Beginning of the Indiction: Ecclesiastical New Year
Righteous Simeon the Stylite; Synaxis of the Theotokos at Miasinae
Thought for Today: “While we are living improperly, we fear all kinds of things. When we recognize God, there occurs a fear of His judgement. But when we start to love God, all fears vanish. + St. Isaac the Syrian
Resurrectional Apolytikion – Tone 1
While the stone was sealed by the Jews, and the soldiers were guarding Thy most pure body, Thou didst arise on the third day, O Savior, granting life to the world. For which cause the heavenly powers cried aloud unto Thee, O giver of life. Glory to Thy Resurrection, O Christ, glory to Thy kingdom, glory to Thy providence, O Thou Who alone art the lover of mankind.
Apolytikionof the Indiction – Tone 2
O Maker of all creation, Who hast established the times and the seasons in Thine own power: Bless the crown of this year with Thy goodness, O Lord, and keep our rulers and Thy flock in peace, by the intercessions of the Theotokos, and save us.
Apolytikion of the Synaxis of the Theotokos – Tone 7
Rejoice, thou who art full of grace, O Virgin Theotokos, haven and protection of the race of man; for the Redeemer of the world became incarnate of thee; for thou alone art both mother and virgin, ever blessed and glorified. Intercede with Christ God that peace be granted unto all the world.
Apolytikion of St. Simeon the Stylite – Tone 1
Thou becamest a pillar of patience and didst emulate the Forefathers, O righteous one: Job in his sufferings, Joseph in temptations, and the life of the bodiless while in the body. O Simeon, our righteous Father, intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.
Kontakion for the Indiction – Tone 4
O God of all, Thou Who hast made all the ages, * O Sovereign Lord, truly transcendent in essence, * bestow Thy grace and blessing on the year to come; * and, O Most Compassionate, * in Thine infinite mercy * save all them that worship Thee, * Who alone art our Master, * and that with fear, O Savior, cry to Thee: * Grant unto all men a fruitful and godly year.
EPISTLE and GOSPEL READINGS
The Epistle
Great is our Lord, and great is His power. Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.
The Reading from the First Epistle of St. Paul to St. Timothy. (2:1-7)
Timothy, my son, first of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was borne at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
The Gospel
The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke. (4:16-22)
At that time, Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and He went to the synagogue, as His custom was, on the Sabbath day. And He stood up to read; and there was given to Him the book of the prophet Isaiah. Jesus opened the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor and to heal the broken hearted. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” And Jesus closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke well of Him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.
Receiving the Eucharist:We invite you to receive the Holy Eucharist if you are an Orthodox Christian who has prepared yourself through fasting, prayer, and recent confession. If you are not Orthodox, or are Orthodox but have not prepared, we invite you to receive a piece of the blessed bread in the wooden bowls held by the altar servers at the front of the church
Looking Ahead
Hannah Valentine will be visiting our parish September 7-14. Hannah is a missionary to Albania whom we support monthly. There will be occasions to hear her speak during her stay and opportunities to offer donations to support her vital work.
Saturday, September 7th: Hannah will speak to the children of Jr/Teen SOYO following Great Vespers.
Sunday, September 8th: Hannah will speak briefly during All Saints’ Sunday Meal, after the Divine Liturgy. We will take up a collection for her work at that time.
Wednesday September 11th: Hannah will speak after Daily Vespers during Orthodoxy 101. There will be a meal and all are welcome to attend.
Congratulations Basil and Stephanie Konnersman on the birth of their daughter! Welcome Xenia Mae, may God grant you many years.
This Week
Monday, September 2: 3rd Hour Prayers at 9:00 am
Tuesday, September 3: Divine Liturgy at 9:00 am.
Wednesday, September 4: 6th Hour Prayers at 12:00 noon; DailyVespers at 6:00 pm, (Orthodoxy 101 following, meal provided).
Thursday, September 5: Divine Liturgy at 9:00 am.
Friday, September 6: Divine Liturgy at 9:00 am.
Saturday, September 7: Bible study at Webb’s home, 9:00 am; Great Vespers at 5:00 pm (Ask Abouna to follow); Hannah Valentine will speak at SOYO jr./teen 6:30pm to 8:00 pm.
Sunday, September 8: Matins at 9:00 am, Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am. Nativity of the Theotokos. Hannah Valentine will speak briefly during Sunday meal, with the opportunity to donate.
Family News
Names Day Celebration: Becky Hrismolas, St. Athena (1st); Moses Holland, Prophet Moses (4th); Audrey Hall, St. Kassianai (7th).
Birthday Celebration: Patricia Finchum (1st); Steven Wakefield (6th); Andrew Labban (6th); Braylan Smith (6th).
Prayer List: Stephanie and child born to her; Mary and child born to her; Meaghan and child born to her; Fr. Matthew; Marvin; Fr. Peter; Thomas Andrew;Nina; Nectaria (Released from ICU);Taylor and infant Houston(congenital heart defect);Shu-Mei,Charlie;Shirley; Jim;Jan; Don and Dee; those suffering the war in Ukraine, and the Middle East; Peace talks; our nation and all nations’ leaders; schools: children, youth and personnel across the nation; Mary Ann; Emma; Bob & Bonnie Thelen; Megan (lymphoma); Josiah; Fr. Athanasius; Jack; Christopher; Fr. Jerome; Fr. Basil; Catherine; Wadia; Jayci; Patricia; Kitsa; Apthrodite; Kim; Kristy; Vicki;Kenzie; Dusty; Cari; Betsy; Josh; Allison; Andrew; Isaac; Leanne; Heather; Nancy; Sharon Catherine; Michael, Olga, Eileen, Soren, Kathy; Lexi, Ross, Vivian; Theo; Jeremy; Dn. Lawrence, Marcia; Elias; Waded; Seraphima; Lilly’s family; Jennifer; Christy; Megan; Missy; Rebecca with child;John; Stanley; Macrina; Anne; Allen; Linda; Mary Barger; Allison and children; Kip; Alexis with child; Ann with child; Anna with child; Amanda with child, Engy with child, Dymphna with child, Erica with child; Taylor with child.
Memory Eternal: Jack; Brenda.
All Saints’ Sunday Meal: Host1st Sunday- A thru Gil; Melissa Barbarick lead hostess.
Next Week: Host 2nd Sunday- Gillquist thru Leflore; Wendy Elizabeth lead hostess.
All Saints’ Sunday Meal
(formerly known as Coffee Hour)
We are excited to announce a new approach to our time of fellowship following Sunday Morning services! Beginning Sunday, September 1st, we are asking EVERYONE to take part in providing food for our Sunday Meal. Whether you are a member, catechumen or inquirer, if you attend regularly, please plan to bring something substantial to share on your designated week, as we break the fast together.
1st Sunday – A thru Gil –
2nd Sunday – Gillquist thru Leflore
3rd Sunday- Lewis thru Schneider
4th Sunday – Schuck thru Yeager
If you miss your week, please bring something the following week. Someone will be on hand to “show you the ropes” and instructions will be posted in the kitchen. We also need your help cleaning up…many hands make light work! Questions? See Rhonda Webb, Wendy Carter or Nina Rogers.
Giving Opportunities:
Food Pantry: The Cupboard is Bare! Thank you for the generous support of our in-houseFood Pantry. The pantry is available to parish members as well as families and individuals in the greater Bloomington community. Donations of nonperishable items of pasta, marinara sauce, peanut butter, canned chicken and Tuna, canned vegetables, canned fruit and soups are desperately needed now.
Mission Donations: We send monthly support to two missionary units in Albania, the Hoppe family and Hannah Valentine. We welcome and encourage you to contribute to their ongoing support.
Benevolence Fund: Donations may be made to this fund throughout the year, and are mainly used to support families in need of help with rent and utilities payments.
Donations to the church are being made online at www.allsaintsbloomington.org and by U.S mail. Many thanks to all who continue supporting All Saints.
Annual Church Etiquette Reminders
Each September, I feel it’s important to remind our faithful of the ways in which we are expected to conduct ourselves in the Orthodox Church. Please be sure to read these brief teachings in your bulletin, listen carefully to the post-liturgical announcements and look for posted signs in the narthex and hall. These are for EVERYONE, not just newcomers.
Holy Space, Part 1
Something “holy” is set apart for a particular purpose. The Chalice is holy – its only purpose is to hold the Body and Blood of Christ during Communion. It would be unthinkable to use it for any other purpose. Vestments are holy. They are only worn during the divine services – I would never wear them golfing.
Likewise, our church building is holy. Specifically, the Nave and Altar area, where we worship the One True God, are set apart solely for that purpose. During the Divine Liturgy, we sing, “Now let us lay aside all earthly cares.” That is the Church’s teaching and should be the heartfelt desire of each of us. With that said, consider the following.
Please refrain from using electronic devices (phones, ipads, apple watches, laptops, etc.) in church. As we gather at the Throne of God to “worship at His footstool” (Ps. 99:5), all earthly cares, including emails, Instagram, news headlines and text messages should be laid aside. We must control our devices and not allow them to control us. By turning them off or leaving them home, we are telling our devices that this is God’s time and space, not theirs. It makes a personal statement that we are seeking God’s kingdom first and trusting Him with the rest.
Further, I would prefer that the faithful don’t wear watches during the service, for a very specific theological reason: The Divine Liturgy is referred to in the Greek language as the kairos (God’s heavenly time), as opposed to the chronos (earthly, chronological time). When we wear a timepiece, it can tempt us to judge heavenly things by our earthly scale. We may say to ourselves, “Why are we starting late?” or “That was only a 5 minute homily!” or “Why did the communion line take 40 minutes today?” Electronic devices and watches can act like tethers to this world, making our heavenly, liturgical ascent more difficult.
Shortly after I was assigned to All Saints 18 years ago, the clock that hung in the altar area one day fell spontaneously to the ground and burst into pieces. I have never replaced it.
Love, Father Peter Jon