daTes To RemembeR
Thanksgiving Luncheon Parish counciL candidaTes MeeTing Parish asseMbLy & eLecTions chrisTMas cookie ParTy FeasT oF sT. nichoLas divine LiTurgy - 9:30aM chrisTMas Luncheon & PrograM chrisTMas eve vesPeraL LiTurgy - 6:00 PM
decembeR 18Th
decembeR 24Th
THE PROMISE
PasToRal message
ne the most troubling aspects to life in the modern era is the prevalence of lies. Big or small, one can honestly say that we are so thoroughly inundated by them, that we have increasingly lost sight of the truth. Hence it is important for us to start with the basics - what exactly is a lie? We here them, we talk about them, and unfortunately sometimes we say them. But what exactly is it? Websters dictionary aptly defines a lie as: a false statement deliberately presented as being true. In other words, it is an intentional statement meant to pervert the truth. Lies are neither accidental nor harmless in essence, for they are designed to cloud the facts. Which begs the question, why do they so easily thrive? And the simplest answer is that despite their insidious nature, men and women would rather be comfortable in a fictitious world, than come to terms with challenging realities. Like moths to a flame, human beings are drawn to the cheapest solution and the easiest answer, often with little regard to the facts. The hard truth often comes with a price, and people tend to prefer the easy bargains that lies seem to generate. With that in mind, let us consider some cheap lies versus the costly truth.
for the Lord confidential? No one who knows us, works with us, talks to us or meets us should ever be surprised to learn that we are Orthodox Christians! Now the Lord does not ask us to sit in ashes and curse the world for its faithlessness, but He does expect us to keep our faith in Him not only burning in our heart, but boldly moving our feet and flowing from our lips. This also means that when someone asks us what we are, we have to have a better answer than a sheepish I am Christian. The truth of the matter is that we have to know what it means to be an Orthodox Christian. We have to be able to explain what an Orthodox Christian believes, and we have to live like devout Orthodox Christians. Now some may say, that such talk is a stretch, if not a bit nave. But let us be perfectly, if not brutally honest, the Holy Scriptures let alone the Fathers of the Church make it perfectly clear that there is no excuse before God or men for not being able to personally explain our faith in Christ and the teachings of His Holy Church. Every Orthodox Christian man, woman and child has at his or her fingertips everything necessary to not only live within the light of Christ, but to proclaim His truth. Neither ignorance nor indifference, are a defense. Then there is the often heard notion that the reality of life in the world occasionally requires even Christians to compromise some of the purity of their faith and virtue, either for the sake of being happy or in deference to the modern way of thinking. Let us be perfectly clear, this is another flagrant lie. When it comes to our faith, our ethics, and or our morality, there is no room for compromise. In such matters, Christians do not look for the middle ground, because we are called to always take the high road. (Continued on page 4)
First of all, there is the popular notion that our Christian faith is a purely private matter. This is a lie. Nonetheless, many well-intentioned people are inclined to go along with this notion because it has the potential of making life in the secular world a little bit less complicated. Meanwhile, the truth of the matter is that we cannot truly believe in anything, and remain perfectly indifferent. If we are quick to publicly profess our admiration for certain athletes, entertainers and or historical figures, how on earth can it be acceptable for anyone to keep their love
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Make your legacy of love for your parish eternal, remember the Annunciation in your Will.
th the rn upon ear Let us lea knowledge h us in continue wit that will heaven. e - St. Jerom
I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. J e r e m i a h 31:13
THE PROMISE
After all, the Lord our God is not found between good and evil He is perfectly good and the slightest deviation from Him and His Commandments is by definition, evil. If we accept for a moment the false notion that we can somehow weave our way through the world in a way that occasionally masks or contradicts our Orthodox Christian faith the truth is we are loosing our way, and it may very well have permanent implications. This brings us to another forlorn claim that must be clarified. More often than not, we hear it said that even without faith or genuine repentance it will all work out in the end, and that God will accept the good along with the bad, the faithful along with the faithless. This is another terrible lie. The Lord is merciful and He is loving, but it is utter folly to overlook the fact that He is the Judge of the earth. While we ourselves cannot pronounce Gods Final Judgment, this does not mean it will not happen or that the Lord will somehow fail to separate the goats from the lambs. In fact, if the good and the bad, the faithful and the faithless will not have to face Judgment, why does Christ so often speak of heaven and hell? If everyone automatically goes to heaven, what is hell for? The truth of the matter is that God will indeed judge us, and not everyone will be invited to enter into His kingdom. not because the Lord is cruel or capricious, but because people are becoming more content with all of the lies then with trying to follow God and accepting His Truth. This leads us to the familiar claim that God has many names or manifestations and that there is no difference between one or the other. This too is a lie. The fact of the matter is that we believe in One God, He has made His name known and He sent us His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). The Law and prophets did not intend to prepare the world
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for many gods, but to enable us to recognize the one true God. It has never sufficed to believe in A god, for HE has revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Granted, this truth is not universally accepted, it is not always welcomed and it does not make everyone comfortable but truth of the Good News is neither amorphous nor ambivalent. Now let there be no mistake, this is not said with anger or arrogance, anymore than it is a secret meant for select few. This is a wonderful truth meant for the whole world to discover and enjoy. As such, we as Orthodox Christians cannot lie about the person of Jesus Christ anymore than we can choose to hide the Truth about Him. So when people ask why is it so important for Christians to continually live and profess their faith; it is because we all have something important to say and something significant to do as members of His Church and bearers of the Good News of Christ. This also means that whenever sensitivity is deemed the very essence of the Christian faith rather than an aspect of it we are confronting another man-made lie. Christians are polite because we adhere to the Word of the Lord. We are respectful to others because we are in awe of God. We are compassionate because we regularly commune with Jesus Christ. But we can never confuse the natural expressions of the Christian faith with the essential and dynamic belief in Jesus Christ. Finally, one last falsehood that Christians seem to be particularly susceptible to: the idea that it is ok to sleep in on a Sunday morning because we had a hard (Continued on page 6)
To do this as an expression of love speaks volumes about the content of our heart, the fervor of our faith and the importance of Christ in our life. Just as when our own children do something we ask of them, not because they have to but because it will please us, so too will the Lord be moved by an ongoing commitment to attend the services at the Annunciation punctually with ready hearts, minds and souls. Let us all strive to attend the Holy Services of the Church from the very beginning and thereby glorify the Lord with our worship as a Christ-centered church family.
time.
THE PROMISE
chRIsTmas seRvIces
With the celebration of Christmas we jubilantly celebrate and proclaim the fact that the Lord God Himself has miraculously condescended to take on our flesh in order for us, (His creation), to know Him better, draw closer to Him and be saved by Him. The celebration of such a momentous event naturally calls us together into His Holy House in order to sing His praises, express our love for Him and partake of His life-giving Body and Blood.. There simply is no Christmas holiday without worshiping Jesus Christ. There is no Christmas joy without assembling in prayer within His Holy Church. We as the Annunciation Church family, will have the great and high privilege to herald the birth of our Lord & Saviour together as follows:
THE PROMISE
2012
In anticipation of next years Festival we are asking our Church family to help spread the word to any local non-denominational charity that would like to be considered for inclusion in the 2012 Festival and encourage them to please submit a letter to the Church Office expressing their interest along with a description or explanation of their work by November 6th. Charity letters of application will be collected through out the coming month and must be received by November 6th. After which we will be able to decide who our Festival will sponsor 2012.
The world was created good and called to the joy of life in union with the Source and Creator of life, the Lord God. The first to sin and to be torn from this union were angels. The angelic realm was split: some remained with God; others, in their pride, desired to live their own life, independent of God. The angelic world was split and sin was born there, but the earthly world remained good. And then the devil, which means the one cast down from heaven, began to strive to join the earthly realm to himself. The highest creation on earth, man, had been given a commandment by God not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Why was the commandment given? This tree was just like all the others, and in itself it had no outstanding characteristics. No, the knowledge of good and evil was not in the tree itself, and not for this reason was the commandment given. The Lord gave it because man was created free, and the Lord desires of man a freely-willed striving and longing for union with God. The commandment was given because only through its fulfillment could man express his freely-willed striving toward God and love for Him. And blessedness consists simply of communication with God through love of Him. The devil is burdened by his separation; he is perpetually in a state of wrath and vengeance, and it comforts him to attract others. The devil never appears as his true self, but takes on various appearances. Then in paradise he took on the appearance of a serpent, and gave man the idea that the commandment had not been given for the expression of mans love of God, but so that man would not become like God. The devil planted the thought that the command was issued, not out of Gods love, so that man would dwell in Gods love, but because God desires to dominate, and to prevent man from being as God, and coming to know the endless and limitless joy of being. When man came to believe this diabolical idea, he was instantly separated from God. Everything changed, and man could no longer enjoy life in God and speak with God freely and straightforwardly as children speak. There was no peace, no joy, and man began to hide from God. Everything changed, the link between God and man was destroyed and nature ceased to heed man. Weeping entered the world, and the soul became burdened.
RemindeR: all charity application letters for the 2012 festival muSt received by november 6th for consideration!
ouR sTeWaRdshIP
Our Stewardship commitment to the Annunciation is tangible way for us to abide in God and share His light. And despite the very difficult times we are currently confronting in this country, each and every one of us serve an essential role as Christian light bearers in supporting the Annunciation in Little Rock and helping to ensure its survival. God will never abandon His Church, but if His flock does not vigilantly protect the parishes, some may very well be overrun by the secular world. All together, let us renew our support of the Annunciation and continue to manifest the light of Christ here in Little Rock.
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confusion that many teens already experience. Clear thinking adults know that the message is a lie. They also know the constant bombardment of this message influences teens and they fight an uphill battle when these gatekeepers of teen culture hide the truth. Who really cares for the kids here? Apologists for MTV argue that the programming stresses safe sex by urging that the teens use condoms whenever they have sex. Its not enough. Sexually active teens are notoriously unreliable about using condoms consistently. No amount of celebrity preaching or slick public service spots will change this. Second, condoms provide a false security. It leads to more sexual activity and therefore increased risk of harm. Moral libertines dont like moral critiques. It makes them uncomfortable. They argue that moral critiques are a thin veil that hides censorship. In fact, moral critiques often function as moral appeals. Are there any parents at MTV or their sponsors, in management, on the boards and in committees, who believe that their responsibility extends beyond the bottom line? Do the adults at MTV understand that selling sex makes them culpable for the harm that results?
THE PROMISE
Christ, she contained the Creator of the universe in her womb. The iconographer, Nicholas Pappas reflecting on this icon wrote: This shows a balance in the historical Churchs view of the place and role of Mary. She is essential and significant by her relationship to Christ. Christ could not have been born without her free consent. She is made significant by the One she bore. She provides the throne. She is in the background. These characteristics reveal her humility, and oddly enough the icon in its way honors her because of it. She is significant to us as an example of the potential outcome of free-will submission to Gods goodness. In essence, the icon also helps to present the Churchs view of the place and essential role of Mary in Gods divine economy. In accepting to bear the Christ she is made significant by the One whom she bore. Then, by her free-will submission to Gods goodness and deference to His Will, she is a profound example of obedience to all Christians. The Theotokos (the Mother of God) with Christ icon also serves to teaches a fundamental truth of Orthodox Christianity- that is, that Christ is to dwell in each of us. Thus, the same Christ that condescended to dwell in the Virgin Mary is in us as well. Thereby embodying the words of St. Paul in Galatians (2:20): I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Finally, this particular icon is a required element to every Orthodox Church because it plainly presents through art the doctrine of the Incarnation, God becoming a man through a woman and the Holy Spirit. It intends to call to mind the Truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was born of a virgin (perfectly God and perfectly human). It highlights how the birth of Jesus the Christ in the flesh becomes the connecting link between God and humans, between heaven and earth. As with most Orthodox icons of Mary, the Greek letters appear on the upper left and right hand side of the head of the Virgin Mary; the abbreviation for the term , meaning the Mother of God (Jesus Christ in the flesh, not the God the Father (Continued on page 13)
In all Orthodox Christian churches, the Sanctuary faces East, in the direction where Christ, the light of world, first shone forth through the darkness of the world. Most importantly, the Book of Revelations tells us that when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead, He will appear from the East. For these reasons, it is the tradition of the Orthodox Church that the Altar of every parish face East. Furthermore, it must be noted that the Sanctuary is elevated from the Nave and Solea by steps. This is an architectural detail whereby the floor of the Church symbolizes the earth, while the Sanctuary being slightly elevated, symbolizes heaven.
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the platytera
Within the apse of the Sanctuary is a half-dome icon of the Virgin Mary with Christ painted by Elias Katsaros in 1985. This icon unites the roof of the Church with the floor, symbolically uniting the heavens and the earth. The icon is entitled in Biblical Greek, Platytera ton ouranon meaning: More spacious than the heavens. Poetically accentuating that in giving birth to the Jesus
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2011 meTRoPolIs of deTRoIT cleRgy-laITy confeRence You are the Light of the World
God has called us to do mighty deeds for the glory of His name and for the love of His people. You are called upon to join in this reality of faith working through love as we continue to manifest the love of God for His Church and His people. When you support the Friends of the Metropolis campaign, you are part of a greater outreach that proclaims with one universal voice that God is truly our hope and our rock of salvation. Because of your devotion and help to the Friends program, ministries and programs are implemented on a Metropolis-wide basis which strengthen and enhance our faith and our joint ministry of service. If you have not yet become part of the Metropolis-wide effort, I would like to invite you to join forces with the faithful throughout our Metropolis in support of the ministries which are part of the Office of the Metropolitan. Thanking you for your kind and generous response, I remain, with paternal blessing and prayers, Metropolitan Nicholas
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THE PROMISE
maRRIage bReakeR
(Continued from page 7)
language pragmatics
Roger Brown, a Harvard University research psychologist, made what might be termed one of the most important discoveries in modern psycholinguistics. He reported that when we communicate it is the onomatopoeic aspect of language that conveys the most meaning. In other words, it is the tone of voice and the manner in which the words are spoken which convey the overwhelming meaning in the communication, rather than the linguistic-definitional content of the words themselves. Over the years I have found this Browns research very pastorally and clinically helpful. For example, I may have a mother present a problem she claims her son has. She reports that she simply asks him to clear his dinner dish from the table after supper. The mother tells me this in a pleasant non-emotional conversational tone. She goes on to say, when I tell him this, he flies into a rage, what is wrong with him? Immediately yellow (caution) flags arise in my mind. I ask myself, if she said this to her son as nicely as she is conveying it to me, why would he respond so angrily? (Continued on page 17)
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or Holy Spirit). In this icon Marys hands are open and outstretched presenting Christ to the world. The open and outstretched hands are in a position of both prayer and presentation. The icon is less an image of Mary then an image of Christ, and for this reason she is in the background while He is at the very front and center of the icon. As with all iconography depicting Christ, within His halo is the form of the Cross along with three ancient Greek letters that are the abbreviation for the phrase: The One Who Is or The Eternal One, thereby unequivocally identifying Him as the Divine Son of God who is without beginning or end. In addition, Jesus is depicted as vested in gold and white robes so as to emphasize His Divine glory while holding a scroll symbolic of His role as Teacher and the Word become flesh. His face is portrayed as that of an adult to indicate the Christian teaching that He was at one and the same time both fully human and fully the eternal God, one of the Trinity. Finally, His right hand is raised in blessing.
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(Commemorated on Holy Friday)
The Crucifixion
In the coming months The Promise will try to include further installments highlighting the beauty of His House at the Annunciation. May these brief commentaries serve as a reminder of the privilege we enjoy at the Annunciation and the duty we bear to continually maintain and enhance the beauty of His Holy House.
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THE PROMISE
on cRemaTIon
(Continued from page 6) with ill-omened sights of the dead. Early Christians, by contrast, held that the death of believers was a cause of hope, and their bodies, far from being ill-omened, were precious links to the faith Christians had in the Resurrection of the Dead. The Apostle Paul describes this in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 as a joyous day when a loud call will sound and the Lord will come again, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord for ever. Christ himself says in John 5:28-29 that the day is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his [the Son of Mans] voice and will come out. These are the two readings used in the Orthodox Order for the Burial of the Dead and they set a resurrectional tone for the whole liturgy. The boundaries between the living and dead were first broken by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The tomb was empty because the actual, physical resurrection of Christs body had taken place (Matthew 28:5-6, Mark 16:6, Luke 24:5) and although this resurrected body transcended some earthly limitations (i.e. walk through walls - John 20:19 & 26, appearing in various places-John 21:1, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8) it bore direct connection to the body Christ had always had and was recognized by his disciples (Luke 24:31, Matthew 28:9) and bore the marks of his crucifixion (John 20:27-28). This is the hope for all Christians. Our bodies will also be resurrected, not just our souls, we will recognise each other, and the marks of our spiritual and physical battles will somehow be a part of us. Our physical bodies are inseparable parts of our identity as, Orthodox anthropology maintains, a human person is a soma, an animated body one indivisible unit of sarx (body) and psyche (soul). The Order for Burial liturgy instructs the congregation to look at the body in the open casket, and to come forward and to give the dead person a final kiss- a person who, like them, was made in the image of God. By contrast Tertullian criticizes the common Roman practice of cremation as dishonoring to the body. He
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noted the practice of people burning incense offerings to the dead after cremation and said, What piety is that which mocks its victims with cruelty? Is it sacrifice or insult (which the crowd offers), when it burns its offerings to those it has already burnt? Many people today also feel this difference. J. Douglas Davies noted that ashes represent what might be called a post-person state of the deceased. From the Orthodox perspective this post-personal view of the body is unacceptable and burial may best avoid this confusion and maintain a clear link to the bodily resurrection.
mixed metaphors
On one level, there may not seem to be much difference between burial and cremation; what one method does in 5 years the other does in 20 minutes. Does it really matter? Through the lens of metaphor, however, the difference is stark. Burial implies patience and waiting for nature to take its course. It is reminiscent of John 12:24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Each believer can be seen as a seed planted hopefully in the ground, awaiting the new life of resurrection. This same imagery is employed in 1 Corinthians 15:42-43 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. Cremation, by contrast, conjures up fiery biblical images of hell, judgement, destruction, torment and the lake of fire mentioned in Revelation. Christ consistently used punishment by fire in many of his parables including the Wheat and the Weeds, the Rich Man and Lazarus, and most directly in the Sheep and the Goats. Most people, however, can logically reason that cremation does not have to mean these things, though the natural link is unfortunate and lingers in many peoples mind. A related and subtle metaphoric problem was spotted by Davies in his work on the Cremation Research Project. Because of the finality of cremation and the explicit
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technology used, cremation gives rise to a revival of the Greek philosophic focus on the soul of the individual as the only part of them that continues after death. The theme of resurrection gets left behind. This exclusive focus on the soul can easily be seen in the phenomenon of scattering ashes. Ashes being post-personal, sterile and indistinguishable from other ash, means there are few restrictions on the place of scatterings in the ocean, along a favorite walking path, in someones garden, etc. Scattering requests mostly express a personal connection with a place or a hobby and say nothing about a hope in any eschatological future of the bodily person. As Davies writes, their intention is not to give God an opportunity to show how easy it is to integrate and transform these bits and pieces into a heavenly body, but instead to make a statement about individual identity and this earthly life. This idea is far from the early Christian goal of being buried near martyrs and other Christians in consecrated ground, awaiting the Resurrection together!
than precious stones and finer than refined gold. The Martyrdom of Polycarp records that they put them in a suitable place and there, when we gather together as we are able, with joy and gladness, the Lord will permit us to celebrate the birthday of his martyrdom. The Didascalia Apostolorum likewise urges Christians to come together even in the cemeteries, and read the holy Scriptures, andperform your ministryand offer an acceptable Eucharist. The Didascalia Apostolorum further sites how the body of the prophet Elisha in 2 Kings 13, raised the body of another dead man because of the presence of the Holy Spirit that still dwelt in the his corpse. Orthodox Christians likewise understand that the Holy Spirit still rests in the bodies of saints. Also, since sainthood is not officially recognized by the Church until proper study has been made of the persons life after they have died, there may be a significant lapse of time between the persons burial and the call for their relics. Personal items of the saints are often also used as relics, but cremation would exclude the possibility of cherished bodily relics. This issue is no small concern in the Orthodox Church, as each altar must contain a relic, usually of a martyr in reference to Revelation 6:9 (the souls of martyrs under the altar). Also the square cloth on which an Orthodox priest serves the Eucharist, an antimension, has tiny relics sewn into each corner, which would be impossible with cremated remains. The veneration of relics essentially is a way of making sure that the saints are not without honour among the faithful and in turn the faithful recognise that grace flows out of the whole persons of saints, even after death, as a gift to the Church.
holy relics
Ignatius of Antiochs Letter to the Romans and the account of The Martyrdom of Polycarp, give us two links between the death of saints and relic veneration. In the Letter to the Romans the condemned Ignatius urges the Christians in Rome not to stop his fight with wild beasts in the arena, urging them, coax the wild beasts, so that they may become my tomb and leave nothing of my body behind, lest I become a burden to anyone once I have fallen asleep. This shows that burial is not a prerequisite for resurrection, as indeed God can raise people from any form, but even so, at least part of Ignatius body was recovered and became cherished relics. Polycarp likewise became a martyr in a Roman arena, being burned at the stake in the year 167. The Martyrdom of Polycarp recounts Polycarps death in the flames, but his body was not totally consumed and the Christians were kept from taking away his body, even though many desired to do this and to touch his holy flesh. The Romans decided to further cremate Polycarps body and the Christians in the end took away his charred bones which they considered more valuable
conclusion
After considering the importance of the physical body in the Resurrection of the Dead, the confusing metaphors created by cremation, and the loss of future holy relics, it is clear why Orthodox Christians consider inhumation normative and cremation generally unethical. This is not due to a denial of the process of decomposition (Continued on page 17)
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Happy BirtHday
December 19th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elizabeth Hunter Maria Verdaris December 20th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pete Stathakis December 21st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jesse Burks December 22nd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Raouf Kassissieh December 23rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Susan McDowell December 26th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Toni Staley December 27th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stephanie Verdaris December 28th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kristin Alley December 29th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Benjamin Alley
NovemBer
November 1st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lynn McDowell November 4th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mary Henry November 5th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephanie Wilcox November 7th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Irene Vratsinas November 12th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Morgan Bailey Andrew Bene Paul Bene November 13th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lyle Glass Fran Hyde Gabrielle Turjman November 14th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Helaina Harb John Terlea November 15th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Isabel Wilcox November 16th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jonathan Alley Jamie Fotioo November 20th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carole Hawkins November 26th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joyce Harb November 28th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hallie Ramser Kyro Sadaka
c felloWshIP houR d
If you or your family would like to commemorate a special event, honor the memory of a loved one or would simply like to after a gift to the Annunciation family... you too can sponsor a Fellowship Hour! Please check the Bulletin Board and sign up today!
ouTReach commITTee
meeT & gReeT schedule
November 6th . . . . . . . . Christopher Huckabay November 13th . . . . . . . . . . . . .Carole Hawkins November 20th . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jack Weatherly November 27th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Hunter December 4th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robin Jones December 11th . . . . . . . . . . . . Susan McDowell December 18th . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sharon Johnson December 25th . . . . . . . Christopher Huckabay
decemBer
December 1st . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jana Hunter December 3rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kate Martin December 9th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ron Harb Marshall Mann December 12th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel Kassissieh December 14th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pat Pappas December 15th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Randy Kassissieh Helena Roy December 17th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grant Alley
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on cRemaTIon
(Continued from page 15) or a desire to waste precious land for burial, but an affirmation of each person as a whole being who, even after death, deserves our greatest respect and care. It is not enough, however, to simply say that all cremation is wrong and all burial is good. Further attention is needed for the local laws (i.e. Japan requires cremation) and for the exorbitant costs of some funeral services that can prey upon the vulnerable (a worthy concern of the original Cremation Society of England). The bioethics of embalming should also be considered and how it relates to proper respect for human bodies. Above all, the Christian view of death must allow Resurrection to take centre stage as the focus of hope about the future. With Christ as our Lord and example, the firstborn from among the dead, we wait in hope for our release from our bondage to decay and our rebirth into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
maRRIage bReakeR
(Continued from page 12)
Two hypotheses emerge, one, her son does have an emotional problem, or two, she is not accurately conveying to me how she told her son to perform the cleanup. At this point I usually ask her to role play the exact words and tone of voice she used when talking to her son. I may have to recite a possible typical script to get her started. I begin with a saccharine intoned: Sweetheart, would you please, help mommy and take your dinner dish to the sink; or BOBBY, TAKE your dish to the SINK, NOW! It has been by pastoral and clinical experience that in most situations such as this example, invariably the words she chose to talk to her son and her tone of voice is closer to the second script. This is not to say the child may not have an behavioralemotional problem as well, but it is to say, the parental communication is harsh and mean.
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THE PROMISE
maRRIage bReakeR
(Continued from page 17) description of love, part of which reads: Love does not insist on its own way... (1Cor 13: 5). One of the descriptions of Pride given by St. John Climacus in his Ladder of Divine Ascent is that it is the mother of condemnation [and] a source of anger. This is exactly what obnoxiously insisting on imposing ones truth on others is (even if correct according to Christs teaching). The seriousness of Pride, the passion that leads to insisting others conform to ones view point can be seen in this dramatic metaphor of St. John: Pride is utter penury of soul, under the illusion of wealth, imagining light in its darkness. The foul passion not only blocks our advance, but even hurls us down from the heights.
christ-liKe assertiveness
One method of effective communication is related to the psychological communication skill of assertiveness. Assertiveness is defined as an honest communication of real feelings in a socially acceptable way; that is to say not mean-spirited, harsh, arrogant or rude. This means all assertive pragmatics imbibe the ethos of the love of Christ which includes patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control - what is known in scriptural terminology as the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5: 22-23). There are socially and spiritually appropriate behavioral boundaries that must be in place in a Christ-like family, but they should be enacted and guided by the love of Christ just mentioned. The most effective methods of ensuring behavioral compliance is a scientific cognitiveemotive-behavioral program enlivened by Christs Holy Mysteries and His Church.
communication aids
(Continued on page 20)
ThanksgIvIng seRvIce
There is no better way for Orthodox Christians to celebrate and honor one of the most noble of national holidays than to gather as a Church family and praise God for all the blessings He has given us - in His Holy Church. This year before you finish or start to cook the turkey, mash the potatoes, and prepare the table for family and friends, let us gather at the Annunciation on W edneSday evening , November 23rd and together as a faithful Church family us offer the Lord our God true thanks. The Divine LiTurgy will begin at 6:00pm. Let us all make some time to thank the Lord this Thanksgiving.
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check us ouT
Dont forget our website: WWW. orthodoxchurch.com! It has an up to date monthly calendar, the latest edition of the promise, sermons and all sorts of information, you can even contribute to the Church online! Find us on facebooK at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church and Like us! If you know someone who might be interested in being a vendor at the 2012 Festival, have them visit www.greeKfoodfest.com - application forms & information are available.
college sTudenTs!
Attention College
students And or pArents of College students, the Annunciation wants to stay in contact with you! Please provide the Church Office with mailing and e-mail information in order for the Annunciation and the Office of Campus Ministry to keep the lines of communication going while far away from home.
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THE PROMISE
maRRIage bReakeR
(Continued from page 18)
what Orthodox family life, as well as membership in the parish community should look like. The exclamation ending the Anaphora prayer the priest recites during the Divine Liturgy expresses this relational perspective: And grant us with one mouth and one heart to glorify and praise thine all-honorable and majestic name: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
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THE PROMISE
maRRIage bReakeR
(Continued from page 21) say: Any virtue existing without humility is no virtue at all. To this however, must be added discretion, which braces the building so to speak, and the roof of the building will be charity, which completes the house. But at the end of his description, he returns back, or rather looks up to humility again, which he calls the houses crown: The crown is humility. For that is the crown and guardian of all virtues. As each virtue needs humility for its acquisitionand in that sense we said each stone is laid with the mortar of humilityso also the perfection of all the virtues is humility..the man that is getting closer to God looks on himself more and more as a sinner. It is impossible to overcome the barriers to a good marriage without humility. As St. Isaac the Syrian tells us: Grace is preceded by humility. St. Isaac goes on to say humility is embracing a voluntary mortification regarding all things. In the case of the obnoxiously insisting on imposing your point of view on spouse or other family members, it would mean letting go, giving up, putting to death this prideful stance. As St. Isaac writes: He that has humility in his heart, has become dead to the world. So in regard to insisting on others acquiesce to ones own viewpoints, we should apply St. Isaacs wisdom: honor silence; for it prevents many wrongs.
house blessIngs!
If you would like your home to be blessed for the New Year... this announcement is for you! As is the tradition of the Church following the feast of Theophany, Orthodox Christians may ask to have their homes blessed by the priest with holy water. Beginning December 4th and ending December 25th, a sign-up sheet will be posted in Gabriel Hall for all those in a Church family who would like to have their home blessed the New Year. please
help maKe this enormous undertaKing
When pride comes, then comes disgrace; but with the humble is wisdom. (Proverbs 11:2)
december. All those who kindly register their name by December 25th will then be contacted by Father Nicholas after the feast of Epiphany to make arrangements for a blessing.
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Please remember to submit your 2012 annunciation steWardship card by January 22nd!
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d an Word of the Lor deeper into the Lets go Church! teachings of the ur ue to explore o going to contin We are light of n Faith in the hodox Christia ns. Ort r to the Roma St. Pauls Lette ertise perience or exp - no previous ex All are invited Christ! desire to grow in required, just a 6:00pm November 2nd at ednesday, W 6:00pm November 16th at 6:00pm November 30th at
seRvIces foR The feasT of TheoPhany & sT. John The baPTIsT
EvE of ThEophany
small blessIng of The WaTeRs
Thursday, January 5th 9:30am
ThEophany
gReaT blessIng of The WaTeRs
Friday, January 6th 9:30am
Elections for the Annunciation Parish Council will be held on sunday, december 4, 2011. Please note that candidates and nominating witnesses must be members in good standing with the Parish for at least one year immediately preceding the date of the election and register as candidates in person. Those men and women who love the Lord, are active in the life of the Annunciation, and have a sincere desire to serve Christ and His Church at the Annunciation and would like to be a candidate for a seat on the Parish Council must register as a candidate in person along with a witness by sunday,
kITchen RemIndeR!
Please remember that if any items are used from the Church Kitchen for Fellowship Hour, etc. they need to be cleaned afterwards. The washing of dishes, utensils, etc. is not included in our agreement with the Cleaning Service.
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THE PROMISE
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THE PROMISE
together!
What Happens When You Add Homemade Cookies + The Philander Smith Choir + Christmas Cheer + Our Church Family?
The Annunciation Christmas Cookie Party on December 4th! annUnCiaTion ThanksgIvIng eve lITuRgy
Wednesday, novembeR 23Rd
Lets Come Together and Give Thanks to the Lord!
The entire Annunciation Church family is invited to our annual chriStmaS cookie party! We want to get into the Christmas spirit together as well as explore everyones wide variety of Christmas cookies. The evenings festivities will include a special performance by the renowned philander Smith choir. This promises to be another memorable evening replete with Christmas music, joy and treats. the price for admiSSion to thiS exciting event 3 dozen homemade cookies per household. pleaSe note, Store bought cookieS are not Welcomed! We want to enjoy each others family recipes - not what the Keebler Elves or Sam Waltons staff can make in a factory! Festivities will begin at 6:00pm. So prepare those 3 dozen cookies and lets have some fun together.
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n ovembeR 2011
Sun Mon Tues 1 Wed 2 Thurs 3 Fri 4 Sat 5
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Scholarship Foundation Meeting 6:00pm
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9th Sunday of Luke Matins 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am Parish Thanksgiving Luncheon
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Entrance of the Theotokos Liturgy 9:30am
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Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Eve Liturgy 6:00pm
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13th Sunday of Luke Matins 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am Youth Bowling Fun!
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THE PROMISE
d ecembeR 2011
Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs 1 Fri 2 3 Sat
13th Sunday of Luke Matins 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am Parish Assembly Parish Council Elections Parish Christmas Cookie Party
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Feast of St. Nicholas Liturgy 9:30am
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6th Sunday of Luke Matins 9:00am Divine Liturgy 10:00am Christmas Luncheon & Program
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