Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I pray all is well on this cloudy and blustery day. Stay warm and comfortable.
Tomorrow when you arrive in the Fellowship Hall after the Divine Liturgy, you will notice a couple “Christmas Trees” that are set up along the south side of the room. It’s that time of year, once again, when we can assist St. Nicholas in his desire to bring joy to every child. Our Sub for Santa project, Operation Chimney Drop is all set and ready to go. Thank you to Kathy Shand and AnnaSophia Clark for organizing and setting up their elaborate and beautiful display.
As in past years, please pick an ornament from the tree and purchase the desired item listed by a child in our greater community. Our organizers have also made it easier to participate this year. In the past, you were asked to provide the entire wish list of a child – both wanted toys and needed clothes. Kathy has split up the lists of individual children and will consolidate them afterwards. In other words, she divided the lists so that multiple people can provide for each individual recipient. So, the good news is that participating will not be as daunting. The challenge, of course, is that there are obviously more ornaments on the trees than year’s past.
Of course, that is a challenge that we are prepared to tackle. I would still hope, just like in years past, we will have an empty tree by tomorrow afternoon. I pray that we can add to our holiday excitement by helping those in need. I cannot think of a better way to head into the week of Thanksgiving than acknowledging our gratitude for the gifts we’ve been given, and to share those blessings with others. Please participate and please participate generously.
Speaking of the Thanksgiving Holiday, while it is true that we enjoy a special dispensation from the Nativity Fast on Thanksgiving Day, please be prayerfully reminded that we are in the midst of a major fasting period in the life of the church. I remind you that while the Fast should be obviously maintained at home, but there should especially be no meat or dairy products served at church functions until after Christmas. This practice will only get more difficult as the Nativity draws nearer. The western model of preparing for Christmas is party after party. The Orthodox preparation for the Incarnation of God is to approach this great mystery with awe, prayer, and fasting. It’s not too late to take up this mantle and begin.
Lastly, please place in your calendar Great Vespers for St. Nicholas on Thursday, 5th at 6:00 pm. Right afterwards, our Philoptochos will host an evening of lighting our Christmas Tree, singing carols, enjoying each other’s company and decorating our gingerbread houses. This will be a lovely tradition to literally begin the Christmas season with commemorating the actual St. Nicholas.
I also wish to congratulate our parish’s own Lynne Roberts for being named the head coach of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks. I pray that this new adventure proves a blessing for her, her family and her new team. No doubt, she’ll successfully right that ship just like she did for the University of Utah Women’s Team.
Please enjoy the blessings of the day and I look forward to worshiping with you tomorrow. I remain,
In Christ’s Love,
Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter