The Orthodox Messenger

Vol. VII, No. 07 – Sunday, January 27, 2008

Christ the Savior Greek Orthodox Church - Presentation of Christ at the Temple

The Hellenic Orthodox Mission of Hernando County, Florida – “A Pan-Orthodox Christian Community”

Ecumenical Patriarchate + Greek Orthodox  Archdiocese of America + Metropolis of Atlanta

Website: http://orthodoxhernandocountyfl.org

The Bible Account of the Presentation of Christ

Luke 2:22-40

At that time, the parents brought the child Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons." Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Symeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, "Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel."

   And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; and Symeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Service Hours: Sundays and Feast Days: Orthros at 9:30 a.m.; Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.

Today’s Saints: Relocation of the Relics of St. John Chrysostom (+438); Empress Markiane, Neo Martyr Demetrios of Constantinople (+1785); Righteous Klement of Athens (+1111); Claudius the Priest; Presbyter Peter of Egypt.

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15^th SUNDAY OF LUKE -GOSPEL ENTRANCE AND OTHER HYMNS

Dismissal Hymn of the Resurrection - 2nd  Tone

   (Sing in Greek before the Entrance) ("Ote katelthes").Hymnal,  81-82.

   (Sing in English after the Entrance) ("When you descended"). (Same)

Dismissal Hymn of St. John Chrysostom

    (Read) Grace has shown forth / from your mouth like fire, / illuminating the inhabited world. / You have treasure for the world, / treasures of silver-hating / and revealed to us / the sublimity of humility. / Wherefore, O educator, by your words, / O John the golden-mouthed, intercede with Christ God / to save our souls.

Dismissal Hymn of the Presentation of Christ (See sheet in the pew)

Kontakion of the Presentation: Sung in Greek by the Leader: “O metran partheniken”

(Read) O Christ our God, / who through Your birth / have sanctified the virginal womb / and have blessed the arms of Symeon, / You have come today to save us! / When wars prevail, / keep Your people in peace / and strengthen our public authorities / in every good deed, / for You alone are the one who loves humankind.

   EPISTLE –  Hebrews 7:26-8:2 (Saint John Chrysostom) Brethren, it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did this once for all when he offered up himself. Indeed, the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect for ever. Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent which is set up not by man but by the Lord.

   GOSPEL –  Luke 19:1-10 (15^th Luke) At that time, Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaios; he was a chief collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaios, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." And Zacchaios stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."

Return to p. 32of the Hymnal

 THANKS AGAIN FR. JERRY for conducting the Liturgy this past Sunday in the absence of Fr. Stanley. We are grateful to you!

 COFFEE HOUR SPONSORS FOR JANUARY: Elaine Underwood & Gloria Vardakis 1/20; Diane Covington & Emily Thomas 1/27.  Sign up today for February!

   PROSFORON BAKERS: Argiri & Carol Gymnaos 1/30; Venice Cosmadelis 2/03;  Presbytera Emily Harakas 2/10. Become a Prosforon Baker! The recipe is simple. To offer to bake or to volunteer to chair the Prosforon Bakers, call Fr. Stanley! 796-2377.

   FEAST OF THE THREE HIERARCHS: We honor the three great saints of Orthodoxy, St. Basil, St. John Chrysostom and St. Gregory the Theologian on Wednesday, Jan. 30. Orthros at 9:30 a.m. and Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m. Come and honor their memory!

   GARAGE SALE! On Friday, February 29 & Saturday, March 1 our parish will hold a Garage Sale! We need more items to sell! Now is the time to clean out your garage and storage space and bring all useful items to the church. We need  help from everyone! If you bring items and no one is there to receive them, please leave them on the porch of the Parish Hall. You can also help in pricing beforehand and selling during the two days. Let’s make this a great success! To offer your help, speak to co-chairs Harriet Pasisis (688-7465), Gloria Vardakis (688-2270) or Helen Vangel (597-4504). Proceeds of the Garage Sale will support our Church.

THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN MISSION CENTER requests the assistance of Christ the Savior Parishioners. “The Tragedy in Kenya” Many Orthodox Christian families in Kenya have seen their homes burned and the Orthodox Church of the Holy Virgin has been completely destroyed as a result of the recent unrest in Kenya. In response to the ongoing crisis, the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) has begun taking a special collection to help these families rebuild their homes and their lives. Please help your brothers and sisters in Kenya by making a gift to the OCMC with “Kenya Crisis Collection” clearly marked in your check’s memo line. All contributions should be mailed to: PO Box 4319, St. Augustine, FL 32085-4319. Donations can also be made by calling 1-877-463-6784 or by logging on to www.ocmc.org. Thank you for your generosity and for your continuing prayers.

   PARISH EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM:  Thanks to Fr. Jerry for conducting last weeks Liturgy in the absence of Fr. Stanley. The topic for this Friday, February 4, will be the Old Testament Psalm 142.

   PARISH FEAST DAY EVENTS: “The Presentation of Christ at the Temple will be observed on Friday, February 1 with Feast Day Vespers at 4:00 p.m. A reception will follow the Vesper Service which will be co-chaired by Venice Cosmadelis and Nancy Kastelan. It being Friday, the reception following will be a delicious seafood salad with all the fixings! Plan to come and honor Christ the Savior, whose name honors our parish!

The Feast Day Liturgy will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, February 2. Plan on attending!

TWO REAL NEEDS FOR OUR PARISH-PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!

   Without the help of the parishioners of Christ the Savior Church, important work of the parish cannot be done. There are two aspects of our parish life that are lagging as a result of a shortage of people willing to help.

1)      Prosforon Bakers: It is a spiritual privilege to bake the Offering Bread (Prosforon) for each Divine Liturgy. Portions of this bread are removed from the seal placed in it, and used for the elements of the Holy Sacrament. As of late, several of our bakers have dropped out, leaving only three persons to bake. Please think about volunteering to make the Offering Bread. The more who do so, the fewer times does any one person have to do it. The recipe is very simple. To join the Prosforon Baking Group, please call Fr. Stanley at 796-2377. We also need a chairperson who will coordinate the group. Please help!

2)      Bulletin Sponsors: As of today, we have no Bulletin Sponsors. The bulletin is an important outreach for our Christ the Savior Church. It keeps all informed about our activities and programs. It also has served as a means for bringing new people into our parish. The Bulletin Sponsor helps cover some of the costs of printing and mailing to those who are not in church. You become a Bulletin Sponsor by donating $25 together with a short message (congratulations, memorial, family occasions, etc.) Please help this worthy project. Mail or bring your check to be placed in the tray (write Bulletin on the memo line) and don’t forget to include your message. Thanks!

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--CHRIST THE SAVIOR FEAST DAY--

THIS COMING WEEKEND SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1

GREAT VESPERS, 4:00 P.M.

FOLLOWED BY RECEPTION (SEAFOOD SALAD MEAL)

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2

ORTHROS, 9:30 A.M.

DIVINE LITURGY, 10:00 A.M. =============================================================

CHRIST THE SAVIOR

GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

P.O. BOX 5566

SPRING HILL, FL 34611