September 2, 2018
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
September 1 marks the beginning of the ecclesiastical year. The liturgical year is a body of sacred “signs” which have a present effect. Each liturgical feast renews and actualizes the event of which it is the symbol; it takes the event out of the past and makes it immediate; it offers us the appropriate grace; it becomes the “effectual sign.” The liturgical year is a special means of union with Christ. Every Eucharist unites us intimately with Christ, for in it He is “both He who offers and He who is offered.” Every prayer, being the prayer of the members of the mystical body, shares in the prayer of Him who is the Head of the Body and the only One whose prayer is perfect. We are called to relive the whole life of Christ: from Christmas to Easter, from Easter to Pentecost, we are exhorted to unite ourselves to Christ in his birth and in his growth, to Christ suffering, to Christ dying, to Christ in triumph and to Christ inspiring His Church. The liturgical year forms Christ in us; the liturgical year is Christ Himself, annus est Christus. It includes the cycle of feasts of the saints, the glorified members of the body of Christ. Their sanctity is but an aspect, a shining ray of the holiness of Christ Himself. To celebrate the feast of a saint is to celebrate a special grace that flows from Christ to that saint and so to us. In the same way that the feasts of our Lord in a mysterious way renew the events of His life, so the feasts of the saints make their lives, their merits and their deaths mysteriously actual. Commemorations of the martyrs renew the grace of their violent deaths, so that, as these were a participation in the passion of Christ, this passion is relived in remembering the martyrs. The liturgical year has but one and the same object, Jesus Christ; whether we contemplate Him directly or through the members of His body. Great graces and great spiritual opportunities are offered us during the course of the liturgical year. It provides a frame and support for Christian piety; it gives it a style which is sober and objective; it maintains a bond of unity among believers. Above all, it communicates an inspiration and transmits a life. It acquires its true meaning to the extent that it becomes an adoration in spirit, in truth.
(Excerpted and paraphrased from The Year of Grace of the Lord)
II Corinthians 1:21-2:1-4: St Paul, writing in II Corinthians, reminds us that we are established in God from whom we have received the Holy Spirit as a pledge of what we shall receive in the fullness of God’s kingdom.
Matthew 22:2-14: In the gospel of St Matthew we hear our Lord tell us the parable of the marriage feast, in which we learn that readiness for the coming of our Lord requires correct preparation.
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 St. Mamas: Thy Martyr, O Lord, in his courageous contest for Thee received as the prize the crown of incorruption and life from Thee, our immortal God. For since he possessed Thy strength, he cast down the tyrants and wholly destroyed the demons= strengthless presumption. O Christ our God, by his prayers, save our souls, since Thou art merciful.
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 Nativity of the Theotokos: By thy holy birth-giving, O pure one, Joachim and Anne were delivered from the reproach of barrenness; and Adam and Eve were delivered from the corruption of death; thy people do celebrate it, having been saved from the stain of iniquity, crying unto thee, The barren doth give birth to the Theotokos, who nourisheth our life.
CALENDAR
Sunday, September 2 (Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy with the Chrismation of Davis Bourne
Monday, September 3
Father John’s Day Off
Tuesday, September 4
6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros
Wednesday, September 5
6:30 p.m. — Daily Vespers
7:15 p.m. — Choir Practice
Thursday, September 6 (Miracle of the Archangel Michael)
6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros
11:30 a.m. — Men’s Lunch
Friday, September 7
Saturday, September 8 (Nativity of the Theotokos)
The first feast of the liturgical year celebrates the birth of the Holy Virgin Mary, most blessed of women, chosen to bear God the Son, partaker in the Incarnation as the dwelling place of God. To celebrate her birth and give honor to her life is unavoidably to anticipate the coming of the Messiah and to adore His person. To remember her worthiness is to remember God’s grace. To wonder at her faith is to arouse ourselves to emulate her strength of will and her depth of trust. As we enter the cycle of the year, we turn first to honor the Holy Virgin, she who by her role in history and by her place among the saints most reminds us of the coming of the Saviour and the life He gives us, who by the Incarnation became the ladder between Heaven and Earth, who as the Mother of Christ is also the Mother of all His brethren.
9:00 a.m. — Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy
5:45 p.m. — Ninth Hour followed by Great Vespers
Sunday, September 9 (Sunday before the Elevation of the Cross)
8:50 a.m. — Orthros
9:00 a.m. — Christian Education
10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy
12:00 p.m. — Pot Luck Meal
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Dn. Richard Roots for the Divine Liturgy this morning.
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.
Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour
September 2 R. Root Algood/Jones/Turner/Bowman
September 8 (Sat. a.m.) Henderson Kh. Sharon Meadows
(Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos)
September 9 Algood POT LUCK MEAL
Set-up: Schelver/Karam/Lavric
September 13 (Thur. p.m.) Katool
(Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross)
September 16 Schelver Ellis/Zouboukos/Waites
September 23 Morris R. Root/Habeeb/Cooper
September 30 Jones Henderson/Lockhart/Alaeetawi
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#
September 2 Kh. Sharon Meadows II Cor. 1:21-2:4 158
September 8 (Sat. a.m.) Brenda Baker Phil. 2:5-11 307
September 9 Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver Gal. 6:11-18 198
September 13 (Thur. p.m.) Sh. Charlotte Algood I Cor. 1:18-24 311
September 16 Mildred Morris Gal. 2:1-20 193
September 23 Walt Wood Gal. 4:22:27 314
September 30 Warren Strain II Cor. 9:6-11 178
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; David Morris and his family; Vernie Meadows, Fr. James and Kh. Sharon and their family; Walt and Charlotte Wood and their family; Lou Turner’s cousin Amy and her husband John.
Welcome and Many Years! to Davis Bourne who is being chrismated during the Divine Liturgy this morning.
Memory Eternal! Dean Bruner, a member of St. Athanasius Orthodox Church in Goleta, CA and a very good friend of several members of our parish, fell asleep in the Lord this past week following a protracted illness. Please pray for his wife, Penny, and their family. Dean and Penny’s son, Cyrus, attended Belhaven College and was a member of St. Peter’s many years ago. Following his death, they made a very generous donation in his memory which was used to purchase our bells. May his Memory be Eternal!
Our annual parish Fall Festival is scheduled for Saturday, October 27th, beginning at 4:00 p.m. We will not have 9th Hour prayers or Great Vespers that day. More information will be made available in the near future.
A Diocese of Miami and the Southeast Teen Retreat will be held in Atlanta (hosted by St. Elias Church) September 7-9th. If you are interested in going, please let Fr. John know as soon as possible. Registration forms are available at https://goo.gl/forms/SIYClotCEDFDnY823.
St. Peter will be hosting the Lower MS Valley Deanery Clergy Retreat October 22nd-24th.
Calendar Items:
* The Men of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the first Thursday of the month.
* The Ladies of St. Peter 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. However, we will not do this in September due to the liturgy for the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos and other conflicts later in the month.
* The Ladies of the parish meet for lunch and fellowship on the last Tuesday of the month.
* We will celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos with Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy on Saturday morning, September 8th, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
* The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross will be celebrated with Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy on Thursday evening, September 13th, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
* Fall Festival is scheduled for Saturday, October 27th. More information soon.
* His Grace, Bishop NICHOLAS will be visiting St. Peter November 2-6. Please mark your calendars now.
* V. Rev. Fr. John Oliver, the pastor of St. Elizabeth the New Martyr Orthodox Church in Murfreesboro, TN, will be the speaker for the annual Women’s Retreat on Saturday, November 10th. More information will be available in the near future.
* The next date for serving meals at the Stewpot will be Saturday, November 17th.
* The Children will present their Nativity Program on Sunday, December 16th during Coffee Hour. We will also have a Pot Luck Meal that Sunday to add to the festivities.
Unsupervised children in the Kitchen: For health and safety concerns children are not to be allowed in the kitchen unless accompanied by a parent. Please get ice for your children and do NOT allow them to use the icemaker themselves.
Fasting Discipline for September
In September, the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.
Major Commemorations for September
September 1 Indiction of the Ecclesiastical Year
September 6 Miracle of the Archangel Michael
September 8 Nativity of the Theotokos
September 9 Righteous Joachim and Anna
September 13 Dedication of the Church of the Anastasis
September 14 Elevation of the Precious Cross
September 23 Conception of the Forerunner
September 24 Proto-martyr Thekla
September 26 Apostle John the Theologian (repose)
September 28 Venerable Chariton
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: “If, as we confess in the Creed, Christ is very God, the Saviour of the universe, the Creator of the world, ‘by whom all things were made’, how can we bring our understanding of Him down to a question of nationality, place, epoch. . .?
I do not know a Greek Christ, a Russian Christ, an English Christ, an Arab Christ . . . Christ, for me is everything, the supra-cosmic Being.”
Archimandrite Sophrony, Words of Life
Worship: Sunday, September 9, 2018 (Sunday before the Elevation of the Cross)
Scripture: Galatians 6:11-18; John3:13-17
Celebrant: Father John
Epistle Reader: Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver
Prosphora: Algood
Coffee Hour: POT LUCK MEAL
(Set-up: Schelver/Karam/Lavric)
Saint Peter Antiochian Orthodox Church 
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