HELLO DEVOTED PARISHIONERS AND ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS OF ST. JOHN'S. WE ARE OPENED, AND THE RESTRICTIONS AND PRECAUTIONS ARE STILL IN PLACE. HOWEVER NOW WE ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE 25 PEOPLE IN CHURCH. THIS INCLUDES THE PRIEST, CHANTER, 1-2 PARISH COUNCIL MEMBERS AND 21 PARISHIONERS. EVERYONE IS REQUIRED TO WEAR MASKS AND/OR GLOVES WHILE IN THE CHURCH. ONLY THOSE WHO ARE IN GOOD HEALTH WILL BE ABLE TO ENTER. IF YOU ARE OVER 65 IT IS UP TO YOU IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND. IF YOU HAD CONTRACTED OR ARE STILL SUFFERING, OR RECUPERATING FROM THE VIRUS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ENTER.
IF YOU BRING KOLYVA IT MUST BE WRAPPED IN PLASTIC WHEN IT IS BROUGHT INTO CHURCH, AND IT MUST BE TAKEN OUT THE SAME WAY. IT WILL NOT BE DISTRIBUTED IN CHURCH.
EVERY THURSDAY EVENING AT 7:30 P.M. I HOST AN ONLINE BIBLE STUDY. IT IS OPEN TO ALL WHO WISH TO ATTEND. PLEASE EMAIL ME AT THE CHURCH EMAIL ADDRESS OR TO MY PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESS FOR THE WEEKLY LINK.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND BLESSINGS!
WE ARE STILL IN NEED OF DONATIONS FOR THE RENOVATIONS. SO PLEASE TAKE THE TIME AND BE AS GENEROUS AS YOU CAN TO HELP KEEP ST. JOHN'S A VIABLE COMMUNITY FOR TODAY AND IN THE FUTURE.
IF YOU HAVE NOT SENT IN THIS YEAR'S STEWARDSHIP 2020 PLEASE DO THAT TODAY. THE 2020 FORM IS ON OUR WEBSITE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!
WE ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT "PI BAKERIE" IS OPEN AT 512 BROOME STREET, NYC. SINCE ARTOPOLIS CLOSED IN ASTORIA YOU CAN NOW FIND ALL THE FABULOUS GREEK PASTRIES, DELIGHTS TO SATISFY YOUR TASTE BUDS. PLEASE VISIT AND TELL REGINA WE SENT YOU. ENJOY!
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DISCRIMINATION!
There has been much said these past weeks about discrimination on all sorts of media. I will not go into some political diatribe or even refer to a specific case. However, what I will say is how we should view and see each other through the lens of the Bible, and specifically the New Testament. Many situations in the Bible demonstrate how our Lord Jesus Christ wants us to act, not just toward our neighbor, but all people we come in contact with.
As I have said and written many times in sermons and weekly bulletins, that the Lord uses people who are seen by the Jews as outcasts and befriends them to prove a point. Not on Facebook or some other social media platform where you can say anything you want about a person, whether it is true or false, without any real repercussions except hurting the targeted person's feelings. Many of these outcasts were Samaritans and tax collectors, two of the most disliked and hated groups by the so-called “righteous” Jews.
Furthermore, how ironic, that the Samaritans, whether male or female, could demonstrate such compassion to a person in need. On the other hand, those who are “righteous” walk away in an instant without even caring or giving the person in need a second look. I think all of us at one time or another have done the same thing when faced with this kind of situation. As a result, we have become desensitized and detached from the pain that others feel who are right in front of us.
St. Paul realized his error after his transformation on the road to Damascus. The idea that we are all one in Christ Jesus was so important to him and early Christianity, that this theme is expressed throughout his Epistles. He writes to the Romans 10:12, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.” He does not stop there. He responds to the Galatians’ letter with a more precise definition of who Christians are in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Finally, he concludes with an even broader and more inclusive picture of who Christians are in Colossians 3:11, “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all and in all.”
As you can see from the Biblical evidence, Christianity unites all people under the shadow of the Lord’s wings. No one is estranged from His abiding love in this Fallen World. However, as you know in America we too have had a violent history of segregation that has divided Americans because of color, nationality, and religious beliefs. In America, the main focus and thrust were on color. It is an ugly history that has improved since the Jim Crow Act that was started in 1876 and ended with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Moreover, during this time our great country did not accept African American Physicians into the well-established American Medical Association because they were not as good or talented as white American physicians. So “The NMA (National Medical Association) was founded in 1895, during an era in US history when the majority of African Americans were disenfranchised. The segregated policy of ‘separate but equal’ dictated virtually every aspect of society. Racially exclusive ‘Jim Crow’ laws dominated employment, housing, transportation, recreation, education, and medicine. Black Americans were subjected to all of the injustices inherent in a dual medical care system.”
Furthermore, things have changed since then with the election of the first black president of the AMA in 1994. “One hundred forty-seven years after its founding, the American Medical Association elected its first African American president. Dr. Lonnie R. Bristow, 64, a San Pablo, Calif., internist, is currently chairman of the AMA board and the only black board member. He is scheduled to assume his new post early next year.”
We have come a long way in American history, but today we find ourselves in dire straits again due to the fragmentation of our society. The vision that St. Paul had hoped would break down the social, national, and religious barriers throughout the world under our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ have turned into special interest groups vying for individual recognition and worldwide power. The adage that I mentioned at the beginning of this message “divided but equal” was something of the past, but today these radical groups claim “divided and not equal” as their mantra.
On the other hand, we are all equal in God’s likeness and image and when people believe they are better or superior to others this is truly satanic. We will never reach nirvana or have a utopian society in this world because it is fallen, but we can try to become better Christians in His likeness and image. With the current dynamics, we are all experiencing around the United States these past two weeks we are in dangerous territory in our social, national, and religious interactions with others and it threatens the basic fabric that holds Americans together.
Finally, St. Paul believed that only through Jesus Christ can you see all people as equals. The further we go away from a belief in Jesus Christ the more we fall to our desires and wants and we become like Adam and Eve’s prodigy. After their expulsion from the Garden of Eden Eve was blessed with two children, Cain and Abel. You know the result, first-generation Cain kills Abel. This is what we can expect with a lack of God’s presence and knowledge in our life. One can do the worse thing possible to kill one another. Today we must become color blind to all, and see them only as Children of God if we want to live in harmony. Amen!
What a year this has been for all of us, and especially for you. I want to say how proud I am, of how each of you has contributed to the completion of this extraordinary school year. None of us ever expected that such a world would come crashing in on our daily lives and expectations. All of you have had to cope with the pandemic, and all of you have come through with grace and dignity.
New York - The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America announces the celebratory festivities for the feast day of Saint Bartholomew, patron saint of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, to be held on June 11, 2020.
