Articles

On Monday we celebrated the Feast of the Transfiguration. In this feast we celebrate when Christ was transfigured before the disciples Peter, James and John on a mountain, tradition says Mount Tabor. Since Christ’s transfiguration almost certainly took place during the Jewish Feast of Booths (Sukkot) and became for the Church a Christian fulfillment of the Feast of Booths. Just as the Feast of Booths was a harvest celebration so after the celebration of the Divine Liturgy we have the Blessing of the Fruits which we shared together. Fr. Thomas Hopko has written an explanation of the feast you can read here to learn more about this feast. 

 This past week 12 of us traveled to Spruce Pine, NC to help build, paint, and clean for needy families in the Appalachian Mountains. We discovered this opportunity through FOCUS North America, a national pan-Orthodox organization specializing in domestic missions and charity work. FOCUS recruits groups to serve with Neil Brown, a retired contractor who volunteers with the Mitchel County branch of Operation Inasmuch. Neil receives applications from people who are not able to afford basic home repairs or yard maintenance and he coordinates missions teams to meet these needs. We worked on several projects including yard work, landscaping, painting, and building a roof. Everyone worked really hard and we accomplished a lot throughout the week. We thank God for this opportunity to show love to our neighbor.

Ann (Anastasia) Raymond Linkovich reposed in the Lord on the afternoon of Sunday July 15th at Florida Hospital in Deland about one hour after receiving Holy Unction. Ann has been at St. Stephens almost since the beginning.

The Funeral is scheduled for Friday at 10 AM at Allen-summerhill funeral home on 126 East NY Ave in Deland. There will also be a viewing at 9AM,  before the funeral.   She will be buried at Deland Memorial Gardens.

You can now read Ann B. Linkovich's obituary. Memorial donations maybe made to the Orthodox Church of St. Stephen or to charity of choice.

Starting Wednesday we will be doing a study on the life of Saint Anthony the Great based on The Life of St. Anthony written by St. Athanasius.  Saint Anthony lived in the third century and is called the father of monasticism.   Saint Anthony after hearing Mathew 19:2 read in church felt especially moved to follow prompting of Christ  " If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." So he sold his entire the family estate and went to live in the desert.   The text of the Life of St. Anthony is available online here.

Apolytikion of Saint Anthony

O Father Anthony, you imitated the zealous Elijah.

You followed the straight paths of the Baptist and became a desert dweller.By prayer you confirmed the universe.Wherefore, intercede with Christ our God to save our souls.

  This Friday is the Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul. Great Vespers will be Thursday at 6:30PM and Divine Liturgy is Friday at 9:30AM. In the Creed we confess One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Ss. Peter and Paul were the leaders of the Apostles, but what does it mean for our Church to be Apostolic? It cannot simply mean that we are a Church that remembers some important historical figures. We confess the Church to be Apostolic because the Church today continues to do what the Apostles did. Let me suggest three ways we can continue to be Apostolic today.

Confess Christ: The Gospel for this Feast is Peter's Confession, "You are the Christ..." The Apostles were those who believed and paid for this belief with their lives. All of them suffered for their faith. Most of them were martyred. We could also expand on this by saying they confessed Christ crucified according to the Scriptures. This can be seen in St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians where he gives us one of the earliest Christian creeds, "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures." (1 Cor. 15:3) All of the Apostolic preaching in the book of Acts also highlights the Cross and the continuity between Christ and the Old Testament Scriptures. There are many versions of the Christian faith, but the Orthodox Church confesses the crucified and risen Christ of the Apostles.

Make Disciples: The word "Apostle" means messenger. The Apostles were Christ's messengers. They were busy obeying Christ's command to "Go and make disciples." They went on mission trips, met new people, started new Churches, and developed new ways to communicate the Gospel. When we confess an Apostolic Church, we're saying that our Church is making disciples like the Apostles did.

Be Transformed: When we say our Church is Apostolic, we are acknowledging an inner reality. Although the Apostles' culture, language, and circumstances were very different from ours, we share the same inner life. The inner life of the Apostolic Church consists of the purification of the soul, the illumination of the Nous, and the glorification of the whole person in the Divine life of the Holy Trinity. In the Scriptures we see St. Peter walking on the beach with Christ and St. Paul encountering the Lord on the Road to Damascus. We see them obey God's call and we see them transformed and glorified. The risen Christ also calls out to us from the depth of the heart, and like the Apostles we obey and are transformed. To be an Apostolic Church means to be transformed within like the Apostles.

While Fr. Daniel and Mat. Marcy were at a Memorial Day cook out they were asked about our church and here is what they answered. 

We pray: In an Orthodox Church the whole service is a prayer. I have been to churches that teach you to pray, inspire you to pray, or show you how to pray, but very few that actually pray. The Liturgy is a prayer. You get a little explanation in the middle of the service, but we don't bother you with lots of hype. We gather to pray. The earliest Christian communities knew that worship was a Divine encounter with the God of the universe and our part of that encounter is to offer ourselves to God in prayer.

We care: As a member of St. Stephens you don't just get a service and a sermon, you will find people who are willing to walk together with you as you live the Christian life together. It could be lunch after a mid-week Liturgy, gathering for a friend's house blessing, giving someone a ride to church, or watching football together. If you want to learn how to live as a Christian information is not enough. You need to imitate people who are putting the information into practice in their everyday life. That's why community is so important in the Church. You need to spend time with God's people, and God has people at St. Stephens who are looking to welcome and serve you.

We serve: St. Stephens members are not Sunday only Christians. We take the Gospel of Jesus with us out into the world. We don't always a make a big deal of it. We don't have to put our Church's name on all the good things we do because its not about us. Its about God's glory and help for those who need it. In the last week at least one member shared her faith with someone at Starbucks who asked about the cross she was wearing. Another member answered a friend's questions about faith for 6 hours!!! I attended a luncheon along with a member who volunteers for hospice and helped serve food to the homeless with five other St. Stephens members. We have people who work in their communities, serve the homeless and working poor, and volunteers with other great charities. How are you doing God's work in the world? I love to hear about how our members are living their faith. 

I'm thankful to be a part of such a great parish. If you are ready to get more involved with what God is doing in our community, please contact Fr. Daniel by email. 

The Feast of Ascension teaches us that Heaven is our home. On this Feast we venerate our Lord who ascended into Heaven with His body to show us that we are created for perfect union with God in His Heavenly Kingdom. Therefore we live as citizens of Heaven. We do not identify with the latest fads or philosophies of the day. Our identity is not in our possessions, pleasures, or power. Our identity is in Christ. We are Christians. Our Lord says, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” (Mt. 6:19-20).

As we see to the daily cares of this life we cannot afford to forget the existence of Heaven and the invisible world. Heaven is not a geographical place that you can put on a map. Heaven is the highest expression of Divine joy and blessedness described in Revelation 21-22. There is no crying, no pain, no darkness at all because it is the presence of God who is light. It is the Kingdom which is to be sought first so that all things can be added. (Mt. 6:33) This Divine joy is the reason for creation. The Holy Fathers tell us that God created the world and mankind out of love so that he could share His joy with other beings.

When Christ ascended into Heaven with His body, He showed us that Heaven is our home, our goal, our final destination. When he was explaining his ascension to the disciples, he told them his bodily departure should not make them sad because he was going to prepare a place for them. (Jn 14:3) This preparation is taking place today as Christ offers His grace to the world out of love. The grace of God is the presence of the Holy Spirit in the world. Jesus' ascension to the Father activates the ministry of the Holy Spirit. (Jn. 14:16) It is the Spirit who comforts us, gifts us, guides us into truth, and forms us into citizens of Heaven so that we may ascend like Christ.

But the Holy Spirit has not replaced Christ for us. Everything the Spirit does is to glorify Christ and make His presence known (Jn. 16:14-15). This takes place in the Divine Liturgy when the Holy Spirit comes down on the holy gifts of bread and wine and makes them the body and blood of Christ. Christ is present with his people Eucharistically. The Eucharistic presence of Christ is even more powerful than His bodily presence because it reminds us that His Kingdom is not of this world. As we gain a deeper understanding of the Great Feast of Ascension, let us deepen our uncompromising devotion to Christ in the Eucharist. Nothing is so precious to us as the presence of our bridegroom who has ascended into Heaven, who will come again, whose Kingdom shall have no end.

Anoucements 

•  This Friday is our turn to lead the Ephraim Project homeless feeding. We will serve food at 5PM, but cooking and preparation begins at noon so come whenever you are available.
• Mission Trip to North Carolina is July 22-28. We will be praying, growing, and serving the poor together with FOCUS North America. The deadline to signup is Sunday June 11. The cost is $250
• Fr. Gerasim will be visiting us on Saturday June 16 for Vespers. The Episcopal Search Committee has recommended that we nominate him to serve as our next Bishop. After the service, there will be opportunity to meet and greet.
• Congratulations to our graduates Olivia and Sonya !
• VBS is at Holy Trinity June 11-15, 2012 Time: 4:30-8. ALL HANDS ON DECK!! Get ready for a swashbuckling adventure through God’s Word! Don’t miss the High Seas Expedition where you will explore the mighty love of God! VBS is for children entering Pre-K4 through entering 5th Grade in August 2012.
• Church School is taking a summer vacation. Many thanks to our teachers for this past year: Tara, Kathy, and Justyna. We continue to rejoice in the faith of our children and pray that God will complete the good work that has been started in them.

From Fr. Daniel's weekly email.

  Throughout the Paschal season we sing Psalm 118:24, "This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!"

 Holy Monday

Theme: Barren Fig Tree

Gospel: “And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.” (Mt. 21:19)

Hymn: “Behold, the bridegroom comes in the middle of the night and blessed is the servant whom he shall find watching, and unworthy the servant whom he shall find heedless. Take care then, O my soul, and be not weighed down by sleep that you will not be given over unto death and be excluded from the Kingdom. But rise up and call out: Holy, Holy, Holy art Thou O God, by the Theotokos have mercy on us.”

Message: Do not be like the Fig Tree that failed to produce fruit, but bear fruit (faith and good works) unto salvation.

Read more: Holy Week Primer

  The Great Feast of the Annunciation celebrates the Archangel Gabriel's announcement of our Lord's incarnation to the Virgin Mary. In the hymnography this Feast is called "the beginning of our salvation." It is our entry point to all the other Feasts of the Church because it celebrates the revelation of the mystery of our Lord's incarnation. This is why the icon of the Annunciation is placed on the Royal Doors which lead into the Sanctuary. It is through this Feast that we enter eternal life.

Ancient Christians associated March 25 with the great events of salvation history. This probably had something to do with its proximity to the Spring equinox which was a symbol of new life. The creation of Adam and Eve, the crossing of the Red Sea, the sacrifice of Isaac, and our Lord's crucifixion were all said to have occurred on March 25.

Now we celebrate March 25 as the Great Feast of the Annunciation. The fast is relaxed to allow for wine, oil, and fish. Let us keep the feast with joy. A festal vigil will be served on Saturday evening and the Divine Liturgy to celebrate the Feast will be Sunday morning.

                From Fr. Daniel's Weekly Email