Weekly Bulletin
November 14th-November 20th
November 20th: Entry into the Temple of the Theotokos
Entry into the Temple of the Theotokos
The second great feast of the Theotokos is the celebration of her entrance as a child into the Jerusalem Temple which is commemorated on the twenty-first of November. Like the feast of her nativity, this feast of Mary is without direct biblical and historical reference. But like the nativity, it is a feast filled with important spiritual significance for the Christian believer.
The texts of the service tells how Mary was brought as a small child to the temple by her parents in order to be raised there among the virgins consecrated to the service of the Lord until the time of their betrothal in marriage. According to Church tradition, Mary was solemnly received by the temple community which was headed by the priest Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. She was led to the holy place to be “nourished” there by the angels in order to become herself the “holy of holies” of God, the living sanctuary and temple of the Divine child who was to be born in her.
The main theme of the feast of Mary’s entrance to the Temple, repeated many times in the liturgical services, is the fact that she enters the Temple to become herself the living temple of God, thus inaugurating the New Testament in which are fulfilled the prophecies of old that “the dwelling of God is with man” and that the human person is the sole proper dwelling place of the Divine Presence (Ezek 37.27; Jn 14.15–23; Acts 7.47; 2 Cor 6.11; Eph 2.18–22; 1 Pet 2.4; Rev 22.1–4).
Weekly Services:
Monday, November 21st: Entry of the Theotokos @6 pm
Saturday, November 26th: Vespers @5 pm
Sunday, November 27th: Divine Liturgy @10 am
Announcements:
1.) House Blessings: If you would like your house blessed, email Father David to set up a day/time.
2.) Check/online Donations: Please remember to place your check number on your donation envelope so we can use that for tax purposes. If you wish to donate online, you can find our tithe.ly link on the parish website www.sjoca.org.
4.) Sock Donations: We are looking for socks to be donated. Please help us by donating if you are able!
5.) The flooring project should be wrapped up by Nov 21st!
6.) With our flooring project now in full swing, we are accepting any donations that you want to give to the project. You can out your donation in the collection on Sunday. Please write on the envelope that it is for the flooring project.
7.) Upcoming Events:
-Candlelight Christmas Concert-Sat, Dec 3rd @6pm
-St. Nicholas Day Festivities- Sun, Dec 4th (coffee hour)
-St. Nicholas Feast Breakfast- Sun, Dec 11th (coffee hour)
-Children's Nativity Pageant- Sun, Dec 18th @12pm
Volunteering:
1.) The Food Cupboard: We are still collecting personal hygiene items for this organization, to include: toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, mouthwash, shampoo, etc. Please bring any items you can donate to church and place in the bin in the foyer.
2.) Open Door Mission: This organization is looking for donations of men's socks. If you are able to donate, there will be a bin in the foyer.
Anniversaries: None.
Birthdays: Jessica R. (11/24)
Grant, O Lord, a prosperous and peaceful life, health, salvation, and furtherance in all good things, unto Thy servant Jessica who is celebrating her birthday and preserve her O Lord for many years!
Epistle Reading: Ephesians 2:4-10
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Gospel Reading: Luke 12: 16-21
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
