Weekly Bulletin Sunday, March 3rd, 2019

Transcription

1 Sts. Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox Church 5640 Jay Road, Boulder, CO Office: Reverend Father Jordan Brown Weekly Bulletin Sunday, March 3rd, 2019 Welcome To Sts. Peter & Paul! We welcome visitors worshipping with us today. Please introduce yourself to our priest and members of our community. Thank you for joining us this morning for prayer and fellowship. Sts Peter and Paul is a Greek Orthodox Church. We are proud of our cultural heritage, but please do not think that one must be Greek, Arab or Russian to be part of the Orthodox Church. The foundation of the Orthodox Church are the teachings and Holy Tradition of Jesus Christ. We follow the first Christians who began to worship Jesus Christ after the Crucifixion and Resurrection. Please join us for our fellowship after services in the parish hall. We invite you to visit our bookstore which is located in the parish hall. Our diverse church family encompasses many converts to the Orthodox Christian Faith, as well as Greek, Arab, Romanian, Serbian and Russian Orthodox Christians. If you are interested in learning more about the Orthodox Christian faith, please visit with our priest, Fr. Jordan (see contact info above) The sacrament of Holy Communion is reserved only for baptized and / or chrismated Orthodox Christians who have properly prepared by prayer, fasting and confession. The Orthodox Church understands the reception of Holy Communion to be the highest expression of our faith. Everyone is invited at the end of the Divine Liturgy to receive the blessed bread antidoro.

2 Service Schedule & Parish Activities Week of March 3rd, 2019 Monday, March 4 Parish Council 6:30 pm Saturday, March 9 Saturday of the Souls Divine Liturgy Shut-in Meal Prep Great Vespers Stewardship Social 8 am 10 am 5 pm 7 pm News & Events St. John Chyrsostom Oratorical Festival - Sunday, March 10th, 12:30 pm Join us to support our middle and high schoolers as they present their topics for the St. John Oratorical Festival! The Saint John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival provides teenagers with an opportunity to write and talk about their faith. The Oratorical Festival Program has two levels: a Junior Division for students in the 7th through 9th grades and a Senior Division for those in the 10th through 12th grades. The top speakers in each division from the parish will advance to the Metropolis level. The Metropolis Oratorical Festival is on April 5-7th; and will be hosted by St. Spyridon Parish in Loveland, Colorado. Ushers Myrrhbearers Epistle Reader Hosts & Volunteers Tony & Rimona Azar Cassie Xander Offertory Prayer Parish Lenten Retreat: April 12 & 13 Holy Week - Carrying the Cross with Christ Speaker: Fr John Angelis Holy Week is the most important week for the Orthodox Christian. Our guest speaker, Father John Angelis, will offer reflections commemorating the last days of Jesus Christ leading up to His Crucifixion and Resurrection. The retreat is a wonderful opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the Passion of Christ. Father John, a well-respected and beloved clergyman, offers many years of pastoral experience. Please see full-page flyer in narthex or in e-bulletin for full schedule and additional information. Canned Meat Donations Needed Our parish has committed to supplying 50 cans of meat (ham, tuna and chicken) to the OUR Center in Longmont. Please help by bringing in a can or two each month to help keep their shelves stocked! The OUR Center was founded in 1986, begun by the Longmont Ministerial Association. Church leaders realized that those in need were turning to the churches for help, which the individual churches were not always able to provide. The churches agreed that uniting community resources would give better help to those who needed it. Out of this realization grew the OUR (Outreach United Resource) Center! O Lord our God, You created us and brought us into this life. You showed us the way to salvation and have granted us the revelation of the heavenly mysteries. Accept our Stewardship Offering as an acceptable sacrifice and in return send down upon us the grace of your Holy Spirit. Look down on us, O Lord, and accept our Stewardship Commitment as You accepted the gifts of Abel, the offerings of Noah, the burnt offerings of Abraham, the priestly sacrifices of Moses and Aaron and the peace offerings of Samuel. Accept also now, in your goodness, O Lord, these gifts from the hands of us sinners, making us worthy of the reward of the faithful and wise stewards on the fearful day of Your just judgment. For You are the God of mercy, love and salvation and we glorify You, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen Church Cleaning Can you offer 30 minutes with keeping our church clean and beautiful? Please see Presbytera Kedrann after services today. A handful of faithful stewards can get the work done in less than an hour. Thank you for your Stewardship. Parish Photo Directory Work is beginning on a new photo directory for the parish! Jim Powers will be taking photos outside on Sundays (weather permitting). Please find Jim after Liturgy to have your photo taken. Families will have their photos taken together. Please also give Jim the correct spelling of all the individuals in the photo. Look for the new directory to be published in the spring!

3 Judgment Sunday (Meatfare Sunday) The Gospel According to Matthew 25:31-46 The Lord said, "When the Son of man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." By St. John of Kronstadt Beloved in the Lord, my brothers and sisters! Today we have read in the Gospel of Matthew the words of our Lord Jesus Christ regarding His second, glorious, and terrible coming to earth; we read about how He will sit on the throne of His glory in order to judge the world, and how all nations shall be gathered before Him, everyone, those whose lives have passed, those who now live, and those who have yet to be born. "And He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food: I was thirsty and you gave Me drink: I was a stranger and you took Me in: I was naked and you clothed Me: I was sick and you visited Me: I was in prison and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? And the King will answer and say to them, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me. Then He will also say to those on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food: I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink: I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me. Then they also will answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You? Then He will answer them, saying, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal" (Matt 25:32 46). This is how the Lord concluded His words on the final, terrible judgment of mankind! How sweet and joyful these words sound to the righteous and how bitter and stern, and forever unchanging they sound to hard-hearted sinners! Thus, the merciful shall obtain mercy (Matt 5:7). Those who have stored the oil of good deeds will be able to enter the bridal chamber, "for judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy" (Jas 2:13). Now, brothers and sisters, it is beneficial for us to ask ourselves and to ponder: to which side shall we belong? To the right, or to the left; with the sheep, or with the goats; with the blessed, or with the cursed? You will say: who can know such a thing, besides the Lord, "Who saves the upright in heart" (Ps 7:10), and Who possesses the most truthful scales of justice? To the Lord alone belongs the perfect knowledge regarding every man, only He knows who among us will stand on the right side, and who will stand on the left side; He alone knows which righteous person shall stand here in his righteousness, and which one won t, which sinner returns sincerely and repents, and from a goat is turned into a sheep, and which one ultimately becomes hardened in sin. But to us, brethren, is given at least to know what is our state now: who are we, sheep or goats? Our conscience, that incorruptible judge and witness of our thoughts, words, and deeds, shows us whether we are humble and gentle sheep of the rational fold, whether we are willing to share our goods with those in need, or whether we are proud, egotistical, evil, vengeful, unmerciful sinners, who, like goats, are filled with the stench of our impurities. This we can know about ourselves right here and now, in the continuation of our earthly lives, and therefore we can judge on which side we might stand at the terrible judgment; that is, we might stand on the left side if we remain unrepentant, uncorrected sinners, filled with our pride and malice, with sinful impurities in our hearts and bodies; yet we may hope that through faith, repentance, and good deeds, we might stand on the right side; the choice of which side to stand on depends on us. Time was given to each of us by the merciful Saviour to come to our senses, repent, correct ourselves, stock up with an excess of oil of mercy and every virtue, in order not to be ashamed at the judgment. Thus, let us take care to become lambs of meekness and gentleness, love and compassion, patience and long-suffering, humility and obedience, temperance and purity, and let us flee all the opposites of these virtues. The aforesaid virtues attain for us in this life the blessings of the Heavenly Father, and in the future life they establish us on the right side. Therefore I repeat, it is up to us to become worthy to stand on the right side at the dreadful judgment, and to flee the left side; to listen to the all-blessed voice of the Saviour, Who calls us into the

4 Kingdom of Heaven, and to flee the terrible voice that casts us into the eternal fire. We write here, as it were, our deeds, eternal justification or eternal condemnation for ourselves at the terrible judgment; and in this way we say that the future judgment is written: "to execute on them," it is said, "the written judgment" (Ps 149:9). The books of our consciences either justify us or condemn us, and all that is left to us is to listen to the just, eternal sentence of the Judge of all. Let us hasten, through sincere repentance and charity, to obliterate from our consciences all of our sins, voluntary and involuntary, and to write in our consciences every good deed. "Their works follow them" (Rev 14:13), says the Scripture. Amen. From the book, Season of Repentance: Lenten Homilies of Saint John of Kronstadt (Holy Trinity Publications: Jordanville, NY, 2015). News & Events Welcome Committee Are you new to Sts. Peter and Paul? Do you have questions about stewardship? Please visit our Welcome Table during the Fellowship Hour in the Parish Hall. If you have any questions about Stewardship and how to get involved in the parish, please contact Nick (908) or nickandsandy77@gmail.com Philoptochos Meals for Shut-Ins - Saturday March 9 th, 10 am We will be making meals for shut-ins. Come by the fellowship hall in the morning to help prepare meals to put in the freezer. Everything will be provided, but monetary donations will be accepted. Philoptochos will be sponsoring this event, but all are welcome. Steve and Xander Dzilvelis will be hosting the meal prep. Stewardship Social - Saturday, March 9, 7 pm (Rescheduled due to Weather) The Home of Paul & Jan Swiszcz Marose (2153 Summerlin Lane, Longmont) The previous social had to be rescheduled due to weather. We invite stewards living in the Longmont, Niwot and Boulder area to join us for and evening of fellowship. This will be a great time to connect with your church neighbors. If you are able to bring an appetizer, dessert or wine, please contact Jan via txt. msg or (303) Hymns for Sunday Resurrection Hymn (Plagal 2nd Tone p Green Hymnal) When the angelic powers appeared at your tomb and those who guarded You became as though dead, and standing by Your sepulchre was Mary seeking You pure and sacred body. For You did vanquish Hades and uncorrupted by its touch You came unto the virgin woman, bestowing the gift of life O You who rose from the dead. Lord we give glory to You. Hymn for Saints Peter and Paul O leaders of the Apostles, and teachers of the world, intercede with the Master of all that He may grant peace unto the world, and to our souls His great mercy. Kontakion Hymn Foolishly I sprang away * from Thy fatherly glory,* and dispersed in wicked deeds * the riches that You gave me.* With the Prodigal I therefore * cry unto Thee now:* I have sinned against Thee, O compassionate Father. * But receive me in repentance; * make me as one of * Thy hired servants, O Lord. Epistle Reading St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 8:8-13; 9:1-2 Great is our Lord, and great is his power. Verse: Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good. Brethren, food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. Only take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if any one sees you, a man of knowledge, at table in an idol's temple, might he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak man is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother's falling, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall. Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. Taste of Orthodoxy Steering Committee Meetings will soon begin to plan this year's Taste of Orthodoxy. We are looking for one or two people who would like to join the steering committee that oversees the entire event. Interested? Contact Nicole Tsiouvaras ( ) or Nick Karis ( ) for more information.

5 Upcoming Youth Events Parish Youth Ministry Meeting - Rescheduled Due to Weather (Future Date TBD) GOYA - Prepare Meals for Shut-ins - Saturday, March 9, 10 am We ask that all middle and high schoolers please join us to help Philoptochos in preparing meals for shut-ins. This is a wonderful opportunity to help those who are in the nursing homes and parishioners unable to drive to travel. Father Jordan is planning to take the youth out to lunch. If time permits, we will prepare the Holy Bread (Prosfora). Parent Youth Ministry Meeting - Rescheduled due to Weather - TBD Prepare Meals for Shut-ins - March 9 Parish Oratorical Festival - Sunday, March 10 GOYA Lunch w/ Father Jordan - March 31 Saturday of Lazarus Retreat - April 20 GOYA Weekend Retreat, June 7-9, Hot Sulphur Springs