November 25, 2018

Leave-taking of the Entrance of the Theotokos

Great-martyr Katherine the All-wise of Alexandria

Galatians 3:23-29;4:1-5: In this reading from Galatians we hear St. Paul explain that prior to the com­ing of Christ, we were under the Law and hence divided, but now that Christ has come we are justified by faith in Christ and have become one, belonging to Christ. Therefore, we are no longer under bond­age to the Law and the world, but are now free as children of God.

Luke 18:18-27: In the Gospel according to St Luke we hear our Lord tell us via an encounter with a rich, young ruler that to obtain eternal life we must be willing to give up everything that we possess in service to the Kingdom of God.

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 Presentation of the Theotokos: Today the Virgin is the foreshadowing of the pleasure of God, and the beginning of the preaching of the salvation of mankind. You have appeared in the Temple of God openly and have gone before, preaching Christ to all. Let us shout with one thrilling voice, saying, Rejoice, O you who are the fulfillment of the Creator’s dispensation.

Troparion of St. Katherine the Great-martyr: Let us praise the all-lauded and noble bride of Christ, the godly Katherine, the guardian of Sinai and its defense, who is also our support and succor and our help; for with the Holy Spirit’s sword she hath silenced brilliantly the clever among the godless; and being crowned as a Martyr, she now doth ask great mercy for us all.

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 of the Theotokos: The all-pure temple of the Saviour, the most precious bridal-chamber and Virgin, the treasure-house of the glory of God, today enters the Temple of the Lord, bringing with her the grace which is in the divine Spirit; whom also the angels of God do celebrate in song; for she is the heavenly tabernacle.

CALENDAR

Sunday, November 25 (Great-martyrs Katherine and Mercurios)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

9:00 a.m. — Christian Education

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

Monday, November 26

Father John’s Day Off

Tuesday, November 27

6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros

11:30 a.m. — Ladies’ Lunch

Wednesday, November 28

6:30 p.m. — Advent Paraklesis

7:30 p.m. — Parish Council Meeting

Thursday, November 29

6:00 a.m. — Daily Orthros

Friday, November 30 (Andrew the First-called)

Saturday, December 1

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

Sunday, December 2 (Twenty-seventh Sunday after Pentecost)

8:50 a.m. — Orthros

9:00 a.m. — Christian Education

10:00 a.m. — Divine Liturgy

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Schelvers for the Divine Liturgy this morning. The Artoklasia Bread for the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple this past Tuesday evening was offered by the Katools.

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

Eucharist Bread Coffee Hour

November 25 Schelver R. Root/Habeeb/Cooper

December 2 Morris Henderson/Lockhart/Alaeetawi

December 5 (Wed. p.m.) Henderson (Artoklasia Bread) No Meal

(Feast of St. Nicholas the Wonder-worker)

December 9 Jones Pigott/Dabit/Strain/Lavric

December 16 Meadows POT LUCK MEAL

Set-up: Stewart/Meadows

December 23 Davis Baker/D. Root/Dansereau

December 24 (Mon. p.m.) D. Root 1. Sarah Milnor

(Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ) 2. Natalia Alaeetawi

3. Cheryl Pigott

December 30 Karam Katool/Davis/Staursky

December 31 (Mon. p.m.) Baker (Artoklasia Bread) No Meal

(January 1 – Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord and the Feast of St. Basil the Great)

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#

November 25 Kh. Sharon Meadows Gal. 3:23-4:5 160

December 2 Mildred Morris Eph. 6:10-17 223

December 9 Kh. Be’Be’ Schelver Gal. 4:22-27 314

December 16 Sam Habeeb Col. 3:4-11 233

December 24 (Mon. p.m.) Walt Wood Gal. 4:4-7 351

December 30 Sh. Charlotte Algood Gal. 1:11-19 188

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 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.

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); 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; Noah and Beth Ann (Baker) Pappas, their unborn child, Demetrios (his patron saint is the Holy and Right-victorious Martyr Demetrios of Thessalonika), the Reader Basil and Brenda and all of the Baker family.

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.

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.

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

* The Fast of the Nativity has begun and continues until the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord on December 25th. As is the custom in our parish, we will pray the Advent Paraklesis on Wednesday evenings during the fast in place of Daily Vespers, beginning Wednesday, November 28th.

* The Feast of St. Nicholas the Wonder-worker will be celebrated with Great Vespers with Litia and Artoklasia on Wednesday evening, December 5th, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

* We will have a Santa Lucia celebration during Coffee Hour on Sunday, December 9th.

* 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.

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.

Diocese of Miami and the Southeast Winter Retreat: The Winter Retreat is scheduled for January 25-27th at St. Elias Orthodox Church in Atlanta. V. Rev. Fr. John Oliver will be the Retreat Speaker. Registration (which covers meals and all other retreat expenses) is $50. You may register at http://bit.ly/DMC-Winter-Retreat. Hotel information is also available at that site.

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 November/December

During the Fast of the Nativity the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil) is observed each day of the week. Note, however, through December 19th there is a katlysis on Tuesdays and Thursdays when wine and oil are permitted, and on Saturdays and Sundays when fish, wine and oil are permitted.

Major Commemorations for November

November 25 Great-martyrs Catherine and Mercurios

November 30 Apostle Andrew the First-called

December 4 Great-martyr Barbara and our Venerable Father John of Damascus

December 5 Sava the Sanctified

December 6 Nicholas the Wonder-worker

December 9 Conception of the Theotokos

December 12 Spyridon the Wonder-worker

December 13 Herman of Alaska

December 15 Hieromartyr Eleutherios

December 20 Ignatios of Antioch, the God-bearer

December 25 Nativity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

December 26 Synaxis of the Theotokos

December 27 Protomartyr Stephen

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

ead of ManHead of Maonasteries

Quotable: “Such is the paradox of Christian life: it is in choosing the suffering of Christ for the world that we have the feeling of being nearer to Him and to eternal life.”

Archimandrite Sophrony, Words of Life

Worship: Sunday, December 2, 2018 (Twenty-seventh Sunday after Pentecost)

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-17; Luke 18:35-43

Celebrant: Father John

Epistle Reader: Mildred Morris

Prosphora: Morris

Coffee Hour: Henderson/Lockhart/Alaeetawi