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ST. GEORGE ORTHODOX CHURCH OF PRESCOTT (928) 777-8750

Priest: Fr. John A. Peck

Parish Council: Dr. George Rizk, Vicki Brannock, Raymond Zogob, Kris Wells, Marnie Butts, Kally Key, Mike Winney, Bob Hunt. Choir Director: Pres. Deborah

Find us online at www.prescottorthodox.org

SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING SERVICES AND EVENTS

Wed. Dec. 9 6 pm Daily Vespers

6:45pm Bible Study - ‘CALLED TO SERVE’ CONTINUED

Sat. Dec. 12 11 am Catechumen Class

Sun. Dec. 13 after Liturgy Annual Parish Meeting

Sat. Dec. 19 11 am The Twelve Days of Christmas: True Origins

Wed. Dec. 23 6 pm Daily Vespers

6:45 pm “CALLED TO SERVE” Final Exam

2010 STEWARSHIP PLEDGE FORMS: are in the narthex of the Church and

downloadable online. Please fill them out and hand them to Marta Wells, or any Parish Board member sometime in the next few weeks. We wish to have most of our 2010 Pledge forms collected by Christmas.

SUNDAY PARKING: Please remember that there is parking across the street available for our Sunday services. As we continue to grow, we are running out of room. Be sure to take advantage, whenever possible of this additional parking to make room for visitors, newcomers and inquirers! SUNDAY SEATING: Likewise, we continue to run short of room during Sunday worship. If you arrive early or before anyone else in your row, please move all the way over to make room for others. Thank you for your kind consideration!

Sun. Dec. 6, 2009 Tone 1 NATIVITY FAST

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Matins Gospel: Luke 24:1-12

On the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel; and as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of man must be delivered in to the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise." And they remem-bered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told this to the apostles; but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home wondering at what had happened."+

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Resurrection Hymn - Tone 1

While the stone was sealed by the Jews, and the soldiers were guarding Thy most pure body, Thou didst arise on the third day, O Savior, Granting life to the world. For which cause the heavenly powers cried aloud unto Thee, O Giver of Life, Glory to Thy Resurrection, O Christ, Glory to Thy Kingdom, Glory to Thy Providence, O Thou Who alone art the lover of mankind.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to

the Holy Spirit,

Hymn of Great Martyr George - Tone 4

Liberator of captives, defender of the poor, physician of the sick, and champion of kings, O trophy-bearer, Great Martyr George, intercede with Christ God that our souls be

saved.

now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Hymn of the Theotokos - Tone 1

As Gabriel cried unto thee: Hail, O Virgin, with his message, did the Lord of all become Incarnate in thee, O Holy Ark, as spoke the righteous David, And thou wast revealed as more spacious than the heavens in that thou bore thy Creator. Wherefore, glory to Him Who abode in thee! Glory to Him Who came from thee! Glory to Him Who through thy birth-giving hath set us free!

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Date Readers

12-6 Jelena Timotijevich

12-13 Robert Frisby

12-20 Michael Alvey

12-27 Mike Winney

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Prokeimenon in the 1st Tone (Ps 33)

Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us as we have set our hope on Thee!

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous! Praise befits the just!

Epistle: Hebrews 13:17-21

B RETHREN, obey your leaders and

submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give

account. Let them do this joyfully, and not sadly, for that would be of no advan-tage to you. Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner. Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in you that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.+

Alleluia in the 1st Tone (Ps 18)

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

God gives vengeance to me and subdues people under me!

He magnifies the salvation of the king, and deals mercifully with His Christ, with David and his seed forever!

Gospel: Luke 13:10-17

A T THAT TIME, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And there was a woman who had a spirit of

infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. And when Jesus saw her, He called her and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity." And He laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. But the ruler of the synagogue, in-dignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day." Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?" As He said this, all his adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by Him.+

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Visitors We are happy that you joined us today, and we want you to know the following;

• Visitors and children are always welcome at all of our worship services.

• You won't be asked to do anything that would make you uncomfortable.

• We don't expect visitors to contribute anything to the financial support of our parish.

• Our children worship with us, and we love having them here.

If you are an Orthodox Christian, please introduce yourself to Fr. John before the service begins, so that, if possible, you may receive the Holy Mysteries of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you are not an Orthodox Christian, we invite you to partake of the blessed bread distributed at the end of the service, to fill out a “Welcome” card (available in the Narthex), and to join us after the service for some hospitality!

LIVING: : : :

Helen Shugrue, Wil, Ovi, Campbell Mackenzie, Bonnie & Rachel Winters, Sarah (travel), Betty Dudney, Fr. Alexis Washing-ton, Will Degenhart & family, Nathan & Merilee Peck, Sky Rizk, Dumitri Popita, Susan Hill, Ken Key, Tanya, Darlene, Glenn, Janet Maissen, Fr. Hans & Susan Jacobse, Fr. John Stavropoulos, Fr. Earl Cantos, Fr. Bill Clarke, Tom & Geris Kourkoumelis, Kristi & Dan Thanos, Philip Winney, Lindsay, Gail & Vicki Brannock, George Peter Rizk, Steve & Robin Hyduke, Joanna Knight, Sharon Knight, Barbara Wright, Boyd Jackson, Bill Panos, Kally Key, Marnie Butts, Luke Glen, Charity Books, Kathy Hunt, the Borza family, Elizabeth, Seraphima, Macrina, Mary, Silas, Fr. Daniel, Susana, Robert, Kayla, Briana, Joel, Kelsey, Shaun, Theresa, Chris’ 2 grand-mothers, Unborn Gusty child, Unborn Zogob child.

DEPARTED:

Ethel Hunt, Patriarch Pavel, Child Nicholas, John, Delores, Lydia (Letitia) Preda, Fr. Gabriel, Fred, Larry Peck, Chuck, Lisa Coving-ton, Andrew Lubnick, Dennis Kontanis, Julia Sedon, Ariel Borza, Michael Hicha, Tom Pallad, Peter Rizk; Demos Vlahakis; Rhonda Dawson; Nicholas, Peter, Kay, Shirley, George Cosmakos, Andrew Degenhart, Annuncio Aaflaq; Bp Innocent (Gula); Fr. Michael St. Andrew.

Parish Prayer List Have Mercy, O Lord, on your servants,Have Mercy, O Lord, on your servants,Have Mercy, O Lord, on your servants,Have Mercy, O Lord, on your servants, GGGGiiiivvvveeee RRRReeeesssstttt,,,, OOOO LLLLoooorrrrdddd,,,, ttttoooo yyyyoooouuuurrrr sssseeeerrrrvvvvaaaannnnttttssss,,,,

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suddenly a child cried out, "Ambrose for bishop!" The people took up this chant. Ambrose, who at this time was still a cate-chumen, considered himself unworthy, and tried to refuse. He disparaged himself, and even tried to flee from Mediolanum. The matter went ultimately before the emperor Valentinian the Elder (364-375), whose or-ders Ambrose dared not disobey. He ac-cepted holy Baptism from an Orthodox priest and, passing through all the ranks of the Church clergy in just seven days, on Dec. 7, 374 he was consecrated Bishop of Mediolanum. He dispersed all his posses-sions, money and property for the adorn-ment of churches, the upkeep of orphans and the poor, and he devoted himself to a strict ascetic life.

Ambrose combined strict temperance, in-tense vigilance and work within the fulfilling of his duties as archpastor. St Ambrose, de-fending the unity of the Church, energeti-cally opposed the spread of heresy. Thus, in the year 379 he traveled off to establish an Orthodox bishop at Sirmium, and in 385-386 he refused to hand over the basilica of Me-diolanum to the Arians.

The preaching of St Ambrose in defense of

Our holy father, St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, was born in the year 340 into the family of the Roman prefect of Gaul (now France). Even in the saint's child-hood there ap-peared presenti-ments of his great

future. After the death of the father of the family, Ambrose journeyed to Rome, where the future saint and his brother Satyrius re-ceived an excellent education. About the year 370, upon completion of his course of study, Ambrose was appointed to the posi-tion of governor (consular prefect) of the districts of Liguria and Aemilia, though he continued to live at Mediolanum (now Mi-lan).

In the year 374 Auxentius, the Arian Bishop of Mediolanum, died. This led to complica-tions between the Orthodox and the Arians, since each side wanted to have its own bishop. Ambrose, as the chief city official, went to the church to resolve the dispute. While he was speaking to the crowd,

SAINTS ALIVE

The Lives and Deeds of the Heroes of the Christian Faith

St. Ambrose of Milan

The saint who held a dying Emperor in his arms.

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GLORY TO GOD FOR ALL THINGS!

Orthodoxy was deeply influential. Another noted Father of the Western Church, St Augustine (June 15), bore witness to this, having accepted holy Baptism in the year 387 by the grace of the preaching of the bishop of Mediolanum.

St Ambrose also actively participated in civil matters. Thus, the emperor Gracian (375-383), having received from him the "Exposition of the Orthodox Faith" (De Fide), removed, by decree of the saint, the altar of Victory from the halls of the Senate at Rome, on which oaths were wont to be taken. Displaying a pastoral boldness, St Ambrose placed a severe penance on the emperor Theodosius I (379-395) for the mas-sacre of innocent inhabitants of Thessalo-nica. For him there was no difference be-tween emperor and commoner. Though he released Theodosius from the penance, the saint would not permit the emperor to commune at the altar, but compelled him to do public penance. Later, Theodosius died in his arms, united to the Church.

The fame of Bishop Ambrose and his actions attracted to him many followers from other lands. From faraway Persia learned men came to him to ask him questions and ab-sorb his wisdom. Fritigelda (Frigitil), queen of the military Germanic tribe of the Markomanni, which often had attacked Mediolanum, asked the saint to instruct her in the Christian Faith. The saint in his letter to her persuasively stated the dogmas of the Church. And having become a believer, the queen converted her own husband to Christianity and persuaded him to conclude a treaty of peace with the Roman Empire.

The saint combined strictness with an un-common kindliness. Granted a gift of wonderworking, he healed many from sick-ness. One time at Florence, while staying at the house of Decentus, he resurrected a dead boy. The repose of St Ambrose, who departed to the Lord on the night of Holy Pascha, was accompanied by many miracles. He even appeared in a vision to the children being baptized that night. The saint was bur-ied in the Ambrosian basilica in Mediolanum, beneath the altar, between the Martyrs Protasius and Gervasius (October 14). A zeal-ous preacher and valiant defender of the Christian Faith, St Ambrose received particu-lar renown as a Church writer. In dogmatic compositions he set forth the Orthodox teaching about the Holy Trinity, the Sacra-ments, and Repentance: "Five Books on the Faith" (De Fide); "Explication of the Symbol of the Faith" (Explanatio Symboli); "On the Incarnation" (De Incarnationis); "Three Books on the Holy Spirit" (De Spiritu Sancto); "On the Sacraments" (De Sacramento); "Two Books on Repentance" (De Paeniten-

tia). In writings about Christian morality, he explained the excellence of Christian moral teaching compared to pagan moral teaching.

St Ambrose was also a reformer of Church singing. He introduced antiphonal singing (along the Eastern or Syrian form) into the Western Church, which became known as "Ambrosian Chant." The hymn, "Thee, O God, we praise" (Te Deum), attributed to St. Ambrose, entered into the divine services of the Orthodox Church.