Colossians 3:4-11:  As we read in Colossians, we see St Paul encouraging the Church to practice the virtues of compassion, kindness, and humility.  He reminds us  that love is the bond which holds us together and calls us to let the peace  of Christ to rule us.

 

Luke 14:16-24:  In the parable of the man who gave a dinner we see that not all who are called to dine will come and that the consequences of refusing the invitation are great.
     
Troparion of the Forefathers: Thou hast justified by faith the ancient forefathers and through them thou hast gone before and betrothed unto thyself the Church of the Gentiles.  Let the saints, therefore, take pride in glory; for from their seed sprouted forth a noble fruit, and she it was who gavest birth to thee without seed.  Wherefore, by their pleadings, O Christ God, save our souls.

 

Troparion of the Resurrection:  When thou, O immortal Life, didst humble thyself unto death, then didst thou destroy death by the brightness of thy Godhead; and when thou didst raise the bowels of the earth, then all the heavenly powers exclaimed, O Christ, thou art the Giver of life!  Glory to thee, O our God!

 

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 13 (Twenty-ninth Sunday after Pentecost ; Sunday of the Holy Forefathers)
 8:50 a.m. – Orthros
 10:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy
 9:00 a.m. – Christian Education
 6:00 p.m. – Young Adults

 

Monday, December 14
 Office Closed – Father John's Day Off

 

Tuesday, December 15  (Hieromartyr Eleftherios)
 6:00 a.m. – Daily Orthros
  
Wednesday, December 16
 5:00 p.m. – Catechism Class
 6:30 p.m. – Advent Paraklesis to the Theotokos, followed by Parish Council
    Meeting
 7:30 p.m. – Choir Practice

 

Thursday, December 17
 6:00 a.m. – Daily Orthros

 

Friday, December 18
 6:00 a.m. – Daily Orthros
        
Saturday, December 19 
 4:30 p.m. – Ladies Outing
 5:45 p.m. – Ninth Hour and Great Vespers
 7:00 p.m. – Ladies Fellowship
 
Sunday, December 20  (Sunday Before the Nativity; Ignatius of Antioch  the God-bearer)
 8:50 a.m. – Orthros
 10:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy
 9:00 a.m. – Christian Education
 5:30 p.m. – Youth Group

 

 

 

Eucharist Bread: ...was offered by Joanna Meadows for the Divine Liturgy this morning.

 

Please be very careful with the Blessed Bread when you take after communion or at the end of the liturgy.  Because this bread has been blessed, we should take care not to let crumbs fall on the floor.  Parents, especially, please help your children to choose a small piece and treat it carefully.

 

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
                                                  Eucharist Bread         Coffee Hour
 December 13                             Joanna Meadows             Fahmys
 December 20                             D. Roots                         Dansereaus
 December 24 (Thursday p.m.)     Dansereaus                     Feast
  (Nativity of our Lord)  
 December 27                             Freundts                         Morrises
 December 31 (Thursday p.m.)     Bakers – Artoklasia Bread (Great Vespers)

 

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 13      Walt Wood                    Col. 3:4-11                         233
December 20      Sh. Charlotte Algood      Heb. 11:9-10; 17:23,32-40   348
December 24      Warren Strain                Gal. 4:4-7                           351
December 27      Kh. Sharon Meadows     Gal. 1:11-19                       188

 

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

 

Please remember His Grace, Bishop ANTOUN in your prayers.  This past Sunday he had a fainting spell while at St. Nicholas Mission in Springdale, AR.  He went to the hospital, was later released and returned to Fort Lauderdale, FL.  Please continue to pray for his good health.

 

Please remember the following in your prayers: Sh. Charlotte Algood, Deacon Terry and their family; Resa Ellison and her parents Fr. James and Kh. Linda, Amy and Michael Surratt; Mary Catherine Long; Bobby and Sue Webb (Deborah Finley's parents); Tom Skirtech, Amy and Brantley Oliver ;  Reader Basil's family (Dad, Bill; sister Betty; and uncle and aunt, James and Sarah Powell),  Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Jared and Stacy Autrey and their daughter Olivia Kate (St. Ignatius in Franklin).

 

Many Years! To Brian and Robin Sellers and their newborn son Andrew!!  Andrew will be churched on December 20th .

 

Congratulations: ...to Mindy and Michael Williams in Memphis on the happy news of the upcoming arrival of a baby in mid-June!

 

Wayne Hamilton has expressed a desire to continue as a catechumen here at St. Peter's.  He began his catechesis at the Greek Orthodox Church he attended in Birmingham.

 

Auction Rescheduled.....the Ladies of St. Peter have rescheduled their fund-raising auction that was planned for November 1st .  It will now be held January 24th, which will also be the date for our monthly Pot Luck meal. (We will not be having Pot Luck on January 3rd, due to the business of the season.)

 

 
 * The Fast of the Nativity began on Sunday, November 15th and runs through December 24th .  During this time, instead of Daily Vespers on Wednesday evenings, we will pray the Advent Paraklesis to the Theotokos.

 
 * There we be a Santa Lucia Celebration at Coffee Hour today.

 
 * A Ladies Outing is scheduled next Saturday.  The ladies will be meeting for supper at the Mediterranean Grill at 4:30 p.m. and then going on to Belhaven for a Christmas Concert, beginning at 7:00 p.m.  Meghan Brock will be participating in the concert as part of the Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra.

  
 * We will celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord with Royal Hours at 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 24th .  Orthros and Divine Liturgy for the Feast will begin at 10:00 p.m. that evening.  A festal meal will follow the Liturgy.  (Please check the sign-up sheet for this meal, which is located in the Fellowship Hall.)

 
 * As is our custom, we will celebrate the feasts of the Circumcision of the Lord and of St. Basil the Great with Great Vespers with Litia and Artoklasia at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 31st.

 
 * Fr. John will be in St. Petersburg, FL for the Mid-winter Delegates Meeting, January 22 - 24th .

 
 * January 24th  – Pot Luck Meal and Fund-raising Auction for the Ladies of St. Peter. (Please note that the auction has been rescheduled)

 
 * The MS Valley Deanery will hold its annual Teen Retreat the week-end of January 29-31, 2010 at John W. Kyle State Park in Sardis, MS.  Father James Coles, pastor of St. Ignatius Mission in Mesa, AZ, will be the speaker.  His topic will be "How to Experience the Peace of God in a Chaotic World."  More details will be available at a later date.

 

Sunday Pot Luck!!  On the first Sunday of each month instead of Coffee Hour we have a Pot Luck meal.  There will be a sign-up sheet posted on the Bulletin Board in the Fellowship Hall in the weeks prior to the meal, so that we can have an idea of the food that will be brought.  If you can't bring a dish, sign up for set-up or clean-up.  Participation is open to all (men as well as children!!)  This is a wonderful chance for some fellowship.  Please be sure to mark it on your calendars!!

 

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 discipline is observed each day of the week.  Note, however, that through December 19 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 is observed on all days.  From December 25th through January 4th there is no abstinence of any sort and all types of food are permitted.

 

Major Commemorations During December
 December 15 Hieromartyr Eleutherios
 December 20 God-bearer Ignatius of Antioch
 December 25 Nativity of our Lord 
 December 26 Synaxis of the Theotokos
 December 27 Protomartyr Stephen
   Sunday after Nativity – Commemoration of Joseph the
   Betrothed, David the Prophet and King, and James the Brother
   of the Lord

 

If you are the last to leave the building, please make sure that the heating and cooling unit in the Fellowship Hall is set to the optimum temperature for the building when unoccupied.

 

Quotable: "Our soul is a reflection of God's countenance, and the brighter this reflection is, the clearer and calmer is the soul; and the less bright this reflection is, the darker and more disturbed is the soul.  And as our soul is our heart, it is necessary that every truth of God should be reflected in it through feeling, through gratitude, and there should be no reflection in it of any lie."
    - St. John of Krondstadt

 

    - Madeleine L'Engle

 

 Scriptures:  Hebrews 11:9-10; 17:23,32-40; Matthew 1:1-25
 Celebrant:  Father John
 Deacon:  Deacon Terry
 Epistle Reader: Sh. Charlotte Algood
 Prosphora:  Dn Richard Roots
 Coffee Hour: Dansereaus