BRETHREN, you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
 

AT THAT TIME, Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaios; he was a chief collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaios, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." And Zacchaios stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."
 

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                    ANNOUNCEMENTS                   
 

BE A PIG!

A pig and a chicken were walking by a Church one day. They noticed a sign that said, “Free Bacon and Egg Breakfast this Saturday.” The chicken insisted to the pig that they should attend. The pig was quite hesitant. As the chicken’s patience evaporated he asked, “What’s the problem? Let’s go! At least we can see how they prepare our offerings.” The pig scared and panicky said, “My friend in the preparation of a bacon and egg breakfast, you are ‘involved,’ however, I AM COMMITTED!”

As we begin the New Year I want to urge us all to be PIGS! How much more invested is one that dedicates their entire being to the community, rather than just making an offering. Anyone can be involved, (and that can be a good thing), but it is commitment to one another, to Christ and His Church that is going to make our community successful! And success is determined by our faithful desire to be true servants of Christ!

“Let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God!” This wonderful petition is repeated many times during the Divine Liturgy. In everything we do, every ministry, from the oldest parishioner to the youngest, this petition serves as our premise and foundation of faith.

In order for our community to be the light of Christ, we must be committed to our Church. Being involved in the ministry of our Parish is acceptable, but our commitment to our Church is the fundamental key to it’s success. There is a major difference between “involvement” and “commitment.”

In the Melanesian islands of the South Pacific during WWII, the natives watched closely as the American and British engineers came in and built airstrips. The islanders were amazed to see that when the airstrips were completed, planes began to arrive filled with cargo: food, building materials, machinery, even vehicles. This, they decided, was something they wanted in on. The Melanesians deduced, that if they built airstrips, then planes would come to them, too, likewise bringing cargo.

They accordingly hacked makeshift runways out of the jungle and built mock-up control towers out of grass and mud. They put fires along the sides of the runways, and put a man in the grass-hut control tower, with two coconut halves on his head for headphones, they rigged antennas out of bamboo and then they waited for the airplanes to land. As far as they could see they were doing everything right.

The form was perfect. It looked exactly the way it was supposed to. But it didn’t work. No airplanes ever came. (John Derbyshire, National Review Online, June 14, 2002 "It’s All America’s Fault: The cargo-cult mentality")

We, like the natives, can come into the sanctuary, light our candles, kiss the icons, do our cross, and make believe that we are fruitful Christians, or we can “commit ourselves and one another to Christ” and be the bearers His light! Commitment is defined in three ways: 1.) noun: the trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose, 2.) noun: the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action, 3.) noun: a message that makes a pledge.

The New Year presents us many opportunities to offer ourselves to one another, Christ, and His Church. The first way to commit ourselves is to become true stewards of the Church, by submitting an adequate pledge and financial donation to our Church. Our giving must be elevated to reflect the beauty and true needs of our new Agape Building. Prayerfully consider a pledge that reflects the responsibility that has been entrusted to us. Another way to show your commitment is to attend wor-ship services faithfully. Divine Liturgy begins promptly at 10:00 AM every Sunday. Let’s set aside the early hours of Sunday morning to commune with God. Also, the coming spring brings with it Great Lent and the opportunity to advance our spiritual lives. Participate in the Lenten services with your family. Still another “commitment” is to serve at our Annual Greek Festival (June 24-26). The Greek Festival is a great way for us to display the richness of our Greek Culture and an even better opportunity to demonstrate our Orthodox

Faith, our Christian Ethos and “COMMITMENT” to one another and our greater community.

We all begin the New Year by making resolutions, promises we will fulfill, and some we may never realize. This Year may our shared declaration be our “Commitment to one another and to Christ our God!” I am committed to leading St. Demetrios along the sparkling path of our Orthodox Faith. Join me on this journey as we strive to serve each other, implementing the words St. Paul wrote to the Galatians, “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

In other words….Be a pig!

Happy New Year!

In Christ’s Service,

Fr Gary