Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We are most blessed to be able to welcome our Father in Christ, Metropolitan Silouan, this weekend (Saturday 30th April and Sunday 1st May). This will be his first pastoral visit to our community.
Do join us to welcome him.
Saturday 30th April
Vespers — 6.30 pm
Sunday 1st May
Divine Liturgy — 9.30 am
Dear Friends
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
Titus 1:7–9
The bishop, dear brothers and sisters, is to guide his flock and lead, he is to encourage and strengthen, he is to comfort and to console the people of God; but most of all he is to bring Christ to the faithful. He is the living icon of Christ and we gather around him to worship God, most perfectly in the Divine Liturgy.
The Lord himself has appointed Metropolitan Silouan to be our bishop and we receive him as the representative, the ambassador, of Christ. As St Ignatius of Antioch wrote in the early second century,
For we ought to receive everyone whom the Master of the house sends to be over his household, (Matthew 24:45) as we would do him that sent him. It is manifest, therefore, that we should look upon the bishop even as we would upon the Lord himself.
Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians, 6.
We are greatly honoured, therefore, our Father in Christ should visit us on this first weekend after Pascha. We receive him as the icon of Christ who comes offering nothing except the Gospel of the Resurrection. He comes with a desire to know you and to extend the love of God to you.
Come and join us: all are welcome.
Come and see!
I am deeply moved by all who contributed to our celebrations of Great and Holy Week and Pascha this year: may the Lord remember their labours in his Kingdom.
We now serve a meal following the Liturgy on Sundays. All are welcome.
Do you, or someone you know, want to join our mailing list and receive our weekly email? Then let me know.
Singers — we want you
We are now more free to increase the number of singers at Church: would you like to sing and join this important ministry. Then please speak to me or the singers at Church.
All are welcome!
Sermon
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen!
Christ is risen!
In his great love for you and in his great love for me, God has given us the blessing to receive his Pascha, to be witnesses of his Resurrection, to live—here and now, in the midst of this fallen world—the resurrected life. Christ is risen and the demons quake! Christ is risen and the angels rejoice! Christ is risen and Earth is united with Heaven! Christ is risen and life reigns!
And the Evangelist, the beloved disciple and Theologian John, living this life of resurrection, takes us back: “In the beginning.” But this is different, his words speak to us not of Creation but of an eternal reality, before the first day. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” For now, having been witnesses of the Resurrection we can come to see Christ as the centre of God’s revelation to man, Christ is the perfect Image, Christ is through whom we may come to the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Christ is risen!
This is not a declaration of an event from two thousand years ago, an historical record we might read about in a textbook: Christ lives. And Christ is here present with us, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20) Christ is risen and we live this, we participate in this, we receive him and are united to him.
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Read last Sunday’s Sermon, How will you respond?
Archive of Past Sermons.
Services this week
Friday 29th April
Discussion on the book of Exodus, 8 pm
Online only
Saturday 30th April
Vespers, 6.30 pm
At St Francis’ Hall, Eastleigh
Sunday 1st May
Divine Liturgy, 9.30 am
At St Francis’ Hall, Eastleigh
Online session is via Google Meet: please get in contact for the details.
Please join us: all are welcome, come and see.
Attending Church
We will be meeting at St Francis’ Hall, Nightingale Avenue, Eastleigh, SO50 9JA. Come and See.
Can I help you?
I am here for you, you need only ask. Is there a way I can support your life of faith? Get in touch.
Can you help the mission?
Yes, absolutely. Offer yourselves to the Lord: pray! Make available to him all your talents and ask him how he would like you to use them — listen for his reply.
Your prayers!
With love in the risen Christ
Fr Alexander
[email protected]