The Glory of God (8-13-2017)

   During the season of summer in America, we are inundated with messages of patriotism. Commercials resound with themes of American flags, apple pies, hot dogs, fireworks, and Chevy trucks. No doubt, this is due in large part to the major holiday of the summer, July 4^th, on which we celebrate our nation’s independence. We are all very familiar with our national anthem which commemorates, not the War of Independence fought from 1775 to 1783, but rather commemorates a key battle in the War of 1812, which was also against Great Britain. Another famous song of American patriotism is the Battle Hymn of the Republic. I am sure you recognize the words:

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; | He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; | He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword: | His truth is marching on.
(Chorus) Glory, Glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

   What is probably less well known is the author of the hymn, Julie Ward Howe, and that it was written in 1861 as the Civil War was beginning.

   I want to focus on its phrase “the glory of the coming of the Lord” and specifically the word “glory” that it repeats throughout its many refrains and choruses. What is the glory of the Lord? I think it is appropriate to do this today on Sunday August 13^th because it is the Apodosis of the Transfiguration. In other words, today is the completion of the Feast of our Lord’s Transfiguration which began last Sunday August 6^th. The Feast of the Transfiguration commemorates the event when Jesus took three of His disciples, Peter, James and John, upon Mount Tabor, and there was transfigured before them. In the Gospel of Luke, it says that the disciples “saw His glory” (Lk.9:32). In the Gospel of Matthew, it says that Jesus’ “face shined like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light (Mt.17:2). This relates to one of the Old Testament readings associated with the feast, in which we hear about Moses meeting God on Mount Sinai and it said, “the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai” (Ex.24:16), and “the sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain” (Ex.24:17).

   So, we have a sense of what the glory of the Lord looks like: bright as the sun, white as light, a consuming fire. But do we know exactly what is the glory of the Lord? The Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Arndt & Gingich, 1957, University of Chicago Press) defines ‘glory’ (from the Greek ‘doxa’) as ‘brightness, splendor, radiance, magnificence.” I would say that the glory Moses saw on Mt. Sinai and was revealed to Peter, James and John on Mt. Tabor was the grace of God, or as St. Gregory Palamas would say, the uncreated energies of God. Palamas made the distinction between the nature of God and His energies. We can never know God by His nature but we can know and experience Him in His energies that He reveals to us.

   And this is one of the main themes of the Transfiguration Feast. Not only do we come to know Jesus as the Divine Logos, the Son of God the Father, but we come to know that God’s glory can become our glory. After God spoke to Moses face-to-face (Ex.33:11) and gave Him the Tablets of the Law (Ex.34:4), Moses descended from Mt. Sinai, and when Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, his face was shining (Ex.34:29-35). This is similar to Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, whose face shined like an angel as he preached Christ (Acts 6:15). This is what Jesus meant when He prayed to God the Father: ²²And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one (John 17:22). Furthermore, the giving of God’s glory to us is underlined in the Wedding service of the Orthodox Church, where we sing Psalm 8:5 as the couple is being crowned: “O Lordour God, crown them with glory and honor. And right after that in the Gospel, when Jesus performs His first miracle, changing water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. It says, ¹¹This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. (John 2:11)

   However, receiving and reflecting the glory of God is not easy nor automatic. It requires great effort on our part. Notice that God revealed His glory Moses, as He revealed to Peter, James and John, on a mountain. Climbing to the top of a mountain is not easy. It requires effort, strength, training, planning and cautiousness. Seeing the glory of God requires a pure heart (Mt.5:8), which is gained through askesis, or spiritual training and discipline. Askesis involves deep self-sacrifice in prayer, fasting, worshipping, almsgiving, repentance, confession, receiving unction and the Eucharist. Jesus emphasized two of them, prayer and fasting, in today’s Gospel reading for today (10^th Sunday Matthew 17:14-23)

   I have witnessed only few people who truly reflected the glory of God. One is Irena Sendler, the lady who smuggled 2,500 Jewish babies out of the Warsaw Ghetto of Nazi-occupied Poland during WWII. I recently posted her story and a brief biographical video on my Facebook page. I was inspired by her bravery during the war but I was equally inspired by her shining face as a 90 year old woman. She seemed to reflect the glory of God. I remember Bishop Gerasimos of Abydos, the retired bishop of Boston, who lived on our seminary campus, who attended all the chapel services, who occasionally visited the Summer Church Camp of Boston. His face shined also with the glory of the Lord. A third example, is Fr. George Maloney, a Byzantine Rite priest and famous author on Eastern Christian spirituality, whom I had the honor of meeting when he came for our Lenten retreat during the time I served Holy Apostles Church in Chicago. I picked him up at the airport, and on the drive back to the church, we talked quite a bit. I noticed a unique radiance in his face. I asked him how old he was, thinking he was in his mid-fifties. He replied that he was 72 years old. I was astounded. I believe he reflected the glory of God.

   As we close today, let us remember the words of the Apolytikion of the Transfiguration—the main hymn of the Feast.

When You were transfigured on the mountain, O Christ our God, You showed Your disciples Your glory as far as they could bear. So now, for us sinners also, let this same eternal light shine forth through the prayers of the Theotokos. O Giver of Light, glory to You.

  Thus, we sinners pray that Christ not only reveal His glory to us but that He allow His glory to shine forth through us. We need not only to pray for this, but we also need, especially during the Dormition Fast, the prayers of the Virgin Mary and all the Saints to help us shine with the glory of God. Amen!

ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

REV. FR. RICHARD DEMETRIUS ANDREWS, PRESBYTER

www.stgeorgegoc.org

August 20, 2017                                                                                    11^th SUNDAY OF MATTHEW

TODAY’S EVENTS: Greek Festival 11am; Serve-a-Meal at FOCUS MN 4pm.

Epistle Reader: Stephen Kanavati                                       Prosfora: Rita Kanavati 

Fellowship: Greek Festival                                                  Head Usher: Diane Anastos

Tuesday       08-22     Sunday School teacher seminar at St. Mary’s GOC                                           6:00PM

                                    Parish Council meeting                                                                                  6:30PM

Thursday     08-24     Glad Tidings mailing – volunteers needed                                                        10:00AM

Saturday      08-26     Prison Ministry reunion breakfast | Greek Festival in Rochester, MN                  10:00AM

Sunday         08-27     ORTHROS (8:15am) &DIVINELITURGY- 12^th SUNDAY OF MATTHEW                9:30AM

                                    Greek Festival in Rochester, MN

                                    Serve-a-Meal at FOCUS MN                                                                           4:00PM

Tuesday       08-29     ORTHROS (8am) &DIVINELITURGY- BEHEADING OF FORERUNNER                   9:00AM

Friday          09-01     ORTHROS (8am) & LITURGY- INDICTION: CHURCH YEAR BEGINS                   9:00AM

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Welcome! To all our visitors and guests who came for our Greek Festival this weekend. Thank you!

Thanks! To all our Greek Festival volunteers under the leadership of chairpersons: Jon Kennedy, Alexis Bighley and Phyllis Kapetanakis. We appreciate everyone’s hard work and dedication! Great job!

Memory Eternal! Deacon Bohdan Melnychenko of Holy Trinity Orthodox Church reposed in the Lord on August 15^th. Visitation this evening 5-7pm, and tomorrow Monday August 21^st 9am, followed by funeral service at 10am followed by memorial meal—all at Holy Trinity. May God remember his Holy Diaconate forever!

Chrismation: Yodah Raphaella Gamada was received into the Orthodox Church through the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit on August 13^th. Congratulations and welcome to her and to her sponsor, Diane Anastos!

Think About It: When elated by praise, be sure that disgrace will follow.   St. Mark the Ascetic (5^th cent.)

40 Day Churching: Dina Kontinakis Negron and daughter Kostandina on August 13^th and was born on July 11.

Sympathies: to Lana Payton, whose mother, Mary Cucekov, fell asleep in the Lord on August 12^th in Florida.

Rochester Greekfest: parishioners are welcome to help our sister parish Holy Anargyroi in Rochester during their Greekfest Friday, August 25^th to Sunday, August 27^th. If interested in volunteering, please email Calli at callikelly7@gmail.com . Holy Anargyroi wishes Saint George a successful festival the weekend before.

Sermons Updated: and posted on our website through May 7, 2017. More to come including children’s sermons from 2016-2017. http://stgeorgegoc.org/pastors-corner/fr-ricks-sermons/

2017 Lenten Lectures and Lenten Retreat audios posted: please visit our website at http://stgeorgegoc.org/pastors-corner/lectures/ to hear 12 different lectures presented by speakers Fr. Richard Andrews, Fr. Marc Boulos, Dr. Eugenia Gavrilyuk, Fr. Ted Wojcik, Fr. Barnabas Powell and Michael Lotti.

Philoptochos Elections: Sunday, September 10^th, elections for board Members and officers in the conference room after liturgy. Please plan to attend this important meeting. You will be able to vote if you have paid your fair share offering. Currently there are 25 paid members, so check with treasurer Tina Sageotis denaki26@msn.com to confirm if you’re a paid member. $21 per member goes to National & Metropolis office.

Church Fathers Speak: It is God’s task to administer the world and the soul’s task to guide the body.     St. Thalassios the Libyan (7^th cent.)

St. Paul Classic Bike Tour: will take place on Sunday, September 10, 2017 from 8am to noon. No parking allowed on the north side of Summit Avenue – cars parked in posted no parking zones will be tagged and towed.

LOMCP Annual Fundraising Gala: Sunday, September 17, 4-7pm on the Terrace of the Stillwater Public Library, 224 3^rd Street N, Stillwater. Tickets are $30, available from church office or at www.lomcp.com.

Lebanese Festival: at St. Maron Catholic Church, 602 University Ave. NE, Minneapolis on Saturday, September 23 1-8pm and Sunday, September 24, 11am-6pm. Fun for all ages; free admission, plus food, games, live music and dance. See posting in social hall or visit www.stmaron.com for more info.

Patristic Wisdom: Just as the dreadful qualities are attached to one another (for example, envy follows upon avarice, as do treachery, perjury, anger and remembrance of wrongs), so the opposite qualities of these vices are dependent upon love; I mean of course, gentleness and patience, as well as endurance, and the ultimate good—holy poverty. It is not possible to acquire love without poverty. Those therefore who have resources must not overlook those who have needs.                           St. Syncletica of Alexandria (4^th cent.)

Support Taste of Northeast: at St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral, Sept 29-30, 2017. Consider being a Business Sponsor, Personal Sponsor, or Marketplace Vendor. For more information, including forms and deadlines, contact Lynn Bjornnes at 651.492.5390 or fordfam21@comcast.net.

New Metropolitan of Chicago: the Trisopon (list of three candidates) selected by the Holy Eparchial Synod of America was forwarded to the Patriarchal Synod in Constantinople. Unofficially, it appears that the list has been rejected and a new list must be selected. Please continue to pray that God grant us a worthy successor and chief shepherd. Until then, Metropolitan Nicholas of Detroit is serving as locum tenens.

Wisdom from the Church Fathers: If stinginess takes hold of a person, there is no greater illness. It is good to be thrifty, but one must be careful to be gradually overcome by the spirit of stinginess. St. Paisios the Athonite

Lexington Parkway Improvements- starting early July, concrete and brick crosswalks will be replaced with blacktop along with new pedestrian accessible curbs at intersections. Watch for lane shifts and closures.

Labor Day Weekend Family Retreat: Join other Orthodox families at the St. Iakovos Retreat Center in Wisconsin, Sept 1-3, 2017 for a fun-filled time reconnecting with your family and with God. Find more information on bulletin boards and at www.GOCFFamilySynaxis.org. Register online by August 18.

Need Counseling? Fr. Rick is always available by appointment for pastoral counseling. He will soon become a Licensed Associate in Marriage & Family Therapy (LAMFT). To complete his doctoral internship, Father needs a certain number of hours counseling individuals, couples and families. His program allows pastoral counseling to count towards those hours. Fr. Rick has over 22 years of parish priest experience as well as doctoral training in MFT. Help him to help you. All counseling is strictly confidential. Fr. Rick is also a certified Seminar Director for the Prepare-Enrich program (www.prepare-enrich.com), the premier pre-marital and marital counseling assessment tool in the world. This enables him to train others to become program facilitators.

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