Matthew 16:1-16

 

Adult Bible Study

11/02/2014

Rev. Christopher T. Metropulos

Matthew 16:1-16

 

The Pharisees’ Blindness and the Disciples’ Blindness

 

  1. Jewish leaders test Jesus- confrontation
    1. Ask for sign from heaven
    2. Pharisees and Sadducees were usually adversaries- the one thing they had in common was the rejection of Jesus and their hypocrisy
    3. An evil and adulterous generation
    4. No public demonstration of unbelievers but the third day Resurrection (Torah)

 

 

  1. Did they have the knowledge of their appointed times? Do we?
    1. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees- confusion of bread
    2. Leaven or yeast affects the whole batch of dough

 

 

  1. Peter and the Apostles see that Jesus is the Messiah- confession of faith from the Apostles
    1. Asks His disciples who the men of Israel say that He is? (Some say John the Baptizer and others Elijah)
    2. The question is also posed to us?

Who do we say Christ is?

You are the Christ! The son of the living God.

Weekly Sunday Bulletin – November 2, 2014

Synaxis of the ArchangelsNovember 2, 2014

O Commanders of the Heavenly Host, we the unworthy beseech you, that through your entreaties you will fortify us, guarding us in the shelter of the wings of your ethereal glory, even as we fervently bow before you crying: “Deliver us from all danger, as Commanders of the Powers on high! ”

Synaxis of the Archangels– November 8
Parish Council on duty:
John Ioannou, Jr. , John Argiropoulos, Andreas Ioannou, Marion Koliniatis, Anna Merkel, Demetri Rapanos, Peter Synoyannis, Kathy Ziegler

Weekly Sunday Bulletin – 6th Sunday of Luke

St. DemetriosOctober 26th, 2014

God, who gave you invincible power and with care kept your city invulnerable, royally clothed the Church in purple with the streams of your blood, for you are her strength, O Demetrios.

Kontakion in the Second Tone

Parish Council on Duty:

George Georgakakis, Manny Daskos, James Carras, Eleni Varvoutis, Michael Haralambis,  Michael Fossler, Juanita Antley

Matthew 15:10-28

The Gospel of Matthew

10/19/2014

Seraphim Danckaert

Matthew 15:10-28

 

 

Both Law and Gospel: We Need Both

Section 1 (Matthew 15:10-20)

  1. In this section of chapter 15, we have a new law, a new set of Christian ethical principles. This law comes directly from Jesus, who gives a new Shema, a new “Hear, O Israel!”.
  2. The radical nature of Jesus’ new law is evident when compared to the old  law (Leviticus).
  3. “It is not what goes into the mouth [food] that defiles the person; it is what comes up out of the mouth [speech] that defiles the person.
  4. Reversing the “outward/inward” principle. Our own hearts and thoughts condemn us.

Section 2 (Matthew 15:11-28)

  1. In this section, we see the good news, the answer to our ethical problem, the solution to inner failure to live according to divine precepts.
  2. What we say is critical once again. “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David.”
  3. “Then Jesus responded and said to her, “O woman, your faith is terrific; let it be done to your exactly as you want.”

Conclusion: In the first part of chapter 15, Jesus broke decisively with a whole section of Hebrew Scripture, laying down a new (very difficult) law. In the next section, he breaks with tradition again, opening up salvation and healing to all who call upon his name.

 

Weekly Sunday Bulletin – 3rd Sunday of Luke

St. James the ApostleOctober 19, 2014

O wondrous Iakovos, God the Logos, only-begotten of the Father, who dwelt among us in latter days, declared you, the first shepherd and teacher of Jerusalem, and faithful steward of the spiritual mysteries. Wherefore, we all honor you, O Apostle.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone

James (Iakovos) the Apostle– October 23

Parish Council on duty:

John Ioannou, Jr. , John Argiropoulos, Andreas Ioannou, Marion Koliniatis, Anna Merkel, Demetri Rapanos, Peter Synoyannis, Kathy Ziegler

Metropolitan Alexios Visit

Beloved Faithful,

We are pleased to inform you that His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios of Atlanta will visit our Parish for our Feastday Divine Liturgy on Sunday, October 26.

The Archieratical Divine Liturgy will begin at 10:00am, preceded by Orthros at 8:45.  His Eminence will also be our guest at the brunch following the Divine Liturgy.  Please join us as we welcome his Eminence who will honor us with his presence and service.

We wish everyone a happy and blessed celebration of the our Feast Day, St. Demetrios the Myrrh Bearer.

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St. Nicholas National Shrine

BROADCAST OF THE GROUND BLESSING FOR PARISHES
 
Live Broadcast: On Saturday, October 18th, there will be a live broadcast of the ground blessing ceremony from ground zero.  The live broadcast will be available from the official St. Nicholas National Shrine web site at: http://www.stnicholaswtc.org and the Archdiocese home page at www.goarch.org
Broadcast During Parish Coffee Hour: Opportunity to Share with Parishioners: The video of the broadcast from Ground Zero will be available on Saturday evening on both the St. Nicholas National Shrine and Archdiocese web sites.  Parishes can therefore plan to share the video with parishioners during coffee hour on Sunday, October 19th.  As many of you have done previously, you may setup a computer, iPad, etc, connected to the Internet, along with a projector to show the service.
ST. NICHOLAS GROUND ZERO: OUT OF THE ASHES, A NEW SYMBOL OF OUR FAITH, by Nicholas Gage
Nicholas Gage’s article on the St. Nicholas National Shrine, reprinted with permission, is now available at:
ST. NICHOLAS NATIONAL SHRINE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
The official social media hashtag for rebuilding St. Nicholas National Shrine is #RebuiltStNicholas.  Please share the #RebuildStNicholas hashtag with the individuals managing your respective social media sites to tag posts related to St. Nicholas National Shrine.
The following are the official social media sites for St. Nicholas National Shrine that you can link to from your parish web sites and share with your parishioners:
“BE THE BEE” ON ST. NICHOLAS
The National Youth and Young Adult Ministries Department’s Be the Bee video series has produced a short, yet powerful segment on the meaning of the new St. Nicholas National Shrine.  Parishes may add this YouTube video to their web site and share it with their parishioners.
Share via email and Social Media:
You can view the video at: http://youtu.be/TP15LYKEabc  You may also use this link to share it with your parish community via email, Facebook, Twitter, or any social media site.
<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/_HWaPfzhllI” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
“A Time to Rebuild” Video Message
A beautiful reflection on September 11th, the loss of St. Nicholas and what rebuilding means to our community.
Share via email and Social Media:
You can view the video at: http://youtu.be/dhLrkKXbVpQ You may also use this link to share it with your parish community via email, Facebook, Twitter, or any social media site.
<iframe width=”853″ height=”480″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/dhLrkKXbVpQ” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
Architectural Video Tour
A three-dimensional architectural tour of the new St. Nicholas National Shrine is available.
Share via email and Social Media:
You can view the video at: http://youtu.be/hNAk9NGUu2E  You may also use this link to share it with your parish community via email, Facebook, Twitter, or any social media site.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
We have a Frequently Asked Questions page about the St. Nicholas National Shrine at: http://stnicholasgroundzero.org/faqs  The FAQ is available as a web page and you can instantly download it as an MS WORD file or PDF file and disseminate to your parishioners.
 
HOW TO DONATE
Information on how to donate to the St. Nicholas National Shrine is available at:

St. Demetrios Dinner Dance

Evening At the Plaka

Who:  All are welcomed

What:  St. Demetrios Feast Day Dance

Where:  St. Demetrios Hall

When:  Saturday, October 25, 2014; Doors open @7:00pm, Dinner @7:30pm

Why:  It is your church!

 

Please join us by celebrating the feast day of our parish, St. Demetrios. There will be a signature cocktail & Hors d’oeuvres, amazing dinner menu, butler-style serving stations & sumptuous dessert bar, live entertainment by Demetri and the Islanders, dancing all night, door prizes, and a fabulous raffle.

 

Pre-sales thrue October 19, 2014

Adults:  $45.00

Children 12& up / Students:  $30.00

After October 20th

Adults:  $50.00

Children 12& up / Students:  $35.00

 

For additional information and reservations please contact Marion Koliniatis PH: 305-632-1415 E: marionk2@bellsouth.net.  Katherine Ziegler PH: 954-564-3379 E: katherineziegler@msn.com.

 

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Weekly Sunday Bulletin – 7th Ecumenical Council

St. LukeOctober 9, 2014

St. Luke the Evangelist- October 18
This Apostle was an Antiochean, a physician by trade, and a disciple and companion of Paul. He wrote his Gospel in Greek after Matthew and Mark, after which he wrote the Acts of the Apostles, and dedicated both works to Theophilus, who, according to some, was Governor of Achaia. He lived some eighty-six years and died in Achaia, perhaps in Patras, the capital of this district. His emblem is the calf, the third symbolical beast mentioned by Ezekiel (1:10), which is a symbol of Christ’s acrificial and priestly office, as Saint Irenaeus says.

Parish Council on Duty:
George Georgakakis, Manny Daskos, James Carras, Eleni Varvoutis, Michael Haralambis, Michael Fossler, Juanita Antley