Christ Is Risen!            

               Indeed He Is Risen!                      

                 To understand the glory in the above words, one needed to participate in the Holy Lenten Season for 2010. Let us take a walk back in time to the Sunday immediately preceding the beginning of Lent.   The date was February 13, 2010. Yes, that’s right FEBRUARY!   We had just finished with our celebrations of The Nativity of Jesus Christ and our St. Sava Celebration and we were soon told Lent for Pascha was about to begin.   Father Dane stood before us that Sunday morning and encouraged us to be diligent and prayerful in our undertaking of Great Lent. He outlined how we would be struggling together to Fast from foods and outside entertainments. He described the enhanced calendar of Church services that was about to begin. He requested volunteers to come forth to assist with the Orthodox Sunday Vesper service; to assist with the cleanup of the Church and Hall for Pascha; to participate as Servers and Readers that would be needed for the services; and of course, to assist as cooks and bakers. There was a part for everyone who would be willing to extend a helping hand. Of course, the most important undertaking was to be done privately and individually by each of us. Father Dane exhorted us to attend more services, read the Bible more, pray more and attend Confession and Communion more frequently. We were to act as the Saints during this Holy Season given to us by Jesus Christ Himself. Fasting and Prayer were to be our guides for the next 7 weeks. 

So, how did we do? (More importantly, how did YOU do?) Did you participate in any extra services? Did you assist in any manner as needed – from helping at the services, to cleaning the Church, to cleaning at the hall, to assisting with the preparation of the food, to cleaning up, to baking or cooking or bringing eggs? Did you pray more? Did you read the Bible more? Did you attend Confession and Communion more frequently? Did you attempt to become better and improved during this 7 week period given to us by the Church?   If you can answer yes, then you behaved as St. John Chrysostom stated in his midnight message to us read at the Resurrection Matins service on Holy Saturday night (early morning). You came early to the feast and waited diligently for Our Master to arrive. If you tarried and started half way through the 7 week period, then again you behaved as St. John Chrysostom stated in that midnight missal, you worked harder to ‘catch up’ and then waited patiently for Our Master to arrive. Finally, if you waited until Pascha to go to Confession to cleanse yourself, know that Our Savior waited for your arrival at His Feast, just as St. John Chrysostom said He would do.

The season was glorious. There were many acts of kindness displayed. Most were done with no fanfare and no acknowledgment. They were done before God only and not for recognition. However, several were noticed and the sharing in these kindnesses is a gift to be shared by our community.   The first Sunday of Lent, Orthodox Sunday, as the altar servers were standing with their candles, one gentleman sitting in the pews reached out his arm and ‘patted’ the head of one of the young servers, acknowledging his presence.   One of the older altar servers was seen assisting a younger server with his candle and teaching how the candle should be positioned. People waiting in the long lines for Communion were often seen making way for children and people in wheelchairs or walkers and allowing them to go first. Both women and men constantly cooked and baked for each of the Sundays, for the Orthodox Sunday Vesper service where we hosted 200 people after the service and for Pascha. Many young people volunteered to be Readers for Holy Friday and Holy Saturday services.    Many people ‘joined’ our Choir to sing the responses for all the services and especially for the beautiful Divine Liturgy of Pascha. Two young adults helped an older person carry Easter baskets to be blessed. Quite a number of teens ‘hid’ Easter eggs for the younger children to find. Many more acts of kindness were seen by Our Father in Heaven during this past 7 week period. How blessed our community is to know that the outreach to each other is given so graciously and lovingly. May this always continue.

Christ Is Risen!   Indeed He Is Risen!

 

See the Pictures from- Pogledajte slike od:

Lazarus Saturday- Lazareva Subota

Palm Sunday, Conversions of Toma Bjorkelo & Sandra Jackson -Cveti [Gallery not found]

Holy Week- Velika Nedelja [Gallery not found]

Easter flowers-

Pascha-Vaskrs

Bright Week- Svetala nedelja [Gallery not found]

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