August 1, 2010

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

Procession of the Precious and Life-giving Cross

I Corinthians 4:9-16:  We hear St Paul speak to the Corinthians as their spiritual father and exhort them to imitate him in their actions.

Matthew 17:14-23:  The Lord Jesus again shows His abundant mercy when He heals a boy possessed by a demon.  We also hear Him foretell His betrayal, death and resurrection, but the disciples do not understand.

Troparion of the Resurrection:  The stone being sealed by the Jews, and thy pure body being guarded by the soldiers, thou didst arise on the third day, O Saviour, granting life to the world.  Wherefore, the heavenly powers acclaimed thee, O Giver of life, crying, Glory to thy Resurrection, O Christ! Glory to thy kingdom!  Glory to thy gracious providence, O only Lover of mankind.

Troparion of the Holy Cross:  O Lord, save thy people and bless thine inheritance, granting our believing kings victory over the Barbarians, and by the power of thy Cross preserving thy commonwealth.

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 the Transfiguration: Thou wast transfigured on the mount, and thy Disciples, in so far as they were able, beheld thy glory, O Christ our God; so that, when they should see thee crucified, they would remember that thy suffering was voluntary, and could declare to all the world that thou art truly the effulgent Splendor of the Father.

CALENDAR

Sunday, August 1   (Tenth Sunday after Pentecost; Procession of the Holy Cross)

                        FAST OF THE DORMITON BEGINS TODAY

            8:50 a.m.         -- Orthros

            10:00 a.m.       -- Divine Liturgy

5:30 p.m.         -- Young Adults

Monday, August 2

            Office Closed  -- Father John's Day Off

            6:30 p.m.         -- Paraklesis Service

Tuesday, August 3

            6:00 a.m.         -- Daily Orthros

Wednesday, August 4

            6:30 p.m.         -- Paraklesis Service

            7:30 p.m.         -- Choir Practice

Thursday, August 5  

            6:00 a.m.         -- Daily Orthros

            6:00 p.m.         -- Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy

Friday, August 6    (Feast of the Transfiguration)

  Before His Passion, Jesus ascended Mount Tabor with His disciples Peter, James and John, for the purpose of prayer.  There the three disciples beheld Him transfigured and saw a vision in which Moses the Lawgiver (shown on the icon on the right holding the tablets of the Law) and Elijah the Prophet appeared and spoke with Him.  "And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as light.  And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with Him" (Matt. 17:2-3).  The fact that Moses and Elijah appeared at the Transfiguration is very significant in that these two men were the leading figures of the Old Testament - which confirms the fact that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (see Matthew 5:17).  Their presence confirmed that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Messiah whom the people of the Old Testament had been anticipating.  The Gospel account also says that a voice from a bright cloud said "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to Him" (Matt. 17:5), further confirming the person of Jesus as the divine Messiah.  When the three disciples saw and heard these things they fell on their faces and were filled with awe (this is shown on the icon by the way Peter, James and John are depicted at the foot of the mount).  When they came down the mountain Jesus told His disciples to "tell no one the vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead" (Matthew 17:9).  Jesus did not want everyone to know what had happened until the time was right.  The Kontakion of the feast gives understanding as to why Jesus allowed Peter, James and John to be present at His transfiguration: "On the mountain wast Thou transfigured, O Christ God, and Thy disciples beheld Thy glory as far as they could see it; so that when they would behold Thee crucified, they would understand that Thy suffering was voluntary, and would proclaim to the world that Thou art truly the Radiance of the Father." 

            NO  Daily Orthros

            6:30 p.m.         -- Paraklesis Service

Saturday, August 7

            5:00 p.m.         -- Catechism Class

            5:45 p.m.         -- Ninth Hour Prayers followed by Great Vespers

Sunday, August 8   (Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost; Sunday after the Transfiguration)

            8:50 a.m.         -- Orthros

            10:00 a.m.       -- Divine Liturgy

5:30 p.m.         -- Youth Group

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Eucharist Bread …was offered by Joanna Meadows for the Divine Liturgy today.

Please be very careful with the Blessed Bread when you take it after communion.  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

         August 1                               Joanna Meadows                     Schelvers

         August 5 (Thurs. p.m.)          Dansereaus                              Algoods

                  Feast of the Transfiguration

         August 8                               Freundts                                   D. Roots/Dansereaus

         August 15                             Fahmys                                    (Pot Luck) Skirtechs

                  Feast of the Dormition                                                 Parkers & Katools

         August 22                             Bakers                                     Morrises

         August 29                             Woods                                     Joneses

Our condolences go out to Amy and Michael Surratt on the death of Amy's grandmother, Davey Mae, this past week.  Please remember her and them in your prayers.

Memory Eternal!  Very Rev. Fr. Matthew MacKay, the pastor of St. Joseph Antiochian Orthodox Church in Houston, TX and the Dean of his deanery, died of a heart attack this past Monday while jogging.  Father Matthew was a friend of several in our parish.  Please keep his family (Kh. Lynn and their sons, Patrick and Sean) in your prayers.

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#

August 1                      Mildred Morris                   I Cor. 4:9-16                            135

August 5 (Thurs. p.m.) Brenda Baker                     II Pet. 1:10-19                          401

August 8                      Kh. Be'Be' Schelver           I Cor. 9:2-12                            141

August 15                    Tom Willingham                  Phil. 2:5-11                               403

August 22                    Tom Skirtech                      I Cor. 16:13-24                        152

August 29                    Walt Wood                        Acts 13:25-33                           406

Please continue to pray for the health of His Grace, bishop ANTOUN.        

Please remember the following in your prayers:  Anna Kathryn and Cliff Stewart and their unborn child; The Longa and Dn. Sidney Elliott families from St. John's in Memphis; Fr. Donald Lloyd; Sh. Charlotte Algood, Dn. Terry and their family; Fr. James and Kh. Linda Ellison; 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).

Welcome! to the Zouboukos family, Anthony and Athena with their children Demetrius, Alexa and Nicholas.

There is a Workday scheduled for Saturday morning, August 21^st.  We have several items, both in the building and also the grounds, which need attention.  Come for breakfast and stay to enjoy the fellowship while we "spruce" up our facilities.

Father Leo is serving today and next Sunday at Holy Trinity/St. John the Theologian Greek Orthodox Church in Jackson while they are waiting for their new pastor to arrive.

Father John has returned  from the Clergy Symposium at the Antiochian Village.  The talks, concerning the diaconate, priesthood and episcopacy were recorded.  These may be found on Ancient Faith Radio, probably under "Coverage for Symposium."  Bishop MICHAEL Dahulich's talk on the episcopacy was especially good.

Instead of holding our monthly Pot Luck Meal today, we have scheduled it for Sunday, August 15^th, when we will celebrate the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos.

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.

Fasting Discipline for August

The traditional fasting (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine and oil) is observed August 1 through 14 (the Dormition Fast), except on August 6 (the Feast of the Transfiguration) when fish and wine are permitted.  After the 15^th the traditional fasting is observed on the remaining Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.  August 29^th is also a strict fast day in remembrance of the Beheading of the Forerunner.

Major Commemorations During August

         August 1          Procession of the Cross

         August 6          Transfiguration of our Lord

         August 15        Dormiton of the Theotokos

         August 29        Beheading of the Forerunner (strict fast day)

Calendar Items:

·         The fast of the Dormition begins TODAY and will continue until the feast of the Dormition on the 15^th.  As usual, we will be celebrating the Paraklesis service on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings during this time.  Please make plans to attend as many of these beautiful services as possible.

·         The Feast of the Transfiguration will be celebrated with Orthros followed by Divine Liturgy beginning at 6:00 p.m. this Thursday, August 5^th .

·         Our next time to serve a meal at the Stewpot will be on October 30^th.

Quotable:  "Do you feel upset when you drop a plate or a pot, and it smashes into tiny pieces on the ground?  Do you feel anxious when a strong wind is blowing, and you can hear the tiles on your roof coming loose?  Do you feel worried about the crops in your field when it rains so hard that the ground is flooded?  Do you feel frightened at night when you hear a door click or squeak, wondering if robbers have come to steal your goods?  To feel those things is quite normal.  Yet the challenge of our faith is that we become so indifferent to material possessions that nothing of this kind can concern us.  Of course while we remain on this earth, we must have plates on which to serve our food, roofs to keep us dry, crops growing in the fields to feed us, and some basic furniture in our homes.  But if we work hard day by day to the best of our abilities, we can be sure that God will provide what we need.  And if something is broken, lost, or stolen, God will decide if and when to replace it."

                                                                              St. John Chrysostom

Worship:         Sunday, August 8, 2010 (Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost; Sunday after

                        the Transfiguration)

         Scripture:                                I Corinthians 9:2-12; Matthew 18:23-35

         Celebrant:                               Father John

         Epistle Reader:                        Kh. Be'Be' Schelver

         Prosphora:                              Freundts

         Coffee Hour:                           D. Roots/Dansereaus