Thank You!

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

I want to offer to all the faithful of St. Nicholas Orthodox Christian Church my heart-
felt thanks for the warm welcome you have offered to my family and myself ever since our arrival at the beginning of the year.Truly, God is blessing this community, and I am humbled, thankful, and excited about my participation in the life and love of St. Nicholas’ community.

As a priest and as a man, I will fail you time and time again. I pray you, put your trust in God, not in men, and at those times when I do fail you, I beg your forgiveness and patience.

The Christian life is founded on the love of God bestowed upon us richly in His abiding presence. Our life, then, is meant to be one of abiding love for Him. Love fulfills all the commandments. No matter the ways I will fail you, I pray that God will not put me to shame, but will show me forth as a worthy example of love for God and neighbor. Though I fail you, I hope you will always see how much I love you.

Out of this love between God and man is born our liturgical life. It is the root and foundation for all else in our spiritual life—whether our fasting, our almsgiving, our virtue; all are vain if our love is not continually offered up to God liturgically.

For this reason, a faithful community is a community that prays together. Whatever other parochial activities do or do not happen, praying together is what makes us the Church. Let us, here at St. Nicholas, always remember that it is in our shared liturgical life that we will come to know God most deeply, and come to love one another without pride or selfishness.

Our life as a parish family will grow and develop and change in many and unexpected ways. Over time, it will be deepened, enriched, shaken, and uncertain. But God is faithful to His children. Let us strive to be faithful to Him and to one another.

This month St. Nicholas will have its first General Assembly to discuss precisely the life of our parish—its recent changes, its current condition, and its future. I know that much prayer and fasting has brought our community to where it is today; much more prayer and fasting will, by God’s grace, give us the discernment necessary to chart a course for our future.

I ask you to pray and fast in preparation for the General Assembly, and to attend it. Bring your questions, concerns, hopes, etc. Email them to me in advance of the Assembly if you are able, that they might be better addressed. I believe we have a bright future ahead of us—may it shine with the light of the Resurrection!

And thank you for letting me be a small part of that paschal future. May the Lord God bless you all and keep you!

Forgive me,
Fr. Matthew