Holy Apostles Orthodox Christian
Church E-Tidings

February 2009

  • Meeting of Christ in the Temple – February 2. Today the Church commemorates an important event in the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 2:22-40). Forty days after His birth the God-Infant was taken to the Jerusalem Temple, the center of the nation’s religious life. According to the Law of Moses (Lev. 12:2-8), a woman who gave birth to a male child was forbidden to enter the Temple of God for forty days. At the end of this time the mother came to the Temple with the child, to offer a young lamb or pigeon to the Lord as a purification sacrifice. The Most Holy Virgin, the Mother of God, had no need of purification, since she had given birth to the Source of purity and sanctity without defilement. However, she humbly fulfilled the requirements of the Law.

At this time the righteous Elder Simeon (February 3) was living in Jerusalem. It had been revealed to him that he would not die until he should behold the promised Messiah. By inspiration from above, St Simeon went to the Temple at the very moment when the Most Holy Theotokos and St Joseph had brought the Infant Jesus to fulfill the Law.

The God-Receiver Simeon took the divine Child in his arms, and giving thanks to God, he spoke the words repeated by the Church each evening at Vespers: “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32). St Simeon said to the Most Holy Virgin: “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against. Yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35).

At the Temple was the 84-year-old widow Anna the Prophetess, daughter of Phanuel (February 3), “who did not leave the temple, but served God with fasting and prayers night and day.” She arrived just when St Simeon met the divine Child. She also gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of Him to all those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:37-38). In the icon of the Feast she holds a scroll which reads: “This Child has established Heaven and earth.”

Before Christ was born, righteous men and women lived by faith in the promised Messiah, and awaited His coming. The Righteous Simeon and the Prophetess Anna, the last righteous people of the Old Testament, were deemed worthy to meet the Savior in the Temple.

The Feast of the Meeting of the Lord is among the most ancient feasts of the Christian Church. We have sermons on the Feast by the holy bishops Methodius of Patara (+ 312), Cyril of Jerusalem (+ 360), Gregory the Theologian (+ 389), Amphilocius of Iconium (+ 394), Gregory of Nyssa (+ 400), and John Chrysostom (+ 407). Despite its early origin, this Feast was not celebrated so splendidly until the sixth century.

In 528, during the reign of Justinian, an earthquake killed many people in Antioch. Other misfortunes followed this one. In 541 a terrible plague broke out in Constantinople, carrying off several thousand people each day. During this time of widespread suffering, a solemn prayer service (Litia) for deliverence from evils was celebrated on the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, and the plague ceased. In thanksgiving to God, the Church established a more solemn celebration of this Feast.

Church hymnographers have adorned this Feast with their hymns: St Andrew of Crete in the seventh century; St Cosmas Bishop of Maium, St John of Damascus, and St Germanus Patriarch of Constantinople in the eighth century; and St Joseph, Archbishop of Thessalonica in the ninth century.

Troparion ~ Tone 1

Rejoice, thou who art full of grace, Mother of God and Virgin, for from thee arose the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, to give light to those in darkness. Rejoice thou also, righteous Elder, who didst take in thine arms the Redeemer of our souls, Who also gives us the grace of resurrection.

  • Prayer Service Held for the Unborn. A prayer service was held at Grace Lutheran Church in Tulsa on Thursday, January 22nd to remember the yet-born and the sacredness of life issues that face our society. Father Ambrose led a group of several Holy Apostles parishioners to the service which was headed by Pastor Mason Beecroft of Grace Lutheran. The service was also attended by many clergy of Tulsa including His Excellency, Bishop Edward Slattery, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma. Pastor Beecroft hopes to expand the service in future years to include a life awareness march in connection with the National Sanctity of Life Day. Although not participants in the service, Holy Apostles and the Orthodox Church were well represented at the service as members of St. Antony’s Antiochian Orthodox Church were also in attendance. At the reception afterwards, the members of our congregation were able to exchange greetings with several of the other Christian laypeople and clergy in attendance. It was the firm wish of everybody there that this gathering will lead to sincere Christians working together to find ways to protect and defend unborn.

  • Holy Apostles Attends Vespers at Holy Trinity. On Saturday, January 24th our parish attended vespers at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. At the invitation of Father Bill Christ, a pan-Orthodox vespers service was held as Metropolitan Isaiah of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese was in Tulsa that weekend.

  • Blessing of the Waters Service. On Saturday, January 10th the Blessing of the Waters service with our sister Orthodox parishes was held. The blessing took place at the low water dam on the Arkansas River near 29th and Riverside Drive. The service commemorates Holy Theophany and the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ.

  • Dome Cross Repaired. Many thanks to our parish sexton Nicholas Byrd for risking life and limb to repair the cross on the St. Matthew Chapel dome. Nicholas was able to stabilize a ladder to the cupola and replace the existing guide wires to the cross with wires of greater strength.

  • Screening of the Movie Ostrov (The Island). A wonderful time was had by all who attended the showing of the movie “Ostrov” (“The Island”) on Sunday, January 25th in the community building. Following a dinner of pizza and salad a group of over 50 parish members, friends and children watched this beautiful film of a Russian Orthodox monk who struggled with his own humanity while helping others heal through his unrelenting faith in God. The central character of the film, Father Anatoly, illustrated his love for God by accepting a life-long effort of repentance. Even to the end, when his mortal sin was proved unmade, he humbly committed himself to Christ without any remorse for living a devout life. The film’s fundamental message of humility and faith was uniquely captured as part of his ascetic labor. As this film demonstrated, our recurring supplication to Christ for our brother and sister monks is wise as they continuously pray for us.

  • St. Martin’s Closet. Once again this month God has blessed us by allowing our parish to assist families in need in the Glenpool and Bixby areas. This has left our food pantry a bit depleted. We would ask that you please consider donating non-perishable items to our pantry or make a donation to the Alms Box (located in the narthex). Every little bit does help. Through your continued prayers and generous donations, God is graciously allowing us to make a direct impact in people’s lives.

  • Father Ambrose Announces Regular Office Hours. Father Ambrose will now be available at the church for confession or counseling throughout the week. The office hours are Tuesdays, 10:30am – 2:00pm; Thursdays, 7:30am – 9:30am; and Fridays, 10:00am – 1:00pm. As always, Father Ambrose is available by appointment at (918) 638-9854.

  • New Parish Council Meets. The first meeting of the 2009 Parish Council gathered on Tuesday, January 20th. The new council consists of Travis (Nicholas) Byrd, Phil (Maximos) Dunbar (Treasurer), Andrew Johnson, Cliff (Basil) Shannon, Wanda-Sue (Anna) Treece (Secretary), Kelly (Demetrios) Williams, and Tim (Timothy) Yates.

  • Web Site Adds Gallery Page. Our web site has been updated with a Gallery page. This page contains the photo archive of our parish dating back to the earliest days of the formation of the mission. We will maintain the gallery on Flickr (the Yahoo photo management site) and will be delighted to add additional photos if you have them to share. The site will also be able to manage our video archives.

Important Dates in February

  • Special Services: Meeting of Christ in the Temple: Divine Liturgy, Monday, February 2nd at 9:30am.
  • Baby Shower for Susan Bole – Saturday, February 7th at 11:00am at the home of Elaine Sames. Please see this link (LINK) for detailed information about the baby shower.
  • Wedding of Patrick Teague and Mercy Gallagher – Sunday, February 8th at 4:00pm.
  • Church School – Sunday following Divine Liturgy
  • Choir Practice – Wednesday following Daily Vespers
  • Inquires Class – Wednesday following Daily Vespers
  • Reader’s Class – as announced during February

  • Home School COOP – Tuesdays at 9:30am

  • February Feast Days and Commemorations. February 1: Zacchaeus Sunday – Forefeast of the Meeting; February 2: Meeting of Christ in the Temple; February 8: Publican and the Pharisee; February 15: Sunday of the Prodigal Son; February 22: Meatfare Sunday; February 27: St. Raphael, Bishop of Brooklyn.

  • Potluck Dinners. Judith Dunbar reports that we will be having potluck dinners at the church following Divine Liturgy on Sunday, February 22nd (Meatfare Sunday) and Sunday, March 1st (Cheesefare Sunday). Judith encourages everyone to bring a dish to share (no meat dishes on March 1st please).

  • Word of the Month: “PHILOKALIA”. (Gk. φιλοκαλία “love of the beautiful/good”) The Philokalia is a collection of writings, mostly centering on practicing the virtues and spiritual living in a monastery. In recent decades it has become an important resource for Orthodox Christians, laity and clergy alike, in personal living and in some ways has achieved status as a major secondary spiritual written resource (after the primary one, Holy Scripture) along with St. John Climacus’ The Ladder of Divine Ascent. In the introduction of G.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard and Kallistos Ware’s translation of the texts into English, Philokalia is defined as the “love of the beautiful, the exalted, the excellent, understood as the transcendent source of life and the revelation of Truth.” The original authors were mostly monks, whose striving for purification of the heart and spiritual perfection are recurring themes in the Philokalia. (http://orthodoxwiki.org/philokalia)

  • Altar Server Schedule. The schedule for the Altar Servers has been published for February. Please find the schedule at the following link. (LINK)

  • New Divine Liturgy Booklet still in the Works (We promise, we really do!). Work continues to update our parish Divine Liturgy booklet to match the translations used in the service. The booklet will also include the resurrection troparia and kontakia as well as the troparia hymns for major feast days. Be looking for the booklet within a few weeks (NO REALLY! We’re not kidding!).

  • Parish Financial Report. Many thanks to everyone who has so generously supported Holy Apostles. The monthly parish financial reports are being posted on the bulletin board in the Community Building. Anyone with questions about parish finances can contact parish Treasurer Phil Dunbar or Father Ambrose.

If you would like to contribute information or photos to the Holy Apostles E-News monthly newsletter please send information to etidings@holyapostlesorthodox.org. Submissions should be received by the 20th of each month.