CONTACTS:
To message Archimandrite Kyril or to arrange a baptism or wedding please email the Parish Priest@bristol-orthodox-church.co.uk (Tel. 01179706302 or 07944 860 955).
For more see: CONTACTS
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Every Saturday: 5.30 p.m. Vespers Every Sunday: 10.30 a.m. Divine Liturgy
WEEKLY SERVICES & INFORMATION (Note: our Parish follows the “New” (Revised Julian) Calendar. For dates on the “Old” Julian Calendar, refer to an online calendar. The exceptions are: 1. The Feast of The Nativity (Christmas), for which we have services on both calendars; 2. The lectionary for the Sundays before The Nativity and up to The Great Fast, for which we follow the usage typified by the Orthodox Church of America.
NB: Between now and The Great Fast the lectionaries of the different Orthodox local churches do not coincide. This affects the Sunday Epistle (Apostle) and Gospel readings. Our parish follows the more traditional sequence as published online by the Orthodox Church of America (though it is, of course, not “theirs”!). This will not always match the current (and more recent) sequence used by, for instance, the Moscow Patriarchate or of the Great Church of Constantinople.
Friday 6th December. St Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia. Fast: wine and oil. From Vespers today: Cave, make ready; for the Ewe-lamb has come, bearing Christ in her womb. Manger, receive the One who by a word frees us who are born of earth from irrational action. Shepherds abiding in the fields, bear witness to the fearful wonder; and Magi from Persia, offer gold, frankincense and myrrh to the King; because the Lord has appeared from a Virgin Mother. Bowing low like a slave his Mother worshipped him, and cried out to the One in her arms, ‘How were you sown in me, or how did you grow within me, my Redeemer and my God?’ Virgin without bridegroom, where have you come from? Who begot you? And who is your mother? How do you carry the Creator in your arms? How was your womb not corrupted? We see great marvels have come to pass on earth, All-holy, and we make ready in advance that which fits your need: the Cave from the earth; and we ask heaven to provide the Star; and Magi are advancing from the eastern regions of the earth towards the west, to look on the salvation of mortals being suckled as a babe.
Saturday 7th December. Fast: Fish, wine and oil. 5.30 p.m. Vespers
Sunday 8th December. 24th Sunday After Pentecost. Tone 7. Fast: Fish, wine and oil. Readings: Ephesians 2: 14-22 Luke 17:12-19 10.30 a.m. Divine Liturgy
Monday 9th December. The Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos and Mother of God. Fast: Fish, wine and oil.
Saturday 14th December. Fast: Fish wine and oil. 5.30 p.m. Vespers
Sunday 15th December. 25th Sunday After Pentecost. Tone 8. Sunday of the Holy Forefathers. Fast: Fish, wine and oil. Readings: Colossians 3:4-11 Luke 14:16-24 10.30 a.m. Divine Liturgy
Friday 20th December. Beginning of the Forefeast of the Nativity. Martyr Ignatius, “the God-bearer”, Bishop of Antioch (107). Fast: wine and oil.
Saturday 21st December. Fast: wine and oil. 5.30 p.m. Vespers
Sunday 22nd December. 26th Sunday After Pentecost. Tone 1. Forefeast of the Nativity. Sunday of the Holy Fathers: All the Righteous who pleased God, from Adam to Joseph the Betrothed. Fast: wine and oil. Readings: Hebrews 11: 9-10, 17-23, 32-40 Matthew 1:1-25 10.30 a.m. Divine Liturgy
CHRISTMASTIDE SERVICES: Note: we are changing our pattern of services over the Christmas period this year. We hope this will enable more people to come!
Christmas Eve, Tuesday 24th December. Strict fast. 5.00 p.m. Vigil Service (Great Compline and Matins of the Feast) This service lasts about two hours and this will allow you to get the bus home before they all stop at 8.00 p.m.!
Wednesday 25th December THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST 9.00 a.m. Divine Liturgy of the Feast NOTE: FAST FREE PERIOD UNTIL 5th JANUARY
Saturday 28th December. Afterfeast of The Nativity. 5.30 p.m. Vespers
Sunday 29th December. 30th Sunday After Pentecost. Sunday after the Nativity. Commemoration of St Joseph the Betrothed, David the King, and James the brother of the Lord. Commemoration of the Holy Innocent Children slain by Herod. Readings: Galatians 1:11-19 Matthew 2:13-23 10.30 a.m. Divine Liturgy
Tuesday 31st December. Eve of the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ and the Feast of St Basil the Great. New Year’s Eve. 6.30 p.m. Vespers of the Feast and the Te Deum in thanksgiving for the New Year.
Wednesday, 1st January 2025. Civil New Year. The Feast of the Circumcision of Christ. St Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappodocia (379A.D.) St Gregory of Nazianzus, father of St gregory the Theologian (3-4c). St Emilia, mother of St Basil, St Gregory of Nyssa, St Macrina, and St Peter of Sebaste (3-4c). (No service)
Thursday, 2nd January. Forefeast of the Theophany. St Sylvester, Pope of Rome (335). Repose of St Seraphim of Sarov (1833) – the “winter feast” of St Seraphim. Righteous Juliana of Lazarevsk (1604). (No service)
Saturday 4th January 2025 5.30 p.m. Vespers
Sunday 5th January 2025. Forefeast of Theophany. Sunday Before Theophany. FAST DAY, oil and wine. 10.30 a.m. Divine Liturgy. Followed by Great Vespers of the Feast and the Great Blessing of Water.
Monday 6th January. FEAST OF THE THEOPHANY (EPIPHANY) OF THE LORD 9.00 a.m. Divine Liturgy of St Basil the Great 6.30 p.m. Vespers for the Feast of the Nativity (by the “Old” Calendar)
Monday 7th January. Рождество Господа нашего Иисуса Христа. Feast of the Nativity (by the “Old” (unrevised) Julian Calendar). 10.30 a.m. Divine Liturgy.
Sunday 12th January 2025. Afterfeast of Theophany. 10.30 a.m. Divine Liturgy. Followed by Parish Christmastide lunch.
THE CHRISTMAS FAST Custom varies as to the fasting advice for the Christmas (Advent) Fast. The strictest custom is a vegan fast on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with wine and oil allowed on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Commonly, however, fish is allowed on other weekdays also, though not Wednesday and Fridays. From the 20th December the fast is stricter, with only wine and oil. All fasting is first and above all a fast from sinning. Our dietary modification is to strengthen us in our efforts and focus to this end. The one without the other is fruitless. As we approach the Feast of the Incarnation of the Saviour, we renew our efforts to live with the love of Christ in our hearts in our dealings with all. Our fasting is a casting off of burdens, a lightening of the spirit.
FOOD BANK: As we approach the Christmas Fast, DON’T FORGET THE NEEDS OF OTHERS who do not have enough! Bring contributions please. Let’s try to fill the box twice before Christmas.
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PARISH NEWS **BUILDING NEWS**: The painting of the altar walls has been completed. The scaffolding is due to come down imminently (24th November). Once that is done a huge clean-up will ensue; and then we move back to our normal arrangement. Meanwhile, we now have further scaffolding at the back of the church in order to investigate and remedy woodworm activity and water ingress. Please keep giving generously! THANK YOU for your generous donations. Without this, we would not have a space to worship in. We are extremely blessed to have our own space that does not need to be shared with other users. If we look after it, the building will be sure to last a few more hundred years and serve our community for many generations to come.
GIFT AID |
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Some selected saints (AND FEASTS) of the coming days).. –
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For those who wish to donate to our Parish online, our Facebook fundraiser can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/453504039824339/?fundraiser_source=external_url
Sermon for the Thirteenth Sunday of Luke
Archimandrite Kyril Jenner
Luke 18: 18-27
“A man came testing Jesus and said, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.’ ” (Luke 18:18-19)
Today’s reading poses some interesting questions concerning the text. At the beginning there is a difference between the continuous text of the Gospel and the passage as appointed to be read in church. The continuous text refers to a “ruler” asking the question. The text that we read in church just refers to a “man”. This helps us to understand the text more clearly. The worldly status of the man is not important. What matters is the question that he asked: “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
He starts off by addressing our Lord as “good Teacher”. Referring to Christ as a “Teacher” suggests that he was only really aware of his human nature. The man saw Christ as one teacher among many; possibly better than most. Addressing him as “Good”, with our Lord’s response, indicates that he was not fully aware of our Lord’s divine nature. True goodness is only found in God. Any goodness seen on earth is only a pale reflection of the goodness of God.
The man came to ask a question. In other places in the Gospels we read of people trying to ask trick questions to lure our Lord into saying something that could later be used against him. This time we simply have a difficult question, possibly the ultimate question: “what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Our life in this material world is constrained by space and time. Compared with the time that the universe has been in existence, our lives are very short. But God has given us the ability to see beyond the constraints of space and time, to see the Creator behind the creation, to be aware that God is outside space and time, and to respond to his invitation to be with in eternity, rather than just within time.
As a first step our Lord explains the basics of the Law, as given by God, and revealed to Moses. We should avoid giving way to temptations of lust, anger, greed, dishonesty, and hatred. These are temptations that most people suffer from. The man, as an honourable and upright person, has avoided the extreme forms of giving way to these temptations.
When some of the Fathers of the Church comment on this passage they add to the list of commandments: “and love your neighbour as yourself”. This is not found in the texts of the Gospel that we use, and the Fathers point out that if the man claimed to be obeying this commandment, then either he did not really understand it or he was lying.
Obedience to this commandment was what was lacking in his life. He was wealthy, but he kept it all for himself. He was looking for eternal life as a continuation of life here, and where he could keep all his wealth.
Saint Basil the Great responds to this attitude of some of the wealthy: “But how do you make use of money? By dressing in expensive clothing? Won’t two yards of tunic suffice you, and the covering of one coat satisfy all your need of clothes? But is it for food’s sake that you have such a demand for wealth? One loaf of bread is enough to fill a belly. Why are you sad, then? What have you been deprived of? The status that comes from wealth? But if you would stop seeking earthly status, you would then find the true, resplendent kind that would conduct you into the kingdom of heaven. But what you love is simply to possess wealth, even if you derive no help from it. Now everyone knows that an obsession for useless things is mindless. Just so, what I am going to say should seem to you no greater paradox; and it is utterly, absolutely true. When wealth is dispersed, in the way the Lord advises, it naturally stays put; but when held back it is transferred to another. If you hoard it, you won’t keep it; if you scatter, you won’t lose. For (says the scripture), ‘He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures to age on age.’ (Psalm 111:9)” (Sermon to the rich)
Our Lord instructs the man first to perform two one-off tasks: “Sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor.” (Luke 12:22) These are to followed by the long-term task of following Christ. The man had to remove the barrier of sin that separated him from God. He may have observed the letter of the commandment: “Do not steal.” But by hoarding his wealth he was still guilty of the underlying sin of greed.
We have to remove the barrier of sin that separates us from God. We have to examine our lives and be aware of our sin. Each day we repent. Each day we accept God’s forgiveness. By doing this we can then follow Christ. We can receive God’s love and share that love with one another. We do this trusting in the power and mercy of God. We cannot do it by trusting in our own ability. We must remember that all things are possible with God.
Repenting of our sin, accepting the love and forgiveness offered by God, and following Christ day by day are the answer to the ultimate question: “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
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Like all small communities we rely on the generosity of friends and well-wishers. If you would like to contribute to the continuation of our parish and the upkeep of our historic church building, you can make a donation here:
https://www.facebook.com/donate/679204386685133/?fundraiser_source=external_url
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