Christ is Born!

 My brothers and sisters in Christ:

Christ is Born!  Glorify Him!

 It is with these joyous words that we greet one another in this season.  What more joyous news is there than the birth of a child?  What more joyous news is there than God coming in the flesh to redeem His creation as that newly born child?

 In the world around us, we find troubles, sorrow, pain, suffering.  As human beings we desire with all our hearts to see all suffering come to an end.  But we find ourselves powerless to do much to change the world and put an end to such things.

 But in the coming of Christ, we can look upon all these things in a new light.  He is the Light of the World, and in His Light we shall see light!  Because Christ is born, mankind need no longer fear the suffering in the world, for God shows to us His intention to unite again fallen mankind with Himself, and where God is, there is neither sorrow nor sighing, but only life everlasting!

 Saint Paul taught us about our Lord’s own joy in His work by saying, “Looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:2)  Even our Lord endured human sufferings and sorrow.  But within these, God the Son encountered joy in accomplishing His ministry, to redeem us from our sins, from our own suffering, so that we might become filled with the same joy that filled Him.

 We end our Liturgical services with a benediction, a word that translates from the Latin to literally mean “to speak well of”, but meaning to give a blessing.  In that benediction, we say, “May Christ our God, through the prayers of …. Have mercy on us and save us, for He is good, and He loves us!”  Each time I offer that prayer, I’m struck with those final words.  He is good.  This I know.  But, He loves us.  As the words pass my lips, I very often think, “Why?”

 Perhaps this is the greatest mystery of all.  God loves us—you, and me, and the neighbor who taunts us, and the person in traffic who cut us off this morning, and the boss who chewed us out last week.  He loves all of us.  How can we not be filled with joy when we know we are so loved?  How can we be at odds with people whom we know our Lord loves as much as He loves us?  We are benefactors of a love that exceeds all love we can know in this world, for God’s love supersedes the love of this world.  His love is focused on overcoming what binds us to this world, to take us to be with Him, where He is.  This is the reason that He comes to take on our flesh today, so that He might provide the way for us to be with Him for all time.  Because He loves us!

 In this season of renewal, when nature begins to turn from darkness to light, let us take firm hold of this love that can and must bring us joy that overflows our ability to contain it!  Let the joy of this day so fill us that we shout to those around us, “Christ is Born!”, expecting the greeting to fill them with the love and joy that fills us.

 May the joy of this day fill your hearts with His joy, and may His love fill each of us so that we might share both with all whom we greet, on this day, and on every day with the festal shout, “Christ is Born!”

Father Basil