St. Michael s Orthodox Christian Church 1182 Ashland St., Greensburg, PA 15601 Diocese of Charleston, Oakland and the Mid-Atlantic Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH, Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of all North America His Grace Bishop THOMAS, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Charleston, Oakland and the Middle Atlantic Archpriest John Nosal, Pastor Sunday, January 27, 2019 To all who are present with us this morning, Welcome! Thank you for being here. Please join us for coffee and in the Fellowship Hall following Divine Liturgy. You May Find the Text of the Divine Liturgy beginning on the bottom of page 91 of the Service Book (gold embossed cross on the reddish brown cover) or in the green-spiral-bound book; sheet music can be found in the 8.5 x 11 large, spiral-bound booklet. At the Kiss of Peace our practice is for each of us to greet the person to our right and left with the bowing of our head, hands held in a prayerful clasp or crossed on the chest, while offering each other the seasonal Christian greeting, Christ is in our midst! and responding, He is and shall be! Please remember that Holy Communion is reserved for those Chrismated Orthodox Christians who have appropriately prepared themselves through prayer, fasting and Confession to receive the Holy Mysteries of the Church. The bread (anti doron, which means in place of the gifts) which we share after Communion and at the end of the Liturgy is for all. Being mindful we are in church, let us always remember to...be quiet and attentive. Let us sing, pray, stand, sit, kneel and respond where responses are indicated. Let us not talk, look around, text message, play games, etc. Especially let us work at this in the Communion line and when in line to venerate the Cross and depart. If we cannot hear the post-communion prayers being chanted during our church departure, we are way too noisy....refrain from eating, drinking or chewing gum. (most obviously and especially if you will be receiving Holy Communion)....stay put. Except in rare cases, there are few of us who cannot stay in one location for two hours (actually less, for most of us).
The mission of the members of St. Michael s Orthodox Church is to become completely loving people. (see Lk 10:27) This will occur by the Grace of God as we strive to live holy lives, using the tools He has given us for this endeavor: prayer, fasting, charitable works, and the constant remembrance of death. SYRIAN CHRISTIAN RELIEF As the Syrian crisis continues, we continue to accept donations to do what we can to help ease the suffering there. Checks may be written to St. Michael s with the note Syrian Relief. The following is a link to International Orthodox Christian Charities ((IOCC) Response to the Crisis in Syria page with more information on what you can do to help: http://www.iocc.org/countries/countries_syria.aspx
Sunday, January 27, 2019 Greeting: Christ is in out midst! Response: He is and shall be! Tone: 2 Eothinon: 2 Recovery of the relics of John Chrysostom & Fourteenth Sunday of Luke; Marciana the empress; New-martyr Demetrios of Constantinople; Venerable Peter of Egypt. THE SUNDAY EPISTLE READING A Reading of St. Paul to the Hebrews (7:26--8:2) B RETHREN, it was fitting that we should have such a High Priest, holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; He did this once for all when He offered up Himself. Indeed, the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son Who has been made perfect forever. Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a High Priest, one Who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent which is set up not by man but by the Lord. _ THE HOLY GOSPEL According to St. Luke (18:35-43) A T THAT TIME, Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. And he sought to see Who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus, for He was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today. So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. And when they saw it they all murmured, He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold. And Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.
The Meeting of the Lord* by Fr. Alexander Schmemann in his book, Celebration of Faith Sermons, Volume 2 The Church Year Forty days after Christmas, parishes of the Orthodox Church celebrate the Meeting of the Lord. Since it usually falls on a weekday, this feast is halfforgotten, but nonetheless this is when the Church completes "the time of Christmas," revealing and recapitulating the full meaning of Christmas in stream of pure and profound joy. The feast and contemplates an event recorded in the gospel of Saint Luke. Forty days after the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary, keeping to the religious practice of that time, "brought the child to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord as it is written in the law of the Lord..." (Lk 2:22, 23). The gospel continues, Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, "Lord, now thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel." And his father and his mother marveled at what vas said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword shall pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many may hearts may be revealed." (Lk 2:26-35) How striking and beautiful an image, the old man holding the child in his arms, and how strange are his words: "For my eyes have seen thy salvation..." Pondering these words we begin to appreciate the depth of this event and its relationship to us, to me, to our faith. Is anything in the world more joyful than an encounter, a "meeting" with someone you love? Truly, to live is to await, to look forward to the encounter. Isn't Simeon's transcendent and beautiful anticipation a symbol of this? Isn't his long life a symbol of expectation, this elderly man who spends his whole life waiting for the light which illumines all and the joy, which ills everything with itself? And how unexpected, how unspeakably good that the long-awaited light and joy comes to the elderly Simeon through a child! Imagine the old man's trembling hands as he takes in his arms the forty-day-old infant so tenderly and carefully, his eyes gazing on the tiny being and illing with an outpouring of praise: "Now, You may let me depart in peace, for I have seen, I have held in my arms, I have embraced the very meaning of life." Simeon waited. He waited his entire long life, and surely this means he pondered, he prayed, he deepened as he waited, so that in the end his whole life was one continuous "eve" of a joyful meeting. Isn't it time that we ask ourselves, what am I waiting for? What does my heart keep reminding me about more and more insistently? Is this life of mine
gradually being transformed into anticipation, as I look forward to encountering the essential? These are the questions the Meeting poses. Here, in this feast, human life is revealed as the surpassing beauty of a maturing soul, increasingly liberated, deepened and cleansed of all that is petty, meaningless and incidental. Even aging and demise, the earthly destiny we all share, are so simply and convincingly shown here to be growth and ascent toward that one moment when with all my heart, in the fullness of thanksgiving, I say: "let me now depart." I have seen the light which permeates the world. I have seen the Child, who brings the world so much divine love and who gives himself to me. Nothing is feared, nothing is unknown, all is now peace, thanksgiving and love. This is what the Meeting of the Lord brings. It celebrates the soul meeting Love, meeting the one Who gave me life and gave me strength to trans igure it into anticipation. *Fr. Alexander wrote this sermon just two weeks before his death. Mine Eyes Have Seen Thy Salvation by Fr. Thomas Hopko in his book, The Winter Pascha We who live in the Church of Christ today have seen the Child Jesus. But we have also seen the grown-up Christ. We have seen the Lord not only as a little Child of forty days. But we have learned of the annunciation of the angel to the Virgin. We have been given insight into the miraculous manner of his birth. We have observed His circumcision on the eighth day, and His meeting in the temple with Simeon and Anna on the fortieth. We have stood at the Jordan and witnessed His encounter with the Baptist. We have listened to the testimony of the Forerunner, the friend of the Bridegroom who was sent to prepare His way. We have been present at the baptism, the Epiphany in the Jordan. We have heard the Father's voice and seen the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, anointing Him in His humanity to be the Lord's Christ, the Messiah of God who is the Lord Himself as God's beloved Son. We have followed Him into the desert to be tempted by the devil. We have seen His words and observed His miracles. We have been confronted with His question: Who do you say that I am? And we have answered with Peter and all of the apostles: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God! And we have gone with Him up to Jerusalem. We have eaten with Him in the upper room, enjoying the Master's hospitality, with uplifted minds. We have stood by the Cross. We have gone to the tomb. We have seen Him raised and glori ied. We have been breathed upon and have received His Spirit. The tongues of ire which He came to cast upon the earth have been sent upon us. We have been anointed with His Spirit, illed with power from on high the very same Spirit that inspired the elder Simeon to know that he would not die before he had seen the Savior, the Spirit that led him that day to the temple and moved him to sing the song that we all now sing each evening of our lives: For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation!
HIGHLIGHTS of UPCOMING EVENTS T, J 29-12:00 PM - Food on the Hill (Take special note of the shift from the first to the last Tuesday.) S, F 3 - Shop with Scrip Order Date W, F 13 - First Lutheran Luncheon Greensburg; sign up in Fellowship Hall. S, F 23 - American Red Cross Blood Drive 9:00AM to 2:30PM Good news We had an outstanding turnout at the last drive. Bad news Some were turned away because of understaffing Please encourage all to return, in spite of inconvenience. S, F 10 - Glad Tidings Spaghetti Luncheon F S, FEBRUARY 15-18, WINTER CAMP at Antiochian Village (grades 7-12). S, M 2 - WAYNE MACUGA DANCE BAND 7:00PM to 10:00PM to benefit Food on the Hill F S, M 29-31 - Antiochian Women s Lenten Retreat at Antiochian Village May 24 27 - FAMILY CAMP at Antiochian Village (Space is limited and registration is open.) T, J 4 - Braves vs. Pirates June 26 June 30 - Parish Life Conference at Antiochian Village July 21 July 28 Archdiocese Convention, Grand Rapids, MI VOTIVE CANDLE OFFERINGS I m p nt M n Pa A r h D n A r h He l M i s, An h n J i Cr D n A r h He l P C p D n A r h He l L G w D n A r h He l g o n, Jo D n A r h
REMEMBER, the Second Week on this schedule May Change... ALWAYS USE THE MOST CURRENT BULLETIN! Debbie will be in the office on M, W & F; 9 to 3. January 27 thru February 2 Sunday, January 27-8:45 AM - FESTAL ORTHROS - 9:30 - Choir Rehearsal - 10:00 AM - DIVINE LITURGY - Church School - Antiochian Women s Mtg Election of Officers Monday, January 28 Ephraim & Isaac the Syrians Tuesday, January 29-12:00 Food on the Hill Wednesday, January 30 The Three Holy Hierarchs Friday, February 1-6 PM - FESTAL GT. VESPERS (?Choir rehearsal follows?) Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple Saturday, February 2-8:00 AM - FESTAL ORTHROS (?Choir rehearsal follows?) - NO Vespers tonight THANK YOU I would like to thank all of my St. Michael s family for your caring, cards, calls, candles, prayers and well wishes during my recent surgery and recovery. It is a wonderful feeling knowing that so many people thought of me during this time. All of your support helped make my recovery an easier chore. God Bless you all! Lou Gajewski February 3 thru February 9 Sunday, February 3-8:45 AM - ORTHROS - 9:30 AM - Choir Rehearsal - 10:00 AM - DIVINE LITURGY - Church School Thursday, February 7 Parthenios of Lampsakos Friday, February 8 Theodore the Commander Saturday, February 2-6:00 PM - GREAT VESPERS Soup Sampling to Benefit IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities) Saturday, February 9, 1019 11 to 2 Experience Tastes from around the world! $10-5 soup sampler $10 per quart of your favorite Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church 123 Gilkeson Rd., Pgh Register iocc.org/pittsburgh Preorder Marianne (412) 668-0420 marianne.carmack@gmail.com