May 27, 2018

Holy Pentecost

In several senses, Pentecost marks for us the end of many months of anticipation, commemoration, and celebration and the beginning of the fullness of the life and faith we share. It is a day bringing our focus on the Holy Spirit, the embodiment of divine grace, the supreme gift, the ongoing presence of God in our lives; yet, it is a day directing us to the praise of the Trinity, the three divine persons, and the historical and spatial relationship God’s people have with Him. For the disciples, the day marks their spiritual maturity. Their faith began in their nationality, for they were of the nation that God the Father chose to glorify Him. The faith was completed in their confrontation with God the Son, through His presence and the nourishment He gave. The fullness of the faith came with the coming in power of God the Spirit. The disciples had grown in spirit and were ready for their work; the birth of the Church was imminent; the Bride was to be made ready. In the cycle of the calendar, we now stand ready to do likewise, and all weeks from now until our preparation for Advent are the weeks of Pentecost. In the picture of the birth of the Church there are symbols beyond mention here; the unity in the common tongue, the Light that shines brighter than day, the bold proclamation to all men of the Gospel. We look forward from this day to weeks without special celebrations, to days without reference to past days of enormous import–to normal, uneventful days. But these are not uneventful days; they are the days for which we have prepared, the days of the Church, the days of our maturity and growth, the days when, through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, we run the good race and cross the finish to bring praise and glory to our glorious God, the eternal Trinity.

Acts 2:1-11: In the reading from Acts we see the pouring out of God’s Spirit on the apostles, the ful­fillment of Joel’s prophecy, and the beginning of the Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

John 7:37-52, 8:12: Our Lord calls those thirsting for righteousness to Himself, promising to eternally quench their thirst by the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Pharisees, however, view Jesus as a threat to their authority and seek for ways to undermine His authority.

Troparion of Pentecost: Blessed art thou, O Christ our God, who hast revealed the fishermen as most wise, having sent upon them the Holy Spirit, and through them thou hast fished the universe, O Lover of mankind, glory to thee.

Kontakion of Pentecost: When the high One descended, confusing tongues, he divided the nations. And when he distributed the fiery tongues he called all to one unity. Wherefore, in unison we glorify the most Holy Spirit.

CALENDAR

Sunday, May 27 (Pentecost)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

9:00 a.m. — Christian Education (Last day)

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

12:00 p.m. — Picnic Pot Luck Meal

6:30 p.m. — Kneeling Vespers

Monday, May 28 [NO FASTING THIS WEEK]

Father John’s Day Off

Tuesday, May 29

6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros

11:30 a.m. — Ladies Lunch

Wednesday, May 30

6:30 p.m. — Daily Vespers

7:15 p.m. — Choir Practice

7:30 p.m. — Parish Council Meeting

Thursday, May 31

6:00 A.M. — Daily Orthros

Friday, June 1 (Justyn Martyr)

Saturday, June 2

5:45 p.m. — Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers

Sunday, June 3 (Sunday of All Saints)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Daniel Roots for the Divine Liturgy this morning.

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour

May 27 D. Root PICNIC POT LUCK MEAL

(Set-up: Meadows/Turner/Waites)

June 3 Karam Ellis/Zouboukos

June 10 Brock POT LUCK MEAL

(Set-up: Pigott/Lavric/Alaeetawi)

June 17 Baker Skirtech/Parker

June 24 R. Root D. Root/Dansereau/Davis

June 28 (Thur. p.m.) Henderson Karen Cooper

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#

May 27 Mildred Morris Acts 2:1-11 77

June 3 Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver Heb. 11:33-12:2 84

June 10 Sam Habeeb Rom. 2:10-16 90

June 17 Brenda Baker Rom. 5:1-10 96

June 24 Walt Wood Rom. 13:11-14:4 279

June 28 (Thur. p.m.) Sh. Charlotte Algood II Cor. 11:21-33; 12:6-9 389

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.

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.

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 remember Fr. Joseph and Kh. Joanna Bittle, and their daughter Abigail, in your prayers.

Please keep Fr. John Morris and Kh. Cheryl in your prayers. They have both been ill recently.

Please remember the following in your prayers: Steve, Sheryl Chamblee; Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Sam and Lamia Dabit and Sammie; Mary Greene (Lee and Kh. Sharon’s sister); Fr. Stephen Tewfik; Lynda Costas; Fr. Nicholas, Kh. Jan and Angelina Speier; Peggy (David Turner’s paternal aunt) who is suffering from cancer and related complications; and David Morris and his family; Vernie Meadows, Fr. James and Kh. Sharon and their family; Walt and Charlotte Wood and their family; Dr. Herman (Tristan) Englehardt.

Please take Note that there have been several car burglaries in our neighborhood recently. These involved cars that had been left unlocked. Please be sure that your car is locked in the parking lot.

We will honor Nicholas Zouboukos our High School Graduate at the Picnic Pot Luck Meal today!

Following the Picnic Pot Luck Meal today, Father John and anyone who desires to participate will go to the Natchez Trace Cemetery to say the Trisagion Prayers for the Departed for our departed loved ones who are buried there.

Vacation Church School will be held July 19-21 this year. The theme will be “Feasts of the Theotokos”. Parents, please make a note of these dates. More information will be available soon.

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 the month to pray the Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children.

* The Ladies of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the last Tuesday of the month.

* Today is the last day of Church School for this year. It will resume in September.

* The next date for serving meals at the Stewpot is November 10th.

Bookstore News: We have a new book in the bookstore! It is called Lantern of Grace by Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov. This book is about the life of St. John Maximovitch, also called St. John of San Francisco. He is an American saint, and if you don’t know much about him this book would be a wonderful opportunity to be inspired. If you do know about him, the book is beautiful and packed with stories about St. John and copies of his sermons and prayers. There are many color photographs throughout the book and it is a high quality edition.

Fasting Discipline for May/June

There will be no fasting during the week following the Feast of Pentecost (May 27th). The Fast of the Apostles will begin on June 4th and continue through June 28th. During this time the traditional fasting discipline will be observed on all days of the week.

Major Commemorations for June

June 1 Justyn Martyr

June 3 Sunday of All Saints

June 4 Metrophanes of Constantinople

June 8 Theodore the general (transfer of relics)

June 11 Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas

June 24 Nativity of the Forerunner

June 39 Chief Apostles Peter and Paul

June 30 Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles

For Parents: Children in the nursery during Coffee Hour MUST be supervised just as they are on the playground. This room is used for Sunday School each week. Children who are unsupervised create disarray and use materials set aside for the teaching of Christian Education. This creates extra work for the Sunday School teachers who have to come in and set the room in order before class or who find supplies depleted unexpectedly. A parent must be in the room with their children at all times. Please help us with this! — Fr. John

If you are the last to leave, please make sure that the doors in the Fellowship Hall, the kitchen and the hallway are all locked.

ead of ManHead of Maonasteries

Quotable: “In the Orthodox Church, the salvation of man is understood as his deification.

We must learn to live the eternal life of God Himself. What does the deification of man mean? It means to live as the Lord lived, to make our own the thoughts and feelings of Christ, especially as we see Him in the last moments of His life on earth.”

Archimandrite Sophrony, Words of Life

Worship: Sunday, June 3, 2018 (Sunday of All Saints; First Sunday after Pentecost)

Scripture: Hebrews 11:33-12:2; Matthew 10:32-33, 37-38; 19:27-30

Celebrant: Father John

Epistle Reader: Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver

Prosphora: Karam

Coffee Hour: Ellis/Zouboukos