January 6, 2013 Bulletin St. Nicholas Orthodox Church Orthodox Church in America 2143 S. Center Rd, Burton, MI 48519 Served by: Fr. Matthew-Peter Butrie Rector Deacon Kerry Luke Gonser Web Page: www.saintnicholasburton.org Church: 810-744-0070 Fr Matthew: 810-695-2023
SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 2013 31st SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST Tone 6. THE HOLY THEOPHANY OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. Ven. Macarius of Mt. Athos (1431). FIRST ANTIPHON When Israel went forth from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language. Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us! Judah became His sanctuary, Israel His dominion. Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us! The sea looked and fled, Jordan turned back. Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us! What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back? Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us! Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us! SECOND ANTIPHON I love the Lord because He has heard the voice of my supplication. O Son of God baptized in the Jordan, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia! Because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live. O Son of God baptized in the Jordan, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia! The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of hell laid hold on me. I suffered distress and anguish, then I called upon the name of the Lord. O Son of God baptized in the Jordan, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia! Gracious and righteous is the Lord, and our God is merciful. O Son of God baptized in the Jordan, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia! Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Only-begotten Son and immortal Word of God, Who for our salvation didst will to be incarnate of the holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, Who without change became man and wast crucified, Who art one of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit: O Christ our God, trampling down death by death, save us! THIRD ANTIPHON O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever! (Tone 1) When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest! For the voice of the Father bare witness to Thee, and called Thee His beloved Son! And the Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed the truthfulness of His word. O Christ our God, Who hast revealed Thyself and hast enlightened the world, glory to Thee! Let the house of Israel say: For He is good, for His mercy endures forever! When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest! For the voice of the Father bare witness to Thee, and called Thee His beloved Son! And the Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed the truthfulness of His word. O Christ our God, Who hast revealed Thyself and hast enlightened the world, glory to Thee! Let the house of Aaron say: For He is good, for His mercy endures forever! When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest! For the voice of the Father bare witness to Thee, and called Thee His beloved Son! And the Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed the truthfulness of His word. O Christ our God, Who hast revealed Thyself and hast enlightened the world, glory to Thee! Let those who fear the Lord say: For He is good, for His mercy endures forever! When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest! For the voice of the Father bare witness to Thee, and called Thee His beloved Son! And the Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed the truthfulness of His word. O Christ our God, Who hast revealed Thyself and hast enlightened the world, glory to Thee! THE SMALL ENTRANCE Deacon: Wisdom! Stand upright!
Priest: Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the House of the Lord! God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us! O Son of God baptized in the Jordan, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia! TROPARION (Tone 1) When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest! For the voice of the Father bare witness to Thee, and called Thee His beloved Son! And the Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed the truthfulness of His word. O Christ our God, Who hast revealed Thyself and hast enlightened the world, glory to Thee! KONTAKION (Tone 4) Today Thou hast appeared to the universe, and Thy light, O Lord, hast shone on us, who with understanding praise Thee: Thou hast come and revealed Thyself, O Light Unapproachable! INSTEAD OF HOLY GOD As many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Alleluia! The Prokeimenon in the Fourth Tone: Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord. / God is the Lord and hath revealed Himself to us v. O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good, for His mercy endureth forever. THE READING FROM THE EPISTLE OF THE HOLY APOSTLE PAUL TO TITUS (2:11-14; 3:4-7) Titus my child: the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Alleluia, Tone 4 v. Offer to the Lord, O ye sons of God! Offer young rams to the Lord! v. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters, the God of glory thunders: the Lord is upon the many waters! THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SAINT MATTHEW (3:13-17) At that time Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me? But Jesus answered and said to him, Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. INSTEAD OF IT IS TRULY MEET TO BLESS YOU Magnify, O my soul, the most pure Virgin Theotokos, more honorable than the heavenly hosts. No tongue is capable of praising you worthily; the angelic mind is overawed in exalting you, O Theotokos! But accept our faith, since you are gracious and know our divine love. You are the Protectress of Christians and we praise you! COMMUNION HYMN The grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! INSTEAD OF WE HAVE SEEN THE TRUE LIGHT (Tone 1) When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest! For the voice of the Father bare witness to Thee, and called Thee His beloved Son! And the Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed the truthfulness of His word. O Christ our God, Who hast revealed Thyself and hast enlightened the world, glory to Thee! THE OUTDOOR BLESSING OF WATER WILL TAKE PLACE AFTER BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD. PLEASE JOIN US FOR
OUR ANNUAL THEOPHANY BANQUET FOLLOWING THE BLESSING OF WATER. On January 10 the Church celebrates the memory of Gregory of Nyssa, a saint who probably preferred solitary thought, study and prayer to public preaching and lecturing. Yet he was called to both public and private activity in his life. Born in 335 in Caesarea, Cappadocia, Saint Gregory was one member of a family that produced an extraordinary number of saints. He grew up thinking, hearing and speaking about theology and was profoundly influenced by his older brother Basil known to us as Basil the Great and by their friend Gregory of Nazianzus. With his solid theological background, Gregory was ready as an adult to write about deep and complex Church teachings in ways that people could understand. This became especially important when the doctrine of the Trinity was questioned and argued about. Gregory explained that God is One in three undivided Persons who always work together. Part of what he said has been expressed in this way: "Every operation which extends from God to the Creation...has its origin from the Father, and proceeds through the Son, and is perfected in the Holy Spirit." He also said, "Whatever comes to pass does so by the action of the Three. But what comes to pass is one thing, not three things." In addition to defending and explaining the faith in public, Gregory was, despite his reluctance, appointed Bishop of Nyssa by his brother Basil in the year 372. Basil knew his younger sibling was not altogether suited to such a public administrative role, but he needed someone he could depend on. As a bishop, Gregory had to deal with the false teachings of the Arians, who constantly challenged him. Seeking to damage his reputation, they accused him of financial mismanagement and got him removed from his episcopal see, and even banished for a time. Though the false charges were dropped, the experience of such publicly-expressed hostility was hurtful and embarrassing. He was able to come back to his diocese a few years later, and because the necessity was so great, he continued to defend the faith against the Arians in public. He attended the Ecumenical Council of Constantinople in 381, and preached on special occasions. But he turned down the opportunity to become bishop of the important area of Sebaste. Gregory needed his private time to produce his great theological works. In addition to his writings on the Trinity, he completed Basil's sermons on the six days of creation (unfinished at Basil's death in 379) and gave the world a thorough outline of theology, the "Address on Religious Instruction." There were many other works as well, including mystical writings like the "Life of Moses" which compares the Hebrews' wilderness journey to Mount Sinai to the human soul's journey through this difficult life to a vision of God. Gregory did not choose public life, and it didn't bring him success. Yet its challenges spurred him to use his private hours for the creation of theological works that were, and still are, basic to the understanding of the Orthodox faith. January 6, 2013 CANDLE INTENTIONS FOR THE HEALTH & BLESSINGS OF Archimandrite Ilya, Fr. Lawrence, Deacon Anthony, David, Rosemary, Anna, Reggie, Dorothy, Evanka, Helen, Bosa, Allen & Deborah, Diane, Walter, Jimmy, Jeanette, John & Gloria, Evdokia, Ted & Marlene, Fr. David, Gladys, My family & friends Health & Blessings Helen Koski Joseph Tome Anna Branoff
Happy Birthday Katherine Arnes, Health & Blessings Helen Koski, Infant Lucas Zambito, Fred Oginsky, V. Rev. John Govrusik & Matushka Olga, Gerrye Martin, Carol & Jerry Smith, Families of Oginsky, Miculka, Lyon & Kuptz, Bill Haw, Sick & shut-ins of St. Nicholas Special Intention Congratulations & God s Blessings Alex & Megan on your engagement Special Intention Diane, Art Zambito & family, Nancy, Ken & Maggie Laycock, Gloria & John Zelenko, Helen & Doug Phillips, Patricia Miculka, Gladys Edwards, Jeanette Hildreth, Brett w/cancer, Linda Branoff, Anne Smith Health & God s Blessings infant Evangelos Stavridis CANDLE INTENTIONS FOR ALL THOSE IN BLESSED REPOSE Tony Branoff-Memory Eternal Olga Haw, Louis Gejoff, Lena Clerico, George Pawlenko, Beulah Ranbt, Carl Smith & our son, Nick & Helen Polonic, Olga Elasivich, Mary Eckert-7yrs Blessed Repose, Henry Oginsky-Memory Eternal, Tony Branoff-Memory Eternal, Jean (Oginsky) Puseas, Helen Doyle, Stella Kantor, Andy Marko Olga Georgeff-Memory Eternal Blessed Repose Tony Branoff-Memory Eternal Blessed Repose Stella Kantor Art Hansen Anne Smith Joseph Tome Baba Bosa Anne Smith Helen Ethington Allison Borkovich Anne Smith Joe & Dorothy Goodman Anna Branoff Rosemary Vuckovich Ralph, Debbie, Joe & Sarah ANNOUNCEMENTS We welcome all of our friends and visitors to St. Nicholas. Please join us in our fellowship hall for our Theophany Banquet. THEOPHANY BANQUET will be held today. Lamb, Chicken, Rice, Corn, Salad, Bread and Dessert will be served. Tickets are now available $10 for adults and $5 for children-12 and under. Please see any member of the parish council for your tickets. DOVES FOR THEOPHANY We need donors to cover the cost of the three doves for our outdoor blessing of water next Sunday. The cost for the doves is $175.00 (approx. $60 per dove). Please contact the office as soon as possible if you d like to make a donation. 2013 FESTIVAL CHAIRPERSONS We have a good response to the request for volunteers to serve as festival chairpersons (general chairperson, etc.) This incipient festival committee will be meeting in the coming weeks to strategize for a festival. If you want to volunteer, please contact the parish office. ANNUAL MEETING will be held on Sunday, January 13 (please note the change of date). The following will be giving reports: Treasurer, Auditors, Endowment Committee, Council President, St. Catherine s, St. Juliana s, Church School, Cemetery, Choir and Acolytes & Altar Boys. Please be prepared with your report. The festival will be discussed at this meeting. A sloppy joe luncheon will be served. Free Will Offering. Everyone is invited. ANNUAL MEETING FINANCIAL REPORTS are ready. There are copies in the parish hall. Please take one to look over for next week. Remember to bring your copy with you next Sunday for the annual meeting.
PAN ORTHODOX WINTER DINNER will be held on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at St. George. This dinner is a fundraiser for the benefit of Dormition Monastery in Rives Junction. The proceeds will go to the Monastery to help with the cost of their new church. Tickets are now available. See Deborah Gonser-Adams to buy a ticket. Tickets: $35 adult, $25 student. 6:00 pm Social Hour, Monastery displays, opportunity to visit with the Nuns 7:00 pm Dinner & presentations, guest speaker: Abbess Mother Gabriella 8:30 pm Benediction LOVE, INC. ENVELOPES In the pews in the church are envelopes for donations to Love In The Name of Christ, a local consortium of churches that provides assistance to those who need help with their utility bills, etc. Your donations go a long way to helping those who are in need. Please be generous to our brothers and sisters in Christ. JANUARY HOPE IN A BOX toilet paper is the item needed for the month of January. The toilet paper will be distributed by the Catholic Charities Community Closet. We now have a large blue box for Hope in a Box items located in the parish hall. We now have two boxes; please keep one for food items and one for toiletry items. Schedule of services and events for the week of January 6, 2013 Wednesday, January 9 9:00 am Divine Liturgy Saturday, January 12 4:30 pm Vespers followed by Confessions Sunday, January 13 9:30 am Third Hour 10:00 am Divine Liturgy No Church School Annual Meeting Sloppy Joe Luncheon Sunday Offerings December 30, Weekly Offering Envelope $ 860.00 2012 Children s Offering $ 0.00 Actual Income $212,536.55 Cemetery Maintenance $ 0.00 Actual Expense $185,531.98 Charity Envelope $ 20.00 +/- to date $ 27,004.57 Diocesan Support $ 0.00 OCA Envelope $ 0.00 Candle Fund $ 172.25 Coffee Hour $ 0.00 Seminarian Fund $ 0.00 Loose Offering $ 35.00 Kiosk $ 0.00 Total Income $1,087.25 Avg. Weekly Budget $3,798.56 +/- Budget -$2,711.31 81 People were in attendance on Sunday December 30, 2012.