St.
George Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church
4020 North Sherman Drive •
Indianapolis, Indiana 46226-4464
Office: (317) 547-9356 •
Fax: 547-4520 •
www.stgindy.org •
church@stgindy.org
Very Rev. Father Nabil L. Hanna, Pastor
Attached Clergy:
V. Rev. Radoslav Filipovich • V. Rev. Stephen Rhudy
Rev. George Smith • Rev. Deacon Workineh Belesse
Dec.
28, 2008
Part I: Liturgy Variables
Brethren, I would have you know that the Gospel which was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the Church of God violently and tried to destroy it; and I advanced in Judaism beyond many of own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when He who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood, nor did I do up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus.
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles, except James the Lord’s brother.
When
the wise men had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph
in a dream and said, “Rise, take the Child and his mother, and flee to
Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for
the Child, to destroy Him.” And he rose and took the Child and his mother by
night, and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod.
This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt
have I called my son.”
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men.
Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no more.”
But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the Child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.” And he rose and took the Child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
· By Constantine “Dean” and Beth Flaris, for the health of Nathan and family, the Foster, Plessas and Flaris families, Anastasia, Teresa, and all St. George parishioners, and in memory of Marina, Demetrios, Michael, Anastasia, Georgia, Stephanos, Andreas and those from St. George departed in 2008: Alice Carter, Mary Ishak, Aman Gebremedhin, Evon Freije, John Daniluck,
· By Ann Freije, for the health of Douglas Fadel.
· By Khalil and Amira Saba, for the health of Laila Nahas and mother and father Lamia and Yousef Saba.
· Please also see the inserted card for the names of those on our current parish prayer list—those who are struggling with acute illness and those newly departed this life—from among our parishioners and those for whom they have requested our prayers. Please take this card with you, and include these people in your daily prayers at home.
Part II: Announcements
| ST. GEORGE CALENDAR | |
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December |
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Sun. 28 |
Matins, 9 a.m. Divine Liturgy, 10 a.m. |
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Mon. 29 |
Jr. SOYO Christmas Party, 7 p.m. at 116th Street |
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Wed. 31 |
Feast of St. Basil &Commemoration of Christ’s Circumcision Evening Divine Liturgy, 6 p.m. |
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January 2009 |
|
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Sat. 3 |
Great Vespers & Confession, 5 p.m. |
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Sun. 4 |
Matins, 9 a.m. Choir practice, 9:30 a.m. Divine Liturgy, 10 a.m. |
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Mon. 5 |
Eve of the Great Feast of Theophany Evening Liturgy with Great Blessing of Waters, 6 p.m. |
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Tue. 6 |
Parish Council, 7:15 p.m. at 116th Street |
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Wed. 7 |
Evening Prayer, dinner and Faith Study, 6 p.m. at 116th Street |
Coffee hour is hosted today by Samer and Norma Nahas.
Every good work begins with prayer. We will serve the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great at 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Wednesday, Dec. 31. At that time our holy Church commemorates the Circumcision of Christ on the Eighth Day, in fulfillment of the Mosaic Law. We also commemorate St. Basil the Great with the blessing and cutting of the Vasilopeta.
2009 wall calendars are here, indicating the daily readings, saints commemorated, feasts, fasts, etc. Please take one from the table below the icon of St. George in the hall.
We also have 2009 pocket calendars promoting the Middle Eastern Festival are here and ready for distribution. You can pick one up at any of the card holders in the parish hall.
The teens will have a Chili
Supper to help fund their trip to the Canton
basketball tournament and retreat. The dinner will be held on
January 24, right after Vespers. Advanced
ticket sales for the chili dinner will start 
January
4 at $5/person or $20/family. At the door, $7/person or $25/family.
We are also pleased to announce that after dinner Alex Azar will share with us some of his interesting experiences as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he was the number two official and chief operating officer for the largest civilian cabinet department in the U.S. government. He led preparedness and response efforts for biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological attack in the days and years following 9/11. Alex has many interesting stories to tell about high level government service, including his visits to Libya and Jordan and running the repatriation of U.S. citizens during the Lebanon-Israel war, etc.
Any couple thinking about getting married in 2009 is invited to attend a pre-marriage seminar with guest speaker Very Rev Dr Michael Dahulich on January 17, from 9am to 5 pm. This will be at St Michael Church in Louisville. There is no cost (and lunch is included!). Just RSVP by Jan. 12 to (502) 454-3378 .
Also at St. Michael’s, Louisville, on January 17, there will be a parish council seminar. This is another opportunity to learn about the work of the parish council—really it is about the work of the Church—in case you missed the workshop held here last month. Such training is required before someone can be considered a candidate for the council.
Fr. Joseph Shaheen served this parish for 1960-69, overseeing the construction of our current temple. He now serves as Pastor of St. Paul Church, Naples, Florida, which celebrates its 12th Anniversary, as Fr. Joseph celebrates his 50th Anniversary, Feb. 12-13. A commemorative book is being prepared, highlighting his accomplishments. Forms are available in our church office if you’d like to subscribe and send a greeting by the Jan. 30deadline.
If
you haven’t done so already, we are asking all to drop off their pledge cards
into the box at the candle stand before leaving today.
Please re-evaluate your stewardship commitments for the coming year. This is the pledge we make to continue the support of our present church operations for the coming year. We are excited about our future and want to carry on the legacy established by our parish founders.
You will find pledge cards in the back of your pew and at the candle stand. Please fill out your pledge for the coming year, and deposit it in the locked box located at the candle stand. You may also mail it directly to the church. Please know that your pledge is confidential, and only Father Nabil will open the pledge box.
The
Stewardship Committee:
Patrick Koers, Mina Khoury, Tony Saliba, Kathy Tingwald
Even if you haven't been able to join us on Wednesday nights, you are very welcome to come to the party!
What
to bring:
Your favorite
game(s)
Something to eat (salty snack, dessert, drinks)
A friend (if you like)
RSVP to: Nadya (823-7012) or Janis (573-9478)
Saint Joseph (whose name means "one who increases") was the son of Jacob, and the son-in-law - and hence, as it were, the son - of Eli (who was also called Eliakim or Joachim), who was the father of Mary the Virgin (Matt. 1:16; Luke 3:23). He was of the tribe of Judah, of the family of David, an inhabitant of Nazareth, a carpenter by Trade, and advanced in age when, by God's good will, he was betrothed to the Virgin, that he might minister to the great mystery of God's dispensation in the flesh by protecting her, providing for her, and being known as her husband so that she, being a virgin, would not suffer reproach when she was found to be with child. Joseph had been married before his betrothal to our Lady; they who are called Jesus' "brethren and sisters" (Matt. 13:55-56) are the children of Joseph by his first marriage. From Scripture, we know that Saint Joseph lived at least until the Twelfth year after the birth of Christ (Luke 2:41-52); according to the tradition of the Fathers, he reposed before the beginning of the public ministry of Christ.
The child of God and ancestor of God, David, the great Prophet after Moses, sprang from the tribe of Judah. He was the son of Jesse, and was born in Bethlehem (whence it is called the City of David), in the year 1085 before Christ. While yet a youth, at the command of God he was anointed secretly by the Prophet Samuel to be the second King of the Israelites, while Saul - who had already been deprived of divine grace - was yet living. In the thirtieth year of his life, when Saul had been slain in battle, David was raised to the dignity of King, first, by his own tribe, and then by all the Israelite people, and he reigned for forty years. Having lived seventy years, he reposed in 1015 before Christ, having proclaimed beforehand that his son Solomon was to be the successor to the throne.
The sacred history has recorded not only the grace of the Spirit that dwelt in him from his youth, his heroic exploits in war, and his great piety towards God, but also his transgressions and failings as a man. Yet his repentance was greater than his transgresssions, and his love for God fervent and exemplary; so highly did God honour this man, that when his son Solomon sinned, the Lord told him that He would not rend the kingdom in his lifetime "for David thy father's sake" (III Kings 12:12). Of The Kings of Israel, Jesus the Son of Sirach testifies, "All, except David and Hezekias and Josias, were defective" (Ecclus. 49:4). The name David means "beloved."
His melodious Psalter is the foundation of all the services of the Church; there is not one service that is not filled with Psalms and psalmic verses. It was the means whereby old Israel praised God, and was used by the Apostles and the Lord Himself. It is so imbued with the spirit of prayer that the monastic fathers of all ages have used it as their trainer and teacher for their inner life of converse with God. Besides eloquently portraying every state and emotion of the soul before her Maker, the Psalter is filled with prophecies of the coming of Christ. It foretells His Incarnation, "He bowed the heavens and came down" (Psalm 17:9), His Baptism in the Jordan, "The waters saw Thee, O God, The waters saw Thee and were afraid" (76:15), His Crucifixion in its details, "They have pierced My hands and My feet .... They have parted My garments amongst themselves, and for My vesture have they cast lots" (21:16, 18). "For My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink" (68:26), His descent into Hades, "For Thou wilt not abandon My soul in Hades, nor wilt Thou suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption" (15:10) and Resurrection, "Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered" (67:1). His Ascension, "God is gone up in jubilation" (46:5), and so forth.
Christmas concludes with Epiphany, the 12th Day of Christmas. Part of our Epiphany celebration includes taking the blessed water to the homes of all our parishioners. Thus Fr. Nabil would like to come and visit with you, pray with you and ask God to bless your home. It would help in setting up his schedule if you would kindly return the coupon below. Father would like to do his best to see everybody before the start of Lent (March 2).
