My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
Isaiah 11: 1-10
Thus saith the Lord: There shall come forth a rod out of the stem
of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: and the Spirit of
of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the
spirit of knowledge an dof the fear of the Lord; and shall make Him
of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and He shall not
judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing
of His ears: but with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and
reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and He shall smite
the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips
shall He slay the wicked… [Nativity according to the flesh, Vespers]
THE LITY
[The Nativity According to the Flesh)
Tone One
(by John the Monk)
Let heaven and earth today make glad prophetically.
Angels and men, let us keep spiritual feast. For God, born of
a woman has appeared in the flesh to those that sit in darkness
and shadow. A cave and a manger have received Him.
Shepherds announce the wonder; Magi from the east offer
gifts in Bethlehem. Let us, then, from our unworthy lips,
offer praise like the angels: Glory to God in the highest, and
on earth peace. For the Expectation of the nations has come,
He HAS COME AND SAVED US FROM THE BONDAGE OF THE
ENEMY.
Heaven and earth are united today, for Christ is born.
Today has God come upon earth, and man gone up to heaven.
Today for man's sake is seen in the flesh He Who by nature is
invisible. Therefore let us also give glory and cry aloud to Him:
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, which Thy
Coming has bestowed upon us, O Savior: Glory to Thee.
'Glory to God in the highest', I hear today in Bethlehem from
the angels, glory to Him whose good pleasure it was that
there be peace on earth. The Virgin is now more spacious than
the heavens. Light has shone upon those in darkness, and his
exalted the lowly who sing like the angels: Glory to God in the
highest.
Beholding him that was in God's image and likeness fallen
through the transgression, Jesus bowed the heavens and come
down, and without changing He took up His dwelling in a Virgin
womb: that thereby He might fashion corrupt Adam anew, who
cried to Him: Glory to Thine Epiphany O my Deliverer and my
God.
The Magi, kings of Persia, knew with assurance that Thou,
the heavenly King, wast born on earth. Led by the light of a
star, they came to Bethlehem, and offered their chosen gifts,
gold and frankincense and myrrh. Falling before Thee they
worshipped Thee: for they saw Thee Who art timeless lying
as a babe in the cave.
All the Angels in heaven are of good cheer and greatly
rejoice today. The whole creation leaps with joy, for the
Savior and Lord is born in Bethlehem. Every error of
idolatry has ceased, and Christ reigns unto all ages.
Our journey to Christmas is nearing its end as we approach closer and closer to the Great Feast Day of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the 25th of December. "Today the ancient bond of the condemnation of Adam is loosed. Paradise is opened to us: the serpent is laid low. Of old he deceived the woman in Paradise, but now he sees a woman become Mother of the Creator. O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! The sinful vessel that brought death upon all flesh has through the Theotokos become the first fruits of salvation for the whole world. For God the All Perfect is born a babe of her, and by His birth He sets the seal upon her virginity. Through His swaddling clothes He loses the hands of sin, and through becoming child He heals Eve's pangs in travail. Therefore let all creation sing and dance for joy, for Christ has come to restore it and to save our souls." (The Lity)
How does one evaluate the 40 day spiritual journey to Christmas? Each Orthodox Christian must examine his/her own experience and hopefully the result will be good and beneficial. Our prayer is for all Christians to come nearer to Christ through faith, love, repentance, humility, kindness, and a more resolute attitude toward change and the willingness to grow in Christ. The Christian has both the God-given talents and Christ's example of holiness, to even become a saint. As we know from the Lives of the Saints, not all Saints started out as saints. Some had much to overcome and for a dramatic change to take place within themselves and lives. A good example is Saint Mary of Egypt but there are many more. Nothing is impossible for those who believe.
During Holy Seasons such as the Nativity period the faithful strive to progress spiritually and to strengthen their commitment to God. A Christian, as someone said, is not someone who never falls, but one who falls and rises again. A Christian is someone who comes to his senses and the prodigal son says, "I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants" [Luke 15:18-19]. Our thinking ought to be one of yearning to return home to our Father and remembering always the profound. forgiving, and compassionate love He feels for us. Therefore, as we travel back to our home we rejoice on the anticipated reunion and the end of our self-induced exile from home.
This Holy Season of the Nativity according to the flesh is a time of rejoicing. Joy is a heavenly gift to man. Joy and sorrow are a shared experience of our life on earth. Sorrow without the possibility of joy would be unbearable in life. Jesus uses the powerful image of a woman giving birth to express both the pain and joy of the birth of His new creation. Joy will come with the revelation of Christ risen from the dead, after the sorrow of the Cross. In Philippians 3:10 we see the same combination of sorrow and joy–the sufferings of Christ combined with His Resurrection, giving us entrance into the Kingdom of God. Mary the Theotokos said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and by spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior…For He who is mighty has done great things for me and Holy is His Name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him…" [Luke 1:46-49].
Humanity thirsts for joy, peace, and love. Our Merciful and Almighty God grants and bestows joy, peace and love to mankind but mannkind either resists or rejects His gifts. How can people not rejoice with the birth of the long awaited Messiah, the Christ? All the Angels and Heaven is rejoicing over His birth. "And suddenly there was with th while angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
"Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill
toward men." [Luke 2:13-14].
Christ comes to bring peace and goodwill toward men, for He is the INCARNATE AGAPE (LOVE) OF GOD, RECONCILING HUMANITY TO GOD AND PEOPLE TO EACH OTHER. Is that not enough reason to REJOICE? When we speak of the gifts coming from God as in the case of joy, peace, and love, these gifts are special because they are divine. Our conception of joy, peace, and love is limited by our small mind. God’s gifts of joy, peace and love are infinite in nature and unconditional, while our understanding of joy, peace and love is superficial, conditional, and temporary. We only need to see the actions and behavior of humanity over the centuries which verify this very fact. Where is joy? Where is peace? Where is love? And how long do they last? In Orthodox Christianity JOY, PEACE, AND LOVE ARE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT, WHICH ARE GIFTS FROM GOD: According to Saint Paul’s epistle to the Galatians 5:22, the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The Holy Spirit is a way for people to receive gifts from God, share in His Divine nature, and fulfill the commandment to love one another.
Therefore, dear friends, there is so much more to this Holy Season of the Nativity of Christ. However, people are blinded by the shopping of presents or gifts, of planning meals for themselves and guests, for making plans to travel, etc. and in the frenzy of the moment the real meaning of Christmas is lost. The Coming of the Anointed One, the Messiah and Son of God is forgotten. The arrival of the God incarnate is more than the celebration of one day, December 25th. For many the day after Christmas, people move on to their normal routine and life as though nothing extraordinary happened. The Birth of The Christ, the Savior is just another annual event. It is very sad to think about it isn’t it?
Although Christ’s life on earth was for 33 years before He Ascended to Heaven, He in fact, never left us for He said, "LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF THE AGE" [Matthew 28:20]. We know Him directly, here and now, in the present as our Savior and our Friend. "To the end of the age" does not by any means imply that we are to be separated from Him after that great consummation, He is with us now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. REJOICE, MY FRIENDS, REJOICE!
_______
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 