The Witness (March 18th – 26th)
SERVICES AND EVENTS
Saturday, March 18, 6:15pm Panikhida for Memorial Saturday 6:30pm Vespers Sunday, March 19, 9am Matins 10am Divine Liturgy
Wednesday, March 22, 6:15pm Presanctified Liturgy followed by Lenten Meal
Friday, March 24, 10am Presanctified Liturgy
Saturday, March 25, 10am Divine Liturgy for Feast of Annunciation 6:30pm Vespers Sunday, March 26, 9am Matins 10am Divine Liturgy
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CHANGE OF DATE Handmaids Prosphora Baking Workshop Girls 7 and over are invited to take part in this workshop, 1-4pm Saturday March 25.
Updated Parish Directory
CONFESSION SIGN UP Jan-Mar
LENTEN MEAL SIGN UP
Birthdays: Nikki Jones (3/25)
Name’s Days: Bilen Mulugeta (Theotokos, Annunciation 3/25)
Tone 7 Troparion (Resurrection)
By Your Cross You destroyed death.
To the thief You opened Paradise.
For the Myrrhbearers You changed weeping into joy. And You commanded Your disciples, O Christ God, to proclaim that You are risen,//
granting the world great mercy.
Tone 1 Troparion of the Cross
O Lord, save Your people,
and bless Your inheritance!
Grant victories to the Orthodox Christians over their adversaries;
and by virtue of Your Cross,//
preserve Your habitation!
Tone 7 Kontakion (Cross)
Now the flaming sword no longer guards the gates of Eden;
it has been mysteriously quenched by the wood of the Cross. The sting of death and the victory of hell have been vanquished; for You, O my Savior, have come and cried to those in hell:// “Enter again into Paradise!”
(Instead of the Trisagion, we sing:)
Before Your Cross, we bow down in worship, O Master, and Your holy Resurrection we glorify.
Prokeimenon O Lord, save Your people, / and bless Your inheritance! (Ps. 27:9a) V. To You, O Lord, will I call. O my God, be not silent to me! (Ps. 27:1a)
Hebrews 4:14-5:6 (Epistle)
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You.” As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek”;
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! V. Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old! V. God is our King before the ages; He has worked salvation in the midst of the earth!
Mark 8:34-9:1 (Gospel)
When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.”
(Instead of “It is truly meet…,” we sing the following)
Hymn to the Theotokos
All of creation rejoices in you, O Full of Grace: the assembly of angels and the race of men.
O sanctified temple and spiritual paradise, the glory of virgins,
from whom God was incarnate and became a Child –
our God before the ages.
He made your body into a throne,
and your womb He made more spacious than the heavens. All of creation rejoices in you, O Full of Grace.
Glory to you!
Communion Hymn
The light of Your countenance has shone on us, O Lord. (Ps. 4:7a) Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!