Today we remember the stories of all those (even some notorious ones) who make up the family tree of Jesus
and the illustrious heroes of the faith that led the way toward Him...
and we contemplate the possibilities of our own stories when WE become our Lord's continuing family tree.

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«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
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«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

Twinkle, twinkle, little stars... and shepherds, sheep, and wise ones too! In a world full of busyness, this pageant is a gentle reminder that the greatest gift arrived in a humble manger: Emmanuel, "God with us." It's a cute celebration of little voices proclaiming big truths, inspiring us all to open our hearts to the light of Christ's love.

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«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

The Theophany (the appearance of Father, Son, & Holy Spirit), celebrating the Baptism of Jesus Christ, and His sanctifying of creation…beginning with the waters of the Jordan River. This service concludes with our own Blessing of the Waters and a blessing of you with Holy Water.

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«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

Chinese Evangelicals Are Discovering Orthodox Christianity. (с)

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«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

The beauty of woman is the greatest snare. Or rather, not the beauty of woman, but unchastened gazing! For we should not accuse the objects, but ourselves, and our own carelessness.
Nor should we say:
Let there be no women,
but Let there be no adulteries.
We should not say,
Let there be no beauty,
but Let there be no fornication.
We should not say,
Let there be no belly,
but let there be no gluttony; for the belly makes not the gluttony, but our negligence.
We should not say, that it is because of eating and drinking that all these evils exist; for it is not because of this, but because of our carelessness and insatiableness. Thus the devil neither ate nor drank, and yet he fell! Paul ate and drank, and ascended up to heaven!

St. John Chrysostom

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«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

We may often say, “I’m not ready to receive Holy Communion,” as though we are waiting for a time when the heart will be perfectly pure, when all the storms within us will be stilled, and every shadow of sin will disappear. But if we wait until we are perfect, that time will never come.
The Eucharist is not a crown of the sinless, it is the medicine of the broken. It is not a reward for our progress, but the mercy of God that makes our progress possible.

Each Sunday, the voice of Christ calls us quietly but persistently: “Take, eat… Drink of it, all of you.” He calls us not because we are pure, but because we are hungry; not because we are perfect, but because we are loved. To approach with trembling faith and repentance is not presumption, it is trust in His mercy. The most honest preparation for Communion is not to say, “I am worthy,” but to whisper, “Without You, Lord, I am lost.”

And so, our entire life becomes a continual preparation. Every prayer, every act of humility, every tear of repentance is a small clearing of the heart, making space for Christ to dwell. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, grace reshapes us: pride gives way to gratitude, fear to faith, and sorrow to peace.
Holy Communion is both our journey and our destination. It heals what is wounded and sanctifies what is still incomplete. It is the pledge that our true homeland is not this passing world, but Paradise where Christ Himself awaits us. Until that day, we continue to approach the Chalice, yes, imperfect but loved, offering all that we are to the One who is mighty.

Friends, Holy Communion is not a gift exclusively for those who have conquered sin, but it is for those who thirst for mercy and hunger for forgiveness and for all those who receive it “for the remission of sins and the life everlasting.” (c)

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«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

Modern life trains us to consume—scrolling, skimming, sampling. And without realizing it, we bring this same posture into worship. We come to “get something,” not to offer anything. We evaluate the Liturgy like a performance, forgetting it is our participation that matters most.
But the Orthodox Church resists this. Not with arguments—but with symbols.
Icons, incense, vestments, chant—none of these are decorative. They are spiritual tools. They retrain our hearts to enter rather than observe. To venerate an icon is to receive, not to grasp. To fast before Communion is to remember that grace is a gift, not a right.
The symbols of the Church are ascetical. They don’t bend to our preferences—they shape us. They teach stillness in a restless world. They re-form our desires. They call us not to “get something out of church,” but to offer our repentance, our prayers, our bodies as living sacrifices.
And they don’t stop at the church doors.
A man who bows in the sanctuary learns to bow his will at home.

A woman who prays in the Church is learning inner stillness in daily life.

A family living by the Church calendar is being freed from the anxiety of modern time.

This is the beauty of Orthodox Christianity: it is not an event we attend—it is a life we are formed into.
So come. Enter. Offer. Be changed. (с)

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«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

Saint Porphyrios was once asked what the greatest spiritual struggle is.
People expected something dramatic. Long fasts. Harsh asceticism. Heroic feats.
He said something much simpler.
Love Christ. That was it.
Not “analyze Christ.” Not “panic about your sins every day.”
Love Him.
Saint Porphyrios taught that when you truly love Christ, repentance happens naturally.
Prayer becomes alive.
The commandments stop feeling like chains and start feeling like oxygen.
Holiness stops being forced and becomes something that quietly grows, like a tree that keeps reaching toward the light.
He used to say that many people exhaust themselves fighting darkness instead of turning toward Christ.
You do not chase shadows away by swinging at them. You bring in light, and the darkness leaves on its own.
That is Orthodox spirituality in a nutshell.

Not a legal system. Not a fear factory. Not a performance. A living relationship.
Saint Porphyrios didn’t deny struggle. He knew suffering. He knew sickness. He knew spiritual warfare. But he also knew the secret.
Christ is not standing over you with a clipboard. He is standing before you with open arms.
When you fall, do not stare at the fall. Look at Christ. When you sin, do not spiral. Run to Christ. When you feel cold inside, do not fake fire. Turn toward Christ.
The more you look at Him, the more your soul begins to look like Him.
That is how saints are made. Not by self hatred. Not by anxiety. But by love that keeps choosing Him again and again.
"Love Christ and put nothing before His Love.
He is joy, He is life, He is light.
Christ is Everything.
He is the ultimate desire, He is everything. Everything beautiful is in Christ."
- St. Porphyrios ☦️
Saint Porphyrios, pray for us. ☦️

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«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин

In the Orthodox icon called "Christ The Word of God," you are not looking at religious art, you are looking at theology in color.
At the center is Christ Himself, because in Orthodoxy the Word of God is not a book first, it is a Person. The Eternal Son through whom all things were made, the same One who became flesh and dwelt among us.

In this icon He is not holding a Gospel book, but a sharp and pointy double edged sword.
This is not a weapon of violence, it is the sword of His word. Scripture says that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit.
That sword is a picture of truth. It cuts through illusion, sin, and self deception. It wounds the ego in order to heal the soul. Christ does not flatter us, He liberates us.

His orange vestments signify the fire of God and divine energy.
His halo carries the cross and the Greek letters O ON, meaning The One Who Is. This is Exodus language. The same God who spoke to Moses in the burning bush is standing right in front of you in human form, now as judge and redeemer.
His posture is both kingly and solemn. He is not sentimental. He is holy. The sword reminds us that His coming is mercy for the repentant and judgment for the unrepentant.

He is the Alpha and Omega. The Beginning and the End. Everything starts in Him and returns to Him, including you.
So when we call Christ the Word of God, we mean this. God did not just speak about Himself. He spoke Himself into our world, and His word cuts, cleanses, and saves.
Glory to God ☦️

_________________
«Русскому человеку лучше всего удаётся невозможное!»
***
«Родиться русским – слишком мало… Им надо быть. Им надо стать!»
И. Северянин