TIME, TALENT, TREASURE: First Fruits Pledge 2017. Fall is the time of harvest when people traditionally received the fruit of their labors and offered those “first fruits” back to God in thanksgiving and recognition that He is the Source of all that provision and blessing. As Christians we know that everything is ultimately a gift from God. Throughout time, the people of God have been called on to give back to God at least a tenth, that is, a Tithe, of all that they had. In the New Covenant, we are not called upon to give a Tithe, but everything we have. The Tithe is a good place to start to open our hearts to God, to learn to love God more, and to build up His Church. God is always more faithful than we and gives to us sacramentally in return: He provides for us in every way. We offer a portion to Him in thanksgiving from that which He’s entrusted to us of our time, our talents, and our treasures, and then God, in His goodness, returns to us His eternal and spiritual good gifts and further prepares us for life with Him in His heavenly Kingdom. Please take a “Time, Talent, Treasure” pledge form today, pray about what God would have you give of yourself in 2017, take a step of faith, knowing that God will give you so much more in return. Please place your completed pledge form in the offering box no later than Sunday, Nov. 6 (Sunday before our patronal feast). He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. (II Cor. 9:6)
The Parable of the Sower…
Our Lord presents us with an opportunity today to consider how we’re responding to His gracious and loving invitation to life with Him. The distractions and temptations we face in the world are great: they can smother the seed of faith that’s been planted in us; we can find ourselves on the ‘rocky soil’ or choked by the ‘weeds’ of worldly concerns. Tending our soul is a lot like tending a garden: Vigilance and patience is demanded of us. If we want to see the ‘garden’ of our souls flourish and bring forth a fruitful harvest, we make use of the ‘tools’ Christ has entrusted to us through His Church. A good gardener removes the rocks, the weeds, provides good soil, water, and all that his garden needs. So it is with our souls: we make use of the ‘tools.’ We make Confession so that we can invite the Master Gardener into our souls to tend it, remove from it the passions that would otherwise prevent our growth, healing, and salvation. We pray daily and participate in the divine worship. We read the Scriptures and the lives of the Saints. The life in Christ demands of us much patience, perseverance, humility and obedience. So, we examine our lives today to see what is lacking: have we lost our fervor for the faith? We pray for renewal and more faith. Have we allowed the cares of the world to preoccupy us? We ask God to help us prioritize once again the life only in Him. Have we withheld our gifts, talents, and treasure from Him? We pray that God would help us to return to Him from our ‘first fruits.’ Have we been indifferent to the needs of others or not spoken the truth of Christ? We ask God to give us opportunities to do so and a heart to love as He loves, growing to be as the good seed, yielding a crop a hundredfold. The Lord bless you! Fr. Robert+
THIS WEEK AT HOLY ARCHANGELS (all services at our new church home—47 Spa Rd):
- Today: Pre-school aged children on up are invited to come to Sunday School during Trapeza
- Wed, Oct 19 (weekly), 6:30 p.m., “The Book of ACTS through the Eyes of the Early Christians.” This week: Chapter 19: The Church in Corinth continued: Occultists converted. Join us and invite your friends!
- Sat, Oct. 22, 6 p.m., Great Vespers, Confession following
- Sun, Oct. 23, 9:30 a.m. Hours, 10 a.m., Divine Liturgy, Trapeza following
Looking Ahead:
- Sunday, Oct. 30, 4 p.m. Georgian Wine-tasting Event. Please RSVP now by Evite. Space is limited.
- Tuesday, Nov. 8, 10 a.m., Patronal Feast Divine Liturgy, Feast of the Holy Archangels
- Sunday, Nov. 13 (SAVE THE DATE): Presentation, Dinner, Celebration of Patronal Feast
Confession and Reception: In keeping with OCA Guidelines, it is the discipline at Holy Archangels to practice monthly confession. If you wish to receive Communion and a month has passed and you have not made confession for good reason, or are visiting, please talk with Fr. Robert prior to the service and before approaching the Chalice to ask for a blessing to receive.
Prayer Requests:
- That God may grow our Mission “in spirit and in numbers…”
- For God’s financial provision for our Mission & ACM (Annapolis College Ministry);
- Forgiveness of sins, memory eternal for the servant of God, Gheorghe and Donald, grandfather of Preoteasa/Matushka Krissy.
- Metropolitan Isaiah of Georgia, Archpriest George, Rdr. John, Gov. Hogan, Benedict, Daniel, Mat. Janet, Eric, Daniel, Noah, Norm, Svetlana, Alex, Gary, Timothy, Gabriela and the child she bears, Cecilia and the child she bears, the Church in Georgia & Romania as they address the relativism of the West, speaking the truth in love, our persecuted brethren in the Middle East, a peaceful resolution in Syria.
Troparion (Resurrection) Tone 8
Thou didst descend from on high, O Merciful One! // Thou didst accept the three day burial
to free us from our sufferings!// O Lord, our Life and Resurrection, glory to Thee!
Troparion (Fathers) Tone 8
Thou art most glorious, O Christ our God!
Thou hast established the Holy Fathers as lights on the earth.
Through them Thou hast guided us to the true Faith.// O greatly compassionate One, glory to Thee!
Troparion (Holy Archangels) Tone 4
Commanders of the heavenly hosts, // we who are unworthy beseech you:
by your prayers encompass us beneath the wings of your immaterial glory,
and faithfully preserve us who fall down and cry to you://
“Deliver us from all harm, for you are the Commanders of the Powers on high!”
Kontakion (Resurrection) Tone 8
By rising from the tomb, Thou didst raise the dead and resurrected Adam.
Eve exults in Thy Resurrection,
and the world celebrates Thy rising from the dead, O greatly Merciful One!
Kontakion (Fathers) Tone 6
The Son who shone forth from the Father // was ineffably born, two-fold in nature, of a woman.
Having beheld Him, we do not deny the image of His form,
but depict it piously and revere it faithfully. // Thus, keeping the True Faith,//
the Church venerates the icon of Christ Incarnate.
Kontakion (Angels) Tone 2
Commanders of God’s armies // and ministers of the divine glory,//princes of the bodiless Angels
and guides of mankind;//ask for what is good for us, an
