{"id":5618,"date":"2016-12-06T08:33:52","date_gmt":"2016-12-06T13:33:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stpeterorthodoxchurch.com\/?p=5618"},"modified":"2016-12-06T08:33:52","modified_gmt":"2016-12-06T13:33:52","slug":"st-peter-newsletter-december-6-2016-sunday-of-the-forefathers-st-panteleimon-visits-st-peters-christmas-schedule-2017-calendars-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stpeterorthodoxchurch.com\/st-peter-newsletter-december-6-2016-sunday-of-the-forefathers-st-panteleimon-visits-st-peters-christmas-schedule-2017-calendars-more\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Peter Newsletter December 6, 2016 — Sunday of the Forefathers, St. Panteleimon Visits St. Peter’s, Christmas Schedule, 2017 Calendars,…more"},"content":{"rendered":"
On the Sunday that occurs on or immediately after the eleventh of this month, we commemorate Christ’s forefathers according to the flesh, both those that came before the Law, and those that lived after the giving of the Law.<\/p>\n
Special commemoration is made of the Patriarch Abraham, to whom the promise was first given, when God said to him, “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 22:18). This promise was given some two thousand years before Christ, when Abraham was seventy-five years of age. God called him and commanded him to forsake his country, parents, and kinsmen, and to depart to the land of the Canaanites.<\/p>\n
When he arrived there, God told him, “I will give this land to thy seed” (Gen. 12:7); for this cause, that land was called the “Promised Land,” which later became the country of the Hebrew people, and which is also called Palestine by the historians. There, after the passage of twenty-four years, Abraham received God’s law concerning circumcision.<\/p>\n
In the one hundredth year of his life, when Sarah was in her ninetieth year, they became the parents of Isaac. Having lived 175 years altogether, he reposed in peace, a venerable elder full of days.<\/p>\n
Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese website<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Christmas worship is different this year because Christmas falls on a Sunday. The schedule is:<\/p>\n On Sunday, November 27, 2016 the icon of St. Panteleimon behind the altar began exuding oil. It lasted for one day although some oil is still fresh in the left side of the cross near St. Panteleimon’s ear. The oil began exuding during the Divine Liturgy although no one noticed it until the Liturgy was complete. A parishioner with an ear problem was scheduled for prayers immediately following the Liturgy so when the oil on the icon was discovered, it was used in the annointing.<\/p>\n The Christmas fasting period runs from November 15 to December 24. Guidelines for proper fasting during the Christmas fast can be found on the Antiochian Archdiocese website.<\/a>. Look at the schedule, conform to the fast as you are able, and if you have questions consult Fr. Hans.<\/p>\n Fasting is important but sometimes circumstances require adjustments to the directions. We are not bound to directions (fasting is voluntary) but we should not use our liberty as an excuse for slackness or negligence either.<\/p>\n Why fast? It helps us focus on Christ more in our interior lives. As we learn to master our interior life, our exterior life changes for the better too. We fast faithfully and in secret, not judging others, and not holding ourselves up as an example.<\/p>\n From the Antiochian Archdiocese Website:<\/em><\/p>\n The Purpose of Fasting<\/strong><\/p>\n The purpose of fasting is to focus on the things that are above, the Kingdom of God. It is a means of putting on virtue in reality, here and now. Through it we are freed from dependence on worldly things.<\/p>\n Do Not Fast<\/strong><\/p>\n Responsibility towards God includes taking responsibility for His Church. We love God because He first loved us. He established the Church as His body, as the way we find Him and draw closer to Him. We are responsible for maintaining it so that the work of Christ can continue in the world. That’s how it works.<\/p>\n You will be getting letter next week asking for your commitment to St. Peter’s. Prayerfully consider your support of St. Peter’s. The Church is not a charity. The Church is the Body of Christ. It needs to be high on our list.<\/p>\n Every Christmas season St. Peter’s runs a food drive for NAMI (National Association for Mental Illness)serving local people in need. NAMI helps people with serious and persistent mental illnesses, as well as their parents, children, spouses, siblings and friends.<\/p>\n St. Peter’s has contributed to NAMI emergency food bank care for six years. Donations go to the Sarah Ann Drop In Center in Naples, FL. Three categories of items are needed:<\/p>\n Bring them to church and we will get them to NAMI. The drive will run through Christmas.<\/p>\n Pick up yours at Church. One per household please. What constitutes a household? If you have kids in college and want to send them a calendar for example, that would count as another household. So go ahead and send it. <\/p>\n If we have any left (we ordered 100) we can move to more than one per household.<\/p>\n The calendar is attractive and useful. It lists the Saint for each day, the scripture readings, fasting schedule, and more.<\/p>\n The drive for Toys for Tots leading up to our St. Nicholas Pot Luck was successful and we have decided to continue it another few weeks. Please bring an unwrapped toy to Church and we will make sure it gets to the people who give it to needy children.<\/p>\nChristmas Worship Schedule<\/h2>\n
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St. Panteleimon Blesses St. Peter’s<\/h2>\n
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We’ve Entered the Christmas Fasting Period<\/h2>\n
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Stewardship Letters in the Mail<\/h2>\n
Christmas Season Food Drive for NAMI<\/h2>\n
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2017 Liturgical Calendars Available<\/h2>\n
Toys for Tots Continues Until Christmas<\/h2>\n
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Music from Archdiocese Teens<\/h2>\n
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