S t . B a s i l t h e G r e a t A nt i o c h i a n O r t h o d o x C hu r c h
S t . B a s i l t h e G r e a t A nt i o c h i a n O r t h o d o x C hu r c h His Eminence Metropolitan JOSEPH, Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of all North America.
His Grace Bishop THOMAS, Auxiliary Bishop of The Diocese of Oakland, Charleston, and the Mid-Atlantic.
REV. FATHER JAMES PURDIE, PASTOR 1520 Todds Lane Hampton, VA 23666 Phone: Office (757) 223-4159, Cell: (412) 327-4099 Email: OrthodoxHampton@gmail.com Web Site: www.OrthodoxHampton.com
Welcome visitors! If you are visiting with us for the first time, we greet you in the Holy Name of Christ, our Saviour, and hope you will join us in fellowship after worship. We are genuinely pleased to have you with us today. We must remind you that while the Orthodox Church prays for the unity of all, we do not practice “open Communion.� Only those Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves with prayer, fasting, and regular confession should approach the chalice.
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For questions, please contact Fr. James Purdie. Blessings.
Saint Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch
Of all of the saints particularly loved by Antiochian Orthodox, St. Ignatius ranks somewhere near the top of the list. Of Syrian origin, St. Ignatius, otherwise known as Theophorus, which in Greek means “God-Bearer,” led the Christian Church during a critical period of her history. Pious tradition has always maintained that he was the little child that Christ held on His lap when he uttered the immortal words, “Let the children come unto me.” What is known for certain is that he grew up to be a disciple of the Apostles, St. Peter personally ordained him a Bishop, and his name is mentioned in the book of Romans. Not much is known about St. Ignatius’ life until he began his famous last journey—on foot—to Rome, where he was thrown to the lions as portrayed in his icons. On his way to his death, many churches sent representatives to him, and fortunately for future Christians, he sent letters back to the churches. Thanks to St. Polycarp, seven of these letters survived; in them, we find some of the earliest teachings about the organization, practices, and beliefs of the Church. He emphasized the importance of loyalty and obedience to the bishop, as well as the salvific power of the Eucharist, “the flesh of Christ,” “the gift of God,” “the medicine of immortality.” On December 20, 107, during the reign of Emperor Trajan, St. Ignatius ended his life in a Roman arena, torn to bits by beasts. Rather than discouraging the fledgling faith of Christianity as the Romans had hoped, his noble death ignited and strengthened the faith of many. In St. Ignatius’ most famous quote, he wrote to the Romans, “I am writing to all the Churches and I enjoin all, that I am dying willingly for God’s sake, if only you do not prevent it. I beg you, do not do me an untimely kindness. Allow me to be eaten by the beasts, which are my way of reaching to God. I am God’s wheat, and I am to be ground by the teeth of wild beasts, so that I may become the pure bread of Christ.” After his death, the saint’s followers lovingly carried his relics back to Antioch, where they remained until 637, when they were transferred to the Church of St. Clement in Rome. “We have not only to be called Christians, but to be Christians.” + St. Ignatius of Antioch
ANTIPHON tHE
RESURRECTIONAL APOLYTIKION IN TONE THREE Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad, for the Lord hath done a mighty act with His own arm. He hath trampled down death by death, and become the first-born from the dead. He hath delivered us from the depths of Hades, granting the world the Great Mercy.
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of faith; for the three holy youths rejoiced in the fountain of flames as though at waters of rest. And the Prophet Daniel appeared a shepherd to the lions as though they were sheep. Wherefore, by their prayers, O Christ God, save our souls. TROPARION OF ST. BASIL THE GREAT IN TONE ONE
In all the earth that received thy sayings, thy melody did resound, APOLYTIKION OF THE FOREFEAST O righteous father, through which thou didst go about and proclaim, OF THE NATIVITY IN TONE FOUR as worthy of God, the nature of creatures, cultivating the character Be thou ready, Bethlehem, Eden of mankind, O thou of kingly hath opened unto all. * Ephratha, Priesthood, Basil. Wherefore, plead prepare thyself, for now, behold, thou with Christ God to save our the Tree of Life * hath blossomed souls. forth in the cave from the holy Virgin. * Her womb hath proved a KONTAKION OF PREPARATION OF true spiritual Paradise, * wherein CHRIST’S NATIVITY IN TONE THREE the divine and saving Tree is found, * and as we eat thereof we On this day the Virgin cometh to shall all live, * and shall not die as did Adam. * For Christ is born now the cave to give birth to * God the Word ineffably, * Who was before to raise the image that had fallen all the ages. * Dance for joy, O earth, aforetime. on hearing * the gladsome tidings; * with the Angels and the shepherds APOLYTIKION OF SUNDAY now glorify Him * Who is willing to BEFORE THE NATIVITY IN TONE be gazed on * as a young Child Who TWO * before the ages is God. Great are the accomplishments
EPISTLE tHE
Blessed are Thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers. For Thou art justif ied in all that Thou hast done for us. The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews. (11:9-10, 3240) Brethren, by faith Abraham sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped
the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, and put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, illtreated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. 5
GOSPEL THE
The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew. (1:1-25)
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The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa, and Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the
father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, Who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ were fourteen generations. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call His Name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and His Name shall be called Emmanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called His Name Jesus.
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KOINONIKON ( COMMUNION HYMN)
Praise the Lord from the Heavens; Praise Him in the highest; Alleluia.
Post Communion Prayer of St. Basil the Great (pray silently after receiving the Holy Gifts) O Master, Christ our God, King of all ages and Maker of all things, I thank Thee for all the good things which Thou hast given me and of partaking of Thine immaculate and life-giving Mysteries. Wherefore, I pray Thee, who art good and loves mankind, keep me under Thy protection and in the shadow of Thy wings, and grant me a pure conscience, even unto my last breath to partake of Thy Holy Gifts for unto Thee we ascribe glory and thanksgiving, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
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OFFERINGS + Prayers of Health and Safety are offered for +
Nasi family, Saur family, Sheldon family, Erin, Lillia, Celeste, Edens family, Brown family, Howell family, Dn. Chris and family, Ross family, Dn. John, Brenda, Caroline, Daniel, Irina, Nicole, Basil, Fr. Elia and family, Fr. Paul and family, Fr. Earl and family, Fr. Adam and family, Fr. Isaac and family, Fr. Jospeh and family, Fr. Joseph and family, Dn. Steve and family, Dn. Kirk and family, Fr. Antonio and family, Fr. Gabriel and family, Davis family, Lunsford family, Zambonini family, McAddis family, Freedman family, Leary family, 8
Catherine, Maria, Anna, Robert, Anne, Daria and child, Christopher, Christopher, Daniel, Sophia, George, Nun Thecla, Ekaterina, Roman, Angelina, Igor, Alexander, Mark, Alexander, Caroline, Planinka, Maria, David, Archimandrite Ilya, Fr. James and family, Hovarter family, Holden family, Thience family, Riske family, Klein family, Crawford family, Joiner family, Cooper family, Hovan family, Fields family, Jake and family, Adam and family, Tilahun and family, Susan and family, Charlie, Anastasia, Nathan, Camron, Grant, Thadeus, Aaron, Sharon, Whelan family, Ray, Samantha, Jeff
OFFERINGS +++ Prayers of Loving Memory are offered for +++
Marcie, Lena, Gerhard, Mary, Roger, Kelly, Dorothy, Bill, Kh. Anastasia, ELder Ephraim, Bp. Milutin, Fr. Isaac, Fr. John, Archbishop Pimen, Fr. Michael, Fr. Michael, Fr. Joseph, Subdeacon Nicholas, Paul, Tatyana, Lydia, Victor, Alexander, Mary Jane, Leonard
Ephimia, Ephim, Michael, Alexey, Alexander, Alexandra, Yuri, Boris, Valentin, Valentina, Vladimir, Seraphima, Elena, Evdokia, Fr. Neil, Priscilla, Dan, Metropolitan Theodosius, Ralph, Archbishop David, Patriarch Iriny, William, Radovanka, Lazar. Raymond
Holy Bread is offered by Anna Mary Vogt for the health, safety, and memory of her loved ones.
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On the Sunday Before the Nativity
In a few short days our greeting to one another will change. In a few short days we will commemorate and celebrate the pivotal event in all of history: the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Do you really know who He is? He is the I Am, the God of gods, the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings, the Beginning and the End, the Prince of Peace, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. He is the reason for creation and the one through whom all things were made. St. Maximus the Confessor writes it this way: Christ is the hidden mystery, the blessed goal, the purpose for which everything was created… with His gaze fixed on this goal God called all things into existence. The mystery of the Incarnation of the Word of God contains in itself the whole meaning of the riddles and symbols of Scripture… Whoever knows the mystery of the cross and the tomb knows the meaning of all things.” We read the genealogy of our Lord, that part readers of Scripture often pass over, because it demonstrates that Jesus was really born as a man, He has a human lineage, ancestors, both sterling characters and reprehensible ones, in-laws and outlaws, just like all of us do. He does not avoid the riff raff of this world, He embraces them! A god that forever stands at a distance from his creation is no god at all. But the true God is a God primarily and absolutely of love and this He proves by coming to earth, taking on human flesh to meet us face to face, to touch us, to share all our joys and sorrows, to care for us and to die for us in order to make it possible for us all to share the life and kingdom of His Father forever and ever; a life more beautiful, more abundant, more thrilling, more exciting, more glorious than anything we could ever create or imagine in our wildest dreams. The Incarnation of the Son of God is absolutely essential! Had He not become Man we would never be able to know Him like this – intimately and personally. He would remain always the “God up there,” the Unapproachable, the Unattainable, the Fearful and Capricious Judge, the God we would always have to try and satisfy – like Zeus! But we Orthodox do not recognize this deity as God. We have looked in the eyes of Jesus Christ and have seen God staring back at us with human eyes. + Fr. Antony Hughes