St. Luke Orthodox Anniston 010911

This Week’s FasTssunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday saturday

Sunday, January 9, 2011 • 33rd Sunday after PentecostSunday after the Theophany • Martyr Polyeuctus of Melitene in Armenia (259).

St. Gregory of Nyssa (anticipated). Prophet Shemaiah (Samaia, Semeias) (10th c. B.C.) (III Kings 12:22). St. Peter, bishop of Sebaste in Armenia (ca. 395), brother of Sts. Macrina Basil the Great, Naucratius, and Gregory of Nyssa. St.

Adrian, abbot in Canterbury (710). St. Eustratius the Wonderworker of Tarsus (821). New Martyr Parthena of Edessa in Macedonia (1375). Hieromartyr Philip, metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia (1569).

Announcements Speak with Father Basil soon about scheduling your home to be blessed. Be sure to look for our Facebook page with many photos from our parish’s history.

Many Years May God grant Many Years to Gregory Edwin Smith on his namesday tomorrow.

The cover photo is of Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, throwing a wooden cross into Golden Horn during an Theophany ceremony to bless the water in the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011. Similar ceremonies to mark Theophany day were held across Greece on river banks, seafronts and lakes. Bartholomew I threw the cross into

the water and swimmers raced to be the first to retrieve it. (AP/Ibrahim Usta)

This Week’s service schedule & scripTure readingsMonday, 1/10

st. gregory nyssano

serviceheb. 3:5-11, 17-19

luke 20:27-44

Tuesday, 1/11st. Theodosius the great

vespers4 p.m.

hebrews4:1-13

luke21:12-19

2 cor.4:6-15

Matt.11:27-30

Wednesday, 1/12 Matins8 a.m.

hebrews 5:11-6:8

luke 21:5-7, 10-11, 20-24

Thursday, 1/13 Matins8 a.m.

hebrews7:1-6

luke21:28-33

Friday, 1/14 Matins8 a.m.

hebrews7:18-25

luke21:37-22:8

saturday, 1/15 vespers4 p.m.

ephesians2:11-13

luke 13:18-29

St. Luke Orthodox Christian ChurchDiocese of the South, Orthodox Church in America

The Rev. Father Basil Henry, Priest1415 Woodstock Ave. • Anniston, Alabama • www.stlukeanniston.org/

[email protected] • (256) 235-3893

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“lord, i call”sunday (Tone 8)

Lead forth my soul from prison, that I may confess Thy name!We offer to Thee, O Christ, our evening song and reasonable service, for Thou didst will to have mercy on us by Thy Resurrection.

The righteous await me, till Thou shalt reward me.Lord, Lord, do not cast us away from Thy face! For Thou didst will to have mercy on us by the Resurrec-tion.

Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice!

Rejoice, O holy Zion! Mother of the churches, the abode of God! For you were the first to receive re-mission of sins by the Resurrection.

Let Thine ears give heed to the voice of my prayer!The Word of God the Father, begotten before the ages, in the latter times willed to be incarnate of the Virgin and endured crucifixion unto death. He has saved mortal man by His Resurrection.

afterfeast of Theophany (Tone 8)If Thou observest transgression, Lord, O Lord, who shall

stand? For with Thee is propitiation.Lord, Thou didst come as Man to John at the Jor-dan, yet Thou didst not abandon Thy throne at the right hand of the Father. It was Thy will to be bap-tized for us, to free us from bondage to the stranger, as the compassionate Lover of mankind.For Thy name’s sake have I waited upon Thee, O Lord; my soul

hath waited upon Thy word; my soul hath hoped in the Lord.Lord, Thou wast covered as Man by the streams of the Jordan, yet the Spirit descended from on high and bore witness to Thee! The voice of the Father proclaimed Thee as His beloved Son, made manifest to grant our souls great mercy.From the morning watch even to the night, let Israel hope in

the Lord!Lord, Thou wast born in these last days, assuming the form of a Servant, yet as the changeless One, Thou wast begotten from the Father before all time. It was Thy will to renew Thine image, O Creator, for Thou wast baptized granting incorruption to our souls.

Martyr polyeucTus (Tone 1)For with the Lord there is mercy and with Him is plenteous

redemption, and He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.As Christ led David up out of the pit of the passions, so He raised thee up, O martyr, from the miry clay of the deception of idolatry; for He mystically set thy feet upon the rock of His knowledge. Beseech Him that we may be saved!

O praise the Lord, all ye nations, praise Him, all ye people!Neither the desire of thy spouse nor the love of thy children, nor thy dignity nor thy wealth in posses-sions and estates, caused the strength of thy soul to waver from the true faith in Christ, O most blessed Polyeuctus.For His mercy hath been confirmed upon us and the truth of

the Lord remaineth forever.Even before the grace of thy suffering, O martyr, thou wast truly adorned with the works of righ-teousness. Wherefore, thou wast counted worthy to be a faithful witness of Christ, being piously bap-tized in thine own blood into His death.

Martyr polyeucTus (Tone 1)Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…

The hosts of the Angels today join chorus to com-memorate the martyr Polyeuctus, and the race of man faithfully celebrates and cries out joyously: ”Rejoice, O most praised one! Thou hast triumphed over the subtle snares of Belial, and hast been crowned by Christ with the wreath of victory. Rejoice, O warrior of our great King and Savior, Who destroyed the temples of the idols! Rejoice, O adornment of mar-tyrs! Pray that they who faithfully keep thy ever-hon-orable memory be delivered from every threat!”

dogMaTikon (Tone 8)Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The King of Heaven, because of His love for man, appeared on earth and dwelt with men. He took flesh from the pure Virgin and after assuming it, He came forth from her. The Son is one: in two natures, yet one Person. Proclaiming Him as perfect God and perfect Man, we confess Christ our God! Entreat Him, O unwedded Mother, to have mercy on our souls!

Great Vespers

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apostichasunday (Tone 8)

Descending from heaven to ascend the Cross, the Eternal Life has come for death to raise those who are fallen; to enlighten those in darkness! O Jesus, our Savior and illuminator, glory to Thee!The Lord hath become King; with beauty hath he clothed himself.We glorify Christ, who rose from the dead! He ac-cepted the human body and soul, and freed both from suffering. His most pure soul descended to hell, which He spoiled. His holy body did not see corrup-tion in the tomb. He is the Redeemer of our souls!For He hath established the world, which shall not be moved.In psalms and songs we glorify Thy Resurrection from the dead, O Christ! By it, Thou hast freed us from the tortures of hell, and as God hast granted eternal life and great mercy.Holiness belongeth to Thy house, O Lord, unto length of days!O Master of all, incomprehensible Creator of heaven and earth! By Thy suffering on the Cross Thou hast gained passionlessness for me! Accepting burial and arising in glory, Thou didst resurrect Adam with Thy-self by Thine almighty hand! Glory to Thy rising on the third day! By it Thou hast granted us eternal life and cleansing of sins as the only Compassionate One!

afterfeast of Theophany (Tone 8)Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.He who covers Himself with light as with a garment

for our sake saw fit to become like us. Today He cov-ers Himself with the streams of the Jordan. He has no need of their cleansing, but He secures new birth for us. O what wonder! Without fire He re-forges, with-out breaking He re-forms. He saves those enlight-ened in Him: Christ God, the Savior of our souls.

Tropariasunday (Tone 8)

Thou didst descend from on high, O Tenderhearted One. Thou didst accept the three-day burial to free us from our passions. O Lord our life and resurrec-tion, Glory to Thee.


Thy holy martyr Polyeuctus, O Lord, through his suffering has received an incorruptible crown from Thee, our God. For having Thy strength, he laid low his adversaries, and shattered the powerless boldness of demons. Through his intercessions, save our souls!

afterfeast of Theophany (Tone 1)Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest. For the voice of the Father bore witness to Thee, calling Thee His Beloved Son; and the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the truthfulness of His word. O Christ our God, Thou hast revealed Thyself, and hast enlightened the world, glory to Thee!

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Divine Liturgy of St John ChrysostomBeatitude verses

sundayBlessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.

Remember us, O Christ, Savior of the world, as Thou hast remembered the thief upon the cross. And make us all worthy of Thy heavenly kingdom, O Thou Who alone art compassionate.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.Hearken, O Adam, and rejoice with Eve, for He Who formerly stripped you both and took thee captive through beguilement, is laid low by the cross of Christ.Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.Our Savior, having been nailed by Thine own will upon the tree, Thou hast destroyed the curse of the tree that lay on Adam and as Thou art compassionate, Thou hast given those in Thine image a dwelling place in Paradise.Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.Today Christ is risen from the tomb giving all the faith-ful incorruption and He gives back joy to the women bearing myrrh: After the Passion, the Resurrection!

afterfeast of Theophany Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you,

and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.Be glad today, O Church of Christ, that before was barren and grievously childless. For through water and the Spirit, sons have been born to thee, and they cry out in faith: ‘There is none holy as our God, and there is none righteous save Thee, O Lord.’

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.

With a great voice the Forerunner crieth in the wilderness: ‘Prepare ye the ways of Christ, and make straight the paths of our God, crying out in faith: There is none holy as our God, and there is none righteous save Thee, O Lord.’

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit…Begotten without change from God the Father, Christ is incarnate without defilement from the Virgin; and deliv-ering the earthborn from error, the Forerunner teacheth that it is not possible to unloose the strap of His sandals, even the bond that bindeth the Word to us.

Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.Christ baptizeth in the fire of the Last Day them that disobey, and think that He is not God; but through the Spirit and by grace, He doth renew through water all who acknowledge His Divinity, delivering them from their inquities.

Tropariasunday (Tone 8)

Thou didst descend from on high, O Tenderhearted One. Thou didst accept the three-day burial to free us from our passions. O Lord our life and resurrec-tion, Glory to Thee.

afterfeast of Theophany (Tone 1)When Thou, O Lord, wast baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest. For the voice of the Father bore witness to Thee, calling Thee His Beloved Son; and the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the truthfulness of His word. O Christ our God, Thou hast revealed Thyself, and hast enlightened the world, glory to Thee!

Martyr polyeucTus (Tone 4)Thy holy martyr Polyeuctus, O Lord, through his suffering has received an incorruptible crown from Thee, our God. For having Thy strength, he laid low his adversaries, and shattered the powerless boldness of demons. Through his intercessions, save our souls!

sT. gregory of nyssa (Tone 4)In truth you were revealed to your flock as a rule of faith, an image of humility and a teacher of absti-nence; your humility exalted you; your poverty en-riched you. Hierarch Father Gregory, entreat Christ our God that our souls may be saved.

kontakiasunday (Tone 8)

Having risen from the tomb, Thou didst waken the dead and didst raise Adam and Eve danceth for joy at Thy resurrection; and the limits of the world festi-val for Thy rising from the dead, O greatly Merciful One.

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sT. gregory of nyssa (Tone 4)You kept watch with the eyes of your soul, holy bishop, revealing yourself as a watchful pastor for the world. With the staff of your wisdom and your fervent interces-sion, you drove away all heretics like wolves. You pre-served your flock free from harm, most wise Gregory!


When the Savior bowed His head in the Jordan, the heads of the dragons were crushed; when Polyeuctus was beheaded, the deceiver was put to shame.

afterfeast of Theophany (Tone 4)Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Today Thou hast shone forth to the world, O Lord, and the light of Thy countenance has been marked on us. Knowing Thee, we sing Thy praises: ”Thou hast come and revealed Thyself, O unapproachable Light.”

prokeimenonafterfeast of Theophany (Tone 1)

Let Thy mercy be upon us, O Lord, as we have set our hope on Thee.

Vs: Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; praise becometh the upright!

epistle readingafterfeast of Theophany (Ephesians 4:7-13)

Brethren, unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, proph-ets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and

teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

alleluia versesafterfeast of Theophany (Tone 5)

Vs: I will sing of Thy mercies, O Lord, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim Thy truth from generation to generation.

Vs: For Thou hast said: “Mercy will be established for-ever; My truth will be prepared in the heavens.”

gospel readingafterfeast of Theophany (Matthew 4:12-17)

At that time, Jesus heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth He went and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the terri-tory of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

TheotokionTheophany

Magnify, O my soul, the most-pure Virgin The-otokos, more honorable than the heavenly hosts! No tongue is capable of praising thee; the angelic mind is overawed in exalting thee, O Theotokos! But accept our faith, since thou art gracious and know our divine love, thou art the Protectress of Christians, and we praise thee!

Please note Holy Communion is reserved for Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves beforehand through confession and fasting. All are welcome to receive the blessed bread and Father’s blessing after services.

“A greedy appetite for food is terminated by satiety and the pleasure of drinking ends when our thirst is quenched. And so it is with the other things... But the possession of virtue, once it is solidly achieved, cannot be measured by time nor limited by satiety. Rather, to those who are its disciples it always ap-

pears as something ever new and fresh.”St. Gregory of Nyssa

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The Orthodox Faith > Doctrine > Sources of Christian Doctrine

The CouncilsAs the Church progressed through history it was faced with many difficult de-cisions. The Church always settled difficulties and made decisions by reaching a consensus of opinion among all the believers inspired by God who were led by their appointed leaders, first the apostles and then the bishops.The first church council in history was held in the ap-ostolic church to decide the conditions under which the gentiles, that is, the non-Jews, could enter the Christian Church (see Acts 15). From that time on, all through his-tory councils were held on every level of church life to make important decisions. Bishops met regularly with their priests, also called presbyters or elders, and people. It became the practice, and even the law, very early in church history that bishops in given regions should meet in councils held on a regular basis.

At times in church history councils of all of the bishops in the church were called. All the bishops were not able to attend these councils, of course, and not all such councils were automatically approved and accepted by the Church in its Holy Tradition. In the Orthodox Church only seven such councils, some of which were actually quite

small in terms of the number of bishops attending, have received the universal approval of the entire Church in all times and places. These councils have been termed the Seven Ecumenical Councils(see table below).

The dogmatic definitions (dogma means official teaching) and the canon laws of the ecumenical councils are under-stood to be inspired by God and to be expressive of His will for men. Thus, they are essential sources of Orthodox Christian doctrine.

Besides the seven ecumenical councils, there are other lo-cal church councils whose decisions have also received the approval of all Orthodox Churches in the world, and so are considered to be genuine expressions of the Orthodox faith and life. The decisions of these councils are mostly of a moral or structural character. Nevertheless, they too reveal the teaching of the Orthodox Church.

The Seven Ecumenical Councils

Nicea 1 325 Formulated the First Part of the Creed, defining the divinity of the Son of God

Constantinople I 381 Formulated the Second Part of the Creed, defining the divinity of the Holy Spirit

Ephesus 431 Defined Christ as the Incarnate Word of God and Mary as Theotokos

Chalcedon 451 Defined Christ as Perfect God and Perfect Man in One Person

Constantinople II 553 Reconfirmed the Doctrines of the Trinity and of Christ

Constantinople III 680 Affirmed the True Humanity of Jesus by insisting upon the reality of His human will and action

Nicea II 787 Affirmed the propriety of icons as genuine expressions of the Christian Faith

The series The Orthodox Faith is intended to provide basic, comprehensive information on the faith and the life of the Orthodox Church for the average reader. The author is Fr. Thomas Hopko, Dean Emeritus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, Crestwood, NY.

These articles are available as a set of four books—commonly known as the Rainbow Series and are available for pur-chase. Please speak with Father if you are interested.

st. luke orthodox christian church1415 Woodstock ave.anniston, al 36207

Fr. Basil during Theophany services, January 6, 2011.

St. Luke Orthodox Anniston 010911

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