Sunday, January 12, 2014
Sunday after the Theophany of Christ
Martyr Tatiana of Rome and those with her; Martyr Peter Absalom of Palestine; Virgin-martyr Euthasia; Martyr Mertios of Mauretania
The Blessing of the Water will take place following today’s Divine Liturgy.
Bring your empty water bottles to be filled.
New bottles will be offered to those who have none.
It is our greatest joy to receive visitors, who come seeking to know, serve, and worship God together with us at All Saints.
Nourishment of the Soul: “No one will ever find true happiness and perfect prosperity without God or outside God.” — Bishop INNOCENT, Bishop of Kamchatka, the Kurilian and Aleutian Islands
Orthodoxy 101 for 2014 begins January 15th following the Evening Liturgy. The topic for Wednesday is “Journey to the Ancient Church”: a video by Fr. Peter E. Gillquist of blessed memory.
Communion: 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.
Confession: Confessions are heard Wednesday and Saturday evenings half an hour before services or by appointment during the week.
Offering and Pledge Envelopes: Find yours in the narthex, arranged alphabetically. If you do not find one there, ask Marcia. Please return the enclosed Pledge and Offering form.
All Saints Annual Pictorial Calendars: Pick one up in the narthex.
The Men’s Group will meet with Dan Mullis after Divine Liturgy. Meetings are scheduled for the second Sunday of each month.
January 17-19: Annual SOYO Basketball Tournament Weekend in Canton, OH. Sign up now. Sponsors are needed to accompany the teens. Father needs to know who will be attending.
House blessing schedule will be on a table in the hall. Sign up today!
THIS WEEK
Tuesday, January 14: Women’s Bible Study at 7:00 – Kh. Marilyn’s home
Wednesday, January 15: Evening Liturgy – St. Peter’s Chains at 6:00 – Orthodoxy 101 follows around 7:30
Thursday, January 16: Mitchell Fellowship rescheduled from last week for 10:00 a.m. at Lighthouse Christian Bookstore on State Road 37 South, beyond Bedford.
Saturday, January 18: Great Vespers at 5:00
Sunday, January 19: Matins at 8:50; Divine Liturgy at 10:00 – Parish Council meets.
PLANNING AHEAD
February 1-2: His Grace Bishop ANTHONY will make his first arch-pastoral visit for the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple.
Blessed Name Day: Nina Rogers and Nina Gillquist (St. Nina- 14th); Toni Ban (St. Anthony – 17th)
Happy 105th birthday to Hal Sabbagh’s mother, Waded. Amazing!
Memory Eternal: Kh. Katherine (Nov.29th); Roy (Dec. 7th); Jimmy; Dick; Judy; Erma (Dec.); Infant Innocent Faith (Dec.); Archpriest James King (January 7th )
Prayer List: Alex (Albert) Alexander (surgery postponed); Vicki (surgery on Jan. 27th); Metropolitan Paul, Archbishop John, Mother Pelagia and her nuns and orphans, Danica D’Onofrio; Kh. Loretta Wilson; Chad & Connie; Beth; Jeffry Ellis; Lillian Miller; Dee; Julie; Roger; Stephanie; Virginia McCallister; Dolly Seek; Marilyn; Eric; Marna; Cheryl; Lori; Pam; Debbie; Natasha; Ioana; Geni Gritton; Michael & Shelley: Leanne; Jill Patterson; Gabriel; Mary; Alex; Doug; Janet; Kelly; Pete; Phillip; Patricia; Matushka Raisa; John C; Marty; John; Charles; Fr. John Koen; Archpriests Alexander and Roman; Eileen; Mary; Marvin, Alice; Katie; Bob R; Deborah; Ruth; Steve; Kevin; Romaine; Steven; Mary; Derek, Claire & Micah; Tim; Preston; Sharon; Sherri; Dianna; Victor; Aaron; Brent; Christy; Jennifer; Brigid; Caleb.
Today’s Epistle and Gospel Readings
Prokeimenon: “Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us.”
Verse: “Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous!” Psalm 32:22:1
Epistle: The Reading is from St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians. (4:7-13)
Brethren, to each one of us is given the grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Therefore He says, “When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that He also descended into the lower parts of the earth? The One who descended is the same also who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the building up of the Body of Christ, until we all arrive at the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, toward the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Gospel: The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according 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.”
Excerpt from “On Living Simply”
Should we look to kings and princes to put right the inequalities between rich and poor? Should we require soldiers to come and seize the rich person’s gold and distribute it among his destitute neighbors? Should we beg the emperor to impose a tax on the rich so great that it reduces them to the level of the poor and then to share the proceeds of that tax among everyone?
Equality imposed by force would achieve nothing, and do much harm. Those who combined both cruel hearts and sharp minds would soon find ways of making themselves rich again. Worse still, the rich whose gold was taken away would feel bitter and resentful; while the poor who received the gold from the hands of soldiers would feel no gratitude, because no generosity would have prompted the gift. Far from bringing moral benefit to society, it would actually do moral harm.
Material justice cannot be accomplished by compulsion; a change of heart will not follow. The only way to achieve true justice is to change people’s hearts first – and then they will joyfully share their wealth.
St. John Chrysostom