Saints and Feasts

December 02

14th Sunday of Luke

December 04

Barbara the Great Martyr

Saint Barbara was from Heliopolis of Phoenicia and lived during the reign of Maximian.

She was the daughter of a certain idolater named Dioscorus. When Barbara came of age, she was enlightened in her pure heart and secretly believed in the Holy Trinity. About this time Dioscorus began building a bath-house; before it was finished he was required to go away to attend to certain matters, and in his absence Barbara directed the workmen to build a third window in addition to the two her Father had commanded. She also inscribed the sign of the Cross with her finger upon the marble of the bath-house, leaving the saving sign cut as deeply into the marble as if it had been done with an iron tool. (When the Synaxarion of Saint Barbara was written, the marble of the bath-house and the cross inscribed by Saint Barbara were still preserved, and many healings were worked there.) When Dioscorus returned, he asked why the third window had been added; Barbara began to declare to him the mystery of the Trinity. Because she refused to renounce her faith, Dioscorus tortured Barbara inhumanely, and after subjecting her to many sufferings he beheaded her with his own hands, in the year 290.

December 06

Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra

This Saint lived during the reign of Saint Constantine the Great, and reposed in 330, As a young man, he desired to espouse the solitary life. He made a pilgrimage to the holy city Jerusalem, where he found a place to withdraw to devote himself to prayer. It was made known to him, however, that this was not the will of God for him, but that he should return to his homeland to be a cause of salvation for many. He returned to Myra, and was ordained bishop. He became known for his abundant mercy, providing for the poor and needy, and delivering those who had been unjustly accused. No less was he known for his zeal for the truth. He was present at the First Ecumenical Council of the 318 Fathers at Nicaea in 325; upon hearing the blasphemies that Arius brazenly uttered against the Son of God, Saint Nicholas struck him on the face. Since the canons of the Church forbid the clergy to strike any man at all, his fellow bishops were in perplexity what disciplinary action was to be taken against this hierarch whom all revered. In the night our Lord Jesus Christ and our Lady Theotokos appeared to certain of the bishops, informing them that no action was to be taken against him, since he had acted not out of passion, but extreme love and piety. The Dismissal Hymn for holy hierarchs, The truth of things hath revealed thee to thy flock ... was written originally for Saint Nicholas. He is the patron of all travellers, and of sea-farers in particular; he is one of the best known and best loved Saints of all time.

December 09

The Conception by St. Anna of the Most Holy Theotokos

According to the ancient tradition of the Church, since Saint Anna, the Ancestor of God, was barren, she and her husband Joachim remained without children until old age. Therefore, sorrowing over their childlessness, they besought God with a promise that, if He were to grant them the fruit of the womb, they would offer their offspring to Him as a gift. And God, hearkening to their supplication, informed them through an Angel concerning the birth of the Virgin. And thus, through God's promise, Anna conceived according to the laws of nature, and was deemed worthy to become the mother of the Mother of our Lord (see also Sept. 8).

Hymns of the Day

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Second Mode

When You descended unto death, O Lord who yourself are immortal Life, then did You mortify Hades by the lightning flash of Your Divinity. Also when You raised the dead from the netherworld, all the Powers of the heavens were crying out: O Giver of life, Christ our God, glory be to You.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Third Mode

On this day the Virgin cometh to the cave to give birth to * God the Word ineffably, * Who was before all the ages. * Dance for joy, O earth, on hearing * the gladsome tidings; * with the Angels and the shepherds now glorify Him * Who is willing to be gazed on * as a young Child Who * before the ages is God.

Gospel and Epistle Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Second Mode. Psalm 117.14,18.
The Lord is my strength and my song.
Verse: The Lord has chastened me sorely.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians 6:10-17.

Brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand, therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Gospel Reading

14th Sunday of Luke
The Reading is from Luke 18:35-43

At that time, as Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging; and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." And he cried, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" And Jesus stopped, and commanded him to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me receive my sight." And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Wisdom of the Fathers

We may learn from this that when we ask with faith, God does not give something other than what we ask for, but the very same thing. However, when we ask for one thing and receive something else, it is clear that either we did not make a good request or we did not ask with faith.

Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Ochrid and Bulgaria

The Explanation of the Gospel of St. Luke, 11th Century

The Savior Himself is He Whom we are asked to put on. It is one and the same thing to say, 'Put on the whole armor of God,' and 'Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.' Our belt is truth and our breastplate is righteousness. The Savior is also called both 'truth' and 'righteousness.' On this principle He is also to be understood as the 'Gospel of peace.' He is Himself the 'shield of faith' and the helmet of salvation. He is the 'sword of the Spirit,' because He is the Word of God, living and efficacious, the utterance of which is stronger than any helmet and sharp on both sides.

St. Jerome

Unknown, 5th century

Ministry News

TODAY Fellowship Hour is sponsored by the Moshonas family.

St. Anna is hosting the 27th Annual Holiday Sing-A-Long for the ARC of Hunterdon County on Friday, December 14 at 7 pm.

Please volunteer for this very specialand very fun community outreach event, by helping set up & decorate, attending or by baking Cookies, Cakes or other Treats.

Volunteers are asked to arrive before 6:30 pm to:

· Set up Refreshments, Greet Guests, Seat Guests and Hand out Songbooks & Props

· Sing Along with this boisterous crowd.

· Clean-up including taking down tables at end of event (~8:30 pm)

· Please Dress Festively; Think Santa Hats and Christmas Sweaters

This is a great local event serving Hunterdon County clients. Children can earn volunteer hours. Questions? Call Leader Stephanie McElroy at 908-399-0080.

Church Calendar:

Daily Liturgy during the Christmas Fast, 9 am (no service on Monday, December 3)

Monday, December 3: Great Vespers of St. Barbara, 7 pm at St. Barbara Church, Toms River, NJ

Wednesday, December 5: Great Vespers of St. Nicholas, 7 pm at Roseland and Wyckoff churches, NJ

Saturday, December 8: Great Vespers of St. Anna, 7 pm

Sunday, December 9: Parish Feastday - Conception by St. Anna of the Virgin Mary, Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy

Sunday, December 9: Stewardship Sunday and Parish Council Elections

Sunday, December 9 is Stewardship Sunday. We asked that all our steward families recommit themselves for the coming new year and submit a 2019 Stewardship Commitment Card. As you know, we rely on this free-will offering of stewardship from every family that we serve as an expression of our love for the church and so we can continue doing God’s work. Thank you for your continued generosity and support.

As was mailed out by the Board of Elections this week, the Parish Council elections will be held on Sunday, December 9 right after church. (Six candidates will be filling 6 of the 7 open positions.).

Sunday, December 9: GOMNJ Annual Christmas Tree Lighting, 5pm – 9pm, GOMNJ, Westfield, NJ

Sunday, December 23: Christmas Pageant, Choir Concert, Greek School Christmas Program

Monday, December 24: Christmas Eve Divine Liturgy of St. Basil, 9 am

Monday, December 24: Christmas Eve Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, 10:30 pm

EDUCATION: Our Community food drive ends on December 9. We would like to thank the Parish for their generosity. Upcoming dates:

St Anna Feast day - December 9

Rehearsal for the Christmas Pageant - December 16

Christmas Pageant - December 23

No Sunday School on December 30 and January 6 (Epiphany).

We wish everyone a wonderful Christmas season. Sunday School contact: aimeedouvris@gmail.com

Christmas "Concert Choir": Please see the flyer on our adult and youth Christmas concert choir to sing on Sunday Decemeber 23. Adults and youth who like to sing are welcome to participate. Youth will rehearse starting this Sunday after Church. Adult rehearsals will be scheduled soon. Please see Choir Director Diana Grina at dianakg2003@yahoo.com.

Adult Greek School: Adult Greek school that classes will start on January 7 and registration has begun! Please see Maria Sfondouris to register today and on December 9 (msfondouris@gmail.com)

Adult Bible Study: Adult Bible Study is on Fridays from 12 – 1 pm. Please let Fr. A know if you are interested. All are welcome!

Philoptochos: Christmas Dinner - Please sign up for our annual Philoptochos Christmas Dinner on Wednesday, December 19, 6:30 pm at Al Fresco’s. Cost is $30. Deadline to sign up is December 2. See Zoi Kaldes for reservations or details.

PLEASE HELP: On Friday, December 7, starting at 4:30 pm, Angela Ferreira will be in our Church kitchen baking the Artos (sweet loaves of bread) for the St. Anna Feastday. Help is needed. Please come and learn how this blessed bread is prepared. Please contact Angela if available. Thank you.

Parish Christmas Card: Last call to participate in the St. Anna parish Christmas card. Donations benefit social service fund to aid Orthodox Christians in financial need. Please submit family names and donation, checks payable to "St. Anna Philoptochos" to Margaret Panageas by TODAY.

Vasilopita Sale: Please see Zoi Kaldes to order Vasilopita. Cost $17. Checks payable to "St. Anna Philoptochos". Orders due by December 16. Pick up Vasilopita at St. Anna on December 23.

PC CORNER:

On December 8, His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos will celebrate Vespers for the Saint Anna Feast Day. Services will start at 7:00 pm. Please make every effort to attend. Light refreshments will be offered by the Philoptochos.

Sunday, December 9 is Stewardship Sunday and General Elections. Please pick up and fill out a 2019 Stweardship Card.

Our first Eat & Shop event was successful. Preliminary report shows that we will net over $8,000. Thanks to all of those who came and helped during preparation and during the event. We managed to have everything cleaned and in storage within one hour after the event.

We are in the process of the next phase of the iconography. We will let you know as soon as we have an agreed-upon date.

Bulletin Inserts

St. Anna Christmas Choir

Concert on Dec 23

Sunday School Registration Form 2018-19

For the upcoming 2018-19 school year. First day on Sunday, September 23.

Greek School Registration Form 2018-2019

For the upcoming 2018-19 school year. First day on Monday, September 24.

Stewardship

Stewardship is the sharing of the talents and treasures that God has provided for us. An Orthodox Christian Steward is an active participant in the life of the Church. The parish encourages all who accept the Orthodox Faith to become practicing Stewards.

2018 Stewardship Status: We have 158 Pledges totaling $150,585 for an average of $ 953 and $132,426 received to date. We also have 5 families who have contributed $3,450 to date but have not submitted a stewardship card. It is important that all families complete a stewardship card to be considered a steward. If you have not already done so, please fill out your Stewardship Card for 2018.

…Remember a rich man is not one who has much, but one who gives much

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