Hey Mark, this is just for you. If you read this I will buy you a steak dinner. (this is a timed limited offer) :)

"Do not say that faith in Christ alone can save you, for this is not possible if you do not attain love for Him, which is demonstrated by deeds. As for mere faith: "The demons also believe and tremble" (James, 2:19). The action of love consists in heartfelt good deeds toward one's neighbor, magnanimity, patience, and sober use of things." St. Maximus the Confessor

"Christianity is an entirely new way of being human." St. Maximus the Confessor

                Dating Pascha in the Orthodox Church
    The long-awaited common celebration of Pascha on April 16, 2017 by all Christians has come and gone. It will be in 2025 when it occurs again together with the west and next year in 2024, it will be five weeks apart. In anticipation of this common observance by all Christians, much was said and written. What was stressed was the need to keep alive the momentum of the occasion. Unless we all understand the significance of this event, it will remain nothing more than a peculiarity of the calculations related to the date of Pascha. In one sense, that is what it is. But in another sense, it is the convergence of all that we as Christians in the East and West profess regarding the centrality of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as the cornerstone of our faith.
    Nothing challenges the credibility of this fact to non-believers more than the scandal of our division on this point of celebration. In the ardent desire to address this problematic and troubling reality, the following contribution is offered.....
    Almost from the very beginning of the existence of the Christian Church, the issue regarding the date of our Lord's death and resurrection presented variations. Although the New Testament relates these events to the Jewish Passover, the details of this relationship are not clear. On the one hand, the tradition of the synoptic gospels identifies the Lord's last supper with His disciples as a passover meal. This would place the death of our Lord on the day after Passover. On the other hand, the tradition of the gospel of St. John situates the death of our Lord at the very hour the paschal lambs were sacrificed on the day of Passover itself. This variation in the interpretation of the scriptures led to two different practices. The one observed Pascha on the day of Passover, regardless of the day of the week. The other observed it on the Sunday following Passover. By the 4th century, the latter practice prevailed throughout the Church universally; nevertheless, differences continued to exist.
    In response to this ongoing problem, the First Ecumenical Council convened at Nicaea in 325 took up the issue. It determined that Pascha should be celebrated on the Sunday which follows the first full moon after the vernal equinox-the actual beginning of spring. If the full moon happens to fall on a Sunday, Pascha is observed the following Sunday. The day taken to be the invariable date of the vernal equinox is March 21. Hence, the determination of the date of Pascha is governed by a process dependent on the vernal equinox and the phase of the moon.
    Another factor which figures prominently in determining the date of Pascha is the date of Passover. Originally, Passover was celebrated on the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Christians, therefore, celebrated Pascha according to the same calculation-that is, on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. The correlation between the date of Pascha and the date of Passover is clear. Our Lord's death and resurrection coincided with Passover, thereby assuring a secure point of reference in time. This assurance lasted, however, only for a short time.
    Events in Jewish history contributing to the dispersion of the Jews had as a consequence a departure from the way Passover was reckoned at the time of our Lord's death and resurrection. This caused the Passover to precede the vernal equinox in some years. It was, in fact, this anomaly which led to the condemnation reflected in Canon 1 of Antioch (ca. 330) and Canon 7 of the Holy Apostles (late 4th century) of those who celebrate Pascha "with the Jews." The purpose of this condemnation was to prevent Christians from taking into account the calculation of Passover in determining the date of Pascha.
    Most Christians eventually ceased to regulate the observance of Pascha by the Jewish Passover. Their purpose, of course, was to preserve the original practice of celebrating Pascha following the vernal equinox. Thus, the Council of Nicaea sought to link the principles for determining the date of Pascha to the norms for calculating Passover during our Lord's lifetime.
    Despite the intervention of Nicaea, certain differences in the technicalities of regulating the date of Pascha remained even thereafter. This resulted occasionally in local variations until, by the 6th century, a more secure mode of calculation based on astronomical data was universally accepted. This was an alternative to calculating Pascha by the Passover and consisted in the creation of so-called "paschal cycles." Each paschal cycle corresponded to a certain number of years. Depending upon the number of years in the cycle, the full moon occurred on the same day of the year as at the beginning of the cycle with some exceptions. The more accurate the cycle, the less frequent were the exceptions. In the East, a 19-year cycle was eventually adopted, whereas in the West an 84-year cycle. The use of two different paschal cycles inevitably gave way to differences between the Eastern and Western Churches regarding the observance of Pascha.
    A further cause for these differences was the adoption by the Western Church of the Gregorian Calendar in the 16th century. This took place in order to adjust the discrepancy by then observed between the paschal cycle approach to calculating Pascha and the available astronomical data. The Orthodox Church continues to base its calculations for the date of Pascha on the Julian Calendar, which was in use at the time of the First Ecumenical Council. As such, it does not take into account the number of days, which have since then accrued due to the progressive loss of time in this calendar.
    Practically speaking, this means that Pascha may not be celebrated before April 3, the date of the vernal equinox, the equivalent current date on the Julian Calendar. In other words, a difference of 13 days exists between the accepted date for the vernal equinox then and now. Consequently, it is the combination of these variables which accounts for the different dates of Pascha observed by the Orthodox Church and other Christian Churches.
    Specifically with regard to this year's date of Pascha, the following observations are made. The invariable date of the vernal equinox is taken to be April 3 (March 21 on the Julian Calendar). Pascha must therefore be observed on the Sunday following the full moon which comes after that date. According to the 19-year Paschal cycle, the first full moon which comes after April 3 this year is April 5 on the Julian Calendar (April 18 on the Gregorian calendar). As already stated, the provision of the First Ecumenical Council calls for Pascha to be observed on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Since April 18, for the reasons stated above, is taken to be the date of that full moon, the following Sunday, April 19, is the day on which Pascha is observed this year.
    If anything, this review of the complexities surrounding the issue of the date of Pascha underscores the compelling need to revisit it with patience and openness. This was the spirit which predominated at the most recent consultation on the matter held in Aleppo, Syria in 1997. One of its conclusions was that the present differences in the calendars and lunar tables (paschal cycles) employed rather than to differences in fundamental theological outlook. In view of the fact that both the Julian and Gregorian modes of calculation diverge from the astronomical data, it behoves us to return to the norms determined by the Council of Nicaea. Although the council did not itself undertake a detailed regulation of the paschal calculation, it did in fact respect available contemporary science regarding the vernal equinox and the phase of the moon. We can do no less today. Dr. Lewis J. Patsavos

We Do Not Exist in Isolation

But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, to test Him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”   Matthew 22:34-40
There is a saying “one Christian is no Christian.” This is because Christians do not exist in isolation. To be a Christian is to be part of a community. The two greatest commandments, on which all of the law and the prophets rest, are the commandments to love God and to love our neighbor. We can’t love God and ignore our neighbor, because the two go hand in hand. And we can’t experience love without the presence of “another.” Because to love only oneself is narcissism. It is not love. Love is a choice that is extended from one to another. Even if one says he extends love towards God, there still needs to be the presence of another person, because to love God is to serve others. We do not exist as Christians in isolation.
Love is experienced in two ways. We either are giving it, or we are receiving it. One needs to exist in some “community” in order to do both. That community can be a family, a church community, a group of friends, or anywhere where two or more people exist.
We must love our neighbor. Love is a choice to serve someone else with patience and kindness, even if they don’t deserve it, especially if they don’t deserve it. We also need love from our neighbor. Everyone needs to feel loved by someone else. Not everyone has the same need. There are some that need this more than others. However, no one can survive well in isolation, without receiving love from others.
When Jesus Christ came to earth, He taught His disciples that they needed to exist in community. They weren’t expected to make the journey through life alone. They would be part of a community, where they could learn together, worship together and serve together. And they could serve both within the community (their fellow community members) and they were to serve outside of the community as well (serving complete strangers who were not part of the community).
One of the things that is supposed to occur in a community (not just in a church community, but in any community—family, group of friends, etc.) is that members of the community are both responsible for one another and accountable to one another. If a member of the community is starting to slip away, the rest of the community reins him or her back in. Members are also accountable to one another. They check in with one another.
Responsibility and accountability are also supposed to be foundational to a church community. The church community is supposed to keep itself together by being responsible for all members, to keep members together, to run to serve when one member has been wounded (by grief or loss or illness), and to add to the number of members through evangelism and outreach. The church members should also be accountable to one another, again that example of “safe and expected to be honest,” so that the environment is set where members can “bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)
At the center of the church community is worship, where members gather together, as one body, to worship the Lord. While most of this section will focus on praying in smaller groups, it is central to each church community to pray as one large group, to come to God as one body to worship and praise Him. This reinforces for the entire community at one time, the purpose and the destination of life—to glorify God and serve one another as we work our way to salvation in the Kingdom of heaven. This message is not always simple to understand nor it is easy to do. However, it is easy to state and necessary to repeat, which is why the community gathers so often for worship.
As Christians, it is nearly impossible to exist without a church community. Because the church community provides instruction, accountability and encouragement to live a God-centered life. It is nearly impossible to do these things alone. If you are not a regular member of a church community, seek to change that. And if you are a regular member of a church community, continually seek to strengthen that relationship with your church community.
Christians do not exist in isolation. They exist in community. They exist in small communities like families and friend group, and they exist in larger communities, churches. Worship is the primary activity of the church community. Prayer should ideally be part of every small community. And service is how we express love in any “community” we belong to.
Lord, thank You for the “communities” to which I belong, my family, my friendships, and my church community. Help me to strengthen my bonds within each community. Help me to serve in each community with love, kindness, patience and consistency. Help me to have eyes to see members of each community that need encouragement. Help others to see when I need encouragement. Help us all to keep our eyes on You, to love You, and to express love for You in service to others. Help me to have eyes to see people who feel isolated and bring them safely into a community. Amen.
Seek constantly to strengthen your bonds with your “communities”—your family, your friendships, and your church community
By Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis

The Sermon of St. John Chrysostom
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If anyone is devout and loves God,
    let him enjoy this beautiful and radiant feast.
If anyone is a grateful servant,
    let him enter rejoicing into the joy of his Lord.
If anyone has wearied themselves in fasting,
    let them now receive their fair reward.
If anyone has laboured from the first hour,
    let him today receive his just compensation.
If anyone has come at the third hour,
    let him with thanksgiving keep the feast.
If anyone has arrived at the sixth hour,
    let them have no misgivings; for they shall not be deprived.
If anyone has delayed until the ninth hour,
    let them draw near without hesitation.
If anyone has arrived even at the eleventh hour,
    let them not fear on account of their tardiness.
For the Master is gracious and receives the last even as the first;
    He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour,
    just as to him who has laboured from the first.
He has mercy upon the last and cares for the first;
    to the one He gives, and to the other He is gracious.
He both honours the work and praises the intention.
Enter all of you, therefore, into the joy of your Lord, and,
    whether first or last, receive your reward.
O rich and poor, together, dance for joy!
    O you sober and you negligent, celebrate the day!
You who have fasted
    and you who have disregarded the fast, rejoice today!
The table is rich-laden: feast royally, all of you!
    The calf is fatted: let no one go away hungry!
Let all partake of the feast of faith.
    Let all receive the riches of His goodness.
Let no one lament their poverty,
    for the universal kingdom has been revealed.
Let no one mourn their transgressions,
    for pardon has shone forth from the grave.
Let no one fear death,
    for the Saviour's death has set us free.
He that was taken prisoner by death has destroyed it!
He descended into Hades and took Hades captive!
He embittered it when it tasted His flesh!
And foretelling this, Isaiah exclaimed:
    "Hades was filled with bitterness when it encountered You in the lower regions".
It was filled with bitterness, for it was abolished!
It was filled with bitterness, for it was mocked!
It was filled with bitterness, for it was purged!
It was filled with bitterness, for it was plundered!
It was filled with bitterness, for it was bound in chains!
It took a body and met God face to face!
It took earth and encountered Heaven!
It took what was seen, but fell upon what was unseen!
    O death, where is your sting?
    O Hades, where is your victory?
    Christ is risen, and you are overthrown!
    Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!
    Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!
    Christ is risen, and life reigns!
        Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave!
For Christ, being raised from the dead,
        has become the first-fruits of them that have fallen asleep.
To Him be glory and might unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Our Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America has issued this excellent Encyclical on Hope in a time of tribulation..
Please read it and share it with others.
It can be found here:  An Encyclical of Hope   https://www.oca.org/holy-synod/encyclicals/encyclical-hope

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With all the negatives and changes that came with the covid-19 pandemic, we need to rejoice for the blessings that are occurring. One is those who are seeking and find the true faith in this troubled time. St. Mark is blessed to have encountered such a couple. The newly illumined Paisios and Mary realized that their new age and eastern spiritual beliefs were lacking. This was heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic. In their search, Christianity came to the forefront. But which branch would be the one to follow? In the Orthodox church they saw the opportunity to be able to live a deep and fulfilling faith. As Paisios mentioned, “we would be able to have a personal and loving relationship with God”.  Due to the Covid-19 shutdown, contact was made by email. When the restrictions eased, in person contact was made. This lead to catechism classes. The end result was a glorious autumn day at the lake. The only downside, was the wind gusts and that the lake was at a 50 year low level, meaning a good hike to find deeper water.  Paisios and Mary were baptized and chrismated, Glory to God! 
May God grant many years to the newly illumined servants.

We are moving forward on reopening services as per Provincial and Archdiocese Guidelines. Due to the limited space, attendance will be limited. Please call before attending to ensure that we have room for the services. 
We will continue to steam online via YouTube.
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