Blessing of the River

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by  () January 2, 2013 4:39 pm 111 views 

Sts. George and Alexandra Orthodox Church of the Orthodox Church in America will celebrate the annual blessing of the Arkansas River at the pavilion of Springhill Park, Sunday, January 6 at 12:30pm. (Springhill Park is located just off Hwy 59 at 1700 Lock and Dam Road, Barling, AR.) At the conclusion of the commemoration service a frozen cross will be blessed by the priest, Fr. Paul Fetsko, and will be thrown into river. This symbolizes Jesus Christ?s cleansing of the waters with His baptism. The Blessing of the River will follow the regular Divine Liturgy service which is celebrated every Sunday at 9:30am at Sts. George and Alexandra, located at 7500 Mahogany (4th) Avenue in Fort Chaffee. All are invited and welcome.
 
It is the custom of Orthodox Christians worldwide to bless water in their church which is then used to bless the church, the homes of members of the congregation and a major body of water serving the community.
 
Sts. George and Alexandra will ask God?s blessings upon the Arkansas River on the Sunday following the Feast of Theophany. This blessing signifies that Christ came to redeem and renew all of creation. When He was baptized the waters did not cleanse Him. He cleansed the waters.
 
All citizens of the area are welcome and invited to attend. At the conclusion of the commemoration service a frozen cross will be blessed by the priest, Fr. Paul Fetsko, and will be thrown into river. This symbolizes Jesus Christ?s cleansing of the waters with His baptism.
 
The Blessing of the River will follow the regular Divine Liturgy service which is celebrated every Sunday at 9:30am at Sts. George and Alexandra, located at 7500 Mahogany (4th) Avenue in Fort Chaffee. All are invited and welcome.



(Background information)
 
January 6th – The Feast of Theophany (Epiphany)
This Feast Day is one of the greatest days of the Christian year. It ranks in importance with Christmas and Easter. In many parts of the world, this Feast Day is celebrated with more solemnity than Christmas itself. In English, we call this Feast Day "Epiphany" which means "appearance." On this day the Orthodox Church celebrates the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River by St. John the Baptist (he is called "the Baptist" because he baptized Christ.)
"Theophany" means "God shows himself to us." On this day, the Holy Trinity was first revealed for all of humanity to know and believe. When Jesus Christ was baptized in the River Jordan, a voice was heard from God in the heavens above saying, "This is my Son in whom I am well pleased." A white dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus Christ the Son of God. So we have the Holy Trinity being shown to us on that day 2000 years ago. This is why we call this day the "day of illumination (light) and manifestation (appearance.) The Holy Trinity made its appearance and we have been illuminated by this wonderful truth and blessing. Since the waters of the Jordan were blessed by the presence of Jesus Christ, it is a source of Divine Grace and blessing, and we bless ourselves and our homes with the waters of the "Sanctification Service" which is held every January 5th and 6th.