On Sunday, January 4, 2026, His Eminence Mor Dionysius John Kawak celebrated the Holy Liturgy, assisted by Rev. Fr. Alan Shaltan, on the feast of the Epiphany (Denho) at St. Athanasius Parish in Tarpon Springs, Florida. In his sermon, Archbishop Kawak emphasized that Denho is not merely the commemoration of a past event, but a divine revelation and manifestation of God’s saving work in the world.
He explained that the baptism of Christ in the Jordan reveals the mystery of salvation openly: Christ enters the waters not because He needs purification, but to sanctify the waters and heal human nature. Drawing on the Syriac tradition, he highlighted that at the Jordan the Holy Trinity is revealed the Son standing in humility, the Spirit descending as a dove, and the Father proclaiming His beloved Son making Denho truly the feast of light and illumination. His Eminence further connected Christ’s baptism to our own, reminding the faithful that baptism is a call to renewal, mission, and living as children of the light in a world struggling with darkness and confusion. He concluded by urging the faithful to renew their baptismal promises, to walk in holiness, and to live confidently as God’s beloved, bearing witness to Christ wherever they are.
