Today’s Readings:

Epistle: Galatians 1:11-19

Gospel: Matthew 2:13-23

 

Schedule of Services: 

Friday, January 5th, Great Vespers of Theophany with the Blessing of the Waters at 5pm.

Saturday, January 6th, Divine Liturgy for Theophany at 10am.

Sunday, January 7th, Divine Liturgy at 10am.  Hours begin at 9:40am.

 

Announcements:

-Thank you to all who contributed to the Holy Supper on Christmas Eve. 

-There is a new coffee hour sign up sheet located on the freezer for the months of January and February.

-Please see the Schedule of Services for the upcoming week. For the Feast of Theophany, we will serve Great Vespers with the Blessing of the Waters on Friday at 5pm (January 5th).  

-After Divine Liturgy on Saturday morning, please feel free to bring a non-fasting dish to share if you would like.  Some food will be provided.

-Steve W. is currently residing at Hunterdon Care Center in Flemington, NJ. He is happy to welcome any visitors. His room number is C 120.

-Please text Robert Fisher at (609) 306-4714 if you would like to visit or are able to bring him to church. His address is 47 Lincoln Ave., Lambertville, NJ.

-Please consider donating to the Building Preservation/Rectory Fund. Sign up is located on the bulletin board. All donations are appreciated.

-Don’t forget the needy. Shop Rite gift cards or non-perishable foods are greatly appreciated.

-Sunday School is scheduled for the month of January on the Sundays of the 14th and the 28th.

-Happy New Year!  On January 1st is the celebration of both the Circumcision of Christ and of St. Basil the Great.  Such is why we sang hymns commemorating both the Feast and St. Basil today towards the conclusion of Liturgy.

 

 

Prayers for: 

Departed: Teresa

Living: Elena, Janis, David, Robert, Karen, Steven, Archpriest Paul, Melissa, Stephen, Michele, Janet, Teresa, Irina, Victor; Metropolitan Onuphry and the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church; the suffering people and innocent victims of the Ukrainian/Russian war and those being persecuted; the suffering people of Yemen, Syria and Turkey; and the suffering victims of the war in Israel and Palestine. 

 

Words for the Day

Everyone who asks something of God and does not receive it doubtless does not receive it for one of these reasons: either because they ask before the time, or they ask unworthily, or out of vainglory, or because if they received what they asked they would become proud or fall into negligence.
(St. John of the Ladder, Ladder, 26.60)

 

As God illumines all people equally with the light of the sun, so do those who desire to imitate God let shine an equal ray of love on all people. For wherever love disappears, hatred immediately appears in its place. And if God is love, then hatred is the devil. Therefore as one who has love has God within himself, so he who has hatred within himself nurtures the devil within himself.
(St. Basil the Great, Homily on Asceticism, 3)

 

 

Next Week’s Readings:

Epistle: Acts 19:1-8. Brethren, And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John's baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all. And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.

 

Gospel: Matthew 1:1-25.  The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”