Parish Bulletin – August 26, 2012

12TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

TONE 3

HOLY MARTYRS ADRIAN AND NATALIA AND THOSE WITH THEM

I Corinthians 15:1-11
Matthew 19:16-26

Choir Director: Veronika

Welcome

We welcome you to the Orthodox Church. Please feel at ease and free to participate in the singing. As a visitor you are welcome to come forward at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy and venerate the Cross offered by the priest. Additionally you may receive the blessed bread (Antidoron) that is offered at that time. If you have questions or would like further information, the priest or one of the members of the parish will be pleased to help.

A word to our visitors on Holy Communion

The Orthodox Church does not practice open Communion. Therefore, only members of Canonical Orthodox Churches exercising jurisdiction in America may approach the Chalice for Holy Communion. The Orthodox do not regard Holy Communion solely as an act of personal piety, but also as an expression of union with the Orthodox Church’s faith, doctrine, and discipline. Orthodox visitors wishing to receive Holy Communion should make their intention known to the priest in advance — ask any member of the parish for help in relaying your intention to the priest. Orthodox Christians should prepare themselves to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion through recent Confession, prayers of preparation for Holy Communion, and fasting (at minimum, from midnight before receiving).

“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in a an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord.” – I Corinthians 11:27

TROPARIA AND KONTAKIA

Troparion – Tone IV

Thy Holy Martyrs, Adrian and Natalia, O Lord, through their sufferings have received their incorruptible crowns from Thee, our God. For having Thy strength, they laid low their adversaries, and shattered the powerless boldness of demons. Through their intercessions, save our souls.

Kontakion – Tone IV

Martyr of Christ, Adrian, thou didst keep the words of thy godly and devoted wife Natalia in thine heart. With her thou didst accept every kind of suffering, and didst obtain the crown of victory!

Opportunities to give:

➢ Food donations to the Ashland Food Project

➢ The parish is looking to purchase new vestments for altar servers. Please give designated donation if you would like to contribute. So far we have received $265, and we will need roughly $600 for four sets.

➢ Check with Stavroula regarding current material needs of the mission (olive oil, stamps, napkins, printing paper, etc.)

Announcements:

• Please continue to sign up for coffee fellowship/kitchen cleanup.
• The “Box R Ranch” retreat begins this afternoon. Please come and participate as much as you would like! Speak to Hala if you need directions, or if have any questions.
• If you are able to help out with watering and simple gardening/cleaning once a week at the Newman Center, please contact John or Macrina.
• Adult Education Classes will continue on Wednesday, following Vespers.
• Choir practice on Saturday, 5.00 pm.

Service Schedule this Week:

Monday – 6.00 pm, Vespers (will be held at “Box R Ranch“)

Wednesday – 6.00 pm, Vespers

Thursday – 6.40 am, Hours, Divine Liturgy

Saturday – 6.00 pm, Great Vespers

Sunday – 8.40 am, Hours, Divine Liturgy

Confession after Vespers or by appointment!

Other Activities Next Week:

• Wednesday, following Vespers – Adult Education Class
• Saturday, 5.00 PM – Choir practice

Bulletin Insert (OCA Department of Education):

On August 28 the Church remembers the righteous Hezekiah, king of Judah and son of the previous king, Ahaz.

Perhaps Hezekiah, who became king at the age of 25, felt compelled to make up for the actions of his notorious father, who would never listen to the prophet Isaiah and who shut down the Temple in Jerusalem, instead revering the gods of the Assyrians.

Hezekiah labored intensely to reinstate worship of Israel’s God. At the beginning of his reign he ordered the Temple to be reopened, directing the priests and Levites to “carry out the filth from the holy place” (2 Chronicles 29: 5). They did so, and were able to report to the king that “All the utensils which King Ahaz discarded in his reign when he was faithless, we have made ready and sanctified; and behold, they are before the altar of the Lord” (29: 19). Hezekiah and the people brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and “thus the service of the house of the Lord was restored” (29:36).

To celebrate, Hezekiah sent couriers all over the kingdom with a decree that the priests and people should come to Jerusalem and observe Passover together. Scripture candidly records that in some places the couriers were laughed to scorn and mocked, and that “only a few of the men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulon humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem” (30:11).

Nevertheless, a great assembly did come for the feast, including some people who had not properly prepared themselves, and who “ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed” (30: 18). Hezekiah, obviously a forgiving and loving man, had prayed that God would “pardon every one who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness” (30: 19).

Hezekiah’s efforts strengthened and helped unite the people, but they still faced external threats. When Sennacherib, the powerful king of Assyria, attacked Judah, Hezekiah’s first response was not a noble one. Panicked, he offered Sennacherib huge sums of money to withdraw. In order to pay, he gathered all the silver in the Lord’s house, and even “stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord” (2 Kings/4 Kingdoms 18: 16).

But the Assyrian couldn’t be bought off, so Hezekiah did something better—he built up and reinforced his people’s walls and defenses. He also returned to reliance on God rather than money, and told everyone not to be “afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him; for there is one greater with us than with him” (2 Chronicles 32:7). He and Isaiah prayed, and God answered their prayers by destroying the Assyrian warriors.

Close to death, Hezekiah had to repent of an episode of pride before God. He was not a perfect person, but Scripture compares him to King David, another man who greatly pleased God in spite of many missteps, weaknesses, and faults.