1. Liturgy before Liturgy (10-26-2003; 11-4-2018)

   In today’s Epistle reading from 23^rd Sunday (Ephesians 2:4-10), the Apostle Paul says that, God has raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (v.6). Last week we said, the way Orthodox remember the past is by summoning God into our present reality and at the same time, being mystically transported into the heavenly reality of the eternal Mystical Supper. In essence, this is the work of the Divine Liturgy.

   We are the Ekklesia, a people called out to be separate and holy. We are working towards the Kingdom of God and our particular focus is the Eucharistic Mystical Supper of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. The holiness we strive for is found in the Divine Energies of God that we receive in Holy Communion—the Eucharist—which we receive into our very being. This face-to-face meeting with the Lord cannot be taken lightly. It requires preparation.

   This preparation, let’s call it the “the Liturgy before the Liturgy.” It is the work we do before arriving here on Sunday morning. It lays the foundation for the fullest experience of God’s Divine Presence. The old adage, “You get out of something what you put into it,” is also true here. So, how exactly do we prepare?

   Perhaps the first thing that comes to our minds is fasting. The canons clearly define that the only fasting required to prepare for Holy Communion is a complete fast upon waking on Sunday morning, so that we may be hungry, both physically and spiritually, for the Bread of God. The 64^th Canon of the Holy Apostles forbids fasting on Saturday. The 69^th Canon requires all Orthodox Christians to fast on Wednesday (remembering Judas’ betrayal) and Friday (remembering the Crucifixion) regardless of whether they will receive Holy Communion or not.

   Fasting involves much more than just food. We are called to fast from sin. Lying, stealing, cheating, adultery, fornication, gossiping, swearing, etc. are all incompatible with becoming holy. If we are under slavery to sin, then we are not prepared to become a slave (doulos/doule) of God. Fasting from sin does not take the place of fasting from food and vice versa. They go together. They are not an end in themselves but a means to receive Jesus Christ.

   About an hour and half before Liturgy starts, the priest begins several services. Kairos prayers. These remind him of the holy place in which he stands and the divine duty which he is about to begin. Right after comes the Vesting Prayers in which special scripture verses are read for each piece of garment that he puts on. These prayers remind him of the special grace of priesthood he received at ordination.

   The second service is the Proskomide—the Service of Preparation of the gifts of bread and wine in which the birth, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ are remembered. The bread on the paten/diskos is like Christ hanging on the Cross. The wine in the chalice is His blood poured out from His side. The third service is Orthros and it consists mostly of hymns. The word Orthros means ‘straight up’. It implies the rising of the person in the morning to stand before God in worshipful expectation. In the middle of Orthros, we read one of the eleven post-Resurrectional Gospels and the Holy Gospel book is brought out for veneration by the faithful. It represents the risen Christ greeting us as we enter the church.

   Now some of us may not be able to attend these services before Divine Liturgy. However, most of us are able and should participate at least periodically. These three services are instructive. On Sunday morning we should rise early with joyfulness of heart to continue our preparation, or more accurately, to intensify it. We should fast from distractions such as television, radio and internet before Liturgy. We should take care to be patient and kind with our family. We should pray that Christ helps us to be prepared. The prayers before Holy Communion are actually to be read before Divine Liturgy, not during or immediately before the Eucharist. Reviewing the Scripture readings of the day before liturgy is very helpful so their words will penetrate further into our heart and mind when we hear them during the liturgy. This of course, assumes that we are on-time to be present for them. As we dress for church, we should think of the special grace of new life given to us in Baptism and Chrismation that is renewed each day through prayer and each week through worship. We should be inspired by Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross to make the necessary sacrifices to prepare, attend and participate in liturgy, receiving Christ into our body, heart, mind and soul.

   All these preparations on Sunday morning are affected by what we do on Saturday. What time do we go to bed? If late, it will be more difficult to be on-time, and peaceful. If our weekday and Saturday activities are not Christ-like, this too will impair our motivation and preparation. The reason we do not fast on Saturday is because it is the Sabbath—the day of rest. We should stop working enough to enjoy the blessings God has given us. Some of us do our regular career work on Saturdays, some of us exhaust ourselves with work around the house. Certainly, it’s better to do them on Saturday, rather than on Sunday. However, if we overextend ourselves on Saturday with paid work, house work, errands, chores or other activities then we can put at risk proper preparation and participation in Sunday Divine Liturgy.

   Some of us may feel that we do not have a good handle on all these preparations or were not sure exactly where to start. Or we do not know how to overcome habitual sins in our life. God does not expect you to handle these things by yourself. He provides helpers to give you guidance and encouragement. The special person trained and ordained for this task is the priest. The relationship between spiritual father and spiritual child is very well-established and prominent in our Orthodox Christian Tradition. Each and every saint, the persons we elevate as examples of Christ-like living, had a mentor or a guide to help them learn how to live the life in Christ: denying themselves, taking up their cross and following Him.

   The Sacrament/Mystery of Holy Confession is a beautiful gift given by Christ to the Apostles and handed down through the life of the Church, and presented to us so that we may repent and receive forgiveness for our sins. The priest is here to help us rise above the problems in our life. Priestly ministry is one of guidance and encouragement.

   As we close today, let us remember today’s Gospel reading from the Fifth Sunday Luke (16:19-31). In the parable of the rich man and Lazaros, Jesus reveals two essential truths: 1) there is life after death--eternal life, and 2) how we live our life on earth, determines how we will live in heaven—either with God or apart from Him. Divine Liturgy is the place where we rediscover the true meaning and purpose of our life in God through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

ST. GEORGE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

 Rev. Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews, Presbyter

1111 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105, (651) 222-6220, www.stgeorgegoc.org

November 11, 2018                                                                                                            8^TH SUNDAY OF LUKE

TODAY’S EVENTS:  Parish Council budget mtg, 12pm; Philoptochos mtg, 12pm; baking for Bake Sale 1pm.

Memorial: John (15 yrs) & Georgia Haidos (7 yrs), & Phillip Dandos (5 yrs).

Epistle Reader: Stephen Kanavati                                    Prosfora: Anastasia Mastrogiorgis

Fellowship: Mastrogiorgis Haidos family                           Head Greeters: Alexis Bighley,Joe Weiser

Tuesday       11-13     DIVINE LITURGY – ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM                                                         9:00AM

                                  Catechism Class “Sacraments III-Marriage & Monasticism” w/ Fr. Proctor                7:00PM

                                   Strategic Planning committee meeting                                                                   6:30PM

Wednesday 11-14     Baking for Fall Bake Sale                                                                                       9:00AM

                                   Bible Study                                                                                                          1:30PM

Thursday     11-15     AHEPA meeting                                                                                                    7:00PM

Friday          11-16     Set up for Fall Bake Sale – volunteers needed                                                       9:00AM

Saturday      11-17     Fall Bake Sale                                                                                                   10:30AM

                                    GOYA Youth Group at Vertical Endeavors                                                            12:00PM

                                   VESPERS                                                                                                            5:00PM

Sunday         11-18     ORTHROS (8:15am) &DIVINE LITURGY – 9^th SUNDAY OF LUKE                            9:30AM

                                    IOCC Sunday

                                   Fall Bake Sale                                                                                                  11:30AM

                                    Greek Dance practice                                                                                          4:30PM

Wednesday 11-21      Glad Tidings mailing – volunteers needed                                                          10:00AM

                                    Pan-Orthodox THANKSGIVING EVE LITURGY & reception                                     6:00PM

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Parish Council Elections: nomination forms must be received today by the Board of Elections. Official notification of the Elections will be mailed by November 28, with a list of eligible candidates and of parish council members whose terms are ending. Elections will be held on Sunday, December 9, 2018. If you have any questions concerning the nomination process, please contact one of these Board of Election members: Bill Clemons, Dean Natto, Maria Paraschou, Tina Sageotis, Andrea Walkush.

Think About It: You do not know when the Lord will come to visit you; therefore be impartial, kind and hospitable to all people.                                  St. John of Kronstadt (+1907)

Remember MCP on Give to the Max Day: on November 15, please support the Medical Crisis Program by making a donation at https://www.givemn.org/giving-events/gtmd18/home, and help change lives of those suffering financial hardships due to medical crisis.

Vespers Has Begun! Start off your Saturday evening on the right foot with Great Vespers service at 5pm. It has beautiful hymns about the Resurrection and the Saints of the day, petitions, prayers and readings but only takes 45 minutes to complete. It is an excellent preparation for Sunday Divine Liturgy.

Exterior Restoration- Brick, block and tuckpointing have been completed. The cost of the project is $118,647. All parish council members and many others have already pledged or given their financial support. A letter and brochure were mailed last week. Please join us in this important work. Thank you!

Correction: on page 7 of November Glad Tidings, the contributions and pledges totaling $43,125 to the restoration project was omitted from the parish council president's column. We apologize for the mistake.

Church Fathers Speak: Some understand freedom as the ability to do whatever one wants, but this is external and results in slavery to sins, passions and defilements. True freedom is internal and enables us to choose the better path in the light of God’s truth and live it with the help of His grace        St. Philaret of Moscow (+1867)

Stelios Petrakis Trio: coming to The Cedar in Mpls today at 7:30pm. They perform Cretan music that blends cultural influences from Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Spain, and France. https://www.thecedar.org/listing-2/2018/11/11/stelios-petrakis-trio-with-special-guest

Bible Study: is meeting on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 1:30-3pm in the conference room at church. RSVP or questions to Kathy Ryan 651-292-9948 or Kathy.aeiou@gmail.com. All are welcome!

Missing Anything? Please check the Lost & Found area near the coat rack in the lower level for items that have been left at church. Anything not claimed by November 15 will be donated.

Patristic Wisdom: Do not be troubled if you don’t feel the love of God in yourself. Rather, think about the Lord, that He is merciful and guard yourself from sin. Then, the grace of God will teach you.               St. Silouan the Athonite (+1938)

New Home for FOCUS MN: 550 Rice Street, in the historic Capitol District of St. Paul. As owner of the building, FOCUS will occupy the first/lower floors, and beginning in 2019, will resume its basic needs services from this location, including hot meals, a food shelf, distribution of clothing and household items, brown bag meals through low-income neighborhood schools and homeless youth support agencies, and more. For more information, please contact Executive Director Vera Proctor at vproctor@FocusNA.org or (651) 324-2705.

Pan-Orthodox Thanksgiving Eve Divine Liturgy: Following our decades long tradition, clergy and laity from Orthodox parishes in the Twin Cities and beyond will celebrate liturgy to give thanks to Christ our Lord on Wednesday, Nov 21 at 6pm for liturgy and a memorial service for departed clergy and spouses. Afterwards, we will share a lenten meal, hosted by Misael & Lisa Jordan and honor our retired clergy and widowed spouses.

Annual Philoptochos Advent Luncheon & Caroling: Saturday, December 1^st at 11:30am at the Pool & Yacht Club. We extend a warm invitation to all community members to join us for our annual Advent Lunch & Caroling tradition. For more information please contact Vicky Paraschou at 763.785.8882.

Wisdom from the Fathers: A Christian must be courteous to all. His words and deeds should breath with the grace of the Holy Spirit. He who keeps watch and regulates his speech, does so also with his actions.             St. Netarios of Aegina (+1920)

IOCC Homefront Workshop on Saturday December 8^th, 9am-12pm, at St. Mary Greek Orthodox Church. To help educate leaders about parish emergency, disaster preparedness and response. RSVP by Dec.3^rd to julie@stmarysgoc.org. For more info, dchristopulos@iocc.org or 612-308-5407.

2018 Parish Christmas Card: please fill out the enclosed form and return it with your donation ($20 minimum) to a Philoptochos member or the church office no later than Sunday, December 9. Thank you.

Pan-Orthodox Ethnic Dance Party- Saturday night, Feb. 2, 2019 at St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Minneapolis. All ages invited. The youth will provide the energy but hope their parents and grandparents will join them to celebrate life and their heritage with them. Everyone will receive instruction in at least one dance: Arab, Bulgarian, Greek, Romanian and Serbian. Let the fun begin. More details to come!

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