Maranatha! Come, O Christ the Lord!
On December 10/23, the Holy Orthodox Church commemorates the Martyrs Menas, Hermogenes, and Eugraphus of Alexandria; St. Ioasaph, Bishop of Belgorod; Martyr Gemellus of Paphlagonia; St. Thomas of Bithynia; Blessed John, King of Serbia; Hieromartyr Theotecnus; Martyr Marianus; Pope St. Gregory III; and Pope St. Miltiades. Through the prayers of Thy Saints, O God, save, have mercy upon, and protect Thy people. Amen!
Wednesday, December 12: FEAST OF ST. SPYRIDON OF TREMETHUS Orthros 8:30 AM Divine Liturgy 9:30 AM
2018-2019 BIBLE STUDY: “The Gospel of St. John: Beholding the Glory” Bible study will end for the semester after class on December 20 and will resume on the Thursday after Theophany, January 10. It meets at 10:30 AM and 7:00 PM.
LIVE ADULT RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 2018-2019: Each Sunday at 11:30 AM, the St. George Adult Education program meets in the Church library and is live streamed to a global audience through the Orthodox Christian Network Facebook page. People all over the world listen to our class, write in their comments, and interact with your fellow parishioners in real-time. On December 9, our class on “Orthodoxy and Paradoxy: Experiencing Contradiction as Truth” was connected globally to the Orthodox faithful in the U.S., and many other countries. Comments from our global audience this Sunday included, “incredible discussion,” “I love this class!” “amazing….I loved today’s conversation,” and “thank you for giving us a place to come to when we can’t make it to church where we listen to scripture engage in the words of the lord…Praise be to God in the highest.” Click this link to watch it using Facebook or click this link to watch from any device now and share with your family and friends!
FOR REFLECTION…
The Jews were singularly unprepared for God’s change of approach, and to find that God had come to live beside them. Now God could be found in their midst—going to the same school that they went to, working in the carpenter’s shop that they frequented, attending the same wedding in Cana that they attended, eating and drinking in their presence and teaching in their streets (Lk. 13:26). Poor little drummer boys could approach God on the first Christmas day and say, in the words of the Christmas song, “I am a poor boy too”. God had become a poor boy, a carpenter, a field preacher with nowhere to lay His head. He was now in their midst, Emmanuel, sharing their lot and their load—truly, the God of the unexpected. He had, in fact, invaded the consciousness and life of man in a most unanticipated way — as a man Himself. The mystery and meaning of the Nativity, then, is not in the presents we give and receive, but in His presence among us.
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50 PLUS: Annual Christmas Pot Luck Party, Wednesday, Dec. 12 at 11:30 AM. Achilles Papaefthimiou will again entertain us with his lively music. All are welcome. Please come with your favorite dish to share.
GOYA: Annual GOYA Christmas Caroling and Potluck Party this Saturday, December 15th. We will meet at St. George at 4:00pm to divide up into carpool groups (PARENT DRIVERS ONLY) and carpool to area nursing homes as well as St. George parishioners to sing Christmas carols. Following that, we will head over to the Agritellis home for our annual party (7-10pm) with dinner, a general meeting and a white elephant gift exchange. We hope all GOYAns can attend this fun event for Christmastime!
PHILOPTOCHOS: Annual Christmas Social, Sunday, Dec. 16, from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM at Mykonos Restaurant, 121 Congressional Lane in Rockville, MD. Cost is $40 per person, for three-course meal; cash bar available. Philoptochos will match dollar for dollar all donations, to support our Christmas Outreach project for the Gaithersburg Community Holiday Gift Giving Coalition (gift bags or $15 gift cards for children of families in need). Please register by Dec. 9 at the coffee hour table following Divine Liturgy or at Stgphiloptohos1019@gmail.com
50 PLUS: Annual Christmas Bake Sale, Sunday, Dec. 23 following Divine Liturgy. We offer baklava, meomakarona, kourambiethes and koulourakia. Please place your order as soon as possible so we may know how many desserts to prepare. All proceeds are directed to the St. George kitchen renovation project. Place your orders on line by Dec. 20 or contact Maria Kopsidas at (240) 421-9909 for information.
PHILOPTOCHOS: The St. George Christmas Ornament is available for purchase at $25 each during the coffee hour following Divine Liturgy, or at Stgphiloptochos1019@gmail.com
ORTHODOX YOUTH MISSION TEAM: St. George young adults and adult leaders are forming an Orthodox Youth Mission Team to participate July 7-13, 2019 in the Appalachian Service Project, working with families in this very poor region of the United States to help make their homes “warmer, safer and drier.” Registration deadline will be in December – contact Athena Kaiser for information at 240-498-0870 or avkmail@verizon.net
“He was created of a mother whom He created. He was carried by hands that He formed. He cried in the manger in wordless infancy. He, the Word, without whom all human eloquence is mute.” (St. Augustine of Hippo)