April 6, 2008 Church Bulletin

Sunday, April 6, 2008

          FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

 St. John the Ladder

Today’s Celebrants: 

V. Rev. Fr. TimothyFerguson;

Rt. Rev. Fr. Constantine Yanney;

Rev. Dn. Nicholas Belcher; Subdeacon Douglas Howdy;

Subdeacon Khalil Samara; Subdeacon Chadi Saad; Subdeacon James Irving

VARIATION IN TODAY’S DIVINE LITURGY

At the entrance (Service Book page 97):

1)   TROPARION OF THERESURRECTION – Tone 4:  When the women disciples learned the joyful message of the Resurrection from the angel, they cast away parental sin ,and proudly told the message to the disciples, proclaiming that death hath been spoiled and Christ, our God, hath risen, granting to the world great mercy.

2)    THE ENTRANCE HYMN:  O Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ.  O son of God, who art risen from the dead save us who sing unto thee:  Alleluia.

3)   Repeat #1 above.

4)   TROPARION OF ST.JOHN - Tone 8 – The barren wilderness thou didst make fertile with the streams of thy tears and by thy deep sighing thou hast given fruit through thy struggles a hundred-fold. Accordingly, thou hast become a star for the universe, sparkling with miracles.  Therefore, O righteous Father John, intercede with Christ God to save our souls.

5)    TROPARION OF ST.GEORGE – Tone 4:  As deliverer of captives and defender of the poor, healer of the infirm, champion of kings, victorious, Great Martyr George, intercede with Christ our God for our soul’s salvation.

6)   KONTAKION FOR THESUNDAYS IN LENT – Tone 8:  Verily, I thy servant, O Theotokos, inscribe unto thee the banners of conquest, O defending soldier; I offer thanks to thee as a deliverer from tribulation, and since thine is the might unconquerable, deliver me, O deliver me from oppression, that I may sing unto thee:  Rejoice, O bride without bridegroom.

Prokeimenon:  TheLord will give strength to his people.

                            Bring to the Lord, O sonsof God, bring to the Lord honor and glory.

EPISTLE:  The reading is from St. Paul to theHebrews.

(Chapter 6:13-20.)

BRETHREN, when God made a promise to Abraham, since he has no one greater by whom to swear, he swore to himself, saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise.  Men indeed swear by a greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.  So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he interposed with an oath, so that through two changeable things, inwhich it is impossible that God should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.  We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK.

(Chapter 9:17-31.)

 And one of the crowd answered him "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit; and wherever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were notable."  And he answered them,"O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you?  How long am I to bear with you?  Bring him to me."  And they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.  And Jesus asked his father, "How long has he had this?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on usand help us."  And Jesus said to him, "If you can!  All things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out with tears and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!"  And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again."  And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of themsaid, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting."  They went on from there and passed through Galilee.  And he would not have any one know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them,"The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise."

Special note:  Except for those who are elderly and/ordisabled, please remain standing during Holy Communion.

NEXT WEEK’S HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:  Hebrews 9:11-14; Mark 10:32-45.

 This Weeks LENTEN Services                                                

Monday          Compline Service @ St. George, Lawrence– 7p.m.

Tuesday         Arabic Compline at 7p.m.

Wednesday    Pre Sanctified Divine Liturgy at 6:30p.m.

Friday             Akathist Hymn at 7 p.m.

Saturday        Great Vespers at 5:30 p.m.

           “Let us not, O Lord, be strangers outside your house”          

FOOD FOR HUNGRY PEOPLE PROGRAM – Food for Hungry People boxes are available at the church narthex and were sent home with each Church School child.  Please be generous when feeding the boxes.  Boxes should be returned to the church by Palm Sunday, April 20^th.  Gift certificates to local supermarkets are also being accepted.  May God bless you for your generosity.

 SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE –. DEach year, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Women of North America award scholarships, $500 each, to help women continue their education in order to improve their circumstances and those oftheir families.  The scholarships will be awarded in July at the Summer Meetings at the Antiochian Village.  The applicant must be a female over 25years of age; a member in good standing of a parish of the Antiochian Archdiocese; actively involved in her parish; applying for or registered in anacademic or trade program of study and demonstrate financial need.  If interested, applications are in the Church Office.  Deadlinefor application is June 1, 2008.  Any questions please feel free to call Kh. Helene Hajal 613.738.0476 or Cindy Nimey 315.796.7910.

 High School Seniors visit www.antiochian.org, click on Youth Ministry and Scholarships for a listing of current Scholarships being offered and to download applications and instructions.