Sava 			January 14
the Founder 
and first Archbishop of the Serbian Church
Sava (or Sabas) was born about 1176, the third son of King Stephen I of Serbia. In 1191 he went secretly to Mount Athos, where he became a monk. Three years later, his father abdicated in favour of his eldest son Stephen II and joined Sava as a monk on Mount Athos. Together they founded the Monastery of Chilandari for Serbian monks. This monastery (which still exists today) in the Middle Ages was a centre for Serbian culture and religion. As an abbot, Sava was famous for his kind yet firm way of training his young monks. While at Chilandari he began the translations of religious books into the Serbo-Croat language, a task which was to be an important part of his life’s work.
About 1208, Sava returned to Serbia because of civil unrest and the rivalry of his brothers. Both country and church were in crisis. Clergy were few, and the Christianity of most of the people merely nominal. He established himself as archimandrite of the monastery of Studenitsa, and then set about organising the Serbian church. He used monks who came with him from Mount Athos for missionary and pastoral work. He set up an independent local hierarchy, of which he was elected the first archbishop, being consecrated in 1219. In civil affairs he contributed to the unification of the Serbian state under his brother Stephen II. His translations both of those he made and those he inspired, together with his building and embellishment of churches, integrated the church into the cultural life of the Serbian people.
Always a monk at heart, Sava used to retire from time to time to a hermitage near Studenitsa for spiritual refreshment. He was also greatly interested in pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Mount Sinai. In both places he organised accommodation for Serbian monks and pilgrims. He himself made two pilgrimages to Jerusalem, and died during the second on 14 January 1235 at Trnovo in Bulgaria while returning from the Middle East.
He is revered by both the Orthodox and Catholics of the Balkan area and is the patron saint of Serbia. The cathedral in Belgrade is dedicated under his name. An icon of the Saviour copied from a Chilandari original is the centre-piece of the ecumenical chapel in the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Christchurch.
For Liturgical Use
Sava, a younger son of King Stephen I of Serbia, left home in his teens to become a monk on Mount Athos. There his father joined him a few years later. Together they founded the monastery of Chilandari, a centre of Serbian religion and culture, which continues to this day. About 1208, Sava returned to Serbia and helped consolidate the kingdom under his brother Stephen II. He also reformed and reorganised religious life. He established an autonomous Serbian church and became its first archbishop. Sava died in 1235. He is the patron saint of Serbia.
Sentence
I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, says the Lord. 		Jeremiah 23:4
Collects
Loving God,
you called your servant Sava
to found and build the Serbian church;
may we who are built on Christ’s foundation
be living stones,
effective witnesses to the gospel;
through our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Jesus,
you call on us to choose the better part;
would that we always had the opportunity!
Give us grace
if you call us, as you called Sava,
to sacrifice our peace.
Psalms	47	111
Readings
Jeremiah 1:4-9		To whom I send you, you shall go
1 Corinthians 9:16-19 	All for the sake of the gospel
Matthew 4:12-23		Fishing for people
Post Communion Sentence
The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 	Mark 12:10