Advent Archives - Page 6 of 11

The Thirty-First Day of Christmas Advent. The Feast Day of Saint Eleutherios

12/15/2016

Eleutherios was born in Rome in the second century AD. He was among the first and youngest to carve a niche for himself in Christianity in the eternal city of Rome, where he astounded his elders with his prodigious intellect and early development. Had his father, a high public official of pagan Rome, lived to guide his immensely talented son, things might have taken a different turn for the boy and for Christianity, but his

The Thirtieth Day of Christmas Advent. The Gift of Christmas

12/14/2016

By Theo Nicolakis The Christmas season is such a beautiful time of the year. Lights, candles, and cutout snowflakes begin to decorate our city’s streets. People begin to adorn their homes with the colors of red and green, wreaths, candles, and dazzling arrays of lights. These decorations even spill into our schools and businesses. That’s the Christmas season! That is the Christmas season? This past week, as I was speaking with one of my staff

The Twenty-Ninth Day of Christmas Advent. The Glory of the Lord

12/13/2016

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shown around them, and they were filled with fear. -Luke 2:9 Have you ever thought about the word glory? Have you ever wondered what “the glory of the Lord” might look like? In Exodus 33: 18-23, God shows His glory to Moses: Moses said, “I pray Thee, show me Thy glory.” And He [God] said, “I will make all my

The Twenty-Eighth Day of Christmas Advent. The Life of Saint Spyridon

12/12/2016

“Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth” – a teaching by Jesus Christ in His Sermon on the Mount. These divine words describe Saint Spyridon absolutely. This is evident from the fact that his life on earth was a flowering of Christianity in all its fullness and constancy expressed through his teaching, which influenced society not just in his lifetime but during the many centuries between then and now, and will certainly

The Twenty-Fifth Day of Christmas Advent. Watching Your Flock Isn’t Always Glamorous

12/09/2016

And in that region there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flocks by night. -Luke2:8 Being a shepherd was certainly not a glamorous job. It involved herding a large number of sheep to go into a specific direction. Of course, the sheep don’t have the power of persuasion and reason that human beings have, so this was a tough task. Oftentimes the ratio of sheep could be 100 sheep to one

The Twenty-Fourth Day of Christmas Advent. Bethlehem Was Too Busy to Notice

12/08/2016

And in that region there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flocks by night. -Luke2:8 We’ve all experienced the stress of the mall at Christmas. Fighting over parking places, waiting in traffic, and long lines in the stores, and now added to that everyone looking at their phone, WHILE fighting for parking, sitting in traffic and waiting in line. I remember once thinking, with all of this stress at the mall, would

The Twenty-Third Day of Christmas Advent. The Message Is for Everyone

12/07/2016

And in that region there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flocks by night. -Luke2:8 I’m sure during the period of the census in Bethlehem, there were people from all walks of life, all economic classes. There were well-to-do people who got the most expensive rooms in the most expensive inns, who rode the best donkeys and camels. With so many people descending on Bethlehem for the census, there were undoubtedly

The Twenty-Second Day of Christmas Advent. The Life of St. Nicholas

12/06/2016

More than 1,600 years ago, in the year 270 AD, St. Nicholas was born not far from Myra, in what is now modern day Turkey. At that time, Orthodox Christians were persecuted for their faith. Many of them were tortured and executed because of their belief in Jesus Christ. Nicholas was taught by his parents to love the Lord with his whole mind, heart, soul, and with all his strength. When they died he inherited

The Twenty-First Day of Christmas Advent. St. Savas the Sanctified, A Father of Desert Monasticism

12/05/2016

Saint Savas the Sanctified (439–532), a Cappadocian-Greek monk, priest and saint, lived mainly in Palaestina Prima. He was the founder of several monasteries, most notably the one known as Mar Saba. The Saint’s name is derived from the Hebrew meaning “old man”. St. Savas was born at Mutalaska, near Caesarea of Cappadocia, the son of John, a military commander, and Sophia. Journeying to Alexandria on military matters, his parents left their five-year-old son in the

The Eighteenth Day of Christmas Advent. Is There Room in Your Inn?

12/02/2016

And she gave birth to her first born Son and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn. -Luke 2:7 In the Mexican culture, there is a Christmas-time tradition called Las Posadas. In this tradition, a couple dressed up as Mary and Joseph go from home to home, asking if there is any room at “the inn.” Each home takes on the

Tags

The Thirty-First Day of Christmas Advent. The Feast Day of Saint Eleutherios

The Thirtieth Day of Christmas Advent. The Gift of Christmas

The Twenty-Ninth Day of Christmas Advent. The Glory of the Lord

The Twenty-Eighth Day of Christmas Advent. The Life of Saint Spyridon

The Twenty-Fifth Day of Christmas Advent. Watching Your Flock Isn’t Always Glamorous

The Twenty-Fourth Day of Christmas Advent. Bethlehem Was Too Busy to Notice

The Twenty-Third Day of Christmas Advent. The Message Is for Everyone

The Twenty-Second Day of Christmas Advent. The Life of St. Nicholas

The Twenty-First Day of Christmas Advent. St. Savas the Sanctified, A Father of Desert Monasticism

The Eighteenth Day of Christmas Advent. Is There Room in Your Inn?

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