In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen. On this day, the heart
and mind can't but think of those that are no
longer with us this Christmas, this year, and
sorrow about that. But we pray for them. We remember
them in... memorial services. We remember them
at the proskomedia, before the liturgy. And the
loss that we feel means that we should treasure
those that are with us even more, to not regret
anything between ourselves, to forgive one another.
This thought occurs to me on this day because
it's such a day of joy, but it's a day that many
people don't feel such joyfulness because they've
lost so much. But let's look at the hope and
the joy that Christ has, for he is our peace.
I'd like to share with you a few words of a sermon,
an excerpt by my teacher from seminary, Fr. Thomas
Hopko of Blessed Memory. Christ is born. And
our souls are reborn. Christ is born. And the
world is made new. Christ is born. And the emptiness
and barrenness of human nature is overfilled
with the grace and life of the Godhead. God became
human to make humans divine. God became visible
to allow humans to see him. God became touchable.
to allow humans to touch him. God spoke in human
words to allow humans to hear him. God entered
earthly time to make humans eternal. God took
flesh to make human bodies his dwelling. God
lived as a creature on earth to recreate the
whole of creation. He was a human so that by
his humanity we could become gods by grace. He
was small so that by his smallness we could become
divinely great. He was poor so that by his poverty
we could become divinely rich. He was weak so
that by his weakness we could attain God's power.
He was a fool in the world so that we could attain
God's wisdom. He emptied himself. so that by
his emptiness we could be filled with all the
fullness of God. He became the servant of all,
so that by his servitude we could all reign with
him. He became nothing, so that through his nothingness
we could become everything. Christ bowed down
the heavens and came down. Let us bow ourselves
down in body and soul and cry out, Christ comes
from the heavens. Go to meet him. How do we meet
him? How do we receive him? Now these are my
words. Think of the shepherds. Think of the Magi.
Think of Joseph. Think of the Virgin Mary. Think
of the child himself, God, who came down for
us. But today, the gospel directs our attention
to the Magi. Can we be like the Magi to endure
discomfort, uncertainty, a long journey, maybe
not physically, but at least through our soul
and our mind and our thoughts, to follow and
to see the light that illumines all. Not the
light that we think is convenient for us or the
light of the world, With its glitter and entertainment.
Not those lights. But the secret light that only
the magi could see. Because it wasn't just the
star. It was an angel who appeared as a star.
Because it moved and it led them. And it brought
them. Can we be like them? To ponder in our hearts
what it means when the choir and we all sing.
Thy nativity, O Christ our God, has shown to
us the light of wisdom and to acquire that wisdom
in our quietness, in our uncertainty, to depend
upon the journey that the church gives us for
the most certain light that we can have, which
is Christ in the gospel, is here in the church.
And Herod was troubled. about all this, and our
soul can be troubled about all this too, when
we come up against something within ourselves
that we cannot accept. But are we wiser than
God? God stoops so low. His foolishness is wiser
than this world, says St. Paul. And the wise
men, the magi, at their journey, which we must
take also. If we are to be saved, we must take
that journey mentally, spiritually, noetically,
and put to death within us that which is on the
way that will not help us. The false lights,
the false teaching, the false wisdom that's not
wisdom at all. And we end up at the cave of Bethlehem,
which is the church. Stand in, you're here. You
are in Bethlehem now. You're not in a strange
place. You're in the warmth of the cave where
the child is with you, is with us. When we say
God is with us, we don't mean it metaphorically.
We mean it actually, truthfully, powerfully.
God is with us, and we dwell with him in the
church, and we have the light of wisdom shining
to us. And what do we bring to him when we come?
We bring a gift. Whatever you can bring, whichever
way, whatever light that got you to the true
light, you give thanks to God for that and you
give a gift to him. It may be your time, it may
be your treasure, it may be your talent, it may
be to the poor, in which case the honor goes
to Christ himself. And then what do you do? You
stay in a state of worship because God has given
us Something that the Magi could not imagine.
St. Paul said in the fullness of time, God was
born of a woman. Born under the law. To redeem
those, that's us, under the law. The law of sin
and death and corruption and annihilation. Does
the Spirit cry out in your heart, brothers and
sisters? St. Paul says it should. The Spirit
crying, Abba, Father. Why? Because we're children
now of the Most High God through baptism because
the Savior has come. He doesn't need the healthy.
He does not need the righteous. He does not need
your intelligence. He does not need your might.
He does not need your self -reliance. He does
not need your philosophy or your pride or your
self -centeredness. He does not need the self
-sufficient people. He needs, no, he needs nothing.
He desires the weak, the ignorant, those who
have failed, those who are hungry for righteousness,
those who are thirsting. those who are honest,
those who desire to confess their own uselessness
while confessing his mercy, love, and power.
He desires those who do not hope in their own
wisdom and strength. He desires children, children
in heart, children regarding malice, children
who are fully dependent on the Father and life
of all, children who cry out simple prayers,
begging help at every moment like the children
in this congregation that cry out for their parents.
We are to be just like Christ. Christ is born.