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Home , Theophany

St. ’s Orthodox Christian Church 1182 Ashland St., Greensburg, PA 15601 Diocese of Charleston, Oakland and the Mid-Atlantic Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. (See the back cover for detailed contact information.)

Sunday, January 8, 2017 To all who are present with us this morning, Blessed Theophany! Thank you for worshiping with us this morning.

You May Find the Text of the beginning on the bottom of page 91 of the Service Book (gold embossed cross on the reddish brown cover) or in the green-spiral-bound book; sheet music can be found in the 8.5” x 11” large, spiral-bound booklet. At the Kiss of Peace our practice is for each of us to greet the person to our right and left with the bowing of our head, hands held in a prayerful clasp or crossed on the chest, while offering each other the seasonal Christian greeting, “Christ is in our midst!” and responding, “He is and shall be!” Please remember that Holy Communion is reserved for those Chrismated Orthodox Christians who have appropriately prepared themselves through , and Confession to receive the Holy Mysteries of the Church. The bread (anti’doron, which means ‘in place’ of the gifts) which we share after Communion and at the end of the Liturgy is for all. Being mindful we are in church, let us always remember to… ...be quiet and attentive. Let us sing, pray, stand, sit, kneel and respond where responses are indicated. Let us not talk, look around, text message, play games, etc. Especially let us work at this in the Communion line and when in line to venerate the Cross and depart. If we cannot hear the post- Communion being chanted during our church departure, we are way too noisy. ...refrain from eating, drinking or chewing gum. (most obviously and

especially if you will be receiving Holy Communion). ...stay put. Except in rare cases, there are few of us who cannot stay in one location for two hours (actually less, for most of us). The Mission of Our Church The mission of St Michael’s Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church is to tend the flock of our Lord Christ and to spread the Good News of Christ to those outside the flock. This mission is to be accomplished by a) living a full liturgical and sacramental life, b) proclaiming the Orthodox Christian to all people, c) providing effective charitable and social programs, The and d) establishing strong spiritual leadership and resources. of Christ ______

SYRIAN CHRISTIAN RELIEF As the Syrian crisis continues, we continue to accept donations to do what we can to help ease the suffering there. Checks may be written to “St. Michael’s” with the note “Syrian Relief.” The following is a link to International Orthodox Christian Charities ((IOCC) “Response to the Crisis in Syria” page with more information on what you can do to help: http://www.iocc.org/countries/countries_syria.aspx Sunday, January 8, 2017 Tone: 4 Eothinon: 7

Greeting: Christ is in our midst! Response: He is and shall be! Sunday after the Theophany of Christ; Righteous Mother Domnica of Constantinople and her companions; Venerable George the Chozebite. ______

THE EPISTLE READING St. Paul to the Ephesians (4:7-13) RETHREN, grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said, “When He ascended on high He led a host of captives, and He Bgave gifts to men.” (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that He had also descended into the lower parts of the ? He who descended is He who also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And His gifts were that some should be apostles, some , some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of , to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. THE HOLY GOSPEL According to St. Matthew (4: 12-17) T 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 Aterritory of Zebulon and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the 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.” ______Dear parishioners of St. Michael’s, I want to extend a very special thank you to all the wonderful, hard- working, committed, caring parishioners of St. Michael’s for your thoughtful Christmas gift. It has really been a pleasure working here this past year and I thank you all for your help, support and along the way, as I learned the many facets of what goes on here. There is ALWAYS something new! I wish you all a very happy new year and look forward to continuing to work with you in the year ahead! — Debbie Ciak (Church Secretary) ______

2017 Boxed Donation Envelopes were mailed out last week. Please note that those parishioners with envelope numbers greater than #201 have been changed, as we reduced the number of envelopes ordered this year. ______

GRIEF RECOVERY PROGRAM Begins WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2017 at 5:00PM 8 Week Program to be held here at St. Michael’s Church $25 Registration and Workbook Program Leader: Sr. Edie Strong, SC, MSW (724) 547-1911 Certified Grief Recovery Specialist Additional information is available in our church office. ______

“Food on the Hill” Lunch Ministry “Food on the Hill” is the name that has been attached to the lunch for those in need that will be prepared and served free of charge on the first Tuesday of each month . Our Men’s Fellowship has continued to take on the work of providing a bit of “daily” bread to those who can benefit from it. The next “Food on the Hill” lunch is scheduled for Tuesday, February 7, 2017 from 12:00 to 1:00 PM. Anyone who would like to support “Food on the Hill” in any capacity you would like, should contact Gus Flizanes. Please make checks out to “St. Michael ’s Church” with “Food on the Hill” on the memo line. If you can possibly also help provide transportation on the day of the luncheon, please contact Gus. TODAY IS THE FINAL DAY FOR $20 PAYMENT!!!!

The Antiochian Women’s Annual Post-Holiday Luncheon will be held on Sunday, January 15th at Rodney’s in Irwin There are still plenty of seats at the table. Sign up in Fellowship Hall. Cost of buffet is $20 (all inclusive) Make your $20 checks to St. Michael’s Antiochian Women; submit payment to Michelle Gajewski (602 Agnes St., Greensburg). ______

Thank you for completing and returning your 2017 Pledge Card. You should have received a personal thank you note by now, but if you have not received yours, that most likely means we have not received your pledge card (it’s never, ever, too late to submit it). ______A Change in In-Patient Hospital Procedures: Please make note that Excela Health has notified us and asked us to inform our parishioners that they have implemented a new policy and will no longer be notifying area clergy when someone is admitted to any of their facilities. This is due to the HIPAA law and for the pro- tection of the patients. If you know of anyone that has been admitted to the hospital and would like to inform Fr. John, you will now have to contact the church office or Fr. John yourself, as Excela Health will no longer be doing so. ______

CALEB’S CUPBOARD is ALWAYS in need of contributions.

It is located in the big chest you see as you come through the main entrance of our church.. It is a very simple way to help our hungry neighbors. If you could bring in a few cans of food, cereal, pasta, paper goods or other nonperishables when you come to church, you will be making a BIG difference for someone in need. Also, please check that the goods you bring are “reasonably” close in time to the expiration date. Thanks! ______The Theophany Icon https://iconreader.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/baptism-of-christ-the-theophany-icon/ From the first century of the Christian Church, there has always been “The Festival of Lights”. In the depth of Midwinter, this feast celebrated the advent of the Son of God’s coming into the world as Jesus Christ, and His early years up to and including His baptism in the Jordan, which heralded the beginning of Jesus’ ministry on earth. Over the centuries, the various aspects of Christ’s early years were separated into individual feasts on different days: His Nativity, the Visitation of the Magi, His presentation in the Temple, and His circumcision. But the principal event of the Feast of Lights – Christ’s Baptism – continued to be commemorated on the 6th of January. Why is this event so important? The event depicted in the icon is that described in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke; here is Matthew’s version: Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17) This, then, is the () of the Holy , otherwise known as Theophany which literally means a “revelation of God” in Greek (Θεοφάνεια; the Russian is Богоявление and means the same). The paradox that Jesus Christ might be revealed as God through an act of submittal to a mere man, John, is shown well in the Icon. Though John is baptizing Christ, it is the former who is shown bent over in reverence to the latter. In other icons, John is shown with his face turned toward heaven and beholding the of the Theophany; either way, despite being the baptizer, he is not central to the scene. Near to John is a tree with an axe laid at the root, recalling John ’s own preaching to those who came to him: “And now also the ax is laid to the root of the trees: therefore every tree which brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” (Matt 3:10). Present in the icon, this shows that whilst the Baptizer must now “decrease so Christ may increase”, John’s teachings and role are not done away with now the Holy Trinity has been revealed. On the opposite bank to , wait invisibly to receive the newly baptized Christ and clothe Him. And so, on the left is the forerunner of Christ, John, with his sermon of represented by the tree and axe; on the right, the angels wait with reverence to accept the newly revealed Son of God. In the middle – the moment of revelation itself. Jesus Christ, despite being the one submerged in the Jordan, is shown as though standing up and staring straight at us. His body is depicted as strong and beautiful, as it is understood classically, and in older icons He is naked. Christ appears almost as wide as the river Jordan itself; indeed: it is as though it is Jesus Christ, rather than the river, which cuts a swathe through the rocky wilderness on either side. The Icon of the Theophany, as well as depicting the Holy Trinity, also answers the question of John the Baptist: I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me? The answer is in what Jesus does with His hands. Whilst in Western art, like this painting by Da Vinci, Jesus is shown as submitting to John’s authority, in Orthodox icons Christ’s hands are not shown in prayer, but in a sign of . Rather than the waters of Jordan cleansing Christ, it is Christ Who cleans the waters. This is why in the bottom of most Theophany Icons, little creatures appear to be fleeing from the feet of Christ. This is a reflection of the words of the Psalmist regarding the Messiah (Christ): “the sea saw and fled, the Jordan turned back” (Psalm 114:3). This is the depth and profundity of the Baptism of Christ; the feast of lights which revealed the Holy Trinity, and cleansed the waters of baptism so that we, like the fishes shown in the icon, may swim in pure waters. Of old, the river Jordan Turned back before Elisha’s mantle at Elijah’s ascension. The waters were parted in two And the waterway became a dry path. This is truly a symbol of baptism By which we pass through this mortal life. Christ has appeared in the Jordan to sanctify the waters! ______REMEMBER, the Second Week on this schedule May Change: ALWAYS USE THE MOST CURRENT BULLETIN!

Secretary Debbie will be in the office January 15 thru January 21 Monday, Wednesday and Friday Sunday, January 15 from 9 AM to 2 PM. - 8:45 AM - MATINS - 10:00 AM - DIVINE LITURGY January 8 thru January 14 - Memorial - Paul (1 yr) and Sunday, January 8 Elizabeth Andreychek - 8:45 AM - MATINS (Paulette Weiss’ parents) - 10:00 AM - DIVINE LITURGY - Church School - Memorials - Antiochian Women Luncheon - The Greater Blessing at Rodney’s in Irwin of the Waters; Monday, January 16 Upper “Twin” Lake following Divine Liturgy Fr. John will be out of town Tuesday, January 9 in Oklahoma (family business) - 9:00 AM - DIVINE LITURGY from Monday, January 16 Gregory of Nyssa through Wednesday, January 18. - 7:00 PM - Church School Meeting Saturday, January 14 Thursday, January 19 - NO Great Vespers ? 7:00 PM - ? Choir Rehearsals? ______Saturday, January 21 - 9:00 AM - DIVINE LITURGY The Greater Blessing Maximos the Confessor of the Waters - 6:00 PM - GREAT VESPERS of Twin Lakes will take place ______TODAY, Sunday, January 8, right after Divine Liturgy THE 2017 PRAYER VIGIL FOR when we will proceed to the LIFE will take place at the National Upper Lake and bless it. Mall in Washington, DC on... ______Thursday, January 26, at 5:30 PM ______HOUSE BEGAN on the Feast of Theophany, THE 2017 MARCH FOR LIFE Thursday, January 6. To make RALLY will take place at the an appointment to have your National Mall in Washington, DC home blessed during the days on... that follow, contact Fr. John Friday, January 27 at 12:00 PM (call, text, email) or the Church office. A delegation of hierarchs from the ______Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of Last minute 2016 Tax Deductible America will be participating. Donations may still be made to Details may be found at: the church by dating your check for the end of December, http://marchforlife.org/mfl- 2016. 2017/rally-march-info/ ______