Sunday Morning Orthros/Matins 8:15am, Divine Liturgy 9:30am; Saturday Great Vespers 5:00pm (October thru May); Weekday Services (see Online Calendar, Sunday Bulletin & Monthly Newsletter); Confession (by appointment).
As the deliverer of captives, and the protector of the poor; a physician of the sick, the defender of kings; O Great Martyr St. George Victorious, intercede to Christ our God, to save our souls.
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).
The majestic Church of the Resurrection, built by Saint Constantine the Great and his mother Helen, was consecrated in the year 336. In the year 614, this edifice was destroyed by the Persians, who set fire to it. Modestus, the Abbot of the Monastery of Saint Theodosius, and later Patriarch of Jerusalem, rebuilt the church in 626 and had it reconsecrated. In 637, Jerusalem fell to the Moslems; however, the holy shrines were left intact. But in 934, on the Sunday of Pascha, the Saracens set fire to part of this church. Again in 969, the Moslems set fire to the dome of the church, plundered all the sacred objects that were found therein, and surrendered John IV, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, to the flames. In 1010, the Moslems, under Hakim the Mad, Caliph of Egypt, destroyed the church to its foundations, but in 1028, by the mediation of Emperor Romanus III Argyrus of Constantinople, the church began to be rebuilt on a more modest scale. This third edifice was completed and reconsecrated in 1048. In 1099, the crusaders took Jerusalem and ruled there for eighty-eight years, and during this time they made certain changes in the structure, which, for the most part, has remained unaltered ever since (See also Sept. 13).
Sixth Orthros Gospel
The Reading is from Luke 24:36-53
At that time, Jesus, having risen from the dead, stood in the midst of his disciples and said to them, "Peace to you." But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit. And he said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? See my hands and feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.
Then he said to them, "These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high."
Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.
Prokeimenon. Grave Mode. Psalm 63.11,1.
The righteous shall rejoice in the Lord.
Verse: Oh God, hear my cry.
The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 4:22-27.
Brethren, Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, the son of the free woman through promise. Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written, "Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in travail; for the children of the desolate one are many more than the children of her that is married."
10th Sunday of Luke
The Reading is from Luke 13:10-17
At that time, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity." And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day." Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?" As he said this, all his adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.
WASHINGTON (Wed., Dec. 5, 2018) – His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Geron of America attended today the funeral service for the 41st President of the United States George H.W. Bush at Washington’s National Cathedral.
9. SMALL ENTRANCE & TRISAGION HYMN (11-23-2003; 12-2-2018)
How many of you drove through the snowstorm yesterday? In the increasing darkness of night and the multitude of snowflakes driven by the gusting wind, it was difficult to see. We needed headlights to see clearly the safe path of the road in front of us as we proceeded carefully to our home or destination. This image is very much like what we will discuss today, the ninth in our series on worship and liturgy.
Last week we talked about the first two Antiphons which were originally whole psalms interpolated by brief hymns to the Theotokos and Jesus Christ. Now, these brief hymns are preceded by short psalm verses depending on the day or feast being celebrated. The third and final Antiphon contained the main hymn of the day or feast and it’s called in an Apolytikion, because it was first sung at the Apolysis or Dismissal of the Vespers service the evening before. On Sundays, one of the resurrectional apolytikia is sung according to the order of the eight tones or melodies.
During the third antiphon a significant movement or action takes place called the Small Entrance. The priest, preceded by the acolytes carrying candles, exits the sanctuary carrying the Gospel book and proceeds to the Holy or Beautiful Gate (Oraia Pule). A few Fathers of the Church say the Small Entrance symbolizes the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry. This would make sense because Jesus’ Incarnation and Birth are already commemorated during the Proskomide service in which the bread and wine are prepared on the table of the Prothesis. When we use the word ‘symbol’ we remember that it means to bring together two things—what you see and what it represents.
The Gospel book is often seen as symbolizing Christ Himself. This book is not just a bigger ornate version of the Bible. Rather, it contains only the four Gospel books and these passages are arranged not sequentially, but according to the lectionary or system of readings for the Church year. The Gospel book is often richly adorned with gilded metal and sparkling jewels to demonstrate the priceless value of our Savior’s life and words. The Greek word for gospel is ‘euaggelion’ which means ‘good message.’
On both sides of the book are five small icons. In the middle, on one side is the Resurrection of Christ and on the other side is the Crucifixion. On Sundays, the Lord’s Day (Kyriake), the Day of Resurrection that icon is facing up or outwards. On weekdays, the Crucifixion icon is facing up/outwards. The Resurrection icon is surrounded by four smaller icons of the Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John), each with their respective symbol (man, lion, ox & eagle). The Crucifixion icon is also surrounded by four smaller icons of the major prophets: Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah & Jeremiah.
According to St. Jerome’s rationale given for this scheme is how each Gospel narrative begins. Matthew is the man because he begins with a genealogy; Mark is the lion, roaring in the desert with prophetic power; Luke is the ox, because he begins with temple sacrifice; and John is the eagle, flying heavenwards like the divine Word.
The processional candles and lamps represent the light of Christ, that is the Holy Spirit which illuminates the path towards Christ. The Prophets of the Old Testament were illumined by the Holy Spirit to proclaim God’s word and their words declared the coming Messiah. The Holy Spirit, in the form of candle/lamp light is just like the headlights of an automobile, especially when it’s dark and stormy. We can’t get to our destination without it.
The Prayer of the Entrance read by the priest also reveals its meaning: “O Sovereign Lord our God, Who appointed in heaven the orders and armies of angels and archangels for the service or your glory, grant that the holy angels may enter with us, to serve and glorify your goodness with us…” The prayer actualizes the Orthodox understanding of the communion of the saints; that we indeed all worship together in the dimension of the kingdom.
Next, the clergy and the faithful sing together: “Come let us bow down to Christ and worship Him; Save us O Son of God (on Sundays- “who rose from the dead”; on weekdays- “among the saints glorified”); We sing to You, Alleluia!”
During the Entrance, all the faithful stand at the very threshold of the Kingdom. The priest, upon entering through the Holy/Beautiful Gate, leads the people over the threshold of the Kingdom, literally stepping from this world to the next.
In the early Church, the Entrance (Greek = Enarxis) happened after all the people had gathered (Synaxis) outside the temple. Many Church Fathers equate the Synaxis to the Prophecy of the coming Messiah, the Incarnation of Christ and the ministry of John the Baptist. After the singing of the litanies and the antiphons the clergy would vest outside the sanctuary and at this point would make entry with the Gospel book into the sanctuary, towards the altar that before the throne of Christ in the Kingdom.
The remnant of this early practice is the placing of the Gospel book before the Royal Doors in the narthex during the chanting of the 50th Psalm in the Orthros service. This symbolizes the risen Christ leaving the tomb to greet the Myrrhbearing Women and those who rise early in the morning. That’s why you see the Gospel book on the stand when you enter the narthex every Sunday. This ancient practice is still followed during hierarchical liturgies because the Bishop enters the sanctuary at this time—the true beginning of the Liturgy of the Word inaugurated by the chief shepherd of the flock of Christ.
After all the clergy enter the Holy Altar, the chanters and choir sing repeat the Apolytikon and continue with other Apolytikia dedicated to the feast or saint being commemorated, the patron saint or feast of the parish community and the Kontakion, another hymn based on the season of the ecclesiastical year. As we said last week, the combination of these hymns will change every week provided a unique variety from one Sunday to the next. The likelihood of celebrating the exact same liturgy on any given Sunday might occur only once every six to eight years. We also remember that the hymns of our Church not only tell a story but more importantly, reveal Christian theology—what we believe about God, creation and mankind. The familiar melodies help implant and cement these beliefs deep within our body, mind and soul.
In conclusion, when the blind man of Jericho in today’s Gospel reading from 14th Sunday of Luke (18:35-43) heard that Christ was passing by, he cried out: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (v.38). Jesus, stopped and asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blindman replied, “Receive my sight” (v.41). When we come to church, into the temple, and the Gospel book passes in front of us during the Small Entrance, we should imitate the blindman begging for Christ to open the eyes of our heart, mind and soul so that we can see Him more clearly working miracles in our life each and every day. 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
December 9, 2018 10TH SUNDAY OF LUKE
TODAY’S EVENTS: Parish Council election, Parish luncheon hosted by Welcome & Outreach, Strategic Planning Word Exercise, Basketball Meeting, Christmas Program Rehearsal 12pm.
Epistle Reader: Stephen Kanavati Prosfora: anonymous
Fellowship: Welcome & Outreach Head Greeter: Jim Theros
Tuesday 12-11 OCF at University of St. Thomas 12:00PM
Parish Council meeting 6:30PM
Wednesday 12-12 DIVINE LITURGY – ST. SPYRIDON 9:00AM
Bible Study 1:30PM
Thursday 12-13 MEOCCA meeting at St. Mary Romanian Church 11:00AM
Missions & Benevolence meeting 6:30PM
Saturday 12-15 Strategic Planning meeting 10:00AM
Church Sanctuary cleaning 12:00PM
VESPERS 5:00PM
Sunday 12-16 ORTHROS (8:15am) &DIVINE LITURGY – 11th SUNDAY OF LUKE 9:30AM
Children’s Christmas Program 11:30AM
Makers Mall gift delivery 12:00PM
Greek Dance practice 4:30PM
Monday 12-17 Office closed through Tuesday, December 18
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Parish Council Elections Today: in the social hall following liturgy. Candidates are Stephen Arsenault, Diane Anastos, Petko Ivanov, Stephen Kanavati, John Simon, and Lily Zahariades. Please see insert for bio profiles.
Welcome & Outreach Lunch Today: everyone is invited for a Lenten lunch to share in fellowship and help us welcome and get to know better the newcomers to our parish community.
Basketball Meeting Today: after welcome newcomers luncheon - for kids, parents and interested adults to determine teams, coaches, practice times and location, and other tournament preparations.
Think About It: Marriage is more than a human institution. It is a miniature kingdom and thus a little house of the Lord. St. Clement of Alexandria (+215)
Youth Christmas Program- rehearsal today after Sunday School. Program will take place next Sunday. Dec. 16th. All children are welcome. Parents encouraged to help. Thank you!
Stewardship Update: we need to raise $68,360 before Dec.31st to fulfill our 2018 stewardship commitments. This will help us avoid drawing from our savings and investments to support our ministries and programs. Please give generously as God has blessed you. 2019 pledge cards, brochure and letters were mailed recently. Our theme is All things are possible to the one who believes in Christ” (Mark 9:23). Thanks for your support!
Advent Fast: for 40 days until the Nativity of our Lord. The Church instructs us to abstain from all meat and dairy products, although fish is allowed any day except Wednesdays and Fridays (until Dec.12). Fasting periods are a good time for spiritual self-examination and the Sacrament of Confession. Please contact Fr. Rick.
Xmas Card Help! Volunteers needed this week to help Philoptochos assemble and mail out the Parish Christmas Card: Wed. Dec. 12th at 3pm for card assembly; Thurs. Dec. 13th at 12:30pmto organize mailing. Today is the deadline toparticipate using enclosed form and $20 minimum donation.
Clean Our Sanctuary: please help us prepare for the Nativity Feast of our Lord by cleaning the sanctuary and all of its icons and appointments next Saturday, Dec 15th beginning at 12pm. Keeping God’s House in tip-top shape is an important task. If everyone pitches in, it goes pretty quickly. May the Lord cleanse our souls too!
Church Fathers Speak: If you are troubled about anything, this means that you have not completely given yourself over to the will of God. St. Silouan the Athonite (+1938)
Exterior Restoration- Brick, block and tuckpointing have been completed. Cost of project is $118,647. We have raised over $63,000 from our parishioners and friends. Please join us in this important work. Thank you!
Note from Treasurer: as we near the end of the fiscal year, don’t forget to include designations on checks when making contributions to the church. A few words on the memo line noting the purpose of the check (e.g. xmas flowers, 2018 stewardship, 2019 stewardship) is extremely helpful for bookkeeping, thank you!
Youth Minister Position Open: applications are now being accepted for this part time position. To apply, email a resume, cover letter and two references to Fr. Rick at fatherrick@stgeorgegoc.org.
Patristic Wisdom: God created the world and thus is superior to His creation. He has created the human soul better than the body. Thus, if a person cares more for the body than the soul, and prefers the world to God the Creator, then such a person is not different than an idol-worshipper. St. Maximos the Confessor (+662)
New Sunday School Director! Thank you to Miss Aida Abebe for graciously volunteering to lead our religious education program, working with our current teachers: Lerah McCullough (PreK), Carol Alexis (K-1), Lama Ghazi (2-3), Stephen Kanavati (4-5-6), Anastasia Mastrogiorgis (7-9) and Nick Kanavati & Vicky Paraschou (10-12). Please support Aida and the teachers by frequently bringing your children to liturgy and Sunday school.
Holiday Office Hours: the office will be closed on December 17, 18, 24, 25 and January 1. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause!
AHEPA Christmas Party: Saturday, December 29th, 5:30pm at St. Mary’s GOC in Minneapolis. Enjoy buffet dinner by Gyropolis, music and dancing. Early bird price is $35 per person if received by December 16, $50 at the door. See posting in social hall for more details and to reserve your seats.
Wisdom from the Fathers: Everything, even what appears to be beneficial and necessary, should be put aside in order to avoid the disturbance of anger. And everything that is inimical should be put up with and tolerated in order to maintain unharmed the tranquility of love and peace. St. John Cassian (+435)
2019 Basketball Tourney: hosted by Annunciation Church, Milwaukee, February 8-10. Early team registration for Men, Women, Boys, Girls & JOY teams is $300 until Dec 15; $400 afterwards. For Player Registration, click here. Meal registration is separate click here.: Early Bird Weekend Package is $90/adult, $55/child until Jan 14; afterwards $110/adult, $60/child until Jan 28. Rooms $119/night at the Brookfield Hotel, 375 South Moorland Rd, Brookfield, WI 53005, 262-364-1100 or here. Questions? Email 2019greekbball@gmail.com.
Roselawn Cemetery lots are still available for parishioners at a 15% discount off list prices. 2018 discounted prices are: $6,120.00 for a Monument Lot (2 graves); $3,655.00 for a Flat Lot A (2 graves); $2,125.00 for a Flat Lot B (1 grave). Single graves have limited availability. If interested in learning more or to purchase a lot, please contact the Church office and someone from the Roselawn committee will contact you.
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
Liturgy Guide 12-09-2018
Elections Today!
Provide feedback for Strategic Planning Committee
A Fundraiser by Philoptochos - deadline today
Deadline December 16