Holy Father Nicholas, pray to God for us!

Oct 24/ Nov 6 2009 22^nd  Friday after Pentecost

O most-holy and most-wonderful Father Nicholas, consolation of all that sorrow, accept our personal offering, and entreat the Lord that we be delivered from Gehenna through thy God-pleasing intercession, that we may sing: Alleluia!

(Kontakion 13, Akathist to St Nicholas)

 We sing this Kontakion every Thursday night in our new temple in construction, as part of the Akathist to St Nicholas. We have been serving a Moleben for quite awhile now, on Thursday nights, on the land. We started serving in front of a large wooden cross, with the dog barking next door. Building has proceeded, we have served on the slab, inside a structure with walls only (by this time, the dog was gone!), and now, finally, last night, with the roof joists all installed. If the weather holds, the next time we will serve with a roof over our heads!

Serving a Moleben every week in which we sing the Akathist to our beloved patron increases our intimate feelings concerning his life and intercession for us. The thirteenth and last Kontakion of his Akathist sums up our feelings about him, which we had only just recently been chanting in detail in sweet melody, as we recounted various important parts of his life and intercession for his flock, both during and after his earthly life. This is generally the case for all “Kontakion thirteens”, which are always chanted 3 times, with “Alleluia” sung three times after each, before we repeat the first Ikos and Kontakion to finish the Akathist.

This Kontakion also sums up the correct understanding concerning “prayer to the saints”, or better, “asking the saints to intercede for us”. We have confidence in the prayers of St Nicholas for us because we know he is righteous, and therefore we know that his intercessions are “God-pleasing”.

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16)

The more I sing this Akathist, the more I feel the holiness of St Nicholas and sure knowledge that since his intercessions to God are God-pleasing, our intercessions to him must certainly also be.

Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

This article is at: http://www.orthodox.net/journal/2009-11-06_holy-father-nicholas-pray-to-god-for-us+akathist-to-st-nicholas+understanding-prayer-to-the-saints.doc

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A house upon a rock

Words to build by.

Luke 6:46-7:1

Children’s Liturgy

Oct 8/21 2009 20^th Wednesday after Pentecost

We just so happen to building a church just now (have you heard? J ) Today’s Gospel reading applies in a very direct way to our building project. This project is ongoing, and will continue after the last brick is in place, and the last icon is painted, because the building that our Lord is referring to is the “building” of the soul – the one and only purpose of human life – the perfection of the soul.

Building a temple is similar to building the soul in one’s personal life. Without effort and proper priorities, all will be for naught. Without belief in Christ, which purely an simply means following Christ by taking His yoke upon us in all things, all will be for naught.

In the secular world, a man builds after taking careful account of finances, and planning, including design, choice of location and materials. We have done all that, but the most important things, which this reading describes, have nothing to do with these things.

The rock that our Lord mentions is Himself. The scripture refers to Christ, that is, belief in Him, and following Him, as “rock”:

And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.  (17)   And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.  (18)   And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Mat 16:16-18)

As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (Rom 9:33)

Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;  (2)   And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;  (3)   And did all eat the same spiritual meat;  (4)   And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1Co 10:1-4)

Our church edifice happens to look a bit like rock, and will be covered in rock, but these are external things.

As a parish, we build upon a rock when we corporately and individually dedicate our lives the Christ. I cannot do anything about how an individual builds, but as a pastor I can only help to provide the mortar and the bricks.

Among our most important materials is prayer. I serve a weekly Thursday liturgy, and have been doing so for almost two years. This is one of our most important ministries. Many times, I have served with only the reader and myself, with God among us, and with the Saints and angels [1]. In the world, one would say that this act of worship has little impact, since hardly anybody comes. If we were a Home Depot, we would have long ago closed our doors on this day and hour, because so few come, but we are a church, and we must pray, faithfully.

Our weekday liturgy has been the most important reason why our building project has been succeeding.

I will continue serving, no matter how many lean days there are, because in this service, we pray for everyone in the parish by name in the Great Ectenia. There is no way for our feeble minds to understand the grace that this brings to our community, but is does come!

I have seen very consoling signs that this liturgy is important personally to our flock, because of the steady attendance in our two monthly “children’s liturgies”. There is no value that can be attached to the grace that our children (and us) receive by worshipping together, and teaching them to sing.

My custom of sitting down and giving a simple homily after the Gospel, with the children gathered around, and excitedly (and often quite correctly, but sometimes with an … interesting perspective!) interjecting their answers and feelings is the best part of my week. This may not be considered to be pristine liturgics, but it is good theology.

How can any parishioner, whatever his station in life, help to build his parish upon a rock? Personally we must struggle, with fasting and prayer and a continual reassessment and adjustment of our thoughts and priorities. Corporately, we must consider ourselves to be a part of the body, therefore critical to its functioning. Participation in prayer, giving alms, praying for each other, baking prosphora, cleaning the church, church classes and activities, and anything and everything else that affects our parish life together is the way we contribute to building our parish upon the rock.

46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great. 1 Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. Luke 6:46-7:1

Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

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Sep 29/ Oct 12 2009

Today, Michael Daum (right) our resident point man for the building project, Reader Nicholas Park, and yours truly (Priest Seraphim, the head delegator) met with Fr Michael Storozuk, rector of St Paul the Apostle Orthodox Church Denison TX, met at the building site for a design meeting regarding the iconostasis and altar.

Fr Michael is an excellent carpenter, and has built the iconostasis for many churches in the area, including his own, St Seraphim Cathedral, Dallas and many more.

The meeting was extremely productive. We worked off a provisional sketch Nicholas has made of the interior of the altar, and came up with a basic plan for the iconostasis and inside of the altar.

Our carpenters will frame the iconostasis ands interior walls in the altar. After we get the occupancy permit (sometime in December), we will commence work on finishing the iconostasis with nice wood trim and reasonable (read, not expensive) carving, etc.

THE EXCITING NEWS is that we plan to have the unfinished iconostasis up before the visit of Bishop Peter for our Feast Day (Dec 6/19, THIS YEAR).  The doors will not be hung, but the wall will be there, with arched openings where the 2 deacons’ door and royal doors will be.

This is the latest drawing we have of the altar area. (1 cm = 1 ft)

Things will change, but the basic idea is there. The apse is not shown in this drawing, due to software constraints.

I wish to inform our readers that all this design stuff is a leap of faith. The extra things the city has required of us for occupancy have left no funds to finish out the iconostasis.

The only reason we are even building the rough iconostasis structure is because of interior design changes which have saved us enough money (from removing interior walls that we had planned on building) to substitute the building of the iconostasis and altar walls.

We need as much help as you can give. We are currently trying to raise $40,000 to insure that we can finish the things we need to finish to get occupancy. We have saved as much as we can on construction, and raised about $8000 so far.  

If you are looking for a “worthy cause”, please see our request for benefactors letter. We are asking for money, like everybody does, but have also made the solemn promise that you and your immediate loved ones will be remembered in the Divine Liturgy in our parish forever, as well as mentioned in our annual benefactor’s day liturgy.

Our benefactor diptychs are already over a hundred names. There will be no wall plaque with names on it in our church, but your names will be remembered at least once a week, forever. Nobody reads the names on those fancy plaques this much!

Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

This article is at:

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Sep 13/26 2009

Saturday before the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Mike has reminded us that TODAY is the one year anniversary of our closing on the land upon which our new temple is being built.

This just so happens to be the day we commemorate “The Commemoration of the Renewal of the Temple of the Resurrection of Christ at Jerusalem”.

Years ago, we would sing the Kontakion for this feast at the end of Vigil. I learned this from another parish, and I think it is a local usage among some Greeks. I am thinking of reviving the custom. This Kontakion  is certainly apropos for any temple, especially when we are building:

The Church is shown to be a many-lighted heaven

that doth shine a guiding light upon all them that do believe;

wherein while standing we cry aloud:

Do Thou Thyself now establish this house, O Lord.

(Kontakion, Tone 4)

Here is a Homily on the Dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, by St Dimitri of Rostov.

After many months in the “valley in the shadow of death” (in the halls of the McKinney building commission), we have been making good progress on the building.

The walls are more than half done. Here are some photos from Thursday evening, when we served a small blessing of the waters and blessed the temple construction.

SE view (the door is facing East) with a little worshipper.

The Western window will be in the narthex, and the windows set higher in the sanctuary. The most Eastern window will be in the altar.

Priest Seraphim Holland 2009.     St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, McKinney, Texas

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New Journal entries, homilies, etc. are on our BLOG: http://www.orthodox.net/redeemingthetime

Journal Archive: http://www.orthodox.net/journal

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Use this for any edifying reason, but please give credit, and include the URL of the article. This content belongs to the author. We would love to hear from you with comments! (seraphim@orthodox.net)