St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church 45 Winter St. Newport, NH stvasilios.nh.goarch.org

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1 St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church 45 Winter St. Newport, NH stvasilios.nh.goarch.org December 2018 & January 2019 Services Sun., Dec. 2 nd Sun., Dec. 16 th Ladies Auxiliary Mon., Dec. 24 th Sun., January 6 th Sun., January 20 th 14 th Sunday of Luke Epistle Reading: Ephesians 6:10-17 Gospel Reading: Luke 18:35-43 Coffee Hour: Chrysoula Kontoes 11 th Sunday of Luke Epistle Reading: Colossians 3:4-11 Gospel Reading: Luke 14:16-24 Christmas Luncheon sponsored by the Monday before Nativity Epistle Reading: Hebrews 1:1-12 Gospel Reading: Luke 2:1-20 Luncheon for St. Basil & Vasilopita and Epiphany Coffee Hour: Available Please contact Laura For updated information on service schedules and content, please see our web site at: 1

2 DECEMBER 2018 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." [John 3:16] This is the entire meaning of Christmas, i.e., God's gift to man. "God has become man in order that man might become God" is the way in which Saint Athanasios expressed the mystery of the Incarnation. The force of motivation was God's love for us. It is this very love of God for us which we are called to bear witness to in our lives by following the commandments which Christ gave to His disciples. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." [John 13:34-35] The other instruction which He left His disciples: "Do this in remembrance of Me" [Luke 22:19] has been the one which seems to have been forgotten. That which Christ told us to do in memory of Him is to "proclaim His death, by eating this bread and drinking from this cup." [I Corinthians 11:26] Saint Paul in writing to the Church at Corinth concerning the Lord's Supper tells them: "It follows that if anyone eats the Lord's bread or drinks from His cup in a way that dishonors Him, he is guilty of sin against the Lord's body and blood. So then, everyone should examine himself first, and then eat the bread and drink from the cup. For if he does not recognize the meaning of the Lord's body when he eats the bread and drinks from the cup, he brings judgment on himself as he eats and drinks.... If we would examine ourselves first, we would not come under God's judgment." [I Corinthians 11:27-29, 31] The prayer at The Consecration in the Divine Liturgy says in reference to the Eucharistic Gifts: "That they may be for those who partake of them for vigilance of soul, remission of sins, communion of Your Holy Spirit, fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven, boldness before You, not for judgment or condemnation." Too many do not take and eat, or drink as Jesus commands us and they use the matter of preparation as an excuse. Is not the gift great enough that we should prepare - not just four or five times a year that some do - but each week. When we want something badly enough though - a new television, a night out, even a cigarette - we would go out in the worst weather, make any sacrifice to get it. Why then - when we are offered the greatest gift of all - pardon and remission of our sins and life everlasting - we cannot - we do not - make even the slightest effort. God comes to us yet we do not take one step to go to Him. Do not be mistaken, my fellow Christians, preparation for Communion is not much more than what we should be doing every day as Christians - it is constant selfexamination. Examine your life before you approach the cup, Saint Paul warns us. Look at yourself carefully and measure your life - is it a Christian life? And if it needs improving, and which of us can deny that it does, then begin to make your life more Christian - love your enemies - do good to them that hate you - forgive others as you 2

3 yourself wish to be forgiven - give to those who are in need and be careful not to hold anything back - pray without ceasing. We are none of us worthy to approach the Cup of His Blood or taste of His Body - only He can make us worthy. Only by preparing ourselves by self-examination - by realizing our sinfulness and our shortcomings can we become humble enough to approach our Lord and boldly beg Him to forgive us and make us worthy to partake of that mystic feast. And being accounted worthy we should thank Him and watch that we do not slip back into our old and sinful ways. With Fatherly love, Father Bob Photos on Website The St. Vasilios website has photos of Church services and activities/events over the years. Please notify us in writing if you do not want your photo to appear on this website. Thank you! Prayer List Please use this list to pray for members of our community who are sick or in need of God s care. Calliope Scumas Dolly & Van Gokas Marge & Buzz Kanakis Demetra Tampasis Angelo Nestor Kiki Coidakis Laurie Zagaris Lee Lantas If you feel a name should remain on the list, or if you would like a new name placed on the list please contact Laura at Inclement Weather Now that we are entering the winter months it is important that everyone call the Church answering machine for Church service updates. In case of snowy conditions the answering machine will be updated by 8:30 AM on Sundays. When in doubt, please call. Also, it is fine to call Laura at (603) for updates. Donations of Nonperishable Items and Supplies This holiday season our Church has decided to focus on helping a local charity in need of our support. The Turning Points Network (formerly known as Women s Supportive Services). Newport and Claremont share a 16-bed emergency shelter that services our local families. Items very much needed are: SHELTER PANTRY NEEDS *Kitchen towels *Laundry detergent, 3

4 bleach/bleach alternative, dryer sheets *Diapers (sizes 2, 3, 4) *Denture care *Energy light bulbs *Food storage (zip bags, tin foil, plastic wrap, food storage containers) *Garbage bags (kitchen and large black sizes) *Cleaning products *Dishwasher detergent (for a dishwasher) *Soups *Spices, salt and pepper, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise *Peanut butter and jelly *Bread and muffin mixes *Dinner kits HOLIDAY NEEDS *Crafts, games, toys (for children at the shelter and holiday program) *Gift cards for teens (for holiday program- I-Tunes, Game Stop in Claremont, Amazon, local bookstores) We will place a box in the Church Hall for these donations. Thank-you for your generosity during this holiday season! Ladies Auxiliary Raffle We have many wonderful raffle baskets this year! We hope our parishioners, family and friends will support us in raising funds for church improvements. Raffle tickets will be drawn during our Christmas luncheon on December 16 th. All of our baskets will be on display in the Church Hall during the month of December and extra raffle tickets are available in the Church Hall. If you have any questions please see Jennifer or Laura. New Year s Luncheon We will be celebrating the name day of our church on Sunday, January 6, 2019 with a luncheon hosted by the Ladies Auxiliary. As always, there will be an array of delicious dishes and desserts as well as the Vasilopita. It is the tradition of our parish that the proceeds from the luncheon will be sent to the Lucky Girls Orphanage in India and St. Innocent Orphanage in Mexico and St. Basil s Orphanage in New York. We hope you will be able to join us for the festivities to celebrate the New Year! Theophany/Epiphany On Sunday, January 6 th, we will celebrate the service of Epiphany following Liturgy. Please remember to bring your Holy Water bottle(s) that day to receive the blessed water. The church also has extra bottles available. If you would like your home or business blessed please let a member of the Parish Council know. We will schedule a day and time for that to occur. Vasilopita Coins & Nativity Icons The Ladies Auxiliary is selling beautiful Vasilopita coin sets as well as lovely Nativity icons handmade in Greece. These items are on display in the Church Hall. The coin sets are selling for $15 and the icons are selling for $15. If you have any questions please see Jennifer or Laura. 4

5 Christmas Décor Please bring a poinsettia to church in December to decorate the altar area. Our church will look festive and beautiful. Christmas Offering Envelopes Enclosed please find this year s Christmas offering envelope. We thank you for prayerfully remembering our parish during the Christmas season. God bless you. JANUARY 2019 Many of us make resolutions for the New Year and by January 3 we have discarded them as useless and we feel unable to live up to any of them. Borrowing an idea from Father Anthony Coniaris from a Seminar on Marriage I offer the following based on the I Corinthians 13:4-7. I believe that if each of us applies this to our life it will improve. Begin by replacing the word "love" with your name as you read this chapter making it personal and meaningful to you. Then make your commitment to your King and Savior to complete this checklist by next Christmas. LOVE IS PATIENT. LOVE IS KIND. LOVE IS NOT ENVIOUS. LOVE IS NOT BOASTFUL. * * * * * I AM PATIENT. I AM KIND. I AM NOT ENVIOUS. I AM NOT BOASTFUL. LOVE IS NOT ARROGANT. I AM NOT ARROGANT. 5

6 LOVE DOES NOT INSIST ON ITS WAY. LOVE IS NOT IRRITABLE. LOVE IS NOT RESENTFUL. LOVE DOES NOT REJOICE IN WRONGDOING. LOVE REJOICES IN THE TRUTH. LOVE BEARS ALL THINGS. LOVE BELIEVES ALL THINGS. LOVE HOPES ALL THINGS. LOVE ENDURES ALL THINGS. I DO NOT INSIST ON MY OWN OWN WAY I AM NOT IRRITABLE. I AM NOT RESENTFUL. I DO NOT REJOICE IN WRONGDOING. I REJOICE IN THE TRUTH. I BEAR ALL THINGS. I BELIEVE ALL THINGS. I HOPE ALL THINGS. I ENDURE ALL THINGS. Praying that the Lord will grant each of you the grace to live this life, I remain, Yours in the revealed Godhead, Father Bob 6