Episcopal Visit to Seattle, Washington
On October 16-17, 2021, on the 17th Sunday after Pentecost, when our Church celebrates St. Stefan and Jelena (Stiljanovic), His Grace Bishop Maxim visited both Parishes in Seattle: The Holy Protection of the Theotokos in South Park and St. Sava Parish in Issaquah.
On Saturday evening, Bishop Maxim officiated the Great Vespers Service at the Church of Holy Protection with local priest Fr. Serafim Gascoigne and Fr. Zoran Aleksic from St. Sava Church. After the Vespers, parishioners prepared diner and a warm welcome for their Bishop.
On Sunday morning, the clergy and the faithful greeted Bishop Maxim at St. Sava Church in Issaquah. Bishop Maxim presided over the Holy Liturgy concelebrated by guest priests, Very Rev. Serafim Gascoigne, Very Rev. Ayoub Owais from Amman, Jordan, and Rev. Zoran Aleksic and Diocesan deacon Vladan Radovanovic. The Choirs sang the responses at the Liturgy from both Churches led by Choir Directors Dejan Subotic and Johan Gascoigne. The Church was overflowing with faithful from both Parishes, and many children and people partook of the Holy Communion.
During the sermon, Bishop Maxim pointed out the importance of the exclamation from the beginning of the Liturgy: It is time to serve the Lord! “It is time for something extraordinary. It is time to open up our being, our communities to the One Who is beyond time, but Who in His Incarnation became time and history, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel reading that we heard today about a Canaanite woman is full of different contextual aspects that He had received by becoming a man. In today’s Gospel, we see Him as a teacher of the Jewish people, and this woman comes and disturbs Him and His Apostles, who are by definition dedicated to their people. This woman, by her faith, changes the attitude of our Savior. It does not mean the He did not want to embrace her, but this dialogue occurs every time we dialogue with God. There is an element of surprise, something that we did not expect, something that just happens. We see from the Gospel how this dialogue between the Canaanite woman and the Lord develops and how He challenges her faith. Still, as a merciful God Who knows our limits, He wants to provoke not only more faith from her, but also He is doing this for His audience, which is not only the Apostles and the people gathered there, but all of us together today, so that we can see and have a deeper understanding of why He is the Savior of the entire world. Not an individual Savior, as some would say: My Jesus. He is Christ, the Savior of the entire Universe Who heals all the divisions, but not automatically. He requires faith and dialogue with Him. That is why this beautiful dialogue reveals how our Creator, Who is the author of our life, sometimes surprisingly guides us into a deeper understanding and realization of how great and beautiful He is and how great His love is. So, let us embrace this truth from today’s Gospel reading and enter into a dialogue with our Lord because this dialogue leads us to communion with Him. Now we are not only listeners but protagonists because there are many other people like this Canaanite woman whom we need to embrace and lead to the Kingdom of Heaven”, said Bishop Maxim in his sermon.
After the Liturgy, Parish KSS prepared a delicious lunch for everyone. The children’s choir prepared a short program. Everyone enjoyed a fellowship and a beautiful Indian summer afternoon in Seattle.
