Upcoming Nativity and Patronal Feast: the Church as Counter-Culture on Display

See this month’s calendar  December 2013 Mission Calendar for the times of services for our Nativity celebration and Patronal feast on New Years Eve and New Years day.

There is maybe no other time of year when the counter-culture of the Historic Church is so visibly on display as at Nativity/Christmas – and especially in our case – New Years Eve and New Years Day. What has become here in America virtually a consumer holiday, is in the Orthodox Church the great and awesome feast of the Nativity/Birth of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ.

And for us at St. Basil Mission it is a particularly rich time as we celebrate New Years Eve with a two hour vigil commemorating our patron St. Basil the Great, as well as the circumcision of the Lord; and New Years day with a beautiful Divine Liturgy written by St. Basil himself over 1,600 years ago! Here again, the contrast is striking.

When most of the nation is in a collective party (for many an excuse to get drunk) we will be worshipping God has we have from the time of the Apostles. Before most New Years Eve revelers wake up with a hang-over we will be celebrating the Eucharistic feast of St. Basil the Great and experiencing the joy of paradise.

…If you are a Christian and that bothers you, but sadly like many have no place to go because your church doesn’t have a celebration on these days – join us!