Click here
Donate
Search
Donate

Archive

The Seventh Day of Christmas. The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ

12/31/2024

Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes for the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Thursday, December 24, 2015. Listening to the hymns of the [Christmas] Vesperal Liturgy, the Royal Hours, and of Matins, I was struck by some extremely beautiful things, which spoke of the openness of God towards his creation; of his love and compassion for all his creation, for the entire universe, is wrapped up in the

St. John Chrysostom’s Christmas Homily. Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

12/25/2024

BEHOLD a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd’s song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he

The Nativity of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ

12/25/2023

Reading The incomprehensible and inexplicable Nativity of Christ came to pass when Herod the Great was reigning in Judea; the latter was an Ascalonite on his fathers’s side and an Idumean on his mother’s. He was in every way foreign to the royal line of David; rather, he had received his authority from the Roman emperors, and had ruled tyrannically over the Jewish people for some thirty-three years. The tribe of Judah, which had reigned

The Thirty-Ninth Day of Christmas Advent: Celebrating Christ’s Nativity

12/23/2022

By Fr John Breck, December 2, 2006 With the hyper-commercialization of Christmas in American culture, it’s important for us to step away from the noise and tinsel, in order to hear once again what Orthodox Christian tradition tells us about the real significance of this feast. This takes us back first of all to the Nativity stories of the Gospels. To interpret those stories, though, we need to turn as well to the ancient liturgical

The Nativity of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ

12/25/2021

The incomprehensible and inexplicable Nativity of Christ came to pass when Herod the Great was reigning in Judea; the latter was an Ascalonite on his father’s side and an Idumean on his mother’s. He was in every way foreign to the royal line of David; rather, he had received his authority from the Roman emperors, and had ruled tyrannically over the Jewish people for some thirty-three years. The tribe of Judah, which had reigned of

Seventeenth Day of Christmas Advent, Journey to Bethlehem

12/01/2021

By Father John Parker What shall we offer Thee, O Christ, Who for our sakes hast appeared on earth as man? Every creature made by Thee offers Thee thank. The angels offer a hymn; the heavens a star; the wisemen gifts; the shepherds, their wonder; the earth, its cave; the wilderness, a manger.  And we offer Thee a virgin mother.  O pre-eternal God, have mercy on us! According to the hymn I have shared above,

CHRIST IS BORN!

12/25/2020

Celebrating Christ’s Nativity, by Father John Breck As much as any other Christian feast, the significance of Christ’s Nativity comes to expression by means of paradoxical affirmations that speak of the ineffable mystery of the Incarnation by juxtaposing apparent contradictions. The most obvious of these is found in the prologue of St John’s Gospel, which declares that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” (John 1:14). As the context makes clear that Word or

The Twenty-Sixth Day of Christmas Advent. The Russian Nativity Icon.

12/10/2020

The Russian Nativity Icon The Russian nativity icon vividly portrays the Christmas perspective of the Orthodox Church. Through symbolism and teaching about Gods incarnation (becoming human) the icon presents Christmas as a “feast of re-creation.” The word icon is a Greek word meaning “image” or “likeness.” The nativity icon is done in an art style dating back to the sixth century Byzantine Empire. Orthodox iconography is a purely idealistic art form. Through the Byzantine style

And the Word Became Flesh

12/23/2019

By Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis, December 24, 2018 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory. John 1:14 The Gospel accounts of the Nativity are limited to a mere forty verses. In the Gospel of Matthew, there are 19 verses about the Nativity. The Gospel of Luke has 20. The Gospel of Mark makes no mention of the Nativity. It begins with the Baptism of Christ. The Gospel of John

Figures of the Nativity—The Shepherds

12/09/2019

By Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis, December 5, 2018 No parent in Bethlehem two thousand years ago hoped that their child would grow up to be a shepherd. Being a shepherd was a dangerous, lonely and nomadic life. It was dangerous, because sheep were often prey for wolves and other dangerous animals. Shepherds were armed with staffs, not guns, and could easily be hurt or worse by animals preying on the sheep. Shepherds had to be on

Categories
Archives
Trending
Adam Advent Bethlehem Christmas Christmas Advent communion Constantinople Cross death Egypt Eucharist Fathers Fr. Antony Hughes Fr. Stephen Freeman grace Great Lent heart holy spirit humility incarnation Israel Jerusalem kingdom Kingdom of God lent love Mary Messiah Moses Mother of God Nativity Old Testament Pascha Paul Pemptousia Pentecost prayer repentance resurrection salvation silence sin St. Paul Theotokos Trinity
View Our Live Stream Services
Keep In Touch

Stewardship Application

How to stay connected when separated

Daily Meditations

Father Steve's Daily Meditations & Weekly Bible Study every Tuesday at 7PM

Worship Schedule

Click here to view!

Light a Virtual Candle

Please Light a Virtual "Kandili" (Votive Candle) for Healing and Remembrance

Text-to-Give in 2 easy steps!

1) Text 202-899-7801 to include your donation amount

2) Follow the link to complete the one-time registration

Donate Now

Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral 2815 36th St NW, Washington DC 20007

© 2020 Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral