Weekly Events

 

Weekly Updates

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2025

The Sunday After the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Ἡ Κυριακή μετά τή Γεννήσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ
Orthros 8:00 am • Divine Liturgy 9:30 am

Memorial Prayer Services

Evangelos Giagiakas – 4 years; Stylianos Trohatos – 8 years

Nativity Bible Camp at St. Nicholas 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm
Open to all children of St. Nicholas Church – Pre-K to Grade 12

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2025

Food Pantry 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

The Circumcision of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Ἡ Περιτομή τοῦ Κυρίου μας Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ
St. Basil the Great Feast Day • Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας
Orthros 8:00 am • Divine Liturgy 9:30 am

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2026

Sunday Before the Epiphany • Ἡ Κυριακή πρίν τά Θεοφάνεια
Orthros 8:00 am • Divine Liturgy 9:30 am
Memorial Prayer Services

Christos Loizides – 4 years; Anastasios Amanatidis – 5 years
Evangelos Topsidakis – 10 years; Peter Poulos – 11 years

Weekly Sermon

 

Beloved in Christ,

We remain in the Nativity season, and today’s Gospel reveals the mystery of God’s providence and the sacrifices made for our salvation by Christ, the Most Holy Theotokos, and St. Joseph. At its center, stands the Infant Christ, whose coming brings light to the world and provokes the rage of evil. The angel’s command to St. Joseph—“Rise, take the Child and His Mother, and flee to Egypt”—reveals Joseph’s unwavering obedience. Without hesitation, he protects the Savior of the world,
trusting fully in God’s will. His silent faith challenges us to act with the same trust, even when God’s path is difficult or unclear.

The flight into Egypt fulfills the prophecy, “Out of Egypt I have called My Son,” revealing Christ as the new Moses, who delivers humanity from sin and death. Yet this passage also confronts us with the reality of evil in Herod’s slaughter of the innocents. The Holy Innocents become the first martyrs for Christ, reminding us that God’s Kingdom is advanced
not through power, but through quiet sacrifice and faithfulness.

After Herod’s death, St. Joseph again obeys God’s guidance, returning not to power or prominence, but to Nazareth. Christ’s early life of humility teaches us that true greatness lies not in recognition or strength, but in service and obedience to God.

This Gospel calls us to three things: faith like St. Joseph’s—active and trusting; care for the vulnerable, as Joseph and the Theotokos protected the Christ Child; and humility, modeled by Christ Himself, who embraced obscurity to bring us salvation. The journey of the Holy Family reminds us that we, too, are pilgrims. Though trials mark our lives, God does not
abandon us. He guides us through prayer, Scripture, and the Holy Mysteries, assuring us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

As we honor the Holy Innocents, we affirm the sanctity of every human life and our calling to defend the voiceless. And as we contemplate the mystery of the Incarnation, we remember, as St. Gregory the Theologian teaches, that the eternal God became man for our sake. May we rise in faith like St. Joseph, embrace humility like the Theotokos, and trust
always in God’s providence.

†Rev. Fr. Elias Pappas

 

The November / December Anchor

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