Holy Apostles Orthodox Church is a parish of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), founded with the purpose of bringing the Gospel and Divine Services of the Russian Orthodox Church to the people of America in the English language. We invite you to come to any of the Divine Services or events at our mission church. In 2009 we were gifted a beautiful, historic chapel and two-acre campus by the Christian Brothers. Our vision is to establish the parish in its new home, from where the parish can continue to thrive and grow as a living icon of Orthodox missions in America.

Dear Friends and Family in God,

Unfortunately, the clergy team are still in varying degrees of experience and recovery from Covid.  This means we will not be able to hold services for the great feast of Theophany, the Baptism of the Lord by John in the Jordan.  This is a cause of great regret, as was the cancellation of this past weekend's services.  To be a community of Orthodox believers, it is necessary to gather in His name.

We have a good hope that we will be able to serve the weekend services upcoming.  Somewhere in their course, we will have a Great Blessing of the Waters to make available to you Holy Water new made in the Feast.

God willing, see you all starting Saturday.

With love in our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ
Fr. George

Here is what is immediately upcoming:

1/22 – Saturday 5:00 PM Evening Vigil
1/23 – Sunday 9:40 AM Hours & Divine Liturgy - the 31st Sunday after Pentecost - The Sunday after Theophany - St. Gregory of Nyssa

1/26 - Wednesday 8:00 PM A Walk Through the Divine Liturgy - led by Fr. Dcn. Christopher Capp

1/27 - Thursday 7-9 PM Choir Rehearsal

1/29 – Saturday 5:00 PM Evening Vigil
1/30 – Sunday 9:40 AM Hours & Divine Liturgy - the 32nd Sunday after Pentecost - Venerable St. Anthony the Great

THEOPHANY - THE APPEARANCE OF GOD IN THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST

On this day God Himself shows Himself according to His divine and all-knowing awareness of our faith-fed abilities.  The Father, the same Father who told the prophet Moses that Moses could not look on His divine Face and live, "appears" as a voice, saying:  "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased," confirming the coming of the Son of God in a human body, thus proclaiming the meaning of the Nativity.  And the Holy Spirit appears as a dove, the same Spirit that hovered over the creation of everything at the beginning, now hovers over this act of the Creator who in the person of the Son sanctifies again the waters of the world that He, the Son as God's Word, created in the first place.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.... No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.  (St. John 1:1-3, 14, 18)

Lo, God is here!  From the beginning of the divine record in Genesis, this is broadly hinted at, and, through the eyes of faith, verily seen.  Among countless examples, Patriarch Jacob in his encounter with the angel, though the angel presence only is recorded, named the place of the encounter "Peniel", that is "the face of God."  Ancient people of intense and consuming faith lived in expectation of God's presence.  And they took Him to be present, even if not directly.  It is not as if God was expected to appear at every turn.  Such would be just as astonishing to them as it would be to us.

King Solomon in his prayer at the dedication of the Jerusalem temple prayed for and expected God's presence continually:

Will God indeed dwell on the earth?  Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?  Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:  That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place.  And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive. (1st Kings 8:27-30)

Holy Prophet Daniel, as did all Israelites, when he prayed in Babylon for the Godly purposes of captive Israel, faced through his window toward the temple in Jerusalem.  Thus the ancient people of God lived in both knowledge and expectation of God's presence and appearance.  Numerous encounters when "the house was filled with smoke" bespoke the presence of God, so intense that the clergy fled in fear and astonishment.

With the Theophany, God so showed Himself that a trustworthy indication of Him was no longer localized in the temple at Jerusalem.  Thus, unlike our Jewish contemporaries, we do not daven, or ritually pray, at the wailing wall.  Holiness is forever holiness.  "Holiness becometh Thy house, O Lord, unto length of days."  But our Savior, the incarnate Son of God, has led His people, not only from the Egypt of ancient slavery, but from the Egypt of the soul enslaved in sin.  Because of His ever-presence with His faithful Body as the living and unslain sacrifice, where the feast of His Body and Blood is held according to His command, this is where He is.  As in today's great feast, the Holy Trinity is ever manifest.  Today is the initial recognition of this ever-present fact.  Thus do we rejoice exceedingly.

When Thou wast baptized in the Jordan, O Lord, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest; for the voice of the Father bear witness unto Thee, calling Thee His beloved Son.  And the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the certainty of the word.  O Christ our God, who hast appeared and enlightened the world, glory be to Thee. (Troparion of Theophany)

Thou hast appeared today unto the whole world, and Thy light, O Lord, hath been signed upon us who with knowledge chant unto Thee:  Thou hast come, Thou hast appeared, O Light Unapproachable. (Kontakion of Theophany)

Dearly beloved, let us be lifted up in the contemplation of our Lord's great gift of Himself.

With love in our Incarnate Lord and Savior,
Fr. George