St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Diocese of Los Angeles and the West

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1 St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America Diocese of Los Angeles and the West Mailing Address: 4718 Horsehaven, Post Falls, Idaho Church Phone: (208) Fr. Basil Caldaroni: (208) frbasil@caldaroni.net Church Website: Send announcements to bulletin@stjohnorthodox.org January 12, 2014 Sunday after the Theophany of Christ On January 12, we continue to celebrate the Theophany (Epiphany) of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we commemorate the holy Martyr Tatiana of Rome, the Deaconess, and those with her. Martyr Tatiana of Rome, and those who suffered with Her. Tatiana lived during the reign of Emperor Alexander Severus, whose chief assistants persecuted Christians without the emperor s orders. When they brought out the virgin Tatiana for torture, she prayed to God for her torturers. And behold, their eyes were opened and they saw four angels around the martyr. Seeing this, eight of them believed in Christ for which they also were tortured and slain. The tormentors continued to disfigure Tatiana, but God sent His angels to the dungeon to encourage her and to heal her wounds. Each morning, Tatiana appeared before the torturers completely healed. Finally, Tatiana and her father were both beheaded in about the year 225. Thus, this heroic woman and those with her were crowned with immortal wreaths of glory. On this day, we also commemorate the Martyr Peter Absalom of Palestine; Virgin-martyr Euthasia; and Martyr Mertios of Mauretania. By their intercessions, O Christ God, have mercy upon us. Amen. The Mystery of Theophany The Master of all things hath appeared to us plainly, that in the Jordan s streams He might mystically burn up all sin as in a furnace, since He is merciful and supremely good. Skip for joy, all creation; for Christ the Lord hath been baptized for our sakes, He that in truth hath been well pleased as God to save the race of mankind. Service of Theophany

2 RESURRECTIONAL APOLYTIKION IN TONE FOUR Having learned the joyful message of the Resurrection from the angel the women disciples of the Lord cast from them their parental condemnation. And proudly broke the news to the Disciples, saying: Death hath been spoiled; Christ God is risen, granting the world Great Mercy. APOLYTIKION OF THE THEOPHANY OF CHRIST IN TONE ONE When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan, worship of the Trinity wast made manifest; for the voice of the Father bore witness to Thee, calling Thee His beloved Son. And the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the truth of His word. O Christ our God, Who hath appeared and enlightened the world, glory to Thee. KONTAKION OF THE THEOPHANY OF CHRIST IN TONE FOUR Today Thou hast appeared to the universe, O Lord, and Thy light hath been shed upon us, who praise Thee with knowledge, saying, Thou hast come and appeared, O unapproachable Light. THE EPISTLE Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us. Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous. The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians. (4:7-13) Brethren, grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ s gift. Therefore it is said, When He ascended on high He led a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men. (In saying, He ascended, what does it mean but that He had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is He who also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And His gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ THE GOSPEL The reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew. (4:12-17) At that time, when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth he went and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulon and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: The land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned. From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

3 EXCERPTS FROM: AN INTRODUCTION TO ORTHODOX WORSHIP PAMPHLET by Fr. Tom Tsagalakis About the Orthodox Church While the Orthodox Church has maintained unaltered its doctrines, scriptural interpretations and apostolic faith, it has continued to be dynamically sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, avoiding any tendency of becoming a museum of artifacts. She is true to the past, fully present in the now and assured of God s promises concerning future things. Guided by the Holy Spirit, Orthodoxy has been able to transcend the ever-changing trends of every age, in order to be anchored to the unchangeable truths about God and the unbroken link to the historic faith of Jesus and His Apostle. The Lord Jesus Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and disciples to keep them in truth and remind them of all He had done and taught. (John 16: 13-15) He further pledged Himself through the coming of this same Spirit to His disciples until the end of time. (Matthew.28: 18-20) The fulfillment of these promises is found in God s preservation and perpetuation of the Orthodox Church throughout the ages. The Divine Liturgy Liturgy translated from the Greek means work of the people. Orthodox people throughout the world join together for this work of worship. We not only proclaim the Kingdom of God, we believe that for the space and time of the liturgy we actually enter into the Kingdom. The Divine Liturgy is not a show, entertainment or theatre. It is a spiritual entrance into and experience of God's eternal kingdom. It is our personal and corporate expression of our sacramental and liturgical relationship with God. The Liturgy is not a static experience, but a dynamic journey ~ A journey to and through the kingdom of heaven. It is our entry into another reality.. Since worship in Orthodoxy is an expression of the entire Church, the active participation and involvement of the congregation is strongly encouraged. Please sing along and participate with us. Worshiping with our whole being In Orthodox worship, everything points towards the heavenly. Accordingly, worship calls not only for the action of mind, the emotions, and the will, but also of the body with all its senses. So, as the Scriptures describe, in worship there are things to see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. Since God wants us to offer our entire being to Him in worship and service, every one of our senses are also asked to actively participate in heavenly worship. Candles Orthodox Christians light a candle when entering the church as a reminder of Christ s light in the world and the warmth of God s love.

4 Surrounded by Icons Icons are the images of Christ, Angels, and the Saints which adorn the interior of the Church. They are a witness to the abiding presence of God and His Kingdom on earth. Icons are used in prayer and as a means of windows into heaven for the Orthodox Christian. The icon screen is not meant to separate but is there to remind us that we are outside of God s kingdom knocking and asking the Lord to allow us to come in. The Sign of the Cross The faithful frequently make the sign of the cross when praying, to remind themselves both of Christ s sacrifice on the cross and ever present power of the life-giving cross. We bless ourselves as we express our devotion to Christ and identify ourselves as Christians as we make this sign of the cross. Music The melodies you will hear have come down virtually unaltered since the beginning of Christianity and have not lost any of their beauty. Led by our chanters, our congregation sings almost everything during the Divine Liturgy. We invite you to join in. Don't be afraid; everyone is encouraged to sing. God gave you the voice you have and it is sweet music to His ears. Incense Incense is a special offering to God. It is also a symbol of prayer that ascends to God from human hearts which have been purified by the grace of the Holy Spirit. (Revelation 8: 3-5) You will notice that the priest offers incense to the icons and congregations to remind us that Christ is the icon (image) of the invincible God (Colossians 1:15) and we are created in the image of God. The twelve bells on the censer reminds us of the message of Good News proclaimed by the twelve apostles. Posture of Prayer One thing you may notice is that most of the people are standing. In the beginning, Christians stood rather than sat because this has always been the preferred posture for prayer. We always stand out of reverence for the Holy Scriptures when the Gospel is read. Through the years, as churches evolved, some have added seating. In the Orthodox tradition, the faithful stand through most of the worship service. If you get tired, don t hesitate to sit down.

5 ANNOUNCEMENTS House Blessings! Dear Brethren, Christ is in our midst! Now that we have celebrated the Great Feasts of Nativity & Theophany it is now time to do the Theophany Houseblessings! If you would like me to come by to bless your home this year please get back to me soon either by or by phone with a proposed time and we will schedule it. Thanks, good brothers and sisters! Love in Christ, +Fr. Basil Ancient Faith Today with Kevin Allen will host Orthodox priest Fr. Josiah Trenham, for a discussion of Sex, Virginity, and Marriage in the Orthodox Church live this Sunday, January 12, at 5 pm Pacific Listen to the next special two-hour live call-in broadcast on Sunday, January 12, at 5 pm Pacific. Kevin's guest is the V. Rev. Fr. Josiah Trenham, pastor of Saint Andrew Orthodox Church, Riverside, California, and the author of the recently published Virginity and Marriage According to Saint John Chrysostom (St Herman Press). They will discuss views of the church fathers and the contemporary Orthodox Church on sex, marriage, and celibacy (monasticism) in the context of a sex-obsessed contemporary Western culture. Listen live at 5:00 pm Pacific. Listen live by pointing your internet browser to and clicking on the talk button. The program will also be available as part of the Ancient Faith Today with Kevin Allen podcast. Wednesday Study Group Resumes this Week! Please join us for our Study Group (roughly 7:00 PM) after Vespers (at 6:00 PM). The book we are studying is For the Life of the World: Sacraments and Orthodoxy, the classic work of Fr. Alexander Schmemann. This is a spiritual classic that will be very helpful for growth in our Holy Faith. This Study Group is for everybody -- the faithful, the catechumens and inquirers. So, Lord willing, we will see you at Vespers and at the Study Group on Wednesday evenings!

6 SCHEDULE OF SERVICES & EVENTS Saturday, January 11 Great Vespers 6:00 PM Sunday, January 12 Hours 8:45 AM; Orthros 9:00 AM; Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM; Sunday School and Lunch following Wednesday, January 15 Vespers 6:00pm; Study Group at the Gencarella s 7:00pm Friday, January 17 Spiritual Circle 9:30am Saturday, January 18 Great Vespers 6:00 PM Sunday, January 19 Hours 8:45 AM; Orthros 9:00 AM; Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM; Sunday School and Lunch following EPISTLE READERS Jan 12 - Andrew Schaefer Jan 19 Sbdcn. Barnabas Jan 26 Joy Corey Feb 2 - Reader Mark Fellegy LUNCHEON & CLEANUP Jan 12 Team 4: Owen & Bryne Rush, Fr Basil & Matushka Caldaroni, Tim & Kelly Peterson, Mark & Maureen Sandford Jan 19 Team 5: Gallatin Family, Schaefer family, Ebert Family, Phillips family Jan 26 Team 1: Molly Tsalaky, Gus & Helen Vlahos, Dale Ayoub, Ken & Nanette Sanman, Mike Ingram Feb 2 Team 2: Joy Corey, Morey Ranson, John & Piama Holmen, Adam & Mary Claire Roth, Jeff & Jenny Tecca PRAYERS FOR THE LIVING: Lorna (Rebecca Ebert's mom), LaVerne (David Gencarella's mother), Karen (Reader Thomas Craffey's mother), Michael Kolomichuk (Fr. Basil s cousin), Nicky Nolan, Metropolitan Paul Yazigi and Metropolitan Youhanna Ibrahim (hostages in Syria), Mother Pelagia and her nuns and orphans. PRAYERS FOR THE DEPARTED: Fr. Jim King, Rosalind (Esther Phillip s Mum) COMMUNION - Since we understand Communion to mean that we have all things in common, sharing an identical Faith, only those who are members of the Orthodox Church who have prepared themselves through prayer, fasting and recent confession may participate in Holy Communion. (We invite all, however, to partake of the blessed bread which is distributed at the dismissal.) Please see the pastor for inquiries on how to become a member. ST. JOHN WISH LIST Flooring for the downstairs area. 220 yards. Estimating around $18.00 a yard = aprox $ Entry way rug $ Entry way cabinets $