THE HOLY SPIRIT WITH US – PENTECOST!

The ancient Greek way of saying “fifty” is “pentekonta.” From this word we get the name of today’s feast of our Church -Pentecost (“Pentecoste” – literally, “the fiftieth day”). Why is Pentecost important? It was on this day fifty days after Christ’s Resurrection that Jesus' promise to the Disciples was fulfilled. He said to them: “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
   Fifty days after Pascha, “the disciples were all together in one place.” They experienced something remarkable with their physical senses, which changed them forever. A sound was heard, like a mighty wind, they saw on each other's heads tongues of fire, and they began to speak in languages that they had never learned!
   The Holy Spirit had come upon them and the Church was born! With Pentecost, the Disciples began preaching the Christian Gospel “to the ends of the earth,” establishing local Churches everywhere. Wherever the Church was, the Christian truth was proclaimed, the new relationship with God was sacramentally experienced and celebrated, and the new life was lived out in love for God. Since then, the Church lives its life “in the Holy Spirit.”
   But each of us Orthodox Christians has also received the Holy Spirit. For the majority of us, we received it at our Baptism. When the child is lifted out of the baptismal font, after having been immersed three times in the water in the name of the Holy Trinity, the God-parent receives the child in his or her arms. The Priest then takes a vial of Holy Chrism, prepared by the head of the Church, and anoints the newly-baptized, saying, “The gift of the seal of the Holy Spirit.” The major parts of the body (head, hands, feet, chest and back) are anointed. The newly chrismated Christian is granted the gifts of the Holy Spirit into his or her life. With this each of us begins a life-long course of Christian growth.
   But the Christian life is also a continuous Pentecost since the Holy Spirit is given continuously. That is why at the beginning of the Pentecost Kneeling Vesper service, among the petitions there are prayerful calls “for the people here present, who await the grace of the Holy Spirit,” “for them that bow their hearts and knees before the Lord,” “for our strengthening, that we may fulfill what is well-pleasing to God,” “for the sending down upon us of His rich mercies,” and “for the bending of our knees, that our kneeling may be received as incense before Him.” As we kneel in prayer during Pentecost Vespers today, we will pray for the sending of the Holy Spirit once again upon us for God's glory.

Service hours: Sundays and Feast days: Orthros at 9:30 am; Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am.

8th  SUNDAY OF PASCHA – PENTECOST
THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE BIRTHDAY OF THE CHURCH

GOSPEL ENTRANCE AND OTHER HYMNS

After the Doxology – “Evlogetos e , Christe” Hymnal, 115.
Dismissal Hymn of Pentecost
   (Sing in Greek before the Entrance) “Evlogetos e , Christe” Hymnal, 115.
Priest’s Entrance Hymn: “Be exalted, O Lord, in Your own strength. We will sing and praise your power. Priest & People sing “Save us O Good Comforter, we sing to You, Alleluia.
   (Sing in English after the Entrance) (“Blessed are you, O Christ”) Hymnal, 115..
Kontakion of Pentecost
   Sung in Greek by the Leaders: “Ote katavas tas glossas. . .”
  (Read) Once, when He descended and confounded the tongues, / the Most High divided the nations; / and when He divided the tongues of fire, / He called all humanity into unity; / and with one accord we glorify the All-holy Spirit.
   In the place of “Holy God” we sing
   “Osi is Christon” and “Those who have been baptized” Hymnal, 109. (Return to p. 28.)

   EPISTLE –  Acts 2:1-11+ When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. And they were amazed and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontos and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God."

   GOSPEL – John 7:37-52, 8:12+On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, "If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, 'Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.' " Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

  When they heard these words, some of the people said, "This is really the prophet." Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

The officers then went back to the chief priest and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why did you not bring him?" The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this man!" The Pharisees answered them, "Are you led astray, you also? Have any of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, who do not know the law, are accursed." Nikodemos, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, "Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?" They replied, "Are you from Galilee too? Search and you will see that no prophet is to rise from Galilee." Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

CHANGES LATER IN THE DIVINE LITURGY

In the place of “Axion Estin” the leaders sing “Me tes fthoras”
   (Read): O you who without experience of marriage were found to be with child, and did lend flesh to the Word Who devised all things, O Mother who has not know wedlock, O Virgin Theotokos, vessel of the Uncontainable One, dwelling place of your boundless Fashioner, you do we magnify.
In the place of the Communion Hymn “Praise the Lord”
   The leaders sing “To Pnevma sou to agathon.”
  (Read): Your Good Spirit shall lead me in the land of uprightness. Alleluia.
In the place of “We have seen the light” (Sing) “Evlogetos e, Christe” Hymnal, 115.
             FOLLOWING THE LITURGY the Vespers of Pentecost will be conducted.
 TRISAGION SERVICE: A two year Trisagion Service will be offered today following the Divine Liturgy, for the rest of the soul of the late Alice Marty. May her memory be eternal!

   P.E.P. (Parish Educational Program) will take a break from June through August. The P.E.P. sessions will resume on Friday, September 3, 2004.
   YARD SALE: Helen Nicolelis announces that we are now collecting items, such as house wares, appliances, dishes, glassware, entertainment items, lamps, etc. for our October, 2004 Yard Sale. Bring your donations Sundays for storage. Speak to Connie Mourgides for details.
   JUNE ANNIVERSARIES & BIRTHDAYS: Wedding Anniversaries: Steve & Katina Reado 6/11; Edward & Gloria Zahka 6/14;Yanni & Jenny Kotsifakis 6/20; Argyris & Carol Gymnaos 6/22. Birthdays: Presbytera Mary Mattis 6/1; Sam Jabbour 6/2; Charlotte Rodrigez 6/2; Curt Thomas 6/6; Presbytera Mary Liadis 6/6; Spiro Lemonedes 6/7; Alex Noyes 6/8; Dee Nikas 6/13; Costa Hronis 6/15; Barbara Chigos 6/17; Paula Borden 6/18; Mark Flood 6/21; Dorothy Triantafilon 6/25.Congratulations! Many Years! Blessing Prayers next Sunday. Come!

   NAMES OF GRADS! Let Fr. Stanley know right away of graduates in your family! 

   MEMORIAL DAY PRAYERS: On Monday, May 31, Fr. Stanley will be at the Orthodox Section of Grace Memorial Gardens on Route 19 in Hudson at 3:00 p.m. for a Memorial Day Trisagion Service. At 4:00 p.m. he will be at the Dino Adamis grave site at the Brooksville Cemetery to conduct a Trisagion for all Orthodox Christians buried there.

CHRIST THE SAVIOR

GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH

P.O. BOX 5566
SPRING HILL, FL 34611
“A Pan-Orthodox Christian Community”