From our Synod's Website:Of the many saints commemorated by the Christian Church, Nicholas (d. A.D. 342) is one of the best known. Very little is known historically of him, although there was a church of Saint Nicholas in Constantinople as early as the sixth century. Research has affirmed that there was a bishop by the name of Nicholas in the city of Myra in Lycia (part of Turkey today) in the fourth century. From that coastal location, legends about Nicholas have traveled throughout time and space. He is associated with charitable giving in many countries around the world and is portrayed as the rescuer of sailors, the protector of children, and the friend of people in distress or need. In commemoration of “Sinte Klaas” (Dutch for Saint Nicholas, in English “Santa Claus”), December 6 is a day for giving and receiving gifts in many parts of Europe.
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Fr. Thomas Hopko writes of St. Nicholas that what is extraordinary about this very popular saint is that there was nothing extraordinary he's known for. "In a word, he was a good pastor, father, and bishop to his flock, known especially for his love and care for the poor. Most simply put, he was a divinely good man." (Winter Pascha, p. 39) That's it. A saint whose life reminds us that "it is more blessed to give than to receive." A saint through whom Christ reveals the joy of a life that is "unbent" from the "curve in on one's self" and turned outward to others in kindness and love.
From the Brotherhood Prayer Book:
Remember them that have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the Word of God;
Whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
Let us pray. Accept, O Lord, our thanksgiving this day for Thy servant, Nicholas; and grant that all ministers and stewards of Thy mysteries may afford to Thy faithful people, by word and example, the instruction which is of Thy grace; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
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