September 5, 2010

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost;

II Corinthians 4:6-15:  From our reading in II Corinthians we hear St Paul discuss how his and the other apostles' sufferings have brought forth life in the people of God.

Matthew 22:35-46:   In the passage from St Matthew our Lord answers a question concerning the greatest commandment.  Then in questioning the Pharisees about the Christ, He shows them that they see only the human nature of the Christ and not His divine nature as well.

Troparion of the Resurrection:  When Mary stood at thy grave looking for thy sacred body, angelic powers shone above thy revered tomb, and the soldiers who were to keep guard became as dead men.  Thou led hades captive and wast not tempted thereby.  Thou didst meet the Virgin and didst give life to the world;  O thou who art risen from the dead!  O Lord, glory to thee.

Troparion for the Prophet Zacharias: In the vesture of a priest, according to the Law of God, thou didst offer unto Him well-pleasing whole-burnt offerings, as it befitted a priest, O wise Zachariah.  Thou wast a shining light, a seer of mysteries, bearing in thyself clearly the signs of grace; and in God=s temple, O wise Prophet of Christ God, thou wast slain with the sword.  Hence, with the forerunner, make entreaty that our souls find salvation.

 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 Nativity of the Theotokos:  By thy holy birth-giving, O pure one, Joachim and Anne were delivered from the reproach of barrenness; and Adam and Eve were delivered from the corruption of death; thy people do celebrate it, having been saved from the stain of iniquity, crying unto thee, The barren doth give birth to the Theotokos, who nourisheth our life.

CALENDAR

Sunday, September 5   (Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

            8:50 a.m.         -- Orthros

            10:00 a.m.       -- Divine Liturgy

5:30 p.m.         -- Youth Group

Monday, September 6   (Miracle of the Archangel Michael)

            Office Closed  -- Father John's Day Off

Tuesday, September 7

            6:00 a.m.         -- Daily Orthros

            6:30 p.m.         -- Great Vespers with Litia and Artoklasia

Wednesday, September 8   (Nativity of the Theotokos)

    The first feast of the liturgical year celebrates the birth of the Holy Virgin Mary, most blessed of women, chosen to bear God the Son, partaker in the Incarnation as the dwelling place of God.  To celebrate her birth and give honor to her life is unavoidably to anticipate the coming of the Messiah and to adore His person.  To remember her worthiness is to remember God's grace.  To wonder at her faith is to arouse ourselves to emulate her strength of will and her depth of trust.  As we enter the cycle of the year, we turn first to honor the Holy Virgin, she who by her role in history and by her place among the saints most reminds us of the coming of the Saviour and the life He gives us, who by the Incarnation became the ladder between Heaven and Earth, who as the Mother of Christ is also the Mother of all His brethren.

            6:30 p.m.         -- Daily Vespers

            7:30 p.m.         -- Choir Practice

Thursday, September 9    (Righteous Joachim and Anna) 

            6:00 a.m.         -- Daily Orthros

Friday, September 10 

            6:00 a.m.         -- Daily Orthros

Saturday, September 11

            5:00 p.m.         -- Catechism Class

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

Sunday, September 12   (Sunday before the Elevation of the Cross; Leave-taking of the

Nativity of the Theotokos)

            8:50 a.m.         -- Orthros

            10:00 a.m.       -- Divine Liturgy

            12:00 noon      -- Pot Luck Meal

5:30 p.m.         -- Young Adults

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Eucharist Bread …was offered by the Woods 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.

Christian Education will begin on Sunday, September 19^th at 9:00 a.m.  As is his custom, Father John will address the children that morning.  Please make every effort to have your children there on time.

Eucharist Bread and Coffee Hour Schedule:

                                                      Eucharist Bread                     Coffee Hour

         September 5                          R. Roots                                    Meadows

         September 7 (Tues. p.m.)      Hendersons (Artoklasia Bread)   NO MEAL      

                  (Nativity of the Theotokos)

         September 12                        Katools                                      Strains (POT LUCK)

         September 13 (Mon. p.m.)    Schelvers                                   Meadows

                  (Elevation of the Holy Cross)

         September 19                        Morrises                                    R. Roots

         September 26                        Joneses                                     Woods      

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#

September 5                Kh. Be'Be' Schelver           II Cor. 4:6-15                          163

September 12              Mildred Morris                   Gal. 6:11-18                            198

September 13 (Mon. p.m.)  Kh. Sharon Meadows I Cor. 1:18-24                          311

September 19              Kh. Be'Be' Schelver           Gal. 16:20                               193

Andrew Sellers will be baptized Saturday morning, September 18^th at 10:30 a.m.  Please pray for him, his parents and his godparents.

Please remember the following in your prayers:  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).

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

St. Peter's will be sending a love gift to the family of Father Matthew MacKay who died recently.  Father Matthew was the pastor of St. Joseph Orthodox Church in Houston, TX.  If you would like to participate in this, please submit your check (marked accordingly) to Deacon Terry.

The presentations from the recent Clergy Symposium at the Antiochian Village, con-cerning 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.

Calendar Items:

·         We will celebrate the feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos this Tuesday evening with Great Vespers with Litia and Artoklasia, beginning at 6:30 p.m.  There will not be a meal afterwards.

·         Our monthly Pot Luck Meal will be held NEXT Sunday.  Please be sure to stay and enjoy the fellowship.

·         The Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross will be celebrated Monday evening, September 13^th with Orthros and Divine Liturgy, beginning at 6:00 p.m.  A simple meal will be provided afterwards, so there is no need to bring anything.

·         A Fund-raising Auction for the Ladies of St. Peter will be held along with our monthly Pot Luck meal on Sunday, October 3^rd.  Please be sure to bring the items you are donating to the auction to the church by September 26^th.  This way we will all be able to see the things to be auctioned and plan our strategy for bidding on the 3^rd.

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

Fasting Discipline for September

The traditional fasting (no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, wine and oil) is observed on all Wednesdays and Fridays of the month.  September 14^th  is also a strict fast day in remembrance of the Elevation of the Holy Cross.

Major Commemorations During September

         September 6     Miracle of the Archangel Michael

         September 8     Nativity of the Theotokos

         September 9     Righteous Joachim and Anna

         September 16   Euphemia the All-praised

         September 20   Martyr Eustathios and his family

         September 23   Conception of the Forerunner

         September 26   Apostle John the Theologian (repose)

         September 28   Venerable Chariton the Confessor

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:  "Let me describe to you five ways of repentance; each is different, but all point toward heaven.  The first road is the acknowledgement of sins.  If you acknowledge your sins to God, he will forgive you; and this act of acknowledgement will help you stop sinning.  Let your conscience be your accuser, so that you will not have to face a far different accuser at the Lord's tribunal.  The second road of repentance is the forgetting of the wrongs of others.  This requires you to control your temper and to forgive the sins that others have committed against you.  If you forgive others, the Lord will forgive you.  The third road is prayer: not perfunctory routine prayer, but fervent, passionate prayer in which you lay yourself wholly before God.  The fourth road is generosity, in which by acts of thoughtful love you make amends for the sins you have committed.  And the fifth road is humility, whereby you regard yourself as having no virtue, but only sins to offer to God; he will then take the burden of sin from your back.  At times it will be right to travel on one of these roads, at other times to travel on another.  But ensure that every day you walk along at least one of them."

                                                            St. John Chrysostom

Worship:         Sunday, September 12, 2010 (Sunday before the Elevation of the Cross;

Leave-taking of the Nativity of the Theotokos)

         Scripture:                  Galatians 6:11-18; John 3:13-17

         Celebrant:                 Father John

         Epistle Reader:          Mildred Morris

         Prosphora:                Katools

         Coffee Hour:             Strains (POT LUCK MEAL)