ST. NECTARIOS AMERICAN CARPATHO-RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH 405 Marcum Road, Lakeland, FL 33809 • Rev
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ST. NECTARIOS AMERICAN CARPATHO-RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH 405 Marcum Road, Lakeland, FL 33809 • http://www.stnectarios.com Rev. Fr. Demetri Glimidakis Fr.’s Cell: (970) 620-3899 Fr. Demetri’s Email: [email protected] MARCH 2019 BULLETIN From the desk of Fr. Demetri: shortened to groom) and a woman, the bride, is brought together under the eyes of Christ to become one. Now the NO I DOS IN ORTHODOX MARRIAGES focus I want to bring to our attention is the hymn that is sung called: The Dance of Isaiah, which is an integral part As we approach the Lenten of the Wedding/Crowning Service in the Orthodox Church season which leads up to Holy and involves a triple procession around a center table. The Week, there are references made priest, holding the Gospel and the clasped hands of the St. Nectarios of Aegina groom and bride, are followed by the best man (or Born: October 1, 1846 to marriage. The sacrifices that in Selymbria, Thrace were made are reflected in the woman) who holds the newlyweds’ crowns above their Reposed: November 9,1920 hymns, fasting and services done heads, and the bridesmaids holding the lit white candles, in Aegina, Greece leading up to the most glorious of all our celebrations, the walk three times around the table in a celebratory “dance”. Canonized: April 20, 1961 Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Christ. Now, Feast Day: November 9 for the purpose of this writing, I wanted to bring to our at- Each of the three turns is accompanied by each HOLY SAINT NECTARIOS, tention the idea and thinking of the union of God with His of the three hymns, which return once more to the theme PRAY UNTO GOD FOR US! creation — man. of martyrdom and union with Christ. The crowns signify that the groom and bride are prepared to be martyred for Directory: At the beginning of our journey into the Ortho- each other, that each person is willing to sacrifice all for Parish Board Members: dox faith, we are prepared, and we are united with Christ each other. When the Prophet Isaiah received the revela- John G. Sennett with our sacrament of baptism and initiation into the tion that the Messiah would be coming, Isaiah danced Walter Klymenko Church (remember the Church is the people of God - with joy. Sam Gjurich ekklesia, which means assembly of the summoned, the Natalie Pope summoned being the people in Greek). The prayers in- The hymn that is chanted is as follows: Secretary..........Kendra J. Taylor clude exorcisms, anointing, the Nicene Creed, but, the “Rejoice, O Isaiah! Stewardship...Daniel Rodriguez Outreach & Church Activities ... section of the tonsure and chrismation teaches us that we The Virgin is with child, Arlene Tonjes & Denise Katseralis begin with our first sacrifice of ourselves to God. and shall bear a son, Emmanuel, Who is both God and Man, Subdeacons: After being baptized, the chrismation section of and Orient is His Name, Joseph Brown the service is done and the priest leads the newly baptized Whom magnifying we call, Peter Flynn and illumined Orthodox Christian accompanied by the the Virgin blessed.” Godparents, or led by the Godparents and priest in their first steps as an Orthodox Christian around the table while This describes the joy Isaiah the Prophet ex- Altar Servers: the hymn is sung: pressed in Isaiah 7:14. It talks about the pure happiness George “As many as have been baptized Into Christ, of the coming savior. ‘And Orient is His Name’ comes from Logan have put on Christ. Zechariah 6:12, some Bibles use the word ‘branch’ instead Alleluia.” of ‘Orient’ and calling on ‘The Virgin blessed’ refers back to Isaiah 7:14 again in the hope for the future through Then, when the priest cuts the four little her. SAINT NECTARIOS snippets of the hair of the child, (or adult if you come to ORTHODOX CHURCH: the faith later in life), it signifies that we are giving some- “O Holy Martyrs, A Mission of the American thing, our very first sacrifice to the Lord for our Faith. This who fought the good fight and Carpatho--Russian begins the marriage to the church... our union with the have received your crowns, Orthodox Diocese: Faith. It begins our journey to becoming a bride of Christ. entreat ye the Lord, His Eminence, Gregory that He will have mercy on our souls.” of Nyssa, Metropolitan The next step that some of us take is one of the Bishop Under the most awe-inspiring sacraments of the Orthodox Church, This part comes from 2 Timothy 4 about longing Ecumenical Patriarchate which is the wedding ceremony that is considered to be for the Lord and staying righteous. of Constantinople . one of the optional sacraments of the Church. The union “Glory to Thee, O Christ God. between a man, who is called the bridegroom (usually The Apostles boast, the Martyrs Joy, the image of Christ as the Bridegroom is taken directly from the Parable of whose preaching was the Consubstantial Trinity.” the Ten Virgins. Christ also calls Himself the “bridegroom”; John the Baptist is the “friend of the bridegroom” that is why we sing: The statement of ‘The Apostles boast’ is presented in the song it refers to Galatians 6:14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord “Behold, the Bridegroom comes at midnight, Jesus Christ, through with the world has been crucified to me, and I to the and blessed is that servant world. ‘The Martyrs Joy’ refers to Philippians 2: 17-18 But even if I am being whom He shall find watching, poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I and again, unworthy is the servant rejoice and share my joy with you all. This final stanza of the song rolls all whom He shall find heedless. the joy of marriage not only between two humans, but the joy of marriage Beware, therefore, O my soul, with God/Jesus as its center point that since consubstantial means that one do not be weighed down with sleep, is of the same substance or essence than marriage within God would infer lest you be given up to death, that this marriage is of God. and lest you be shut out of the Kingdom. But rouse yourself crying: Then I had my own revelation: When I witnessed my friend’s op- Holy, Holy, Holy, art Thou, tional sacrament of ordination, two priests took the hand of the initiate and O our God, proceeded to take him around the alter three times and as they did so, once Through the prayers of the Theotokos again the hymn was sung. The Dance of Isaiah was sung as the initiate was have mercy on us!” announced into the Priesthood and prepared to become the bride of Christ, to marry the church and serve — also committing to a life of martyrdom. The Behold! Look, see, open your eyes! Where is the center of your at- correlation of this revelation moved me to tears. And, those memories came tention? What is your heart forever rushing to? But we must not let ourselves flooding back as I took my first steps into my own priesthood. I realized that be distracted from God, we cannot allow this most precious gift to be taken no matter how unworthy as I was, the Dance of Isaiah was being sung for from us. me — I was beginning my journey to something more than just thinking of myself and my family — I was being made into someone who would serve The Bridegroom is coming; the verb in the Greek is in the present the people of the world. tense, which means He is coming NOW, in this very moment. In the mystery of Orthodox worship, time and eternity mingle, the One who came, and With most of the sacra- the One who is to come. He encompasses past, present and future, and in ments that I had witnessed, first with His presence the temporal limitations of the world fall away. There is also a the baptism, second being married to warning here: the people who are not prepared will be caught unaware, a bride, then becoming the “bride” of because in the Parable, the “middle of the night” means that the Bride- Christ I began to put all the pieces to- groom will arrive suddenly, unexpectedly, at a time when no one knows. gether. Those words mean those that are slow, lazy, and/or indifferent to the Bride- groom (indifferent to the things of God), are also at risk of being indifferent So many times, throughout to their own salvation. the Scriptures, the Apostle Paul writes about Christ being the head of the In what state will God find us? If we were to die suddenly, what church - as the husband is the head would our family and friends find in our home, in our apartment, on our of the household. The theme of mar- computers? We must strive always to be ready, to be prepared, to under- riage, that mystical union that brings stand that we have been betrothed to God, that our lives, our bodies, are two together is brought to light. The not our own anymore, but they belong to another. We are to have wakeful- bridegroom comes. The Bridegroom is prepared to give Himself for the life ness, watchfulness, a state of spiritual readiness, alertness, vigilance. In of the world. We sing, we worship, we prepare ourselves through prayer Matthew 24, Jesus says: “Concerning that day and hour, no one knows, and fasting to wed.