Message from Metropolitan Alexios
My Beloved Ones,
This coming Tuesday, December 25th, all Christians shall be called to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, His Nativity, and the coming of God’s grace in the gift of His Only-Begotten Son. This event is beginning of a new era, as well as the end of an old era.
In this Sunday’s Epistle, for example, St. Paul writes to the Hebrews that all the Old Testament Prophets lived in anticipation of the Messiah, our Lord and Savior. We read in the earliest parts of the Old Testament of the special and loving relationship our God had with His creation, but especially with you and me, the human beings. Even after Adam’s disobedience, so great was God’s love for us, that He was willing to take on the same flesh that He had given to His Creation, without forgoing His Divine Nature. This mystery is not only inconceivable for the human mind, but humanity cannot begin to imitate the depths of such love; to, as St. Gregory Palamas said, “honor the flesh” so that we might once again have the ability to be reconciled with our Creator.
In honoring our flesh, we are faced with another reality of Christ’s Incarnation: if the Son of God were only Divine, how could He cure those illnesses that were only earthly? Therefore, the Church Fathers say, that it was necessary that the Son of God should take on our Nature to save us from the first sins of Adam and Eve. If He had taken on flesh with only His Divine Nature, then His example to us would have shown us a human being without God’s greatest gift: our freewill. St. Cyril of Alexandria says that Christ had with His person two Natures: The Divine and the Human, “without mixing or confusion.” Christ’s flesh, though it is from God, is still human flesh, and the Logos, the Word, existed with God in the beginning. This mystery is a source of great confusion for many knowledgeable people in today’s society, but of course, the key to this mystery, is faith.
For consider that these Natures are from different substances: Divinity and Humanity. Truly then, according to our human understanding, the birth of Emmanuel is a great and paradoxical mystery. So too is our Lord’s love for His Creation. A modern writer attempted to help us understand this by suggesting that, if a human being was to become a worm in order to save the worms, it would appear to us to be something disgusting, and that he or she was insane. My friends, this is what is happening when the Creator of all things, humbles Himself even to take on the form of a man to save us. This humility is also inexpressible, and not understandable with human logic and behavior.
Such is the love of God: that the Father would give us His Son, and that the Son would obey the Will of His Father, even unto receiving death on the Cross; all in order to save us from the power and punishment of the Devil. All these things God has undertaken for us out of His Love—and yet He does not ask anything of us! He came only to restore to our former position as honored Children of God, as brothers and sisters in Christ.
This Christmas, we can live and experience this event within the sacramental life of the Church, when we ask the Holy Spirit to come upon us, especially during the Divine Liturgy. The Divine Liturgy is the greatest gift: the dowry of our Lord’s Body and Blood.
This is the way we are meant to reflect and contemplate our God’s love for during this special season. Glory be to our God, “on earth as it is in heaven.”
+ALEXIOS
Metropolitan of Atlanta
From the Chancellor's Desk
As we approach the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, I am praying that God’s Holy Spirit guides us to pursue peace and unity in all things; may He bring all His creation closer together. May our Heavenly Father continue to sustain His earthly realm into our new year of 2019. With God’s taking on our flesh (becoming incarnate), and through His witness and teachings, His suffering and death, and His joyous resurrection, may we be reconciled and joined forever with Him and His Heavenly Kingdom, already established, but to be completed at His Glorious Second Coming! I cherish the words of Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta who shared his hope that “every day, we will allow our Lord to be born in our hearts so that in turn, we can witness and share Him with His Creation. What a profound and essential thought!
Every year just before Christmas, we are blessed with our parish youth and adults offering their inspiring Christmas Pageants. For me personally, they bring to life the Incarnation of our Lord in the very people that we see and worship with each week. They represent the best of all of us and they freely choose to be part of this effort. I commend them and all who assist them “behind the scenes.”
I also commend our co-workers who seek daily to “bring to life” the blessed and good news of our Lord’s Incarnation… That is the message I pray can be communicated in everything we do! Whether we realize it or not, we are each called to serve God… not just in the annual Christmas Pageant, but in our every worship, service, fellowship, and witness – whether anyone sees us or thanks us for trying. God grants us the freedom to choose to respond to His call through all of us working together through Him – that includes you and me, our ministry leaders, our co-workers, and even the visitors and strangers He enables to be in our midst.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, those present and those traveling, I pray this year’s commemoration of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ inspires us on our mutual and life-changing journey together. With the Holy Spirit leading us and by us choosing to work together in a spirit of mutual love and mercy, we all have the potential to enter and live forever in God’s eternal Kingdom.
In closing, I want to affirm that your presence, prayers, and participation are essential and greatly appreciated. Your time, your talents, and your gifts are priceless! Let us join in praying for God’s peace and unity - both within His Holy Church and throughout His world. Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
+Very Rev. Fr. George Tsahakis
Chancellor
Greetings from His Grace Bishop Sevastianos of Zela
My Beloved in the Lord,
It is with great joy I resume my Diakonia with his Eminence Metropolitan Alexios and as I continue serving our Holy Church. I am grateful to his Eminence and to our Archbishop, Geron of America for the opportunity to return home where I spent many years serving our Holy Metropolis.
My role is to assist his Eminence Metropolitan Alexios visiting the parishes of our Metropolis offering them pastoral care, as well as assisting with the Educational Programs of our Metropolis such as Religious Education, Youth, Adults, Marriage, Hellenic Culture, Day and after-school School programs and many others. Please feel free to email me your needs as well as your thoughts and ideas so that that they may be included in the agenda of the particular Committees and be addressed appropriately.
I look forward to serving you and our Holy Metropolis for the edification of the Body of Christ and for the glory of God.
I pray that God’s love and blessings be upon you, your families and your loved ones on this occasion of the Nativity of our Lord and always,
Καλά Χριστούγεννα! Merry Christmas!
+Bishop Sevastianos of Zela
Youth, Education & Hellenic Culture
The 44th Biennial Clergy Laity Congress unanimously passed the NEW Policies for the Safety of Youth and Children! There is a great article on page 12 of the July/August Orthodox Observer explaining the Next Steps in Youth Safety. Please take time to read the article and the new policies since they affect everyone involved in all youth programs.
Winter Youth Rally Registration is now open here! For HDF Registration click here!
In Christ,
Monica
The Strategic Plan
FAITH FORUM
Want to learn the latest best practices on how to grow your parish?
How about learning to create a plan for the future of your parish?
How do I fund the essential ministries of my parish and become less dependent on fund raisers?
Have I covered all the significant risks to my parish and what risks go beyond insurance coverage?
Are my religious education programs covering all that they should and are they effective? Is leadership training important to my role in the parish?
If you and your fellow parishioners have ever discussed these topics and you want to learn more, then …
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR MARCH 9, 2019 FROM NOON TO 5PM AT ST. NEKTARIOS GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH IN CHARLOTTE, NC
MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Take a look at the online portal.
Vist www.atlstrategicplan.org/portal to view a list of the several goals completed in 2017.
The Metropolis of Atlanta’s Family Life Ministry (www.familylifeministry.atlanta.goarch.org) strengthens individuals, families and church families through adaptable programs, blogs and educational materials as a means of fostering connection within our homes and our parishes.
Join Paula and Edna as they discuss the latest book from with FLM, “Woven: An Interactive Book for the Modern Teenage Girl on Orthodox Christianity” with Bobby Maddex from Ancient Faith Ministries.
For more information, or to order "Woven" please visit, woveninhislove.org
We also share with you helpful links from the OCN and the Family Life Ministry of the Metropolis of Atlanta.
Journey of Marriage (Pre-Marital Seminar)
All couples marrying in the Metropolis must attend a Metropolis-sponsored Journey of Marriage seminar prior to their wedding. The couple will present their certificate of completion to their parish priest after the seminar.
- January 19, 2019 - St. Catherine - West Palm Beach, FL
- May 4, 2019 - St. Andrew - Kendall, FL
To see the full list of seminars in Florida and in our entire Metropolis as more seminars are scheduled please visit: http://www.familylifeministry.atlanta.goarch.org/upcoming-events-2/
Registration is online. Materials costs are included in the registration.
Shop with Amazon, donate to the DRC
Amazon Smile is a program that allows for 0.5% of your eligible Amazon purchase to be donated to the Diakonia Retreat Center (No Added Cost To You). To find our Amazon Smile page, visit https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-2187047.