Church guide

Two stories: one close to home, one far from home. Within Central America - that stretch of land between Mexico and South America - we find the country of El Salvador. Within El Salvador, until recently, we found Oscar Ramirez, a 25-year-old man, his wife, Tania Vanessa, and their 23-month-old daughter, Angie Valeria. We say "until recently" because they secured a humanitarian visa to leave their extreme poverty and enter the United States in search of a better life. But two months of delays left them hungry and desperate in a cramped migrant camp in Mexico. Last Sunday - the 30th of June - Oscar looked over the Rio Grande river toward Brownsville, Texas on the other side. The current was strong but he thought he could make it. With his wife looking on, Oscar scooped up young Angie and entered the water. The problem with rivers is that their beauty often hides their danger. Last Monday morning - July 1 - the bodies of Oscar and Angie were found 550 yards from where they had entered the Rio Grande. And the only reason we know anything about them is because one photograph - Oscar, face down in shallow water by the shore, Angie, under his left arm with her arm draped around his neck - went viral and troubled the world for a few days last week, until stories about Taylor Swift and basketball free agency bumped them out of the news cycle. News articles about Oscar and Angie included words like “border," “immigration," “asylum," “illegal," "path to citizenship." How many people who gazed upon that photograph of a drowned father and child channeled their reaction to it through their feelings about those words? How many decided what to feel - or whether to feel at all - based on personal opinions about those words? Can a person have an opinion and also see the humanity? Within the Sinai Peninsula - that stretch of land between Egypt and Saudi Arabia - we find the Orthodox Monastery of St Catherine. Within St Catherine's, we find Christian monks who've been living and praying there as monks have since the monastery's beginning in 565 AD. Most days, groups of pilgrims stop by the monastery for food, rest, shelter, conversation, and refreshment provided by the monks. The desert surrounding St Catherine's for hundreds of miles is hot and unforgiving, and these pilgrims on foot find the monastery to be a cool oasis of hospitality before continuing their journey. Those pilgrims have the cultural name of Bedouin, which, in the Arabic language, refers to those who live out in the vast desert. In addition to living in the open air, the Bedouin - who are received and cared for by the monks of the monastery, whose bodily wounds receive medical care, whose conflicts are often mediated by the local bishop - are also Muslim. Stories about the Bedouin told within the Christian monastery include words like “Muslim," “Islam," “nomad," “Arab," “foreigner." But the monks interact with the Bedouin and channel their reaction to them through other words - like “Christ," “human," "image of God," “love," “hospitality." Can a person have an opinion and also see the humanity? Last week, we talked about guilt, and we mentioned a collection of spiritual texts from the 4th to the 15th centuries called The Philokalia - the "love of the beautiful." One of the saints included in The Philokalia - Maximus the Confessor - says this about serving those in need: "Those who give alms in imitation of God do not discriminate between the wicked and the virtuous, the just and the unjust, when providing for the bodily needs of others. They give equally to all according to their need, even though they prefer the virtuous person to the bad person because of the trustworthiness of their intention." Notice how he says that we can have an opinion - preferring virtue to wickedness - but we must first see the humanity - in imitation of God. If we lined up 1000 randomly-selected people from across the earth, none of them would share exactly the same skin tone. We could arrange them from darkest to lightest and there would not be a single tie. And yet, such beautiful diversity has not stopped humans from assigning each other to simplistic categories of “black" and “white" - which then go on to often determine the assumptions we make about each other and how we treat one another. Recent history shows that depersonalizing others opens the door to treating them less than Christianly: in America, Native Americans were not human but “savages"; in Europe, Jews were not human but “burdens"; all around the world, unborn children are not human but “fetuses" or “tissue." Such depersonalization made all of them easier to mistreat. And this is why we need Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, records the powerful words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ about caring "for the least of these." Let's remember what His words: "I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed Me; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me...as you did it to the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” Christ is drawing our attention to those in great need, and we notice that He does not say anything about how they got there. Were they the victims of an unjust system or were they facing the consequences of their own poor choices? We are not told. But we are told to love them. We may have very strong and very informed and very valid opinions about how that person got hungry or how that person got sick or how that person became imprisoned, but Christ is calling us to see their humanity - to minister to their humanity - because it is in their basic humanity where we find ourselves. And Him. "As you did it to the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” And if we take that scandalous statement in the Divine Liturgy seriously - Thou didst come to save sinners, "of whom I am first" - then we confess that we have come to God hungry, because we feasted on the empty calories of worldly pleasure; thirsty, because we lived a spiritually-parched life; as a stranger, because our sins estranged us from God; naked, because we had no robe of virtues; sick, because we indulged the passions; imprisoned, because we lived only for ourselves. We have come to God as all of this and what has He shown us? Mercy. Does He have an opinion of our sinfulness? Yes, yet He also sees our humanity. "Which of these do you think proved neighborly to the man who fell among thieves?" Jesus asked in the parable of the Good Samaritan. "The one who showed mercy toward him," came the reply. "Yes, now go and do likewise." As citizens, we can dialogue, we can debate, we can disagree, we can hold strong opinions, but may they never blind us to the shared humanity all around us. Christ died for all. Our own beloved patron and protector, St Elizabeth - whom we celebrate this month of July - visited in a Moscow prison the man who assassinated her husband. She certainly carried a strong opinion with her about his actions, but she also understood the killer to be a human being and a soul, so she went to comfort him, to encourage him to repent and get right with God. Photographs come and go; news stories come and go; debates and opinions come and go. People struggle over important things. But human beings and the love we show each other last forever.

Our St Elizabeth FB page just reached 500 followers! Thank you! Together, may we all find peace of soul and offer hope to a hurting world. Orthodoxy…for such a time as this (Esther 4:14).

A reminder for us all: https://www.psychguides.com/behavioral-disorders/cell-phone-addiction/signs-and-symptoms/

Anyone/Everyone is invited to meet us (the Olivers) for fireworks/food/playstuff tonight around 7:30pm at sportscom, on Memorial Blvd.

CAMP ST THEKLA: June 23-29, Cleveland, SC. It's what we do for the kids...

Beloved, St Elizabeth’s welcomes Sarah to our community. From out of state, Sarah was just hired to be an art teacher at a new Murfreesboro school. She’s in need of help moving into her new place this Wednesday morning, June 19. Can you help? Contact Fr John for more details.

+ Tuesday, 9:30am - Daily Matins + Wednesday, 6pm - Daily Vespers + GREENERY - to beautifully adorn our Worship Space for Pentecost, we’re in need of greenery: plants, potted plants, flowers, etc, which should in place by Vespers on Saturday. See Julie for details. + Saturday, 6pm - Great Vespers for Pentecost + Sunday, 9am - Matins for Pentecost + Sunday, 10am - Divine Liturgy for Pentecost, followed by Kneeling Prayers + Monday-Friday - Fast-Free Week (each year, the week following Pentecost is fast-free, while the Apostles’ Fast begins on the Monday following the Sunday after Pentecost, and goes until the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, on June 29). + Pledges - as always, thank you for remaining current on your pledge: a spiritual principle wrapped in a financial practice. + Parish Life Conference - just a reminder that Fr John will be traveling to our diocesan Parish Life Conference this Wednesday through Saturday.

+ 2019-2020 Master Calendar - here’s a calendar that includes most Services, Events, Feasts, and Fasts for the year. It’ll also be posted in the Fellowship Hall. While not entirely exhaustive - because new stuff comes up and because the priest who put it together is fallible and forgetful - it should help us plan our lives so that we might “redeem the time” (Ephesians 5:16).

Here’s a one-minute documentary on the miracle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDakBmcPXis

THREE STEPS to GET THE MOST from DIVINE LITURGY: Beloved, as we get ready to experience the Holy Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, here are three steps to get the most out of Divine Liturgy. While it’s true that we "enter the presence of the Lord with thanksgiving" (Psalm 100:4), yet “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). So, just before we leave the crazy world and enter the Court of the King, we: 1. PRAY - we should mindfully pray through the Prayers of Preparation for Holy Communion, which are filled with cleansing contrition and praise. Additionally, Elder Sophrony, of blessed memory, used to say: try to say The Jesus Prayer for ten minutes or so before Divine Liturgy, to “prime the pump” of the heart. 2. FAST - when we enter the presence of the Lord physically hungry, we are more likely to leave filled spiritually filled. Hunger heightens our senses, giving an urgency to our prayer and a sensitivity to spiritual movement - especially to Christ, Who is "the Bread of Life” (John 6:35). 3. FORGIVE - try to resolve in our hearts to extend forgiveness to all. Or, at least to want to want to forgive. The closer we at St Elizabeth's can get to the biblical ideal - that “all are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:18) - the better! Love to you all! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDUMf7oFt2s

Beloved, Christ is Risen…still! + Wednesday, 6pm - Divine Liturgy for the Ascension of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We’ll follow Liturgy with a feasting potluck. + Saturday, 6pm - Great Vespers for the Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council + Sunday, 9am - Matins for the Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council + Sunday, 10am - Divine Liturgy for the Sunday of the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council + Sunday, 12:30pm - Inquirers’ Class: The Church in Society: How does the Orthodox Church fit within society? What about missions and evangelism and social issues? What is our relation to other Christian groups? Also… + Pledges - summer is often a time of vacation, but don't take a vacation from “fulfilling our vows unto the Lord in the presence of His people” (Psalm 116:14-16). Let’s stay financially current with the Church. Looking ahead… + Pentecost - the great feast of Pentecost falls on Sunday, June 16. Please remember to adorn the church with greenery. http://antiochian.us/ascension

The photograph - from the Chapel of the Ascension, Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem - depicts the traditional location of Christ’s last footprints on earth moments before His Ascension - an event we’ll celebrate with Divine Liturgy this Wednesday, June 5, at 6pm.

+ On Love - from some summer reading: "The person who loves God cannot help loving every person as himself, even though he is grieved by the passions of those who are not yet purified. But when they amend their lives, his delight is indescribable and knows no bounds” (St. Maximos the Confessor, Four Hundred Texts on Love, 1.13). + This Week’s Schedule - a slight adjustment: - Tomorrow - no service - Wednesday, 6pm - Daily Vespers: come to pray and connect with each other! - Thursday - no service - Saturday, 6pm - Great Vespers for the Sunday of the Blind Man - Sunday, 9am - Matins for the Sunday of the Blind Man - Sunday, 10am - Divine Liturgy for the Sunday of the Blind Man - Sunday, 12:30pm - Inquirers Class: On Orthodox Spirituality + Looking Ahead - Wednesday, 5 June, 6pm - Divine Liturgy for the Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, followed by feasting potluck. - June 12-15 - Diocese of Miami and the Southeast Parish Life Conference; Raleigh, North Carolina - June 23-29 - Camp St Thekla: Session I; Asbury Hills Camp; Cleveland, South Carolina - June 24-28 - the Holy Apostles’ Fast

+ Tonight, 6pm - Divine Liturgy for the Feast of Mid-Pentecost, followed by a feasting potluck. http://orthochristian.com/46565.html

+ Wednesday, May 22, 6pm - Divine Liturgy for the Feast of Mid-Pentecost. + Thursday, 9:30am - Akathist of Glory to God for All Things + Saturday, 6pm - Great Vespers for the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman + Sunday - Memorial Day Weekend Sunday Picnic: Sign Up below! + Sunday, 9am - Matins and Divine Liturgy for the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman + Sunday, 12:30pm - Inquirers’ Class: On the Sacraments, with Fr Christopher + Tuesday and Thursday - our daily services on these days will be canceled while Fr John’s away. + Olivers Away - it’s time to give our long-suffering parish a break from the priest: the Olivers will be away from Friday, May 24 - Tuesday, June 4. Fr Christopher will be ably serving the parish during that time for Great Vespers (Saturdays - May 25 & June 1), Matins and Divine Liturgy and Inquirer Class (Sundays - May 26 & June 2), and Daily Vespers (Wednesday - May 29). The Tuesday and Thursday morning services will be canceled during my absence. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c094fabae29aaf58-memorial2

+ This Evening, 6pm - Great Vespers for the Sunday of the Paralytic + Tomorrow - following the Agape Meal, our next Inquirers’ Class will reflect on the Saints: Who are they? Why do they matter? What does “prayer” to the saints mean? Looking Ahead… + Sunday, May 26 - next Sunday: our annual Memorial Day Weekend Sunday Potluck Picnic: the church provides the meats, y’all provide the rest. + Sunday, May 26, 5pm - St Timothy Young Adult Fellowship + Food for Hungry People - please remember to bring your lenten donation boxes and place them before the iconostasis icon of St Nicholas. + Meaningful Gleaning - St Elizabeth’s started this beautiful ministry: local food from local growers through local volunteers to local needy. Contact the church to volunteer.

Consider coming to Vespers tonight at 6pm, after which we’ll send off Blake and Katie (and baby) to Japan where they’ll continue life as a military family for the next few years.

Beloved, CHRIST is RISEN! Thank you so very much for making St Elizabeth’s a wonderful place. + Tuesday, 9:30am - Daily Matins + Wednesday, 6pm - Daily Vespers + Thursday, 9:30am - Akathist of Glory to God for All Things + Saturday, 6pm - Great Vespers for the Sunday of the Paralytic + Chest of Drawers - Joyce Huddleston is looking for a chest of drawers for her spare bedroom. Have one that might be available? + Meaningful Gleaning - St Elizabeth’s started this beautiful ministry: local food from local growers through local volunteers to local needy. Please sign-up below to participate: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0f45afaf2ca57-meaningful

CAMP ST THEKLA: June 23-29, Cleveland, SC. It's what we do for the kids...

The things we do for the kids… Camp St Thekla, 2017.

A lil' bit of last evening's ST NICHOLAS CELEBRATION.

"Praise Him with loud cymbals! Praise Him with shouts of jubilation!" - Psalm 150. A St Elizabeth drum circle, for Labor Day Sunday Parish Picnic.

"I remember days of old; I meditate on all Thou hast done." - Psalm 143:5. The groundbreaking at 7004 Burnt Knob Road, with a beloved departed member.