Sunday Services

Matins: 9:00 a.m.

Divine Liturgy: 10:00 a.m.

Coffee Fellowship follows Divine Liturgy

Saturdays - 5:00 pm - Vespers

(Confession available following Vespers)

691 Green Street, Craig, CO 81625

Fr. David Henderson - 970-846-2245

fatherdavid@saintjohnscraig.org

www.saintjohnscraig.org

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America



In This Issue:

A Message from Father David

Epistle and Gospel Readings

for Sunday, October 12

Food for the Soul

This Week/Next Week Services and Events

A Message from Father David

“Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the Law of Christ.”

(Galatians 6:2)

On one level, this verse from St. Paul seems fairly straight-forward. We are to help one another in times of struggle or hardship – we are to show love, and compassion, and seek to ease each other’s pain. True enough.

But on a deeper level, we are reminded in Isaiah 53 that our Lord has “borne our griefs and carried our sorrows … He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”

Christ on the Cross bore our burden – the burden of our sin, our brokenness, our separation from Him – even death itself. He manifested the very nature of God, who is Divine Love, by emptying Himself, even unto death. Perhaps the burden of others that St. Paul is urging us to bear is to love others with that same kind of sacrificial love.

It’s all too easy for us to look upon others with judgment or blame, seeing ourselves as better or morally superior. But if we realize that we ourselves are sinners for whom Christ gave His life, if we come to terms with our own need of healing and redemption, then we begin to see others in the same light – the light of God’s perfect love for the life of the world.

The fact is, we’re all in the same sinking boat, and it is Christ’s sacrificial love that keeps us all from drowning. When Jesus tells us that we must daily take up our cross if we are to be His disciples, perhaps what he means is that we must learn to love sacrificially, setting aside our selfish ego, and learning to love others as God loves them. Perhaps this points to the great paradox of the Gospel, that “he who would save his own life will lose it, but he who loses his life for My sake and the Gospel will save it.” As Christ emptied Himself becoming a servant, so are we to empty ourselves, that we may manifest Divine Love towards others. This is the Law of Christ. This is the yoke that Christ tells us to take upon ourselves, for “His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.”

Blessings,

Father David

Epistle and Gospel Readings

Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Mode 4 

Daniel 3.26,27

Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers.

Verse: For you are just in all you have done.

The reading is from St. Paul's Letter to Titus 3:8-15

Titus, my son, the saying is sure. I desire you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to apply themselves to good deeds; these are excellent and profitable to men. But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile. As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned. When I send Artemas or Tychicos to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. And let our people learn to apply themselves to good deeds, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not to be unfruitful.

All who are with me send greeting to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.

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Food for the Soul

Since it is likely that, being men, they would sin every day, St. Paul consoles his hearers by saying 'renew yourselves' from day to day. This is what we do with houses: we keep constantly repairing them as they wear old. You should do the same thing to yourself. Have you sinned today? Have you made your soul old? Do not despair, do not despond, but renew your soul by repentance, and tears, and Confession, and by doing good things. And never cease doing this.

~ Saint John Chrysostom

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Congratulations to Newly Chrismated Parishioner -

Henry Johnson!