The theme of the Sunday before Lent is FORGIVENESS (cheese fare) and the Gospel lesson is Matthew 6:14-21 which teaches us both of forgiveness and of fasting.  "To forgive is to put between me and my enemy the radiant forgiveness of God Himself.  To forgive is to reject the hopeless dead-ends of human relations and to refer them to Christ.  Forgiveness is truly a breakthrough of the Kingdom into this sinful and fallen world" (Great Lent, Page 28).  And to fast is to first fast before God and not men so as to curb the desires and cravings of our fallen nature.  This effort can help free us from the dictatorship of the flesh over our spirit, so we can more fully love and forgive.

 

Romans 13:11-14:4:  As we read from his letter to the Romans, St Paul encourages us to walk in the light and put aside the deeds of darkness, knowing that the time of salvation is near at hand.  He also encourages us to accept those who are weak in faith and not to make personal judgments.

 

Matthew 6:14-21:  The Lord Jesus in this portion of the Sermon on the Mount gives us instructions on forgiving others, on fasting, and on laying up treasures in our hearts.

 

Troparion of the Resurrection:  Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad; for the Lord hath done a mighty act with his own arm.  He hath trampled down death and become the First-born from the dead. He hath delivered us from the depths of hades, granting the world the Great Mercy.

 

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 of Cheese Fare Sunday:  O thou who guidest to wisdom, and givest understanding and intelligence, the Instructor of the ignorant and Helper of the poor, strengthen my heart and grant it understanding, O Master.  Give me word, O Word of the Father; for behold, I shall not refrain my lips from crying to thee, O merciful One, have mercy upon me who am fallen.

 

 

Sunday, February 14 (Cheese Fare)
 8:50 a.m. – Orthros
 9:00 a.m. – Christian Education
 10:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy followed by Cheese Fare Meal
 6:30 p.m. – Forgiveness Vespers

 

Monday, February 15 (Clean Monday)
 Office Closed – Father John's Day Off
 6:30 p.m. – Great Compline with Canon of St. Andrew of Crete (Part I)

 

Tuesday, February 16
 6:00 a.m. – Lenten Orthros
 6:30 p.m. – Great Compline with Canon of St. Andrew of Crete (Part II)

 

Wednesday, February 17
 5:00 p.m. – Catechism Class
 6:30 p.m. – Liturgy of the Pre-sanctified Gifts followed by Soup Supper
 8:00 p.m. – Choir Practice

 

Thursday, February 18
 6:00 a.m. – Lenten Orthros
 6:30 p.m. – Great Compline with Canon of St. Andrew of Crete (Part IV)

 

Friday, February 19
 6:00 a.m. – Lenten Orthros
 6:30 p.m. – Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos
     
Saturday, February 20
 5:00 p.m. – Catechism Class
 5:45 p.m. – Ninth Hour and Great Vespers

 

Sunday, February 21 (Sunday of Orthodoxy)
 8:50 a.m. – Orthros
 9:00 a.m. – Christian Education
 10:00 a.m. – Divine Liturgy
 6:00 p.m. – Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers at Holy Trinity/St. John the
    Theologian Greek Orthodox Church

 

 

 

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

 

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:
                               Eucharist Bread              Coffee Hour
 February 14                 Meadows                     Woods/Teens
 February 21                 Joanna Meadows          Hendersons
 February 28                 Freundts                       Freundts
 March 7                       D. Roots                      Chamblees (NO Pot Luck this month)
 March 14                     Dansereaus                  Schelvers
 March 21                     Fahmys                       Fahmys
 March 24 (Wed. p.m.)   Bakers                         Katools
  (Feast of the Annunciation)
 March 27 (Sat. a.m.)     Woods 
 March 28                     R. Roots                      Freundts/Meadows/Joanna Meadows

 

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.

 

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 #
February 14                    Kh. Be'Be' Schelver       Rom. 13:11 - 14:4        279
February 21                    Tom Willingham            Heb. 11:24-26, 32-40    281
February 28                    Tom Skirtech                Heb. 1:10 - 2:3             283
March 7                         Walt Wood                    Heb. 4:14 - 5:6             285
March 14                       Warren Strain                Heb. 6:13-20                287
March 21                       Mildred Morris                Heb. 9:11-14                290
March 24 (Wed. p.m.)     Kh. Sharon Meadows     Heb. 2:11-18                376
March 27 (Sat. a.m.)       Brenda Baker                Heb. 12:28 - 13:8         291
March 28                       Kh. Be'Be' Schelver        Phil. 4:4-9                   294

 

 

Cheese Fare meal: The Teens will be serving a fund-raising Cheese Fare meal following the Liturgy today.  Please plan to stay, enjoy the fellowship and help support our teens.

 

 
 * We will have Forgiveness Vespers this evening, beginning at 6:30 p.m.  We seek to enter the time of the Great Fast at peace and in unity with all our brethren.  This is an important service.  Please make plans to attend.

 
 * Great Lent begins TOMORROW.

 
 * On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings of the first week of Lent we will celebrate Great Compline with the Canon of St. Andrew of Crete.  These services remind us of our need for repentance and healing and help us to begin the fast in a proper frame of mind.

 
 * During the Fast we will be celebrating the Presanctified Liturgy on Wednesday evenings and the Akathist Hymn to the Theotokos on Friday evenings.  Both services will begin at 6:30 p.m. and, as is our custom, we will have Soup Suppers following the Liturgy on Wednesdays.

 
 * Sunday, February 21st , is the Sunday of Orthodoxy.  Vespers will be held at Holy Trinity/St. John the Theologian Greek Orthodox Church at 6:00 p.m.

 
 * We will celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation with Orthros/Divine Liturgy on Wednesday evening, March 24th , beginning at 6:00 p.m.  There will be a meal afterwards.

 
 * Services for Holy Week this year are as follows:
   Saturday, March 27th - Lazarus Saturday , Orthros/Divine Liturgy beginning at 9:00 a.m.
   Sunday, March 28th - Palm Sunday (followed by Fish Fry meal)
     - Bridegroom Matins, 6:30 p.m.
   Monday, March 29th  - Bridegroom Matins, 630 p.m.
   Tuesday, March 30th  - Bridegroom Matins, 6:30 p.m.
   Wednesday, March 31st  - Holy Unction Service, 6:30 p.m. (Be sure to fast beforehand)
   Thursday, April 1st  - Vesperal Liturgy, 6:00 a.m.
     - Reading of Twelve Passion Gospels, 6:30 p.m.
   Friday, April 2nd  - Royal Hours, 6:00 a.m.
     - Great Vespers for the Taking down from the Cross, 3:00 p.m.
     - Lamentations Service, 6:30 p.m.
   Saturday, April 3rd  - Orthros/Liturgy for Great and Holy Saturday, 9:00 a.m.
     - Paschal Services, 10:30 p.m.
   Sunday, April 4th - Agape Vespers, Holy Trinity/St. John the Theologian Greek Orthodox Church (time TBA)

 
 * Our next time to serve a meal at the Stewpot will be May 1st .

 

Pledge Letters for 2010 were mailed this week.  Please return yours as soon as possible, either by mail in the enclosed envelope, or by placing you pledge slip in the Tithes box at the back of the nave.    

 

The Sara Cooper Memorial Fund will remain open until further notice.  Please designate the fund on your checks if you are making donations.

 

Please remember Father Alexander Atty, the pastor of St. Michael Antiochian Orthodox Church in Louisville, KY.  He was recently diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer which has metastasized. 

 

Please remember the following in your prayers: Sh. Charlotte Algood, Deacon Terry and their family; Fr. James and Kh. Linda Ellison; Lee Greene; Bobby and Sue Webb (Deborah Finley's parents); Tom Skirtech, Amy and Brantley Oliver;  Reader Basil's family;  Aidan Milnor, the Milnor family; Jared and Stacy Autrey and their daughter Olivia Kate (St. Ignatius in Franklin).

 

Sunday Pot Luck Meal was not held this month and will not be held in March or April due to other meals which are being held in conjunction with the various feasts.  We will probably resume our monthly Pot Luck meals in May.
 
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.

 

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 February
Today is Forgiveness Sunday (Cheesefare), the last day until Pascha that cheese, dairy and wine (some also include oil) are permitted.  Monday, February 15th, is Clean Monday, the first day of Great Lent when the traditional fasting discipline (no meat, poultry, fish eggs, dairy, wine and oil) is observed on all days of the week until Pascha (except Annunciation on March 25th and Palm Sunday on March 28th, when fish, wine and oil are permitted).

 

Major Commemorations During February
 February 14 Sunday of Cheesefare
 February 15 Clean Monday
 February 21 1st Sunday of Lent; Sunday of Orthodoxy
 February 24 1st and 2nd Discoveries of the Head of the Forerunner
 February 28 2nd Sunday of Lent; Commemoration of Gregory of Palamas)

 

Quotable: "The Lord does not will the death of a sinner but rather that he should change and live.  There is a time of long-suffering, a time of healing, a time of correction.  Have you stumbled?  Arise.  Have you sinned?  Cease.  Do not stand in the way of sinners, but spring away.  Out of labor comes health, out of sweat salvation.  Beware lest, from your wish to keep certain obligations, you break your obligations to God.  Do not sink back.  There is salvation, there is amendment.  The doors are not yet shut; the Bridegroom hears; make the effort, Jesus is merciful, the Kingdom is at hand."
    - St. Basil the Great

 

    - St. Theophan the Recluse

WORSHIP: Sunday, February 21, 2010 (Sunday of Orthodoxy)
   
 Scriptures:  Hebrews 11:24-26, 32-40; John 1:43-51
 Celebrant:  Father John
 Deacon:  Deacon Richard
 Epistle Reader: Tom Willingham
 Prosphora:  Joanna Meadows
 Coffee Hour: Hendersons