The Cross- God’s Rest Stop for Lent (3-19-2017)

   When was the last time you took a road trip—a long car ride for several hours? Did you drive straight through? Not likely. Probably you stopped somewhere along the way. A truck stop, a convenience store, a restaurant or an interstate rest stop or rest area are the most likely places. Our own group of families here at St. George have done it many times travelling to and from basketball tournaments. Why did we break up the long trip with stops along the way? Many reasons actually—besides the obvious “going to the bathroom,” perhaps we’re tired and we need some fresh air or coffee to wake us up; maybe we get sore sitting for so long in our automobile and we need to stretch and walk and get the blood flowing to our extremities; if the trip takes us past noon or 6pm, we’ll stop for lunch or dinner. If traveling the interstate, and you exit to a designated rest area, what’s one of the common rituals, even if you have GPS on your phone or navigator? It’s looking at the big map on the wall and finding the spot or location that is labeled “You Are Here.” We do this because we can get the whole picture of where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are going.

   It’s the same thing during our road trip of Great and Holy Lent. If you’re fasting, if you’re going to Lenten worship services, if you’re praying more, if you’re helping the poor and the needy, then Lent certainly feels like a long journey. And the Church, knowing the limitations of the human mind and body, gives us little rest stops each week during Lent. We get a little break from fasting each Saturday-Sunday by drinking wine and oil. And we can refuel with Holy Communion every Wednesday at the Pre-sanctified Liturgy.

   But we also have rest stop for the whole six-week (eight weeks when you count from Meatfare through Holy Week) journey to Pascha. That rest stop is today, the Third Sunday of Great and Holy Lent. We are at the mid-point of our trip, halfway to our destination. We know that not just by counting weeks but more importantly by the sign-post that is placed here—the Precious and Life-Giving Cross. If we are engaged in the Lenten way of fasting, praying, worshiping, and giving alms then we should be at least a little tired, feeling the need for some refreshment or re-energizing.

   Seeing the Cross today and remembering the great kenotic or self-emptying, self-sacrificing love of Christ our Lord, we are provided encouragement to continue our ascetic self-sacrificing journey. If Jesus could do so much for me, then I can do this for Him. I can deny myself a little food and take what I save and give it to the poor and the hungry. If Jesus prayed, sweating blood, for me in the Garden of Gethesemane, then I can pray more each day and worship Him more each week.

   In the ancient world, especially in arid climates, travelers looked for an oasis, because that’s where the water was. And how could one tell there was water there? Because there were trees and lots of plant life. In the Scriptures and liturgical hymnology, the Cross is often referred to as a tree. For example, the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden is interpreted by the Church Fathers as the original Cross in creation. The Cross that Jesus was crucified on was made from the wood of a tree. An oasis of trees not only marked the source of fresh water, but they also provided shade from the sun. The Cross of Christ provides shade to weary travelers on the road of Great Lent. It does this mystically, almost imperceptibly because the Cross has real power but God’s power often works behind the scenes so to speak.

   At the end of the Divine Liturgy we will conduct the service of the Veneration of the Cross. We will take it in procession, we will bow down before it and we will kiss it to show our love, veneration and respect for Christ’s death on our behalf. Sergius Bulgakov, an eminent Russian theologian of the 20^th century, cautioned Orthodox Christians about the Veneration of the Cross celebration. He said it can be inspiration for the diligent and dedicated but for the lazy and the negligent it can become a condemnation, a shaking of our conscience, and a poking of our heart. We must be super-careful that our bowing before the Cross are not like the mocking genuflections of the soldiers who crucified Christ. We must be extremely cautious that when we kiss the Cross it is not like the betraying kiss of Judas. This can happen when we are uncaring and careless about our salvation, neglecting to pray and participate in worship, when we are insensitive to the cries of the needy, poor and homeless.

   St. Theophylact, the 11^th century Archbishop of Ochrid and Bulgaria reminds us that Christ does not compel us against our own will to take up our Cross. In today’s Gospel Christ says, “Whoever desires to come after Me…” (Mark 8:34). If we do desire to come after Christ, then we are presented a myriad of choices: fasting or dining out with friends; praying or doing chores around the house; worshiping or sports; almsgiving or spending lavishly on ourselves. Well my brothers and sisters, we can’t have it all and follow Christ. We must deny ourselves and take up our Cross (v.34). If we consistently and regularly chose the worldly things, we will eventually lose them and our soul as well. If we choose to lose them now, then God will save your soul for eternity. We cannot take all those worldly things and at the end exchange them for eternal life (vv.36-37). Hell is not a jail where God confines and punishes unrepentant transgressors. Rather, it is the weight of our own sins that keeps us in hell. The only way out is through repentance and confession where God Himself removes the weight of sin from our soul. Ask yourself, when was the last time I went to the rest stop of Sacrament of Confession? Amen!

ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

REV. FR. RICHARD DEMETRIUS ANDREWS, PRESBYTER

www.stgeorgegoc.org

March 26, 2017                                                                                SUNDAY OF ST. JOHN CLIMACUS

TODAY’S EVENTS: Greek Independence Celebration, 12pm; Pan-Orthodox Lenten Vespers and reception at St. Elizabeth Orthodox Church at new church on 125 Congress Street E.; 4pm; Serve-a-Meal at FOCUS 4pm.

Epistle Reader: Stephen Kanavati                                                      Prosfora: Angie Cender

Memorial: Ringo Cender (9 months)                                                 Fellowship: AHEPA Luncheon                                         

Head Usher: Bill Clemons

Monday       03-27     GREAT COMPLINE (by readers)                                                                               6:00PM

                                      Catechism Class: The Goal- Second Coming & Living the Christian Life                7:00PM

Tuesday       03-28     Choir Practice                                                                                                          6:30PM   

Wednesday 03-29     NINTH HOUR                                                                                                           5:30PM

                                      PRESANCTIFIED LITURGY                                                                                      6:00PM

                                      Lenten Meal & Lecture on Modern Heresies with Fr. Richard Andrews                    7:30PM

Thursday     03-30     OCF at University of St. Thomas                                                                             12:00PM

Friday          03-31     GREAT VESPERS with SALUTATIONS                                                                     6:00PM

                                      Lenten Meal & Lecture on the Torah, aka the Pentateuch with Fr. Marc Boulos      7:30PM

Saturday      04-01-   GREAT VESPERS                                                                                                  5:00PM

Sunday         04-02     ORTHROS (8:15 am) & DIVINE LITURGY – ST. MARY OF EGYPT                        9:30AM

                                      Greek School                                                                                                       12:00PM

                                      Youth Ministry meeting                                                                                       12:00PM

                                      Serve-a-Meal at FOCUS                                                                                       4:00PM

                                      Pan-Orthodox Lenten Vespers & Reception at St. George Antiochian Orthodox  4:00PM

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Memory Eternal! The servant of God Helen Zubulake fell asleep in the Lord on March 18^th. Visitation is today from 3-7pm, with Trisagion Prayers at 6:30pm, at Willwerschied Mortuary. Funeral service is tomorrow, Monday, March 27^th at 11am, with Burial service at Roselawn Cemetery and Makaria Luncheonat church.

The servant of God Spero Thomaidis reposed in the Lord on March 21^st. Funeral was Friday, March 24^th.

Hierarchical Visit: to our parish with Bishop Demetrios of Mokissos on Palm Sunday April 9^th. Please come welcome him! The Ahepa will host their annual fish luncheon that day. Tickets available at door. See insert.

Think About It: Afflictions for God’s sake are dearer to Him than any prayer or sacrifice.               St. Isaac the Syrian (+700AD)

Final Lenten Lectures: "Modern Heresies" on Wednesday Fr. Rick speaks on Phyletism. Friday on "The Torah-Pentateuch" with Fr. Marc Boulos speaking about Deuteronomy. Thanks to all who attended this year!

Loukoumades Fundraiser: next Sunday, April 2, 2017, after Liturgy. Sponsored by Daughters of Penelope.

Youth: On April 8^th we have our annual Lazurus Saturday youth retreat from 10am-2pm, when we will clean the church in preparation for Great and Holy Pascha. We will have our Holy Friday youth retreat on April 14^th from 11am-3pm. Please contact Nathaniel Kostick to RSVP for these events. We hope to see you there!

Parent Volunteers Needed: We are looking for a parent for both Saturday of Lazarus April 8^th and Holy Friday April 14^th to coordinate the potluck meals. The sign-up sheet is in the social hall. Thank you!

75th Anniversary Album Update: Thank you to everyone for their patience as the 75th Anniversary Commemorative Album is reaching its final stage of production. Thanks to all who submitted materials including family pages. Thanks also to Dawn Lampros, Denise Smith and Julie Delton for their tireless efforts to bring forth a top quality history of our parish. It is very typical for parish anniversary publications to take a year or more to complete. We anticipate a finished product by early summer--well within normal parameters. 

The Church Fathers Speak: If you notice that your mind constantly wanders off to various chores that you have to do, you must realize that you are not doing well spiritually, and this should alarm you because you have distanced yourself from God.                                         St. Paisios the Athonite (+1994)

Philoptochos: will hold a combined April/May meeting on Tuesday, April 25 at 1:30pm. 2017 memberships are now due. Payments can be placed in the Philoptochos mailbox outside the conference room, or mailed to Tina Sageotis, 1000 Forest Glen Court, Burnsville, MN 55337. A reminder that a total of $25 from each membership contribution goes to the national and diocesan Philoptochos.

Wisdom from the Church Fathers: Your name O Mary ever-virgin, is a precious ointment which breathes forth the scent of Divine Grace. Let this ointment of salvation enter the innermost recesses of our soul.                                   St. Ambrose of Milan (+397)

Daughters of Penelope & AHEPA: will meet on Thursday, April 20, 2017 at 7pm.

Stewardship 2017: Our theme is You are the Voice of Christ in a Changing World: As the Father Has Sent Me, So I Send You (John 20:21). We have received 92 pledge cards for 2017 with a total of $149,886 and an average of $1,629. When pledging be sure to increase your pledge, even if only a few dollars. This reflects spiritual growth and overcomes stagnation. We encourage everyone to give a minimum of 2% pledge of gross yearly income to become a self-sustaining community. This is far less than the biblical ideal of tithing, giving 10%.

Summer Camp Early Bird Registration: will open on April 18^th at 10am. Registration fees are as follows: Early Bird Discount:  $425 from April 18- May 5, 2017; Standard Fee:  $475 from May 6-25, 2017 at 4:30pm. Please register at: www.stmaryscamp.com. Summer Camp dates are July 1-7, 2017.

Patristic Wisdom: Do not allow human respect to get in your way when you hear someone slandering his neighbor. Instead, say to him, “Brother, stop it!” If you say, “I do worse things every day, how can I criticize him?” Remember, you accomplish two things when you tell him to stop: You heal yourself and you heal your neighbor with one bandage.                                                        St. John Climacus (+606)

Pictorial Directory 2015: is now available for $5 per copy. They can be purchased either from Julie in the office or in the bookstore (limit, one per family).

Greek Cookbooks: various vintage hardcover editions in Greek are available in the bookstore.

Greek Dancing: parents, if you would like your child to participate in Greek dancing lessons and performances organized by the Greek School, please contact Angela Mortari or Stella Hofrenning. Both a Children's group and a Teen group will perform at the Greek Independence Day Celebration today and at the Festival of Nations in May. Practices are on Sundays after liturgy in the social hall starting at noon.

Save the Date! The St. George Greek Festival will be August 19-20. 2017. More volunteers are needed to serve on committees; if you are interested, please contact Jon Kennedy, Phyllis Kapetanakis or Alexis Bighley.

Welcome Visitors Thank you for joining with us in prayer and fellowship. The worship of the Orthodox Church is deeply rooted in and very similar to that of the early Christian Church. Unique sensory stimuli and mystery are elements that go back even to the liturgy of the Jewish temple. Everything in an Orthodox Christian church communicates the majestic presence of God the Holy Trinity with His Saints. It is literally heaven on earth. It is a sad consequence of the divisions in Christianity that we cannot extend a general invitation to receive Holy Communion. Visitors are invited to receive the blessed bread (antithoron) at the conclusion of the liturgy. We pray and work for the reconciliation and unity of all Christians. If you are interested in learning more about Orthodoxy, please contact Fr. Rick at fatherrick@stgeorgegoc.org. We are proud of our Greek heritage but one does not have to be of Greek descent, nor speak Greek to be a Greek Orthodox Christian.

Note to Orthodox about Holy Communion: Receiving the Body and Blood of Christ is one of the most Holy experiences for a Christian in order to be granted the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. We are never worthy to partake of Divine Nature. Yet, it is essential that we prepare ourselves for this sacred Communion by constant prayer, reading the Scriptures, regular fasting and periodic Confession. At a minimum, we should fast all morning before Communion, arrive at the beginning of Liturgy, and come for Confession at least once a year. In addition, we should not have separated ourselves from the Church through serious sin. Otherwise, please refrain from Communion to avoid “judgment…not discerning the Lord’s body” (1Cor. 11:29). Contact Fr. Rick for pastoral guidance.

Glad Tidings deadline: The 10th of each month. Glad Tidings email: gladtidings@stgeorgegoc.org  Sunday Bulletin Deadline: Wednesday Noon each week.  Email: office@stgeorgegoc.org