“Welcome to Saint Basil Greek Orthodox Christian Church!”
Christos Anesti! Christ is Risen!
Watching our preschool children play in the festival grounds last week, I witnessed one
boy crying as he sat hunched over by himself, off to the side of all the action. After a
brief moment, two other boys approached him, inviting him to play with them on tri-
cycles—quickly all three were laughing and playing together. This boy’s entire day
changed because he was invited to play with his classmates!
A man from Lebanon recently shared with me his love for the people of Cyprus.
Numerous times, while under foreign attack, the citizens of Lebanon have been forced
to flee, many to the island of Cyprus. This gentleman was one of those individuals, and
he told me that he will always feel at home, and a great sense of love for Cyprus
because the people were so welcoming!
The Patriarch Abraham received three visitors, which were a manifestation of the Holy
Trinity, and he immediately pleaded with them, so that he might have the opportunity to
extend to them his hospitality. Abraham not only stepped forward to offer hospitality,
he also approached his wife Sarah, so that she too might offer hospitality to their visitors.
After being welcomed with such an invitation and authentic hospitality, the Lord
blessed Abraham and Sarah with a child!
God is standing in front of you with His arms outstretched, waiting for you to step into
His embrace, and the experience of His perfect love. As you step closer toward His
embrace, the warmth of His outstretched arms closing in around you will produce such
comfort that it invokes a security beyond measure.
A profound beauty of Christ’s Church is that all have been invited and are welcomed to
enter, in order to experience His embrace. Once any individual steps into the front
doors of the narthex, they place themselves into the position of approaching God’s
embrace, the beginning of this embrace is experienced when the community
members welcome, and offer hospitality to the one stepping into God’s house. As
Christians, a blessed responsibility has been given to us all — to be ministers of God’s
love by being inviting, welcoming, and offering hospitality to all those who ap-
proach an experience of Christ’s Church.
As we welcome visitors and one another at Saint Basil’s, let us pray that our Lord will
one day welcome us into His Heavenly Kingdom! To God be the Glory!!!
+ Fr. Luke Palumbis