Nativity Message 2025
The Diakonia Service Message
My Beloved Sons and Daughters who Love the Diakonia Service,
The blessing and the peace of the Lord be with you all.
I wish you all a very blessed Feast of Nativity and Happy New Year.
We thank God for His great work in the Diakonia service and how it now extends to support the needy people. We thank His Grace Bishop Abraham and all the deacons who serve in the different fields of the Diakonia service, and we ask the Lord to reward them all with heavenly gifts. We also thank all those who support this service either by volunteering or through their financial support. We wish you all every blessing for your love, care, and support for this service.
As we celebrate the beginning of the year, I would like to contemplate on some of the beautiful meanings of the Diakonia service, which is the work of mercy and helping everyone in need.
1-The Diakonia Service is the real way of greatness:
Every human being desires to be great. But what is the kind of greatness which humans must seek? The Holy Bible mentions that the disciples of Jesus had a great dispute among them about who is the greatest among them: “But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, ‘You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant (Deacon). And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all’” (Mark 10:42-44). Then Jesus presented Himself as an example for His disciples to be like Him. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
2-The Diakonia Service is a dynamic service:
The Gospel of Matthew mentions our Lord’s service as active and powerful: “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23).
3-The Diakonia Service is for everyone:
Our Lord’s service was not limited to a certain group of people, but He went about doing good for everyone, including the Jews, the Gentiles, men, women, rich, poor, the righteous, and the sinners. The Diakonia service should be like that: caring for everyone without making any distinctions, for the work of mercy is for every human in need.
4-The Diakonia Service is a service for all the human needs:
The Lord Jesus used to teach in the synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of weakness. Human beings are one unit; we cannot separate their bodily needs from their spiritual ones. For that reason, the Lord Jesus who created man, knows his needs and took great care in fulfilling those needs. The Diakonia should be like that. Following our Lord’s example of service, the Diakonia has different programs addressing the various needs of the people.
5-The Diakonia service has the greatest target:
The Lord’s services varied, but the greatest target was leading humanity to know Him and to salvation. In the miracle of healing the man who was born blind, the Lord restored his vision and also led him to believe in Him as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. When they brought the paralytic to the Lord Jesus, He started by forgiving his sins. He cured him after to make them know that the Son of Man has the power to forgive sins.
The Diakonia service is different from any social or human service. The Diakonia seeks the salvation of those being served and does not just aim to fulfill his or her material needs.
We pray for the success of the service and for all those in need. May God bless the Diakonia service and you always.
Wishing you a Happy and Blessed New Year,
Metropolitan Serapion
Of Los Angeles, Southern California & Hawaii