The Importance of the Christmas Season ~ A Message from Fr. Robert

Transcription

1 December Phillips Road, Tallahassee, Florida (850) Rev. Fr. Robert J. O Loughlin The Importance of the Christmas Season ~ A Message from Fr. Robert In the Gospel reading on the Sunday before Christmas we are told by St. Matthew, of the long list of the genealogy of Christ and how God prepared the world through all generations for His coming. It traced from Abraham, through the Prophet David down to Christ Himself. This list includes the names of many holy and righteous people: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ruth, Jesse, David the King, and others. St. Matthew shows us that Jesus was born of holy stock, that He is Himself the end of a long line of righteous people who not only served God, but also looked to Christ for the fulfillment of the Messianic promises. God has sent His Son into the world that all might be saved through Him, both the righteous and the unrighteous. The genealogy reveals that Jesus Christ as the Messiah saves us by becoming our Judge, King, and Great High Priest. He gives this teaching in two ways through His commandments, which tell us how to live properly and by giving us His Holy Spirit, who enables us to follow His will in making the proper choices in our lives. We come to that time of year when we take time to think of others. The presents are shopped and given to those we love. People, who otherwise we may not have communicated with, may be offered Christmas greetings in the spirit of the season. Decorations are seen on houses, businesses, and towns to show a spirit of celebration. We know from the merchants that the Christmas season is coming and it seems to be earlier and earlier as they remind us of how many shopping days are left. Charities, too, remind us of their needs during this season of giving. We should take time to reexamine our own spirit of Christmas. Are we more concerned about who is giving what present to whom, instead of rejoicing in the Birth of Christ? St. Nicholai of Zica says, When men, in gladness of heart, give first place to glorifying God in the highest then this brings peace on earth and both the one and the other produce good will among them. We list many reasons why this season is important. We all want the peace from God to come upon the earth. We all want the joy we feel from the Birth of Christ to be felt in every heart. We all want others to receive as much happiness from sharing Christmas with family and friends as we do. The joy of Christmas can be felt by all, but for that to happen, we need to put as much effort spreading the everlasting gift of Christ as we put into giving gifts that may last only a short period of time. When we learn to give without expecting in return, then the spirit of Christmas will be in us, and the peace on earth can be experienced. Wishing you a blessed season of the Nativity, Fr. Robert

2 Page 2 If an emergency or special need should arise, please contact Fr. Rob immediately at Metropolis of Atlanta Archangel Michael Recipients Saturday, November 11th, 2017 Our next ECHO Sundays are December 3 and January 7. Please drop off your non-perishable food donations into the bins located in the Hellenic Center and Patmos Hall. Sunday, December 10 following the On October 29th, a General Assembly was held and nominations were made for the upcoming Parish Council Elections to be held on Sunday, December 10th, in which there are four open positions. Please keep in mind that only members in good standing are eligible to vote. The Election will take place after Liturgy in the Hellenic Center. Nominations for the upcoming Parish Council Elections are: Victor Gavalas Emanuel Joanos Glen Perrigan The Election Committee members are: Bonnie Burrell Stelios Manias Mike Papageorge Jorge Gorb and Jimmy Branch with His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios Holy Nativity Services According to Article 25 Section 11 of the UPR of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese it states that in the event that insufficient number of candidates shall be nominated for election to the Parish Council, or the number nominated is equal to the number of vacancies, the election of those nominated shall take place in accordance with the election procedures established by these regulations. The Parish Council, after the ratification and the taking of office of any new members, and the election of officers shall proceed to fill any vacancies on the Council from among the Parish s parishioners in good standing. Those elected by the Parish Council shall, in such order as may be determined by the Council, and following ratification by the respective Hierarch, serve the term that a member duly elected by the Parish would have served. Friday, December 22nd: Royal Hours - 9:00 a.m Sunday, December 24th: Orthros & 9:30 a.m. and. Sunday, December 24th and 25th: Orthros & for Christmas 11:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m.

3 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT Page 3 December f 11 f 12 Christ is Born Glorify Him! 6 Feast Day of f Echo Sunday Pancake Breakfast (sponsored by GOYA) Church School Parish Council Elections No Church School No Church School Christmas Services Orthros 11:00 p.m. 12:00 a.m 31 No Fast No Church School 4 f Parish Council Gathering 6:30 p.m. 5 f Choir Practice 5:00 p.m. Choir Practice 5:00 p.m Office Closed No Fast Choir Practice 5:00 p.m. St. Nicholas 9:00 a.m Newcomers/Catechetical Class 6:00 p.m Newcomers/Catechetical Class 6:00 p.m. 7 f f Philoptochos Christmas Brunch 11:00 a.m Blue Halo s = Fish Allowed Royal Hours 9:00 a.m 23 GOYA Gathering Great Vespers 5:00 p.m. 26 No Fast 27 No Fast 28 No Fast 29 No Fast 30 No Fast Pangari Schedule for November 2017 *9:15 a.m, **10:15 a.m start time & (c) Coffee 12/03 - Gavalas*/Poulos**/(c) NJoanos 12/10 - Kanelides*/Mathes**/(c) Atayants 12/17 - SJoanos*/Gavalas**/(c) NJoanos 12/24 - Catsimpiris*/Mathes**/(c) Gavalas 12/31 - Belcher*/SJoanos**/(c) Atayants 01/07 - Mathes*/Catsimpiris**/(c) Kanelides Calendar Symbol Key + = Strict Fast = Wine and Oil allowed = Dairy & eggs allowed = Father Away

4 Page 4 Sun. Dec. 3rd- Feast of St. Nicholas Pancake Breakfast Sat. Dec. 9th-Christmas Gathering November Meeting Feast Day of St. Nicholas Parish Pancake Breakfast Sponsored by GOYA Sunday December 3rd, Following There will be crafts and a surprise visit from St. Nicholas It s Tradition! By Presvytera Alexandra Houck Do you have traditions that you follow with your family? On holidays, maybe you do the same special thing every year. Maybe you wonder where those traditions came from or when they started. Maybe you ve asked and nobody can tell you. I don t know. It s tradition! somebody might tell you. In our holy Orthodox Church, you probably have heard a lot about Tradition. We follow a Tradition in our Church family too! But unlike some of our family traditions, we know where our Tradition comes from. In case you can t guess, Saint Paul tells us today in our epistle reading! Saint Paul writes, I would have you know that the gospel which was preached by me is not man s gospel. For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. Our Tradition is the things we believe and do the things that have been passed down from person to person for many, many years. Saint Paul tells us about something called Apostolic Tradition. We know what Jesus said and did because the Apostles (Jesus helpers) passed the news to others. Then those people passed it down to others. This Tradition from the Apostles has gone on for two thousand years! If you ever wonder how we know what Jesus said and did, we can say It s Tradition! And our Tradition comes straight from the Apostles!

5 Page 5 Stewardship Ministries Orthodox Christian Stewardship is a way of life, which acknowledges accountability, reverence, and responsibility before God. A primary goal of Stewardship is to promote spiritual growth and strengthen faith. Becoming a Steward begins when we believe in God, to whom we give our love, loyalty and trust and act on those beliefs. As Stewards, we affirm that every aspect of our lives comes as a gift from Him. Stewardship calls on the faithful to cheerfully offer back to God a portion of the gifts with which they have been blessed. An Orthodox Christian Steward is an active participant in the life of the Church. The parish encourages all who accept the Orthodox Faith to become practicing Stewards. Each year the Steward is expected to carefully review his or her personal circumstances and make a commitment of time, talent, and treasure to support the Parish and her Ministries, which in turn support the National Ministries of our Archdiocese, Metropolises, and institutions. Effective stewardship ministry is not a single event or project. Rather, it is going out to our people wherever they are in their walk with Christ, listening to their concerns, helping them to realize their importance as branches of the True Vine and encouraging them to offer their gifts in His service. We use various resources to support our efforts, but unless we meet with our people personally, sincerely listen to their ideas and concerns, and share a vision for the future of the parish, our efforts will not each their full potential. In Oriented Leadership their book on Orthodox Christian leadership, Williams and McKibben define stewardship as the call of the faithful to share willingly the gifts that God has bestowed on them, including sharing these gifts for God s work. Stewardship is devotion and service to God and His Church as persons, as families, as a Parish, as a Metropolis, as a National Church, and as the Church Universal. Stewardship is our active commitment to use ALL our time, talent and treasure for the benefit of humankind in grateful acknowledgement of Christ s redeeming love. Stewardship is caring for the needs of others. Stewardship is offering one's self to God as He offered Himself to us. Stewardship is what a person does after saying "I believe..." as proof of that belief. - Williams and McKibben in Oriented Leadership In the words of Fr. William Chiganos of Holy Apostles Church in Westchester, Illinois, people don t give to need; they give to vision. Church people don t stretch their giving because of need to meet the budget; they give more because they are able to see a vision of people being reached and God s purposes being accomplished in the life of the church and its ministry. Parishes with successful Orthodox Christian Stewardship Programs have found that incredible support is unleashed from Stewards who unselfishly and joyfully offer their time, talent and treasures, which in turn enhances the spirituality and ministry of the local parish Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

6 Page 6 December 2017 We wish everyone a very Blessed & Merry Christmas CHRISTMAS GREEK FOOD FUNDRAISER Whole Baklava Cheesecake ($45); Spanakopita and Tiropita by the dozen ($15), Chocolate Kok ($48 per doz) PRE ORDER HERE: Philoptochos Christmas Brunch (Dutch Treat) Where: Blue Halo When: Dec. 9 at 11:00 am Located in: Bannerman Crossing Shopping Center More information about the upcoming events will be in the Sunday Handouts and monthly bulletins. From November... A total of 10 Thanksgiving meals from Publix were donated to Children s Home Society and other families in our community. Christmas Poinsettias $20.00 It is now time to place your donation for poinsettias to decorate our Church for the Feast of the Nativity. They always make our Church look even more beautiful at this very special and holy time of the year. We will once again be purchasing them from Hilly Fields Florist. You may place them In Memory or In Honor of loved ones. These names will appear in the January Monthly Bulletin. Please make your checks payable to the HMOG Philoptochos Society & mark memo line Poinsettia no later than December 17th. See Olibia Drzewiecki in the Hellenic Center following. Parish Christmas Card Please call the church office ( ) to include your family in the Parish Christmas Card or mail your Donation and how you would like your name(s) to appear in the Parish Christmas Card no later than Sunday, December 17th. Donation is $10 per family.

7 Page 7 The Gift and Call of Christmas by: Father Fr. Jim Katinas Christ is born; glorify Him! Christ comes from heaven; go to meet Him! Christ is on earth; be exalted! Sing to the Lord, all the earth! And praise Him in gladness, all people, for He has been glorified! -From the Katavasia of the Nativity, Ode 1 These are some of the beautiful words with which the Orthodox Church the world over celebrates the Nativity of Christ - Christmas. As beautiful as these words are, however, the indispensable question is: how do we respond to them? Christ is born, do we glorify Him? Christ comes from heaven, to what extend do we meet Him? Christ is on earth, do we exalt Him? And do we really praise Him in gladness? The words of this beautiful hymn don't just praise God, they call all people to respond accordingly. Consider also the words of the Apolytikion (dismissal hymn) of the Nativity which also link the greatness of Christ's Nativity with the appropriate human response: Your Nativity O Christ our God, has shined the light of knowledge upon the world; for thereby they that worshipped the stars were instructed by a star to worship You, the Sun of Righteousness, and to know You, the sunrise from on high. O Lord, glory be to You. - Apolitikion of the Nativity In describing the magnificent meaning of the birth of Christ- and the response of the Magi to it-the words of the above hymn are also meant to inspire all who hear them to imitate the exemplary actions of the Magi by worshipping and knowing Christ in our own lives. Of all the possible responses we could possibly have to God's incarnation into the world, worshipping Him and knowing Him are the best ones. The best way for us to celebrate the Nativity of Christ, then, is to worship Him and to do all that we can to know Him. Not to know about Him, but to know Him experientially. How is this possible? First, like the Magi, we must be willing to follow the "star"- the light of Christwherever He may lead us. This requires faith. Faith that God knows what truly is best for us. With just a small amount of faith on our part, God more than takes care of the rest. Perhaps the most miraculous aspect of the Nativity is that in His great love for mankind, Christ continually seeks to be "born" in the lives of anyone willing to accept Him- in the "mangers of our souls." All we must do in order for this to occur is to respond with God's love, with our own love, with obedience, repentance and humility. This is what Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev conveys so well in saying the following: The greatest mystery of the Incarnation is that, having happened once in history, it recurs in every person that comes to Christ. In the deep silence of the night the Word of God became incarnate on earth: this is how the Word becomes incarnate in the silent depths of our soul, where our mind lapses into silence, where words run out, where our spirit stands before God. Christ was born on earth unknown and unrecognized, for only the magi and the shepherds went out to meet him. In the same way, quietly and unrecognizably to others, Christ is born in a human soul, and it comes out to meet him, because a star has been born in it, leading to the light. We mysteriously recognize Christ in us during prayer, when we discover that our prayer has been accepted and heard, that God 'came and abode in us' and filled us with his life-bearing presence. We encounter Christ in the Eucharist, when, having received his body and blood, we feel that our own body is penetrated by his divine energy, and the blood of God runs though our veins. We encounter Christ in other sacraments of the Church, when through contiguity with him we are renewed and revived unto eternal life. We encounter Christ in our neighbors, when we gain sight of his innermost depth where the image of God shines. We encounter Christ in our everyday life, when amidst its noise we hear his beckoning voice or when we see his manifest intrusion into the course of history. Precisely so - unexpectedly and suddenly - God intruded into the life of humanity twenty centuries ago, when by his birth he turned the course of history. Precisely so is he born again and again in the souls of thousands of people, changing, transforming and transfiguring their lives, making believers out of non-believers, saints out of sinners, saved out of dying. The Nativity and the life of Christ are nothing less than the greatest gift ever given to human beings. This gift is also a call -an invitation- to all of us to experience a new and eternal life in Jesus Christ. How do respond in our own lives to this miraculous gift and to this awe-inspiring call? Christ is born, let us glorify Him! Christ comes from the heavens, let us go to meet Him! Christ is on earth let us exalt Him! Let us all sing to the Lord and praise Him in gladness! For He has indeed been glorified! And in glorifying Him, that we are renewed. By receiving Him as a gift, we are restored. By responding to His call daily, He gives us new and everlasting life! Amen.

8 Holy Mother of God Greek Orthodox Church 1645 Phillips Road Tallahassee, Florida Return Service Requested Holy Mother of God Greek Orthodox Church 1645 Phillips Road Tallahassee, FL Office: Hall: Fr. Rob s Cell: Feast of the Nativity of our Lord And Savior Jesus Christ Celebrated December 25th Website: Addresses: Father Rob: fr.robert@comcast.net Church Secretary: hmog@comcast.net Secretary Hours: Mon./Wed./Fri. 9am-2pm