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Book Study Begins Sept. 8: Arise, O God (The Gospel)

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With the blessing of Fr. Joseph, starting at 7pm on Sept. 8 (following Wednesday Vespers), we will begin a weekly study of the new book ARISE, O GOD: The Gospel of Christ’s Defeat of Demons, Sin, and Death, written by our own Fr. Andrew. The study will be led by him.

Get your copy at the parish bookstore or order online here. (BOOK TO BE RELEASED IN LATE AUGUST.)

FROM THE PUBLISHER: The gospel of Jesus Christ is not about what Jesus can do for your life. It is not even the answer to the question, “How can I be saved?” It is the declaration of a victory. In His coming to earth, His suffering, and His Resurrection, Christ conquered demons, sin, and death. In Arise, O God, author and podcaster Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick introduces us to the spiritual war that Christ won by His victory, how we are caught in that war’s cosmic crossfire, what the true content of the gospel is—and how we are to respond.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: The Very Rev. Archpriest Andrew Stephen Damick is Chief Content Officer of Ancient Faith Ministries, the former pastor (2009–2020) of St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, and author of several books from Ancient Faith Publishing: “Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy,” “An Introduction to God,” and “Bearing God.” He hosts the podcasts “Orthodox Engagement” and “Amon Sûl” and also co-hosts “The Lord of Spirits” and “The Areopagus.” He resides in Emmaus with his wife, Kh. Nicole, and their children.

Please contact Fr. Andrew if you are interested in participating.

SCHEDULE

SEPT. 8: Preface, Prologue, and Chapter 1
What is the point of this book?
What Is Not the Gospel?
How Did the Gospel Become a Sales Pitch?
What Is a Gospel?
Gospel Is a Pre-Christian Genre
Not Caesar’s Gospel, but Christ’s

SEPT. 15: Chapter 2: Why Is There a Gospel?
The Fall: Death
The Fall: Sin
The Fall: Rule by Demons

SEPT. 22: Fr. Andrew will be away on travel, but a session will be held on another catechetical topic.

SEPT. 29: Chapter 3: Who is Jesus Christ?
Worshiping God or Gods?
The Son and Word of God
The Messiah of Israel
The Savior of the World
The Life of Jesus

OCT. 6: Chapter 4: What Did Jesus Christ Accomplish?
Undoing the Fall: Exorcism
Undoing the Fall: Forgiveness of Sin
Undoing the Fall: Resurrection

OCT. 13: Chapter 5: What Does Jesus Christ Expect of Us?
The Covenant of Faithfulness with God
Switching Sides
Repentance: Abandoning the Demonic
Repentance: Joining with the Angelic

OCT. 20: Chapter 6: Responding to the Gospel
Saved from What?
What Happens When Someone is Saved?
What Must I Do to Be Saved?
The Gospel

Book Study Starting May 19: The Religion of the Apostles

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With the blessing of Fr. Joseph, starting at 7pm on May 19 (following Wednesday Vespers), we will begin a weekly study of the new book The Religion of the Apostles: Orthodox Christianity in the First Century, written by Fr. Stephen De Young:

Father Dr. Stephen De Young traces the lineage of Orthodox Christianity back to the faith and witness of the apostles, which was rooted in a first-century Jewish worldview. The Religion of the Apostles presents the Orthodox Christian Church of today as a continuation of the religious life of the apostles, which in turn was a continuation of the life of the people of God since the beginning of creation.

About the Author: Father Stephen De Young is the pastor of Archangel Gabriel Orthodox Church (Antiochian) in Lafayette, Louisiana. He holds a PhD in Biblical Studies from Amridge University and is the host of The Whole Counsel of God podcast and co-host of the Lord of Spirits podcast on Ancient Faith Radio. He is also the author of The Whole Counsel Blog on the Ancient Faith Ministries website. For years Fr. Stephen has been teaching the Bible by taking ideas current in biblical scholarship and explaining them to laypeople to make both those ideas and the Scriptures more accessible.

It is essentially a one-volume Orthodox Biblical theology, giving an overall framework for understanding the Scriptures.

We’ll be looking at one chapter per week, tentatively to last 10 weeks.

Please contact Fr. Andrew if you are interested in participating.

Christ is risen! The Paschal Sermon of St. John Chrysostom

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holy-fire

The Paschal Sermon of St. John Chrysostom

If any man be devout and love God, let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast.
If any man be a wise servant, let him rejoicing enter into the joy of his Lord.
If any have labored long in fasting, let him now receive his recompense.

If any have wrought from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward.
If any have come at the third hour, let him with thankfulness keep the feast.
If any have arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; because he shall in no wise be deprived therefore.
If any have delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near, fearing nothing.
If any have tarried even until the eleventh hour, let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness; for the Lord, who is jealous of his honor, will accept the last even as the first; he gives rest unto him who comes at the eleventh hour, even as unto him who has wrought from the first hour.

And he shows mercy upon the last, and cares for the first; and to the one he gives, and upon the other he bestows gifts.
And he both accepts the deeds, and welcomes the intention, and honors the acts and praises the offering.
Wherefore, enter you all into the joy of your Lord; and receive your reward, both the first, and likewise the second.

You rich and poor together, hold high festival.
You sober and you heedless, honor the day.
Rejoice today, both you who have fasted and you who have disregarded the fast.
The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously.
The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away.
Enjoy ye all the feast of faith: Receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness.

Let no one bewail his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed.
Let no one weep for his iniquities, for pardon has shown forth from the grave.
Let no one fear death, for the Savior’s death has set us free.
He that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it. By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive.

He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh. And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry:
Hell, said he, was embittered, when it encountered Thee in the lower regions.
It was embittered, for it was abolished.
It was embittered, for it was mocked.
It was embittered, for it was slain.
It was embittered, for it was overthrown.
It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains.
It took a body, and met God face to face.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen.

O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, 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 risen from the dead, is become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.

St. Paul’s Welcomes Fr. Joseph Landino and Family

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With his assignment by His Eminence, Metropolitan Joseph, beginning August 1, 2020, St. Paul’s will welcome our fourth pastor, the Rev. Fr. Joseph Landino along with his wife Kh. Mary and their five children: Gabriella, Katerina, Mario, Rosalia and Sophia.

Fr. Joseph was born to Italian immigrant parents in 1968 in Brooklyn, New York, with the name Giuseppe (“Joseph”) Mario Landino. When he was nine years of age, after several moves, Giuseppe’s family finally settled in San Jose, California. He graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 1986. Following high school, he spent six years serving in the United States Marine Corps.

Giuseppe was raised Roman Catholic, but felt strongly that the church of his youth lacked something. Eventually, he began reading the Bible on his own and started to attend Protestant churches. After some years attending those churches he realized something was missing there, too — 1500 years of history. He was searching for the historic Church and its worship, where Christians were first called “Christians.”

By God’s grace, Giuseppe met some Orthodox Christians from the Antiochian Orthodox Church of the Redeemer in Los Altos, California, where he eventually met Fr. Thomas Ruffin (of blessed memory) and His Eminence, Metropolitan Joseph, in 1995. The Christians he met at this parish had something he truly desired — true, unbroken continuity with the ancient Church in both doctrine and practice. This brought about his entrance into the Orthodox Church. Giuseppe was joyfully chrismated by Fr. Thomas Ruffin on Holy Saturday in 1997.

In fall of 2000, Giuseppe met Mary Sabbagh (daughter of V. Rev. Anthony and Kh. Minerva Sabbagh) and decided to leave the family Italian restaurant business to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies. Giuseppe and Mary married on June 24, 2001.
He graduated from Hellenic College in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 2003 with valedictorian honors. His wife Mary graduated with a Masters in Theological Studies from Holy Cross. At that time, he was the father of two young daughters — Gabriella and the soon to be born Katerina.

Following graduation they moved back to California to help his father successfully operate a pizzeria restaurant business. It was there where they became the parents of two more children — Mario and Rosalia. In 2010, Giuseppe decided with his family to leave their home, family and careers to petition His Eminence, Metropolitan Philip (of blessed memory) for a blessing to attend St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in South Canaan, Pennsylvania.

In May 2011, Giuseppe was granted a blessing to attend seminary for the purpose of preparing for ordination to the holy priesthood. During his studies, Giuseppe and Mary brought another daughter, Sophia Theodora, into the world on March 23, 2013. During seminary, the Landino family were assigned to St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

On July 7, 2013, Metropolitan Joseph ordained Giuseppe to the holy diaconate through the laying on of hands. And on January 11, 2014, he was ordained to the holy priesthood at St. George Church in Allentown by Metropolitan Joseph, with the assistance of His Grace, Bishop Nicholas. After seminary graduation in May 2014, Fr. Joseph was assigned as assistant pastor at St. George Church.

He and his family look forward to becoming part of the St. Paul’s community this August.

Jan. 18 – Feb. 29: The Early Church (Saturday Night Class)

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On Saturday evenings at St. Paul’s, a 7-week educational series on the earliest years of the Church — from the first through third centuries — is being taught by Dr. Cyril (Gary) Jenkins, Van Gorden Professor in History at Eastern University and Director of the St. Basil Center for Orthodox Thought and Culture.

The schedule for each evening is as follows:

    5pm Great Vespers
    5:45pm Potluck Meal (bring a dish to share)
    6pm Short Lecture with Discussion

Syllabus

18 Jan: The Church of the First Century I
Sources and the Apostolic Church

25 Jan: The Church of the First Century II
The Church of the Late First Century and the Ferment of Heresy

1 Feb: The Church of the Second Century I
Martyrdom and Apologists

8 Feb: The Church of the Second Century II
Gnosticism and Catholicity

15 Feb: The Church of the Third Century I
Athens and Jerusalem: Montanism, Origen, and the Greeks

22 Feb: The Church of the Third Century II
The Emergence of Latin Theology: Hippolytus, Cyprian, and Tertullian

29 Feb: The Church of the Third Century III
The blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the Church

St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church

Planting the Seeds of Orthodoxy,
Cultivating Christian Community

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