Ephesians 4:1-7: Reading in Ephesians, we hear St. Paul exhort us to maintain the unity of the spirit and to walk in a manner worthy of our calling.

 

Luke 13:10-17:   By healing a woman held in bondage to an illness for eighteen years, our Lord demonstrates that the Law does not prohibit righteous action on the Sabbath.

 

Troparion of the Resurrection:  O compassionate One, thou didst descend from the heights; thou didst submit to the three-day burial, that thou might deliver us from passion.  Thou art our Life and our Resurrection, O Lord, glory to thee.

 

Troparion of St. Ambrose:  Thy righteous acts have manifested thee to thy flock as a model of faith, a reflection of humility, and a teacher of abstinence, O Father Bishop Ambrose.  Therefore, through humility thou hast achieved exaltation, and through poverty, riches.  Intercede thou with Christ God to save our souls.

 

Troparion of the Chains of St. Peter: O Holy Apostle, Peter, thou dost preside over the Apostles by the precious chains which thou didst bear.  We venerate them with faith and beseech thee that by thine intercessions we be granted the great mercy.

 

Kontakion Preparatory for Nativity:  Today the Virgin comes unto the cave to give birth in an ineffable manner to the Word before the ages.  Rejoice, therefore, O universe, when you hear, and glorify with the angels and the shepherds him who shall appear by his own will as a new babe, being God before the ages.

 

 

 

Sunday, December 7  (Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost)
 8:50 a.m. – Orthros
 9:00 a.m. – Sunday School
 10:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy
 12:00 Noon – Ladies of St. Peter
 5:30 p.m. – Youth Group

 

Monday, December 8
 CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED – FATHER JOHN'S DAY OFF

 

Tuesday, December 9
 6:00 a.m. – Daily Orthros
 6:30 p.m. – Choir Practice
  
Wednesday, December 10
 5:00 p.m. – Catechism Class
 6:30 p.m. – Advent Paraklesis, followed by Clergy Meeting

 

Thursday, December 11
 6:00 a.m. – Daily Orthros
 
Friday, December 12   (Spyridon the Wonder-worker)
 6:00 a.m. – Festal Orthros
        
Saturday, December 13
 6:30 p.m. – Great Vespers

 

Sunday, December 14 (Sunday of the Holy Forefathers)
 8:50 a.m. – Orthros
 9:00 a.m. – Sunday School
 10:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy
 5:30 p.m. – Youth Group

 

 

 

The Eucharist Bread was offered by the Richard Roots for the Divine Liturgy today; the Artoklasia bread was offered by the Hendersons for the Feast of St. Nicholas last Friday evening.

 

Please remember the following in your prayers: Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family, Deborah and Paul Finley, Effie Johnson (Kh. Susan Cushman's mother) and the Cushman family (St. John's in Memphis)

 

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
                 Eucharist Bread      Coffee Hour
 December 7     R. Roots         Joneses/Stewarts
 December 14   Algoods          Meadows
 December 21   Katools           Milnors
 December 24 (Feast of Nativity) Schelvers Feast
 December 28   Morrises          R. Roots
 December 31 (Wed evening) Bakers (Artoklasia Bread)
                    (Great Vespers with Litia and Artoklasia for the Circumcision of our Lord and
                      the feast of St. Basil the Great) 

 

Schedule for Epistle Readers   –  Page numbers refer to the Apostolos (book of the Epistles) located on the front pew.  Please be sure to use this book when you read.
                    Reader   Reading Page #
December 7 Mildred Morris Ephesians 4:1-7 212
December 14 Kh. Be'Be' Schelver Colossians 3:4-11 233
December 21 Brenda Baker Hebrews 11:9-10;17:23,32-40 348
December 24 Kh. Sharon Meadows Galatians 4:4-7 351
December 28 Tom Willlingham Galatians 1:11-19 188

 

Please be sure to schedule a time for confession with your priest during the Fast of the Nativity.

 

Pledge letters will be coming in the mail in the upcoming weeks.  Please fill these out and return them in the self-addressed envelope as soon as possible.  This information will help the Parish Council to establish a working budget for the fiscal year 2009.

 

 
 * During the Fast of the Nativity this year we will celebrate the Advent Paraklesis on Wednesday evenings in place of daily vespers.

 
 * The Ladies of St. Peter will meet at the (Richard) Roots' new home TODAY 12:30 p.m.

 
 * The next meeting for the PLC 2009 Planning Committee will be Thursday, December 18th at 7:00 p.m. at the church.

 
 * The feast of the Nativity of our Lord will be celebrated with Royal Hours on Wednesday morning, December 24th at 6:00 a.m.  Orthros and the Divine Liturgy for the feast will begin Wednesday evening at 10:00 p.m.

 
 * This year we will again celebrate the Circumcision of our Lord and the feast of St. Basil the Great with Great Vespers with Litia and Artoklasia on Wednesday evening, December 31st .

 
 * Annual Teen Retreat for the Lower MS Valley Deanery – February 20-22, 2009 at John W. Kyle State Park.

 
 * St. Peter's will be hosting the Parish Life Conference next year.  The dates for the conference will be June 10-14.  This will a wonderful opportunity to showcase our parish.  More information will be available in the future.

 

The vestry behind the altar is considered to be part of the altar area.  As with the sanctuary per se, this area is for clergy only unless a blessing is given by the priest for a specific purpose.

 

The Lower MS Valley Deanery's annual teen retreat will be held the week-end of February 20-22, 2009 at John W. Kyle State Park.  Joel Finley, the Youth Director at St. Ignatius Orthodox Church in Franklin, will handling registration.  More details will be available at a later date.
  
Quotable: "Some may then ask, 'Why did He not manifest Himself by means of other and nobler parts of creation, and use some nobler instrument, such as sun or moon or stars or fire or air, instead of mere man?'  The answer is this.  The Lord did not come to make a display.  He came to heal and to teach suffering men.  For one who wanted to make a display the thing would have been just to appear and dazzle the beholders.  But for Him Who came to heal and to teach the way was not merely to come here, but to put Himself at the disposal of those who needed Him, and to be manifested according as they could bear it, not vitiating the value of the Divine appearing by exceeding their capacity to receive it."

    - St. Athanasius, On the Incarnation

 

Weekly Quote:  "Whom have we, Lord, like you?  The Great One who became small, the Wakeful who slept, the Pure One who was baptized, the Living One who died, the King who abased himself to ensure honor for all.  Blessed is your honor!  It is right that man should acknowledge your divinity, it is right for heavenly beings to worship your humanity.  The heavenly beings were amazed to see how small you became, and earthly ones to see how exalted."
    - St. Ephraim the Syrian

Please supervise your children to avoid spills, ink stains or marks from their writing and drawing on our new chairs.  We also ask that you not allow them to stand on the kneelers.  Thank you for your help with this.

 

Fasting Discipline for December
The traditional fasting (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine and oil) is observed each day of the week.  Note, however, that through December 19th, there is katalysis on Tuesdays and Thursdays when wine and oil are permitted, and on Saturdays and Sundays when fish, wine and oil are permitted.  From December 20-22 the traditional fasting discipline is observed on all days.  From December 25 through January 4 there is no abstinence of any type.

 

Major Commemorations During December
 Dec 9  Conception of the Theotokos
 Dec 12  St. Spyridon of Trimythous the Wonder-worker
 Dec 14  Sunday of the Holy Forefathers
 Dec 15  Heiromartyr Eleftherios
 Dec 20  Hieromartyr Ignatius of Antioch
 Dec 21  Sunday Before the Nativity
 Dec 25  NATIVITY OF OUR LORD, GOD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST
 Dec 26  Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos
 Dec 27  Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen
 Jan 1  St. Basil the Great and the New Year

 

 Scripture:  Colossians 3:4-11; Luke 14:16-24
 Celebrant:  Father John
 Homily:  Father John
 Deacon:  Deacon Richard
 Epistle Reader  Kh. Bebe Schelver
 Acolytes:  TBA
 Prosphora:  Katools
 Coffee Hour:  Meadows
 Teen Hosts:  TBA