Sts. Peter & Paul Boulder Weekly Bulletin Week of August 2nd, 2015 Sunday, August 2nd Week of August 2nd, 2015 Dormition Fast Begins Readers Paraclesis 6 pm Monday, August 3rd Readers Paraclesis 6 pm Tuesday, August 4th Readers Paraclesis 6 pm Wednesday, August 5th Readers Paraclesis 6 pm Thursday, August 6th Service Schedule & Parish Activities Transfiguration of Our Lord Orthros Divine Liturgy Readers Paraclesis 8 am 9 am 6 pm Friday, August 7th Readers Paraclesis 6 pm Saturday, August 8th Readers Vespers 5 pm Ushers Myrrhbearers Choir Epistle Reader Demetra S. Fellowship Hosts Hosts & Volunteers Sunday, August 2nd, 2015 Chris & Nancy Artemis Anna, Marrianna, Georgia, Demetra G., Sophie S., Kyriaki Demetra S., Alanna, Alexandra, Elizabeth, Constandina Nick Pappas & Juli Sarns Contact Info Sts. Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox Church 5640 Jay Rd. Boulder, CO 80301 Office: 303-581-1434 www.stspeterandpaulboulder.org Rev. Fr. Jordan Brown Recurring Services Orthros Sunday @ 9 am Divine Liturgy Sunday @ 10 am Great Vespers Saturday @ 5 pm Confession by appt. Welcome to Our Parish! The mission of Sts. Peter & Paul is to be a beacon of Orthodox Christian spirituality in the greater Boulder area. We strive together to live our Orthodox Christian Faith by having a devoted prayer life, through fasting and almsgiving, and through regular participation in the services and sacraments of the Holy Orthodox Church. Have an Announcement? Please contact Aaron Wall: awall609@yahoo.com; (720) 400-6579 Deadline is every Wed. before Divine Liturgy.
Transfiguration of Our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ Significance of Our Lord s Transfiguration By Fr. Seraphim Rose of Platina Forty days before He was delivered to an ignominious death for our sins, our Lord revealed to three of His disciples the glory of His Divinity. And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart; and was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light (Matt. 17:1-2). This was the event to which our Lord was referring when He said, There be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of man coming in His Kingdom (Matt. 16:28). By this means the faith of the disciples was strengthened and prepared for the trial of our Lord s approaching passion and death; and they were able to see in it not mere human suffering, but the entirely voluntary passion of the Son of God. The disciples saw also Moses and Elijah talking with our Lord, and thereby they understood that He was not Himself Elijah or another of the prophets, as some thought, but someone much greater: He Who could call upon the Law and the Prophets to be His witnesses, since He was the fulfillment of both. The three parables of the feast concern the appearance of God to Moses and Elijah on Mount Sinai, and it is indeed appropriate that the greatest God-seers of the Old Testament should be present at the glorification of the Lord in His New Testament, seeing for the first time His humanity, even as the disciples were seeing for the first time His Divinity. The Transfiguration, counted by the Church as one of the Twelve Great Feasts, had an important place in the Church calendar already in the fourth century, as the homilies and sermons of such great Fathers as Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Ephraim the Syrian, and Saint Cyril of Alexandria attest; its origins go back to the first Christian centuries. In the fourth century also, Saint Helena erected a church on Mount Tabor, the traditional site of the Transfiguration, dedicated to the Feast. Although the event celebrated in the Feast occurred in the month of February, forty days before the Crucifixion, the Feast was early transferred to August because its full glory and joy could not be fittingly celebrated amid the sorrow and repentance of Great Lent. The sixth day of August was chosen as being forty days before the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (September 14th), when Christ s Passion is again remembered. Orthodox theology sees in the Transfiguration a prefigurement of our Lord s Resurrection and His Second Coming, and more than this - since every event of the Church calendar has an application to the individual spiritual life - of the transformed state in which Christians shall appear at the end of the world, and in some measure even before then. In the foreshadowing of future glory which is celebrated in this Feast, the Holy Church comforts her children by showing them that after the temporary sorrows and deprivations with which this earthly life is filled, the glory of eternal blessedness will shine forth; and in it even the body of the righteous will participate. It is a pious Orthodox custom to offer fruits to be blessed at this feast; and this offering of thanksgiving to God contains a spiritual sign, too. Just as fruits ripen and are transformed under the action of the summer sun, so is man called to a spiritual transfiguration through the light of God s word by means of the Sacraments. Some saints, (for example - Saint Seraphim of Sarov), under the action of this life-giving grace, have shone bodily before men even in life with this same uncreated Light of God s glory; and that is another sign to us of the heights to which we, as Christians, are called and the state that awaits us - to be transformed in the image of Him Who was transfigured on Mount Tabor. Questions About the Transfiguration Answered By St. Nikolai Velimirovich Why did the Lord take only three disciples on Tabor and not all? Because Judas was not worthy to behold the divine glory of the Teacher, Whom he will betray and the Lord did not want to leave him [Judas] alone at the foot of the mountain so that the betrayer would not, by that, justify his betrayal. Why was our Lord transfigured on a mountain and not in a valley? So as to teach us two virtues: love of labor and godlythoughts. For, climbing to the heights required labor and height represents the heights of our thoughts, i.e., godly-thoughts. Why was our Lord transfigured at night? Because, the night rather than the day is more suitable for prayer and godly-thoughts and because the night, by its darkness, conceals all the beauty of the earth and reveals the beauty of the starry heavens. Why did Moses and Elijah appear? In order to destroy the error of the Jews, as though Christ is one of the prophets; Elijah or Jeremiah or some other that is why He appears as a King above the prophets and that is why Moses and Elijah appear as His servants. Until then, our Lord manifested His divine power many times to the disciples but, on Mt. Tabor, He manifested His divine nature. This vision of His Divinity and the hearing of the heavenly witness about Him as the Son of God, should serve the disciples in the days of the Lord's passion, in strengthening of an unwavering faith in Him and His final victory.
Welcome Fr. Stephan Close! Please extend a warm welcome to Fr. Stephan Close, Assistant Priest at St. Luke s! Fr. Stephan will be serving with us today and for the Transfiguration of Our Lord on Thursday, August 6th.. Fr. Jordan Out of the Country Until August 6th Fr. Jordan will be out of the country from July 17th to August 6th. Father will be leading a group of 200 teens at the Ionian Village in Greece. There are only 3 priests for 200 kids, so be sure to keep Father and the IV staff and kids in your prayers! In the event of a medical emergency, during Fr. Jordan s absence, please contact Fr. Stephan Close (from St. Luke s in Erie) at (303) 809-1230 or Fr. James Foresco (from St. Catherine s in Greenwood Village) at (303) 929-9829. Update on Robin (Anastasia) Glasener As you know Robin (Anastasia) Glasener came home from the hospital and even joined us at church the other week. Unfortunately, Robin is again in the hospital with meningitis. After some tests, the surgeon decided to extend the antibiotic treatment over a longer period of time hoping to eradicate the bacteria completely. She is at the Swedish Hospital and as always would appreciate visits or phone calls. Please keep Gary and Robin in your prayers. IOCC Pan-Orthodox 5 K Run/Walk and Picnic - Sat, August 22nd, 2015 Attention walkers and joggers of all levels! We are putting together a Sts Peter and Paul team to participate in the IOCC run. Please contact Father Jordan @ frjordan@stspeterandpaulboulder.org 303-581-1434 if you are interested in participating. All proceeds will benefit International Orthodox Christian Charities. The event will take place @ the St Catherine Greek Orthodox Church located in South Denver. Registration material is available in the Narthex and in the August Petra. Youth Ministry Retreat - Saturday, August 29th - 8 am to 2 pm Attention Parents, Sunday School Teachers, and Youth Workers! Please join guest speaker Fr. John Angelis for a retreat focused on better serving and building up the youth of our church. The retreat will take place at Sts. Peter & Paul. The theme of the retreat is Building Stronger Youth in the Church. Schedule: 8 am Orthros; 9 am Divine Liturgy; 10:30 am Breakfast; 11 am Session 1; 12:30 pm Session 2. Make a weekend of it and join us for a GOYA BBQ later that night after Vespers and family rollerskating at Skate City Westminster on Sunday following Liturgy. See our website or contact Liz Soderberg for further details (530-209-6281). Youth Workers Needed Have you ever felt interested or called to work with our youth education ministry? Whether you'd prefer to make a regular or even a part-time commitment, we are in need of Sunday School co-teachers and substitutes for the upcoming 2015-16 year. Please contact Sunday School directors Nick Kallan (303-475-8341) or Liz Soderberg (530-209-6281) to learn more. Classes begin Sept 20th.
2015 Taste of Orthodoxy Planning is underway for our 2015 festival! The next planning meeting is Sunday, August 2nd, after Divine Liturgy. If you are interested in helping to get ready for the festival, please join us! JOBS STILL AVAILABLE Set-up/Take Down: This involves setting up selected tents and being on hand Friday to receive the portables, lighting, etc. Contact Nicole for more information. Parking: taping off the parking area and finding volunteers to direct traffic Hosting: welcoming visitors as they arrive at our festival Kids Activities: finding volunteers to supervise the bouncy castle ToO Accountant: manage the books for this year's festival. Contact Pete Stamus for more information. SODA DONATIONS Each year, our parishioners donate the soda and water that is sold at the festival. Please bring your donations to the hall by September 6 th. month. Last names beginning A - E: Coke; F - K: Diet Coke; L - R: Sprite; S - Z: bottled water. The ToO Committee thanks you! RICE COOKER We need one more rice cooker to use for the weekend of the festival. If you have one we can borrow, please contact Pam Torrance. COMMUNITY NIGHT AUGUST 22 Please join us at 5pm for Vespers, followed by a pizza dinner. We will be breaking down the tables & chairs in the hall and then carrying down all the equipment and supplies from the loft. Please RSVP to Nicole Tsiouvaras. VOLUNTEER SIGN-UPS Online sign-up for the festival weekend will be available on August 3 rd. Paper sign-up will be available every Sunday in the hall until September 6 th. Volunteers for the Beer/Wine tent need to contact Chris Artemis directly to sign up.
K-8th Vacation Church School August 10th-14th 14th 9am-12pm Daily at Sts. Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox Church Theotokos: The Ark of Salvation You are the Ark in which is found the golden vessel containing the true manna, that is, the flesh in which divinity resides. -St. Athanasius the Great ca. 297-373: