Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
5:30 p.m. — Youth Group
Monday, February 2 (Presentation of our Lord in the Temple)
Many years before the coming of Christ there lived a very pious and saintly man called Simeon. He was one of the most intelligent Jewish scholars of his day. Simeon prayed for the day that the Saviour would come and deliver all Israel (and the world) from sin. One evening while kneeling in prayer, Simeon heard the voice of God saying to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Holy Tradition tells us that Simeon waited many long years. Some Holy Fathers inform us that Simeon was over 150 years old when the Promise of God was fulfilled. The Holy Scriptures tell us that 40 days after the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ the Virgin Mary brought the Christ Child to the Temple for Presentation. It was a law that the first born son of a family should be offered to God and His service, as soon as a period of purification was past. It was here that Simeon waited patiently that day, as he had done for so many years. The Spirit of the Lord brought him to the baby Jesus. Simeon took the infant Child in his trembling hands and recited the following beautiful prayer which is recited in the Orthodox Church every evening during Vesper services:
“Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word.
For mine eyes have seen Thy Salvation which thou hast prepared before the
face of all peoples. A Light to enlighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of
thy people Israel.”
Thus the promise to the aged Simeon was finally fulfilled. The next day Simeon died in peace, thankful to Almighty God that he was honored to see the coming of Christ.
This custom has continued down to our own day for both male and female children, and every mother who brings her new-born child to Church on the fortieth day is remembering the Great Feast of the Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple.
6:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy (only)
Office Closed — Father John’s Day Off
7:00 p.m. — Dr. Veniamin’s Talk
Tuesday, February 3 (Simeon the God-receiver)
6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros
7:00 p.m. — Dr. Veniamin’s Talk
Wednesday, February 4
6:00 p.m. — Daily Vespers
7:00 p.m. — Dr. Veniamin’s Talk
Thursday, February 5
11:30 a.m. — Men’s Lunch
Friday, February 6
Saturday, February 7
5:45 p.m. — Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, February 8 (Sunday of the Prodigal Son)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
12:00 p.m. — Pot Luck Meal
5:00 p.m. — Young Adults
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by Fahmys for the Divine Liturgy today.
Please be reminded that the Sacristy/Vestry which is adjacent to and behind the altar in our church is considered by the Orthodox Church to be part of the Sanctuary (Altar area) and should not be entered without the blessing of the priest for a specific purpose. If you need to speak with a member of the clergy while they are in the Sanctuary, please ask them to come to you in the nave.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
February 1 Fahmy Karam/Stewart/Meadows
February 2 (Mon am) Wood Kh. Sharon Meadows
February 8 R. Root POT LUCK MEAL
SET-UP: Ellis/Zouboukos/Fahmy
February 14 (Sat am) Henderson
(Saturday of the Souls – Koliva: Abraham)
February 15 Algood Pigott/Brock/Strain
February 22 Katool Teens Cheesefare Fundraiser
Schedule for Epistle Readers – Page numbers refer to the Apostolos (book of the Epistles) located on the front pew. Please be sure to use this book when you read.
Reader Reading Page#
February 1 Phillip Lasseter II Tim. 3:10-15 258
February 2 (Mon am) Kh Sharon Meadows Heb. 7:7-17 371
February 8 Tom Skirtech I Cor. 6:12-20 265
February 14 (Sat am) David Turner I Cor. 10:23-26 271-272
February 15 Tom Willingham I Cor. 8:8-9:2 273
February 22 Walt Wood Rom. 13:11-14:4 279
Please be reminded of the following:
Be very careful with the Blessed Bread when you take it after communion. Because this bread has been blessed, we should take care not to let crumbs fall on the floor. Parents, especially, please help your children to choose a small piece and treat it carefully.
Also, at the end of the liturgy, maintain a prayerful disposition during the veneration of the cross as the prayers of thanksgiving after communion are still underway. Please exchange your greetings with each other in the Fellowship Hall during Coffee Hour.
Continue to pray for Metropolitan Paul (who is also the brother of our Patriarch) and the Syriac Archbishop John of Aleppo who were abducted while on a humanitarian mission in Syria.
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
Please remember the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit and Sammie; Georgia Buchanan, George Johns (Georgia’s grandson) and his family; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Fr. Stephen Tewfik; Sh. Gail Shannon; Dn. Sidney and Sh. Mary Elliot;
Walt and Charlotte Wood and their family; Tom and Jennifer Skirtech and their family; Tom and Kathy Willingham; Athena and Anthony Zouboukos and their family.
Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
* The Ladies of St. Peter will meet at 10:00 a.m. on the third Saturday this month to pray the Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children. Those who are able will go out for lunch and fellowship at La Brioche afterwards. We will not have our usual monthly Ladies Lunch on the fourth Tuesday this month due to the start of Great Lent.
* We will celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple with Divine Liturgy (only) TOMORROW morning, beginning at 6:00 a.m.
* Dr. Christopher Veniamin, Professor of Patristics at St. Tikhon Seminary will be speaking at St. Peter’s February 2-4, 2015.
* Youth Retreat at Roosevelt State Park, February 13-15th.
* The Teens will be holding their annual Cheesefare Meal to raise funds for the Youth Group on Sunday, February 22nd following the Divine Liturgy.
* Parish Creative Arts Festival – Saturday morning, February 28th from 9:00-12:00.
* Sunday of Orthodoxy vespers at St. Peter – March 1st, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
House Blessings! A sign-up sheet is available in the Fellowship Hall to sign up for your house blessing. You may also e-mail Father John at frjohnc@bellsouth.net with 3 dates for your blessing. Please schedule these as soon as possible. Everyone should have their home blessed. However, the responsibility for scheduling lies with individuals and not with Father John. No house blessings will be done once Great Lent starts (February 23rd this year).
Young Adults Study Group: The Young Adults agreed to begin meeting twice a month. One of these meetings will feature a teaching by Fr. John on various aspects of the Orthodox Christian faith. Topics will include education, ethics and parenting children. The next meetings will be Sunday, March 8th and 22nd.
Dr. Christopher Veniamin, Professor of Patristics at St. Tikhon Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania, will visit St. Peter’s February 1-4, 2015. He will speak at our church on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. His topic will be “The Orthodox Understanding of Salvation.” We are priviledged to have a man of Dr. Veniamin’s stature with us. This promises to be a most edifying and instructive time for our church.
Lower Mississippi Valley Teen Retreat: The Teen Retreat will be February 13-15, 2015 at Roosevelt State Park. The speaker for the retreat will be Heiromonk Benedict (Josuah Armitage). His topic will be “Dealing with Doubts about God.” We are very excited to have Fr. Benedict come to address this important topic with our teens! Be sure to mark your calendars now.
Pledge Letters were mailed this week. Please fill these out and return them to the office as soon as possible. Your pledges make it possible to plan a budget for the coming year.
The letters confirming your non-taxable donations for 2014 were also mailed. If you do not receive your letter in the mail within the next week, please contact Kh. Sharon.
Parish Creative Arts Festival: The Christian Education classes will have a festival to work on their entries for this year’s Creative Arts Festival on Saturday morning, February 28th from 9:00a.m. – 12:00 p.m. There will be teaching about this year’s conference theme and then time to work on the projects themselves. Please make plans for your children to attend.
We will be hosting the Sunday of Orthodoxy vespers this year on Sunday evening, March 1st, beginning at 6:00 p.m. St. Peter will provide Pot Luck refreshments afterwards. As a result, we will NOT have our regularly scheduled Pot Luck Meal on March 8th.
Camp St. Thekla is filling up fast. If you are interested in having your child participate, please see Father John as soon as possible. Scholarship forms are available in the church office, but they must be turned in before March 1st.
Parish Life Conference 2015: This year St. Ignatius Orthodox Church in Franklin, TN will be hosting the Parish Life Conference for our Diocese on June 10-14. His Grace, Bishop JOHN Abdallah will be the speaker. Registration forms are available in the office or you can go online at www.saint-ignatius.org to register. The Conference will take place at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs and last day to book the special conference rate is May 20th.
Suggestions on use of the Cry Room:
— Please remember you’re in liturgy when you’re in the cry room.
— Its main purpose should be a place for parents to take their children if they’re being disruptive during liturgy, staying for 5-10 minutes (or until the child is calmed down) and then returning to liturgy.
— It should not be used as a main sitting area during the liturgy.
— Children should not be eating snacks or watching electronic devices while in the cry room.
Thermostats in the Fellowship Hall: There are two thermostats in the Fellowship Hall—one in the main room to control the air in the main room, and a second one in the Nursery room that controls the air in all four of the Sunday School rooms. Please be sure when you leave the building that both thermostats are set to 80 degrees in warm weather or 60 degrees in cold weather.
Fasting Discipline for February
The traditional fasting (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays of the month. Following Meatfare Sunday (February 15th) meat will not be eaten again until Pascha. During the week following Meatfare Sunday, dairy products (milk, cheese, eggs, etc.) are permitted, even on Wednesday and Friday. February 22nd is Cheesefare Sunday, the last day that dairy and wine are permitted. Monday, February 23rd is Clean Monday, the first day of Great Lent when the traditional fasting discipline is observed on all days of the week until Pascha (except Annunciation on March 25th and Palm Sunday on April 5th, when fish wine and oil are permitted).
Major Commemorations for February
February 1 Sunday of the Pharisee and the Publican
February 2 Presentation of our Lord in the Temple
February 3 Simeon the God-receiver
February 8 Sunday of the Prodigal Son
February 10 Hieromartyr Haralampos
February 11 Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste
February 14 Saturday of the Souls
February 15 Meatfare Sunday
February 22 Cheesefare Sunday
February 23 Clean Monday [Great Lent begins]
February 24 The Forerunner (1st and 2nd discoveries)
Parents, please supervise your children with food in the Fellowship Hall. We are getting stains on the new carpet (and also the chairs in the nave).
Happy Birthdays in February:
February 5 — Andrei Anicescu
February 11 — Demetrius Zouboukos
February 13 — Clyde Ellis
February 15 — Mary Guy Lockhart
February 17 — Anthony Zouboukos
February 18 — Tom Willingham
February 22 — Kh. Sharon Meadows
February 24 — Nimr Fahmy
February 28 — Cole Parker (#10!)
Happy Anniversaries in February:
February 7 — Ben and Meghan Brock (#6!)
February 18 — David and Lou Turner (#9!)
February 21 — Michael and Amy Surratt (#17!)
February 25 — Daniel and Elizabeth Root (#9!)
Quotable: “When inner prayer gains power, then it will control oral prayer, gaining dominion over external prayer and even absorbing it. As a result, the zeal of prayer will take fire, because then Paradise will be in the soul. If you content yourself with exterior prayer alone, you may cool in the work of prayer, even if you practice it with attention and understanding. The principal thing in prayer is a feeling heart.”
St. Theophan the Recluse
from The Art of Prayer compiled by Igumen Chariton of Valamo
Worship: Sunday, February 8, 2015 (Sunday of the Prodigal Son; Sunday after the
Presentation of our Lord in the Temple)
Scripture: I Corinthians 6:12-20; Luke 15:11-32
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Tom Skirtech
Prosphora: R. Root
Coffee Hour: POT LUCK MEAL
(Set-up: Ellis/Zouboukos/Fahmy)
1/25 announcements
January 25, 2015
Commemoration of St. Gregory the Theologian
Hebrews 7:26-28; 8:1-2: We read in Hebrews that priests of the New Covenant serve as representatives of the Great High Priest, Jesus Christ.
Luke 19:1-10: In the story of Zaccheus we are reminded of why the Only-begotten Son of the
Father became incarnate: to save mankind from our sin and its consequences.
Troparion of the Resurrection: O compassionate One, thou didst descend from the heights; thou didst submit to the three-day burial, that thou might deliver us from passion. Thou art our Life and our Resurrection, O Lord, glory to thee.
Troparion of our Holy Father, Gregory the Theologian: The pastoral psalter of thy discourse in theology triumphed over the trumpets of orators and overcame it; for having sought the depth of the Spirit, there was also vouchsafed to thee excellence of speech, O Father Gregory. Wherefore, intercede with Christ God to save our souls.
Troparion of the Chains of St. Peter: O Holy Apostle, Peter, thou dost preside over the Apostles by the precious chains which thou didst bear. We venerate them with faith and beseech thee that by thine intercessions we be granted the great mercy.
Kontakion of the Presentation: Thou, O Christ God, who by your Birth, didst sanctify the Virgin’s womb, and as is meet, didst bless Simeon’s arms, and didst also come to save us, preserve thy fold in wars, and confirm them whom thou didst love; for thou alone art the Lover of mankind.
CALENDAR
Sunday, January 25 (Gregory the Theologian)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
5:00 p.m. — Young Adults
Monday, January 26
Office Closed — Father John’s Day Off
Tuesday, January 27 (John Chrysostom)
6:00 a.m. — Festal Orthros
11:30 a.m. — Ladies Lunch
Wednesday, January 28
6:30 p.m. — Daily Vespers
7:30 p.m. — Choir Practice
7:30 p.m. — Parish Council meeting
Thursday, January 29
Friday, January 30 (The Three Hierarchs)
Saturday, January 31 (Cyros and John the Unmercenary Healers)
5:45 p.m. — Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, February 1 (Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
5:30 p.m. — Youth Group
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by Brocks for the Divine Liturgy today.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
January 25 Brock Henderson/Baker/Lockhart
February 1 Fahmy Karam/Stewart/Meadows
February 2 (Mon am) Wood Kh. Sharon Meadows
February 8 R. Root POT LUCK MEAL
SET-UP: Ellis/Zouboukos/Fahmy
February 14 (Sat am) Henderson
(Saturday of the Souls – Koliva: Abraham)
February 15 Algood Pigott/Brock/Strain
February 22 Katool Teens Cheesefare Fundraiser
Please be reminded that the Sacristy/Vestry which is adjacent to and behind the altar in our church is considered by the Orthodox Church to be part of the Sanctuary (Altar area) and should not be entered without the blessing of the priest for a specific purpose. If you need to speak with a member of the clergy while they are in the Sanctuary, please ask them to come to you in the nave.
Schedule for Epistle Readers – Page numbers refer to the Apostolos (book of the Epistles) located on the front pew. Please be sure to use this book when you read.
Reader Reading Page#
January 25 Mildred Morris Heb. 7:26-8:2 334
February 1 Phillip Lasseter Heb. 13:7-16 365
February 2 (Mon am) Kh Sharon Meadows Heb. 7:7-17 371
February 8 Tom Skirtech I Cor. 6:12-20 265
February 14 (Sat am) David Turner I Cor. 10:23-26 271-272
February 15 Tom Willingham I Cor. 8:8-9:2 273
February 22 Walt Wood Rom. 13:11-14:4 279
Please be reminded of the following:
Be very careful with the Blessed Bread when you take it after communion. Because this bread has been blessed, we should take care not to let crumbs fall on the floor. Parents, especially, please help your children to choose a small piece and treat it carefully.
Also, at the end of the liturgy, maintain a prayerful disposition during the veneration of the cross as the prayers of thanksgiving after communion are still underway. Please exchange your greetings with each other in the Fellowship Hall during Coffee Hour.
Continue to pray for Metropolitan Paul (who is also the brother of our Patriarch) and the Syriac Archbishop John of Aleppo who were abducted while on a humanitarian mission in Syria.
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.
Please remember the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit and Sammie; Georgia Buchanan, George Johns (Georgia’s grandson) and his family; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Fr. Stephen Tewfik; Sh. Gail Shannon; Dn. Sidney and Sh. Mary Elliot;
Walt and Charlotte Wood and their family; Tom and Jennifer Skirtech and their family; Tom and Kathy Willingham; Athena and Anthony Zouboukos and their family.
Congratulations to Noah and Beth Pappas (and also to grandparents, Reader Basil and Brenda Baker) on the baptism of their son Anthony this past week!
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
* The Ladies of St. Peter will meet at 10:00 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month to pray the Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children. Those who are able will go out for lunch and fellowship afterwards.
* We will celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple with Divine Liturgy (only) on Monday morning, February 2nd, beginning at 6:00 a.m.
* Dr. Christopher Veniamin, Professor of Patristics at St. Tikhon Seminary will be speaking at St. Peter’s February 1-4, 2015.
* Youth Retreat at Roosevelt State Park, February 13-15th.
House Blessings! A sign-up sheet is available in the Fellowship Hall to sign up for your house blessing. You may also e-mail Father John at frjohnc@bellsouth.net with 3 dates for your blessing. Please schedule these as soon as possible. Everyone should have their home blessed. However, the responsibility for scheduling lies with individuals and not with Father John. No house blessings will be done once Great Lent starts (February 23rd this year).
Young Adults Study Group: The Young Adults agreed to begin meeting twice a month. One of these meetings will feature a teaching by Fr. John on various aspects of the Orthodox Christian faith. Topics will include education, ethics and parenting children. The next meeting will be Sunday, February 8th.
Dr. Christopher Veniamin, Professor of Patristics at St. Tikhon Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania, will visit St. Peter’s February 1-4, 2015. He will speak at our church on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. His topic will be “The Orthodox Understanding of Salvation.” We are priviledged to have a man of Dr. Veniamin’s stature with us. This promises to be a most edifying and instructive time for our church. Please put these dates on your calendar and plan to be here. Fliers are available on the table in the Hallway with information about Dr. Veniamin and his talks.
Pledge Letters will be mailed this week. Please fill these out and return them to the office as soon as possible. Your pledges make it possible to plan a budget for the coming year.
Lower Mississippi Valley Teen Retreat: The Teen Retreat will be February 13-15, 2015 at Roosevelt State Park. The speaker for the retreat will be Heiromonk Benedict (Josuah Armitage). His topic will be “Dealing with Doubts about God.” We are very excited to have Fr. Benedict come to address this important topic with our teens! Be sure to mark your calendars now.
The letters confirming your non-taxable donations for 2014 will also be mailed very shortly. If you do not receive your letter in the mail within the next 7-10 days, please contact Kh. Sharon.
Fasting Discipline for January
The traditional fasting (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed on the remaining Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.
Major Commemorations for January
January 25 Gregory the Theologian
January 27 John Chrysostom
January 31 Cyros and John the Unmercenary Healers
Parents, please supervise your children with food in the Fellowship Hall. We are getting stains on the new carpet (and also the chairs in the nave).
Happy Anniversaries in January:
January 10 — Bob and Georgia Buchanan (#28!)
January 17 — Chris and Rebecca Dansereau (#6!)
January 19 — Ramzi and Jean Kafoury (#12!)
Happy Birthdays in January:
January 1 — Dn. Richard Root
January 5 — Sarah Anne Milnor
January 10 — Georgia Buchanan
January 11 — Nicholas Henderson
January 12 — Cheryl Pigott
January 13 — Nader Dabit
January 19 — Saliba (Sam) Dabit
January 20 — Alfred Katool
January 22 — Tatiana Lavric
January 24 — Oliver Yeatts
January 26 — Jay Davis
January 29 — Michelle Pigott
January 30 — Chris Dansereau
Thermostats in the Fellowship Hall: There are two thermostats in the Fellowship Hall—one in the main room to control the air in the main room, and a second one in the Nursery room that controls the air in all four of the Sunday School rooms. Please be sure when you leave the building that both thermostats are set to 80 degrees in warm weather or 60 degrees in cold weather.
Suggestions on use of the Cry Room:
— Please remember you’re in liturgy when you’re in the cry room.
— Its main purpose should be a place for parents to take their children if they’re being disruptive during liturgy, staying for 5-10 minutes (or until the child is calmed down) and then returning to liturgy.
— It should not be used as a main sitting area during the liturgy.
— Children should not be eating snacks or watching electronic devices while in the cry room.
Quotable: “You have probably heard such words as: oral prayer, mental prayer, prayer of the heart; you may also have heard discussions about each of them separately. What is the cause of this division of prayer into parts? Because it happens that sometimes through our negligence the tongue recites the holy words of prayer, but the mind wanders elsewhere: or the mind understands the words of the prayer, but the heart does not responds to them by feeling. In the first case prayer is only oral, and is not prayer at all, in the second, mental prayer joins the oral, but this prayer is still imperfect and incomplete. Complete and real prayer comes only when the prayer of word and thought is joined by prayer of feeling.
Spiritual or inner prayer comes when he who prays, after gathering his mind within his heart, from there directs his prayer to God in words no longer oral but silent: glorifying Him and giving thanks, confessing his sins with contrition before God, and asking from Him the spiritual and physical blessings that he needs. You must pray not only with words but with the mind, and not only with the mind but with the heart, so that the mind understands clearly what is said in words, and the heart feels what the mind is thinking. All these combined together constitute real prayer, and if any of them are absent your prayer is either not perfect, or is not prayer at all.”
St. Theophan the Recluse
from The Art of Prayer compiled by Igumen Chariton of Valamo
Worship: Sunday, February 1, 2015 (Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee; Pre-
Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple)
Scripture: Hebrews 13:7-16; Luke 18:10-14
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Phillip Lasseter
Prosphora: Fahmy
Coffee Hour: Karam/Stewart/Meadows
1/18 announcements
January 18, 2015
Commemoration of Sts. Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria
Hebrews 13:7-16: St Paul encourages us in his letter to the Hebrews, reminding us of the unchanging nature of Jesus Christ, Who has sanctified us through His own blood.
Luke 17:12-19: In the reading from St Luke we see the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ as He heals ten lepers, only one of whom thanks the Lord for being healed.
Troparion of the Resurrection: Thou didst shatter death by thy Cross; thou didst open paradise to the thief; thou didst turn the mourning of the ointment-bearing women into joy, and didst bid thine Apostles proclaim warning that thou hast risen, O Christ, granting the world Great Mercy.
Troparion of Sts. Athanasius and Cyril: With work of Orthodoxy, ye shone forth and extinguished wicked opinion, becoming triumphant and clothed with victory. And having enriched all with true worship, and adorned the Church with great adornment. Athanasius and wise Cyril, ye worthily found Christ God, granting to all, through your prayers, the Great Mercy.
Troparion of the Chains of St. Peter: O Holy Apostle, Peter, thou dost preside over the Apostles by the precious chains which thou didst bear. We venerate them with faith and beseech thee that by thine intercessions we be granted the great mercy.
Kontakion of the Presentation: Thou, O Christ God, who by your Birth, didst sanctify the Virgin’s womb, and as is meet, didst bless Simeon’s arms, and didst also come to save us, preserve thy fold in wars, and confirm them whom thou didst love; for thou alone art the Lover of mankind.
CALENDAR
Sunday, January 18 (Sts. Athanasius & Cyril of Alexandria)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
5:30 p.m. — Youth Group
Monday, January 19
Office Closed — Father John’s Day Off
Tuesday, January 20 (Euthymios the Great)
6:00 a.m. — Festal Orthros
Wednesday, January 21
6:30 p.m. — Daily Vespers
7:30 p.m. — Choir Practice
Thursday, January 22
Friday, January 23
Saturday, January 24
5:45 p.m. — Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, January 25 (Gregory the Theologian)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
5:00 p.m. — Young Adults
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Abrahams for the Feast of the Veneration of the Chains of St. Peter this past Thursday evening and by the Karams for the Divine Liturgy today.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
January 18 Karam Schelver/Lavric/Turner
January 25 Brock Henderson/Baker/Lockhart
February 1 Fahmy Karam/Stewart/Meadows
February 2 (Mon am) Wood Kh. Sharon Meadows
February 8 R. Root POT LUCK MEAL
SET-UP: Ellis/Zouboukos/Fahmy
February 14 (Sat am) Henderson
(Saturday of the Souls – Koliva: Abraham)
February 15 Algood Pigott/Brock/Strain
February 22 Katool Teens Cheesefare Fundraiser
Please be reminded that the Sacristy/Vestry which is adjacent to and behind the altar in our church is considered by the Orthodox Church to be part of the Sanctuary (Altar area) and should not be entered without the blessing of the priest for a specific purpose. If you need to speak with a member of the clergy while they are in the Sanctuary, please ask them to come to you in the nave.
Schedule for Epistle Readers – Page numbers refer to the Apostolos (book of the Epistles) located on the front pew. Please be sure to use this book when you read.
Reader Reading Page#
January 18 Warren Strain Heb. 13:7-16 365
January 25 Mildred Morris Heb. 7:26-8:2 334
February 1 Phillip Lasseter Heb. 13:7-16 365
February 2 (Mon am) Kh Be’Be’ Schelver Heb. 7:7-17 371
February 8 Tom Skirtech I Cor. 6:12-20 265
February 14 (Sat am) David Turner I Cor. 10:23-26 271-272
February 15 Tom Willingham I Cor. 8:8-9:2 273
February 22 Walt Wood Rom. 13:11-14:4 279
Please be reminded of the following:
Be very careful with the Blessed Bread when you take it after communion. Because this bread has been blessed, we should take care not to let crumbs fall on the floor. Parents, especially, please help your children to choose a small piece and treat it carefully.
Also, at the end of the liturgy, maintain a prayerful disposition during the veneration of the cross as the prayers of thanksgiving after communion are still underway. Please exchange your greetings with each other in the Fellowship Hall during Coffee Hour.
Continue to pray for Metropolitan Paul (who is also the brother of our Patriarch) and the Syriac Archbishop John of Aleppo who were abducted while on a humanitarian mission in Syria.
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.
Please remember the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit and Sammie; Georgia Buchanan, George Johns (Georgia’s grandson) and his family; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Fr. Stephen Tewfik; Sh. Gail Shannon; Dn. Sidney and Sh. Mary Elliot;
Walt and Charlotte Wood and their family; Tom and Jennifer Skirtech and their family; Tom and Kathy Willingham; Athena and Anthony Zouboukos and their family.
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
* The Ladies of St. Peter will meet at 10:00 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month to pray the Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children. Those who are able will go out for lunch and fellowship afterwards.
* Dr. Christopher Veniamin, Professor of Patristics at St. Tikhon Seminary will be speaking at St. Peter’s February 1-4, 2015.
* Youth Retreat at Roosevelt State Park, February 13-15th.
House Blessings! A sign-up sheet is available in the Fellowship Hall to sign up for your house blessing. You may also e-mail Father John at frjohnc@bellsouth.net with 3 dates for your blessing. Please schedule these as soon as possible. Everyone should have their home blessed. However, the responsibility for scheduling lies with individuals and not with Father John. No house blessings will be done once Great Lent starts (February 23rd this year).
Young Adults Study Group: The Young Adults agreed to begin meeting twice a month. One of these meetings will feature a teaching by Fr. John on various aspects of the Orthodox Christian faith. Topics will include education, ethics and parenting children. The next meetings will be Sunday, January 25th and February 8th.
Dr. Christopher Veniamin, Professor of Patristics at St. Tikhon Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania, will visit St. Peter’s February 1-4, 2015. He will speak at our church on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. His topic will be “The Orthodox Understanding of Salvation.” We are priviledged to have a man of Dr. Veniamin’s stature with us. This promises to be a most edifying and instructive time for our church. Please put these dates on your calendar and plan to be here.
Lower Mississippi Valley Teen Retreat: The Teen Retreat will be February 13-15, 2015 at Roosevelt State Park. The speaker for the retreat will be Heiromonk Benedict (Josuah Armitage). His topic will be “Dealing with Doubts about God.” We are very excited to have Fr. Benedict come to address this important topic with our teens! Be sure to mark your calendars now.
Fasting Discipline for January
The traditional fasting (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed on the remaining Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.
Major Commemorations for January
January 18 Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria
January 20 Euthymios the Great
January 25 Gregory the Theologian
January 27 John Chrysostom
January 31 Cyros and John the Unmercenary Healers
Parents, please supervise your children with food in the Fellowship Hall. We are getting stains on the new carpet (and also the chairs in the nave).
Happy Anniversaries in January:
January 10 — Bob and Georgia Buchanan (#28!)
January 17 — Chris and Rebecca Dansereau (#6!)
January 19 — Ramzi and Jean Kafoury (#12!)
Happy Birthdays in January:
January 1 — Dn. Richard Root
January 5 — Sarah Anne Milnor
January 10 — Georgia Buchanan
January 11 — Nicholas Henderson
January 12 — Cheryl Pigott
January 13 — Nader Dabit
January 19 — Saliba (Sam) Dabit
January 20 — Alfred Katool
January 22 — Tatiana Lavric
January 24 — Oliver Yeatts
January 26 — Jay Davis
January 29 — Michelle Pigott
January 30 — Chris Dansereau
Thermostats in the Fellowship Hall: There are two thermostats in the Fellowship Hall—one in the main room to control the air in the main room, and a second one in the Nursery room that controls the air in all four of the Sunday School rooms. Please be sure when you leave the building that both thermostats are set to 80 degrees in warm weather or 60 degrees in cold weather.
Suggestions on use of the Cry Room:
— Please remember you’re in liturgy when you’re in the cry room.
— Its main purpose should be a place for parents to take their children if they’re being disruptive during liturgy, staying for 5-10 minutes (or until the child is calmed down) and then returning to liturgy.
— It should not be used as a main sitting area during the liturgy.
— Children should not be eating snacks or watching electronic devices while in the cry room.
Quotable: “There is prayer which man himself makes; and there is prayer which God Himself gives to him who prays (I Kings ii.9: Sept.) Who is there who does not know the first? And you must also know the second, at least at its inception. Anyone wishing to approach the Lord will first approach Him by prayer. He begins to go to church and to pray at home, with the help of a prayer book or without. But thoughts keep running away. He cannot manage to control them. All the same, the more he strives to pray, the more thoughts will quieten down, and the purer prayer will become. But the atmosphere of the soul is not purified until a small spiritual flame is kindled in the soul. This flame is the work of the grace of God; not a special grace, but one common to all. This flame appears when a man has attained a certain measure of purity in the general moral order of his life. When this small flame is kindled, or a permanent warmth is formed in the heart, the ferment of thoughts is stilled.”
St. Theophan the Recluse
from The Art of Prayer compiled by Igumen Chariton of Valamo
Worship: Sunday, January 25, 2015 (St. Gregory the Theologian)
Scripture: Hebrews 7:26-8:2; Luke 19:1-10
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Mildred Morris
Prosphora: Brock
Coffee Hour: Henderon/Baker/Lockhart
1/11 announcements
January 11, 2015
Sunday after Theophany
Theodosius the Great, Head of Monasteries
Hebrews 13:7-16: St Paul encourages us in his letter to the Hebrews, reminding us of the unchanging nature of Jesus Christ, Who has sanctified us through His own blood.
Matthew 4:12-17: Jesus settles in Capernaum after the imprisonment of John the Baptist and there began His public ministry, preaching a gospel of repentance.
Troparion of the Resurrection: When Mary stood at thy grave looking for thy sacred body, angelic powers shone above thy revered tomb, and the soldiers who were to keep guard became as dead men. Thou led hades captive and wast not tempted thereby. Thou didst meet the Virgin and didst give life to the world; O thou who art risen from the dead! O Lord, glory to thee.
Troparion of Theophany: By thy baptism, O Lord, in the River Jordan, worship to the Trinity has made its appearance; for the voice of the Lord didst come forth to thee with the testimony, naming thee beloved Son; and the Spirit in the likeness of a dove, confirming the truth of the word. Wherefore, O thou who didst appear and light the world, glory to thee.
Troparion of St. Theodosius: The barren wilderness thou didst make fertile with the streams of thy tears and by thy deep sighing thou hast given fruit through thy struggles a hundred-fold. Accordingly, thou hast become a star for the universe, sparkling with miracles. Therefore, O righteous Father Theodosius, intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.
Troparion of the Chains of St. Peter: O Holy Apostle, Peter, thou dost preside over the Apostles by the precious chains which thou didst bear. We venerate them with faith and beseech thee that by thine intercessions we be granted the great mercy.
Kontakion of Theophany: Today thou hast appeared to the universe, O Lord, and thy light hast been shed upon us, who praise thee with knowledge, saying, Thou hast come and appeared, O unapproachable Light.
CALENDAR
Sunday, January 11 (Sunday after Theophany)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
4:00 p.m. — Blessing of the Waters at the Reservoir
Monday, January 12
Office Closed — Father John’s Day Off
Tuesday, January 13
6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros
Wednesday, January 14
6:30 p.m. — Daily Vespers
7:30 p.m. — Choir Practice
Thursday, January 15
6:00 p.m. — Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy
Friday, January 16 (Veneration of the Chains of St. Peter)
Saturday, January 17
8:30 a.m. — Workday at the Church
5:45 p.m. — Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, January 4 (Sts. Athanasius & Cyril of Alexandria)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
5:00 p.m. — Young Adults
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Davises for the Feast of Theophany this past Monday evening and by the Daniel Roots for the Divine Liturgy today.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
January 11 D. Root R. Root/Abraham/Habeeb
January 15 (Thurs pm) Abraham Anastasia Jones
(Feast of the Chains of St. Peter)
January 18 Karam Schelver/Lavric/Turner
January 25 Brock Henderson/Baker/Lockhart
Please be reminded that the Sacristy/Vestry which is adjacent to and behind the altar in our church is considered by the Orthodox Church to be part of the Sanctuary (Altar area) and should not be entered without the blessing of the priest for a specific purpose. If you need to speak with a member of the clergy while they are in the Sanctuary, please ask them to come to you in the nave.
Schedule for Epistle Readers – Page numbers refer to the Apostolos (book of the Epistles) located on the front pew. Please be sure to use this book when you read.
Reader Reading Page#
January 11 Sh. Charlotte Algood Heb. 13:7-16 365
January 15 (Thurs pm) Kh. Sharon Meadows Acts 12:1-11 50-51
January 18 Warren Strain Heb. 13:7-16 365
January 25 Mildred Morris Heb. 7:26-8:2 334
Please be reminded of the following:
Be very careful with the Blessed Bread when you take it after communion. Because this bread has been blessed, we should take care not to let crumbs fall on the floor. Parents, especially, please help your children to choose a small piece and treat it carefully.
Also, at the end of the liturgy, maintain a prayerful disposition during the veneration of the cross as the prayers of thanksgiving after communion are still underway. Please exchange your greetings with each other in the Fellowship Hall during Coffee Hour.
Continue to pray for Metropolitan Paul (who is also the brother of our Patriarch) and the Syriac Archbishop John of Aleppo who were abducted while on a humanitarian mission in Syria.
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.
Please remember the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit and Sammie; Georgia Buchanan, George Johns (Georgia’s grandson) and his family; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Fr. Stephen Tewfik; Sh. Gail Shannon; Dn. Sidney and Sh. Mary Elliot;
Walt and Charlotte Wood and their family; Tom and Jennifer Skirtech and their family; Tom and Kathy Willingham; Athena and Anthony Zouboukos and their family.
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
* The Ladies of St. Peter will meet at 10:00 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month to pray the Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children. Those who are able will go out for lunch and fellowship afterwards.
* As is our custom, we will hold the Annual Blessing of the Water at Old Trace Park at the Ross Barnett Reservoir with the other Orthodox Churches in the area TODAY, beginning at 4:00 p.m. Those who are interested will go to Cock of the Walk for supper afterwards.
* We will celebrate our patronal feast of the Veneration of the Chains of St. Peter on Thursday evening, January 15th with Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
* Dr. Christopher Veniamin, Professor of Patristics at St. Tikhon Seminary will be speaking at St. Peter’s February 1-4, 2015.
House Blessings! A sign-up sheet is available in the Fellowship Hall to sign up for your house blessing. You may also e-mail Father John at frjohnc@bellsouth.net with 3 dates for your blessing. Please schedule these as soon as possible. Everyone should have their home blessed. However, the responsibility for scheduling lies with individuals and not with Father John. No house blessings will be done once Great Lent starts (February 23rd this year).
Young Adults Study Group: The Young Adults agreed to begin meeting twice a month. One of these meetings will feature a teaching by Fr. John on various aspects of the Orthodox Christian faith. Topics will include education, ethics and parenting children. The next meetings will be Sunday, January 25th and February 8th.
Dr. Christopher Veniamin, Professor of Patristics at St. Tikhon Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania, will visit St. Peter’s February 1-4, 2015. He will speak at our church on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. His topic will be “The Orthodox Understanding of Salvation.” We are priviledged to have a man of Dr. Veniamin’s stature with us. This promises to be a most edifying and instructive time for our church. Please put these dates on your calendar and plan to be here.
Fasting Discipline for January
The traditional fasting (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed on the remaining Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.
Major Commemorations for January
January11 Theodosios the Head of Monasteries
January 18 Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria
January 20 Euthymios the Great
January 25 Gregory the Theologian
January 27 John Chrysostom
January 31 Cyros and John the Unmercenary Healers
Lower Mississippi Valley Teen Retreat: The Teen Retreat will be February 13-15, 2015 at Roosevelt State Park. The speaker for the retreat will be Heiromonk Benedict (Josuah Armitage). His topic will be “Dealing with Doubts about God.” We are very excited to have Fr. Benedict come to address this important topic with our teens! Be sure to mark your calendars now.
Parents, please supervise your children with food in the Fellowship Hall. We are getting stains on the new carpet (and also the chairs in the nave).
Happy Anniversaries in January:
January 10 — Bob and Georgia Buchanan (#28!)
January 17 — Chris and Rebecca Dansereau (#6!)
January 19 — Ramzi and Jean Kafoury (#12!)
Happy Birthdays in January:
January 1 — Dn. Richard Root
January 5 — Sarah Anne Milnor
January 10 — Georgia Buchanan
January 11 — Nicholas Henderson
January 12 — Cheryl Pigott
January 13 — Nader Dabit
January 19 — Saliba (Sam) Dabit
January 20 — Alfred Katool
January 22 — Tatiana Lavric
January 24 — Oliver Yeatts
January 26 — Jay Davis
January 29 — Michelle Pigott
January 30 — Chris Dansereau
Thermostats in the Fellowship Hall: There are two thermostats in the Fellowship Hall—one in the main room to control the air in the main room, and a second one in the Nursery room that controls the air in all four of the Sunday School rooms. Please be sure when you leave the building that both thermostats are set to 80 degrees in warm weather or 60 degrees in cold weather.
Suggestions on use of the Cry Room:
— Please remember you’re in liturgy when you’re in the cry room.
— Its main purpose should be a place for parents to take their children if they’re being disruptive during liturgy, staying for 5-10 minutes (or until the child is calmed down) and then returning to liturgy.
— It should not be used as a main sitting area during the liturgy.
— Children should not be eating snacks or watching electronic devices while in the cry room.
Quotable: “We may distinguish three stages:
1. The habit of ordinary oral prayer in church and at home.
2. The union of prayerful thoughts and feelings with the mind and heart.
3. Unceasing prayer.
The Jesus Prayer may go with both of the first two, but its real place is with unceasing prayer. The principal condition for success in prayer is the purification of the heart from passions and from every attachment to things sensual. Without this, prayer will remain all the time in the first or oral degree. The more the heart is purified, the more oral prayer will become of the mind in the heart, and when the heart becomes quite pure, then unceasing prayer will be established. How can this be done? In church, follow the service and retain the thoughts and feelings which you experience there. At home, awake in yourself the thought and feeling of prayer, and maintain them in your soul with the help of the Jesus Prayer.”
St. Theophan the Recluse
from The Art of Prayer compiled by Igumen Chariton of Valamo
Worship: Sunday, January 18, 2015 (Sts. Athanasius & Cyril of Alexandria)
Scripture: Hebrews 13:7-16; Luke 17:12-19
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Warren Strain
Prosphora: Karam
Coffee Hour: Schelver/Lavric/Turner
1/4 announcements
January 4, 2015
Sunday before Theophany
II Timothy 4:5-8: St Paul encourages Timothy to persevere in his calling, knowing that our perseverance in the battle before us will be rewarded with the crown of righteousness.
Mark 1:1-8: From the Gospel of St Mark we hear how John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus’ public ministry by calling for the people to repent from their sins and be baptized.
Troparion of the Resurrection: Let us believers praise and worship the Word, co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, born of the Virgin for our salvation; for he took pleasure in ascending the Cross in the flesh, to suffer death, and to raise the dead by his glorious Resurrection.
Troparion of the Forefeast of Theophany: Make ready, O Zebulon, and prepare, O Nephtali, and thou, River Jordan, cease thy flow and receive with joy the Master coming to be baptized. And thou, Adam, rejoice with the first mother, and hide not yourselves as ye did of old in paradise; for having seen thee naked, He appeared to clothe thee with the first robe. Yea, Christ hath appeared desiring to renew the whole creation.
Troparion of the Chains of St. Peter: O Holy Apostle, Peter, thou dost preside over the Apostles by the precious chains which thou didst bear. We venerate them with faith and beseech thee that by thine intercessions we be granted the great mercy.
Kontakion of the Forefeast of Theophany: Today hath the Lord appeared in the courses of the Jordan, crying to John and saying, Be not dismayed at my Baptism; for I have come to save Adam, the first to be created.
CALENDAR
Sunday, January 4 (Sunday before Theophany)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
5:00 p.m. — Young Adults
Monday, January 5 [STRICT FAST DAY]
Office Closed — Father John’s Day Off
6:00 a.m. — Royal Hours
6:00 p.m. — Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy
Tuesday, January 6 (Theophany)
This Feast Day is one of the greatest days of the Christian year. In English, we are accustomed to hearing this Feast Day called “Epiphany,” a word which means “manifestation” or “appearance.” On this day, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River by St. John the Baptist (he is called “the Baptist” because he baptized Christ). Epiphany is also called “Theophany” which means “God shows Himself to us.” The importance of this Feast Day lies in the fact that for the first time the Holy Trinity was revealed for all mankind to know and believe (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit). When Jesus Christ was baptized in the River Jordan, a voice was heard from the heavens above saying, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased.” The Father whose voice was heard from the heavens was God. The white dove was the symbol of the Holy Spirit which descended upon Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Thus, we have the Holy Trinity being revealed to all that day, almost 2000 years ago. This is why we call this day the day of illumination (light) and manifestation (appearance). The Holy Trinity made its appearance, and we have been illuminated by this wonderful truth and blessing. On this day we have the traditional blessing of the waters. Since the waters of the Jordan were blessed in the presence of Jesus Christ, it is a source of Divine Grace and blessing, and we bless ourselves and our homes with the waters of the “Sanctification Service” which is held during the Epiphany Services.
Theophany Day is a day of illumination and sanctification. Let us pledge ourselves to a greater participation in the sacramental life of the Church of Christ. When the Priest blesses our homes, let us all pray that the blessing of the Theophany Season be with us throughout the year and may our homes be sanctified with our prayers, Christian living and spiritual direction in our lifetime.
NO Daily Orthros
Wednesday, January 7 (Synaxis of the Forerunner)
6:30 p.m. — Daily Vespers
7:30 p.m. — Choir Practice
Thursday, January 8
11:30 a.m. — Men’s Lunch
Friday, January 9
Saturday, January 10
10:00 a.m. — Ladies meet for Akathist
5:45 p.m. — Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, January 11 (Sunday after Theophany)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
4:00 p.m. — Blessing of the Waters at the Reservoir
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Meadows for the Divine Liturgy today.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
January 4 Meadows Algood/Yeatts/Lasseter
January 5 (Mon pm) Davis Nikki Lasseter/Brittany Salisbury
(Feast of Theophany)
January 11 D. Root R. Root/Abraham/Habeeb
January 15 (Thurs pm) Abraham Anastasia Jones
(Feast of the Chains of St. Peter)
January 18 Karam Schelver/Lavric/Turner
January 25 Brock Henderson/Baker/Lockhart
Please be reminded that the Sacristy/Vestry which is adjacent to and behind the altar in our church is considered by the Orthodox Church to be part of the Sanctuary (Altar area) and should not be entered without the blessing of the priest for a specific purpose. If you need to speak with a member of the clergy while they are in the Sanctuary, please ask them to come to you in the nave.
Our condolences go to Jennifer Skirtech and her family on the death of her brother, Don Hickson, this past week. Please keep them all in your prayers.
Schedule for Epistle Readers – Page numbers refer to the Apostolos (book of the Epistles) located on the front pew. Please be sure to use this book when you read.
Reader Reading Page#
January 4 Tom Willingham II Tim. 4:5-8 354
January 5 (Mon pm) Walt Wood Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7 361
January 11 Sh. Charlotte Algood Heb. 13:7-16 365
January 15 (Thurs pm) Kh. Sharon Meadows Acts 12:1-11 50-51
January 18 Warren Strain Heb. 13:7-16 365
January 25 Mildred Morris Heb. 7:26-8:2 334
Please be reminded of the following:
Be very careful with the Blessed Bread when you take it after communion. Because this bread has been blessed, we should take care not to let crumbs fall on the floor. Parents, especially, please help your children to choose a small piece and treat it carefully.
Also, at the end of the liturgy, maintain a prayerful disposition during the veneration of the cross as the prayers of thanksgiving after communion are still underway. Please exchange your greetings with each other in the Fellowship Hall during Coffee Hour.
Continue to pray for Metropolitan Paul (who is also the brother of our Patriarch) and the Syriac Archbishop John of Aleppo who were abducted while on a humanitarian mission in Syria.
Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN.
Please remember the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl and Stephen Chamblee; Amy and Brantley Oliver; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit and Sammie; Georgia Buchanan, George Johns (Georgia’s grandson) and his family; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Fr. Stephen Tewfik; Sh. Gail Shannon; Dn. Sidney and Sh. Mary Elliot;
Walt and Charlotte Wood and their family; Tom and Jennifer Skirtech and their family; Tom and Kathy Willingham; Athena and Anthony Zouboukos and their family.
Please remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
* The Ladies of St. Peter will meet at 10:00 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month to pray the Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children. Those who are able will go out for lunch and fellowship afterwards.
* On Monday, January 5th we will celebrate the Feast of Theophany with Royal Hours, beginning at 6:00 a.m. and Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
* Dr. Christopher Veniamin, Professor of Patristics at St. Tikhon Seminary will be speaking at St. Peter’s February 1-4, 2015.
Young Adults Study Group: The Young Adults agreed to begin meeting twice a month. One of these meetings will feature a teaching by Fr. John on various aspects of the Orthodox Christian faith. Topics will include education, ethics and parenting children. The next meetings will be Sunday, January 4th and 25th.
Dr. Christopher Veniamin, Professor of Patristics at St. Tikhon Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania, will visit St. Peter’s February 1-4, 2015. He will speak at our church on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. His topic will be “The Orthodox Understanding of Salvation.” We are priviledged to have a man of Dr. Veniamin’s stature with us. This promises to be a most edifying and instructive time for our church. Please put these dates on your calendar and plan to be here.
Fasting Discipline for January
From December 25th through January 4th there is no abstinence of any sort and all types of food are permitted. The forefeast of Theophany (January 5th) is observed as a strict fast day (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil). The traditional fasting is observed on the remaining Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.
Major Commemorations for January
January 6 Theophany
January 7 Synaxis of the Forerunner
January11 Theodosios the Head of Monasteries
January 18 Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria
January 20 Euthymios the Great
January 25 Gregory the Theologian
January 27 John Chrysostom
January 31 Cyros and John the Unmercenary Healers
Lower Mississippi Valley Teen Retreat: The Teen Retreat will be February 13-15, 2015 at Roosevelt State Park. The speaker for the retreat will be Heiromonk Benedict (Josuah Armitage). His topic will be “Dealing with Doubts about God.” We are very excited to have Fr. Benedict come to address this important topic with our teens! Be sure to mark your calendars now.
Parents, please supervise your children with food in the Fellowship Hall. We are getting stains on the new carpet (and also the chairs in the nave).
Happy Anniversaries in January:
January 10 — Bob and Georgia Buchanan (#28!)
January 17 — Chris and Rebecca Dansereau (#6!)
January 19 — Ramzi and Jean Kafoury (#12!)
Happy Birthdays in January:
January 1 — Dn. Richard Root
January 5 — Sarah Anne Milnor
January 10 — Georgia Buchanan
January 11 — Nicholas Henderson
January 12 — Cheryl Pigott
January 13 — Nader Dabit
January 19 — Saliba (Sam) Dabit
January 20 — Alfred Katool
January 22 — Tatiana Lavric
January 24 — Oliver Yeatts
January 26 — Jay Davis
January 29 — Michelle Pigott
January 30 — Chris Dansereau
Suggestions on use of the Cry Room:
— Please remember you’re in liturgy when you’re in the cry room.
— Its main purpose should be a place for parents to take their children if they’re being disruptive during liturgy, staying for 5-10 minutes (or until the child is calmed down) and then returning to liturgy.
— It should not be used as a main sitting area during the liturgy.
— Children should not be eating snacks or watching electronic devices while in the cry room.
Thermostats in the Fellowship Hall: There are two thermostats in the Fellowship Hall—one in the main room to control the air in the main room, and a second one in the Nursery room that controls the air in all four of the Sunday School rooms. Please be sure when you leave the building that both thermostats are set to 80 degrees in warm weather or 60 degrees in cold weather.
Quotable: “The principal thing is to stand with the mind in the heart before God, and to go on standing before Him unceasingly day and night, until the end of life.”
St. Theophan the Recluse
from The Art of Prayer compiled by Igumen Chariton of Valamo
Worship: Sunday, January 11, 2015 (Sunday after Theophany; Commemoration of
St. Theodosios the Great)
Scripture: Hebrews 13:7-16; Matthew 4:12-17
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Sh. Charlotte Algood
Prosphora: D. Root
Coffee Hour: R. Root/Abraham/Habeeb
Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church 