Tenth Sunday After Pentecost
The Procession of the Honorable and Lifegiving Cross of the Lord
August 1, 2010 Tone 1
Epistle: 1 Cor. 1:18-24 Gospel: John 19:6-35
Today’s Schedule
9:00AM Hours: Brad Miter
Greeters:
9:30AM Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
- Youth Procession with Crosses
Prosfora: Carol Sweat
Epistle: Brad Miter
Communion Aides:
Chapel Cleaners:
Treas. Aides:
11:00AM Memorial for Ruse Topalov
11:15AM Fellowship
Today’s Hymns
Resurrection Hymn [Tone 1]: When the stone had been sealed by the Jews; while the soldiers were guarding Thy most pure Body; Thou didst arise on the third day, O Savior, granting life to the world. The powers of heaven therefore cried to Thee, O Giver of Life: "Glory to Thy Resurrection, O Christ! Glory to Thy Kingdom! Glory to Thy dispensation, O Thou who lovest mankind!
Hymn of the Cross: O Lord, save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance. Grant victories to the Orthodox Christians over their adversaries; and by the virtue of Thy Cross, preserve Thy habitation.
Resurrection Hymn [Tone 1]: As God, Thou didst rise from the tomb in glory, raising the world with Thyself. Human nature praises Thee as God, for death has vanished! Adam exults, O Master! Eve rejoices, for she is freed from bondage, and cries to Thee: Thou art the giver of Resurrection to all, O Christ!
Hymn of the Cross: As Thou wast voluntarily crucified for our sake, grant mercy to those who are called by Thy Name; make all Orthodox Christians glad by Thy power, granting them victories over their adversaries, by bestowing on them the invincible trophy, Thy weapon of peace.
Prokeimenon [Tone 6]: O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance!
EPISTLE: Brothers and Sisters… 1 Corinthians 1:18-24
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
GOSPEL: John 19:6-35
At that time, when the chief priests and their officials saw Jesus, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him." The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God." When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. "Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin." When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. "Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" "Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered. Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.
CHRIST CRUCIFIED Paul did not think of crucifixion with Christ as a once-for-all event of the past…On the contrary, “I have been crucified with Christ”; that is, I have been nailed to the cross with Christ and am in that state still; I am still hanging with Christ on that cross. The implication for the process of salvation is clear; since resurrection with Christ comes at the end point, then in a sense (in terms of soteriological effect) Christ remains the crucified one until the parousia, and those crucified with Christ continue to be crucified with Christ throughout the period of overlap…God has dealt with the problem and power of sin by condemning sin in the flesh, that is, in Christ’s death. (James D. G. Dunn, The Theology of Paul the Apostle, pgs. 485, 183)
WE PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED Accordingly, if we make St. Paul our leader in these two understandings, we shall have the safest guide to the plain truth of what we are seeking. For he, most of all, knew what Christ is…this man knew the significance of the name of Christ for us, saying that Christ is ‘the power of God and wisdom of God.’ And he called Him ‘peace’ and ‘light inaccessible’ in whom God dwells, and ‘sanctification and redemption,’ and ‘great high priest,’ and ‘passover,’ and ‘a propitation’ of souls, ‘the brightness of glory and the image of substance,’ and ‘maker of the world,’ and ‘spiritual food’ and ‘spiritual drink and spiritual rock,’ ‘water,’ ‘foundation’ of faith,’ and ‘corner stone,’ and ‘image of the invisible God,’ and ‘great God,’ and ‘head of the body of the Church,’ and ‘the firstborn of every creature,’ and ‘first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep,’ ‘firstborn from the dead,’ ‘firstborn among many brethren,’ and ‘mediator between God and men,’ and ‘only-begotten Son,’ and ‘crowned with glory and honor,’ and ‘lord of glory,’ and ‘beginning’ of being, speaking thus of Him who is the beginning, ‘king of justice and king of peace,’ and ‘ineffable king of all, having the power of the kingdom,’ and many other such things that are not easily enumerated. (Saint Gregory of Nyssa Ascetical Works, THE FATHERS OF THE CHURCH, Vol. 58. pgs 96-97)
CRUCIFIED LOVE
HOW IT WAS
(Scott Cairns, Love’s Immensity, pg. 9-10)
The earth trembled; its foundations
shook like silt; the sun, chagrined,
fled the scene, and every mundane
element scattered in retreat. The day
became the night: for light could not endure
the image of the Master hanging on a tree.
All creation was astonished, perplexed
and stammering, What new mystery is this?
The Judge is judged, and yet He holds his peace;
the Invisible One is utterly exposed, and yet
is not ashamed; the Incomprehensible is grasped,
and will not turn indignant; the Immensity
is circumscribed, and acquiesces; the absolutely
Unattainable suffers, and yet does not avenge;
the Immortal dies, and utters not a word;
the Celestial is pressed into the earthen grave,
and He endures! What new mystery is this?
The whole creation, I say, was astonished;
but, when our Lord stood up in Hades –
trampling death underfoot, subduing
the strong one, setting every captive free –
then all creation saw clearly that for its sake
the Judge was condemned in order
that He might show mercy, was bound
that He might loose, was seized
that He might release, suffered
that He might show compassion, died
that He might give life, was laid in a grave
that He might rise, might raise
GOD GRANT THEM MANY YEARS
Birthday: Rachel Wiese
BIBLE STUDY AND ADULT EDUCATION
· FINDING HAPPINESS discussion group will next be meeting Wednesday, August 4 at 11:00AM and we’ll be discussing pages 115-133, “Greed.”
AUGUST CHARITY This month's charity is being given to a local Dayton woman who was paralyzed in an accident - she has reached the life time maximum of her health insurance policy, and so the policy was terminated. Both her car and home have been repossessed by the bank. She is in need of some funds to help her with purchasing some personal items for her day to day life in a nursing home. Please do remember in your prayers, those made destitute because of illness or injury, those in nursing homes who are wards of the state, those impoverished by disasters of any kind.
YOUTH PROCESSION We will be celebrating The Procession of the Honorable and Lifegiving Cross of the Lord today, Sunday, August 1, and we would like the youth to participate in The Little Entrance. As before, your students will sit in the front pews with their teachers until after the procession when they can return to you.
SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ MEETING for all returning teachers and parishioners interested in becoming teachers will be held Sunday, August 8 in the Library during Fellowship Hour following Divine Liturgy. Thanks you.
TRANSFIGURATION will be celebrated with Vespers-Liturgy on Thursday, August 5, at 6:30PM followed by Blessing of Fruit and Festal Potluck. Festal Matins will be held on Friday, August 6, at 8:30AM. The vision of the transfigured Christ, in St. Maximus’s understanding, implies an internal change in those who seek spiritual knowledge. There is a progression, he says, from the beginners’ stage, in which Christ appears in the form of a servant (cf. Phil 2.7), to the advanced stage of those who have climbed the high mountain of prayer, in which Christ appears in the form of God (Cap. Theol. 2.13). This manifestation of Christ in his divine nature is not experienced as something external to ourselves. It is interiorized through the life of faith. Picking up on points made by Origen, St. Maximus goes on to say: When the Logos of God becomes manifest and radiant in us, and his face shines like the sun, then His clothes will also look white (cf. Mt 17.2). That is to say, the words of the Gospels will then be clear and distinct, with nothing concealed. And Moses and Elijah—the more spiritual principles of the Law and the prophets—will also be present with Him. It is only by having Christ radiant within us that we can enter into the truth which even in the Gospels is veiled from ordinary eyes. (Norman Russell, Fellow Workers with God: OTHODOX THINKING ON THEOSIS, pg. 102-103)
CHURCH GROUNDS CLEAN-UP We are having a cleanup party on Saturday, August 7th from 7am to 11am. We’re starting early to beat the heat. We will be cleaning and trimming the flower and ivy beds around the street entrance, parking lot and building entrance. We will also be weeding. Please dress appropriately and bring work gloves, trimmers, weed whackers (i.e. line trimmers), etc. Please sign up on the bulletin board or contact Jeff Wiese .
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Icon Exhibit: The Gift of Transfiguration:
Changed Life and Lives
What: An exhibition of more than 100 icons, both ancient & new
When: 10 AM to 6 PM on Friday, August 20th
10 AM to 6 PM on Saturday, August 21st
12- 5 PM on Sunday, August 22
Where: St. Paul’s Sanctuary
How much? Free and open to the public
Bonus: Orthodox Bishop of Pittsburgh, His Grace, Bishop Melchizedek, will preside at a choral vespers on August, 21, at 7 PM and will offer a reflection on the meaning of icons at 8PM, followed by a small reception. On Sunday August 22, the Bishop will celebrate the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom at 9:30 AM, followed by a service of blessing for the new icons at 11:00 AM, and a reception in the parish hall at 11:30 AM.
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DONATIONS FOR ST. VINCENT DE PAUL Elizabeth Wiese is working on her Girl Scout bronze award and is collecting donations. The bronze award is the highest award a junior girl scout can earn. Her bronze award project is to help St. Vincent de Paul Women’s and Family Shelter by providing their residents with personal health care kits. She is asking for donations of items she needs to assemble the health care kits that will contain a small size soap, shampoo, shower shoes, razor, washcloth, etc. She is posting a complete list of items she needs on the bulletin board. There will be a box in the coat room. Collection will end in the end of August, Aug 29th. If you have any questions please ask Elizabeth or her mom Kerrie.
Notes from the 7/28/2010 Parish Council Meeting
Present: Fr. Ted, Jeff Wiese, Mike Polovino, Tatiana Liaugminas, Brad Miter, Paul Paslosky, Chris Engel, Rob Wagner
YTD Financial as of 30 June 2010
Expenses $138,630.54
Income $108,538.90
Financial situation continues to remain strong. The YTD Expenses include the new parking lot and the painting of the church interior. Otherwise we are within our budget and income is meeting expenses. A significant need to help reduce the work burden placed upon the
Treasurer is to get teams of people committed to counting the collections each Sunday, rather than have the Treasurer be responsible for overseeing this needed task each Sunday. Parish members who would like to help with this should make themselves known to Parish Council
members. Maria Brausch has tentatively accepted to become Parish Treasurer to replace Mike Polovino in November at the Annual Parish Meeting. The 2011 Parish Budget was discussed and it was decided to add $6000 to the budget for hiring a parish office assistant, as well as $3000 to the budget for a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) to supplement Fr. Ted's health insurance. Council decided to terminate the Emergency Medical Fund and will not collect money for this fund beginning in 2011, and will continue to disburse the current funds for emergency medical benefits for parish members until the fund is out of money. Besides the 2011 Budget Council again discussed the need to have clear policies for disbursement of earmarked funds.
FROM FR. TED’S BLOG
What is the Bible? This is part of Fr. Ted’s current series on the bible – you should be able to link to all other blogs in this series through this one
This Week’s Schedule DORMITION FAST
Monday, August 2 Hieromartyr Stephen, Pope of Rome (257)
2 Cor. 2:4-15 Matt. 23:13-22
8:30AM Matins
9:15AM Office Hours
Tuesday, August 3 Martyr Razhden of Persia (457)
2 Cor. 2:14-3:3 Matt. 23:23-28
Wednesday, August 4 Holy Seven Youths of Ephesus (250)
2 Cor. 3:4-11 Matt. 23:29-39
8:30AM Matins
9:15AM Office Hours
11:00AM Adult Discussion: FINDING HAPPINESS pages 115-133
Thursday, August 5 Martyr Eusignius of Antioch (362)
2 Cor. 4:1-6 Matt. 24:13-28
6:30PM Vespers-Liturgy: Feast of the Transfiguration
Epistle:
8:00PM Blessing of Fruit
8:15PM Lenten Potluck Supper
Friday, August 6 The Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ
2 Cor. 4:13-18 Matt. 24:27-33, 42-51
8:30AM Festal Matins
9:15AM Office Hours
Saturday, August 7 Martyr Dometius of Persia (363))
1 Cor. 1:3-9 Matt. 19:3-12
7:00PM Vespers
Sunday, August 8 Afterfeast of the Transfiguration
St. Myron, Bishop of Crete
1 Cor. 9:2-12 Matt. 18:23-35
9:00AM Hours:
Greeters: Cindy Coomer
9:30AM Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom
Epistle: Ryan Sima
Communion Aides:
Chapel Cleaners:
Treas. Aides:
11:00AM Fellowship
11:15AM Sunday School Teachers’ Meeting