From a Russian market place . . .
Christ is Risen – flashmob style
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Christ is Risen!
Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered!
A sacred Pascha today hath been shown unto us:
a Pascha new and holy,
a Pascha mystical,
a Pascha all venerable,
a Pascha that is Christ the Redeemer;
a Pascha immaculate, a great Pascha;
a Pascha of the faithful;
a Pascha that hath opened the gates of Paradise unto us;
a Pascha that doth sanctify all the faithful.
As smoke vanisheth so let them vanish!
Come from the vision, O ye women, bearers of good tidings, and say ye unto Sion: receive from us the good tidings of the Resurrection of Christ; adorn thyself, exult, and rejoice, O Jerusalem, for thou hast seen Christ the King come forth from the tomb like a bridegroom in procession.
So let sinners perish at the presence of God and let the righteous be glad!
The myrrh-bearing women in the deep dawn stood before the tomb of the Giver of life; they found an angel sitting upon the stone, and he, speaking to them, said thus: Why seek ye the living among the dead? Why mourn ye the incorruptible amid corruption? Go, proclaim unto His disciples.
This is the day which the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad therein!
Pascha the beautiful, Pascha, the Lord’s Pascha, the Pascha all-venerable hath dawned upon us. Pascha, with joy let us embrace one another. O Pascha! Ransom from sorrow, for from the tomb today, as from a bridal chamber hath Christ shone forth, and hath filled the women with joy, saying: proclaim unto the apostles.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
It is the day of Resurrection, let us be radiant for the feast, and let us embrace one another. Let us say: Brethren, even to them that hate us, let us forgive all things on the Resurrection, and thus let us cry out:
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, And on those in the tombs bestowing life.
Pascha from Moscow
From the mother land, full Paschal services at Christ the Saviour Cathedral. How you can run Pascha when you have a plethora of Metropolitans, Priests and Bishops. Absolutely beautiful! Enjoy
On the night of 4 to 5 May at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill celebrated Easter services – the midnight office, the procession, Easter Matins, and the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.
В ночь с 4 на 5 мая в кафедральном соборном Храме Христа Спасителя Святейший Патриарх Московский и всея Руси Кирилл совершил Пасхальные богослужения — полунощницу, крестный ход, Пасхальную заутреню и Божественную литургию свт. Иоанна Златоуста.
Holy Week and Pascha: a time to share the love of Jesus Christ
As we leave Great Lent for the I would like to suggest a switch to a more external focus. Holy Week is our final leg in the voyage to the Holy Pascha of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; but how often do we take this time to reaqlize that He came for the salvation of all.
We tend to be worried about juggling our work and church commitments, transporting ourselves and family, perparing the final items for our Paschal Feast; what better time than the Feast of Feasts to focus on sharing the love of Jesus Christ with those who may not know Him, or know the church he established through his Apostles.
How can we do this? Should be go knocking randomly on doors and stand in the street ringing bells? Perhaps not. These are the actions that lead the Orthodox world to shy away from Evangelism. What we need is to share the love through discipleship rather than through the pen (or sword). Some may feel shy to answer questions on their faith.
Some simple suggestions for sharing the love of Christ over the coming weeks:
*Invite some of your friends to the start of the Paschal service, or the vespers Sunday night (joyous but short and sweet)
*Having a Paschal meal with friends and family, invite some non-Orthodox friends to break the fast or later on during the Paschal period. Scared about lots of questions? Ask you Priest or Deacon over for dinner as well 
*Many of us due to our Eastern heritage cook enough food in case the entire Mother Church is coming for dinner; take some Paschal items into the office to share with colleagues and drop an email around describing what they are and inviting people to share with you.
*Learn more about the detail of your faith or give a book to an inquiring friend (such as)
Support some local or global missions giving others the resources to spread the love of Christ (examples: ROCOR mission in Pakistan, Fund For Assistance, OCMC)
For the law is old,
but the word is new.
The type is provisional,
but grace is everlasting.
The sheep is perishable,
but the Lord,
not broken as a lamb but raised up as God,
is imperishable.
For though led to the slaughter like a sheep,
he was no sheep.
Though speechless as a lamb,
neither yet was he a lamb.
For there was once a type, but now the reality has appeared.
Melito of Sardis
Just some short ideas to think about. May you all have a profitable Holy Week and a joyous Pascha!
Support the Great Commission – in Pakistan (more)
The mission in Pakistan is growing and with growth comes the need for more resources. I have spoken to Fr Adrian and Fr Anthony in relation to the mission and God has given us glorious fields ripe for the harvest. The team is focusing on mission by showing the love of Christ to all, through serving the poor, feeding the hungry and giving vital skills to those who have little. Please following the link below and donate what you can to this vital work – Dcn Andrew
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain awhere Jesus had bappointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some ddoubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them hin the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, iI am with you alway, even unto kthe end of the world. Amen.
(Matthew 28:16–20 KJV)
St. Michael the Archangel Orthodox Mission Breaks Ground for a St. Sergius Orthodox Church Sargodha, Pakistan Fr. Adrian Parish priest of Sydney Australia and Orthodox Mission Director of Pakistan blessed a land in Sargodha. Mission have plans to build its first physical church on the land. God willing construction of the church will begin when we have funds we request to all of you for your generous support and prayers.
You can donate to the mission via the information on their website
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An Orthodox Response to an Anti-Orthodox Defense of Gay Marriage
Reblogged from Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy:
The following piece by Fr. John Whiteford is a response to David J. Dunn's 2011 article "Civil Unions by Another Name: An Eastern Orthodox Defense of Gay Marriage," which has been making the rounds on social media in the wake of the recent discussions by the United States Supreme Court concerning same-sex marriage. Fr. John has written extensively on the topic of same-sex marriage…
When others say it better, post it
reclaiming arithmetic
Recently a bombardment of facebook profile pictures and internet rhetoric have been flying around showing a pink equals sign “=” on a red background supposedly to represent the same-sex position on the newly branded “marriage equality” bandwagon. Last week, my friends across the pond in the NZ parliament signed into law the ability for same-sex couples to get married which sparked the obvious “we are lagging behind” debate including wobbly arguments about Australia losing “precious tourist dollars in the gay community” to the NZ economy.
Have raised my concerns a few times before and will not banter again, but the ramifications of reverse bigotry are alive and well in countries that have passed similar laws. Churches forced to marry same-sex couples, churches forced to have receptions of same-sex couples in their halls and photgraphers sued over not wanting to take the assignment to shoot a wedding even after providing an alternative.
My facebook profile picture response is below. The only true equality is in Christ after we have shed our pride and demands for rights and material connections.
As always, prayer is needed.
