WEBVTT 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:03.240 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 00:00:03.240 --> 00:00:10.259 of the Holy Spirit. Amen. On this day, the heart 00:00:10.259 --> 00:00:15.359 and mind can't but think of those that are no 00:00:15.359 --> 00:00:19.780 longer with us this Christmas, this year, and 00:00:19.780 --> 00:00:25.640 sorrow about that. But we pray for them. We remember 00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:29.230 them in... memorial services. We remember them 00:00:29.230 --> 00:00:35.369 at the proskomedia, before the liturgy. And the 00:00:35.369 --> 00:00:40.350 loss that we feel means that we should treasure 00:00:40.350 --> 00:00:46.770 those that are with us even more, to not regret 00:00:46.770 --> 00:00:50.689 anything between ourselves, to forgive one another. 00:00:52.750 --> 00:00:55.390 This thought occurs to me on this day because 00:00:55.390 --> 00:00:57.969 it's such a day of joy, but it's a day that many 00:00:57.969 --> 00:01:01.189 people don't feel such joyfulness because they've 00:01:01.189 --> 00:01:05.269 lost so much. But let's look at the hope and 00:01:05.269 --> 00:01:08.230 the joy that Christ has, for he is our peace. 00:01:09.170 --> 00:01:12.450 I'd like to share with you a few words of a sermon, 00:01:12.510 --> 00:01:16.709 an excerpt by my teacher from seminary, Fr. Thomas 00:01:16.709 --> 00:01:22.989 Hopko of Blessed Memory. Christ is born. And 00:01:22.989 --> 00:01:28.170 our souls are reborn. Christ is born. And the 00:01:28.170 --> 00:01:33.450 world is made new. Christ is born. And the emptiness 00:01:33.450 --> 00:01:37.469 and barrenness of human nature is overfilled 00:01:37.469 --> 00:01:42.030 with the grace and life of the Godhead. God became 00:01:42.030 --> 00:01:47.390 human to make humans divine. God became visible 00:01:47.390 --> 00:01:51.450 to allow humans to see him. God became touchable. 00:01:51.819 --> 00:01:54.819 to allow humans to touch him. God spoke in human 00:01:54.819 --> 00:01:59.519 words to allow humans to hear him. God entered 00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:05.099 earthly time to make humans eternal. God took 00:02:05.099 --> 00:02:08.400 flesh to make human bodies his dwelling. God 00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:10.780 lived as a creature on earth to recreate the 00:02:10.780 --> 00:02:16.020 whole of creation. He was a human so that by 00:02:16.020 --> 00:02:20.800 his humanity we could become gods by grace. He 00:02:20.800 --> 00:02:25.360 was small so that by his smallness we could become 00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:30.319 divinely great. He was poor so that by his poverty 00:02:30.319 --> 00:02:35.259 we could become divinely rich. He was weak so 00:02:35.259 --> 00:02:37.740 that by his weakness we could attain God's power. 00:02:37.879 --> 00:02:42.039 He was a fool in the world so that we could attain 00:02:42.039 --> 00:02:47.020 God's wisdom. He emptied himself. so that by 00:02:47.020 --> 00:02:50.419 his emptiness we could be filled with all the 00:02:50.419 --> 00:02:54.139 fullness of God. He became the servant of all, 00:02:54.259 --> 00:02:59.199 so that by his servitude we could all reign with 00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:03.900 him. He became nothing, so that through his nothingness 00:03:03.900 --> 00:03:08.039 we could become everything. Christ bowed down 00:03:08.039 --> 00:03:11.639 the heavens and came down. Let us bow ourselves 00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:15.439 down in body and soul and cry out, Christ comes 00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:21.099 from the heavens. Go to meet him. How do we meet 00:03:21.099 --> 00:03:25.699 him? How do we receive him? Now these are my 00:03:25.699 --> 00:03:31.340 words. Think of the shepherds. Think of the Magi. 00:03:31.340 --> 00:03:34.719 Think of Joseph. Think of the Virgin Mary. Think 00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:37.120 of the child himself, God, who came down for 00:03:37.120 --> 00:03:40.759 us. But today, the gospel directs our attention 00:03:40.759 --> 00:03:47.800 to the Magi. Can we be like the Magi to endure 00:03:47.800 --> 00:03:56.340 discomfort, uncertainty, a long journey, maybe 00:03:56.340 --> 00:03:58.599 not physically, but at least through our soul 00:03:58.599 --> 00:04:02.240 and our mind and our thoughts, to follow and 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:06.939 to see the light that illumines all. Not the 00:04:06.939 --> 00:04:11.159 light that we think is convenient for us or the 00:04:11.159 --> 00:04:17.410 light of the world, With its glitter and entertainment. 00:04:17.470 --> 00:04:21.250 Not those lights. But the secret light that only 00:04:21.250 --> 00:04:24.589 the magi could see. Because it wasn't just the 00:04:24.589 --> 00:04:29.389 star. It was an angel who appeared as a star. 00:04:29.569 --> 00:04:32.250 Because it moved and it led them. And it brought 00:04:32.250 --> 00:04:36.209 them. Can we be like them? To ponder in our hearts 00:04:36.209 --> 00:04:40.250 what it means when the choir and we all sing. 00:04:40.699 --> 00:04:43.060 Thy nativity, O Christ our God, has shown to 00:04:43.060 --> 00:04:46.839 us the light of wisdom and to acquire that wisdom 00:04:46.839 --> 00:04:53.699 in our quietness, in our uncertainty, to depend 00:04:53.699 --> 00:04:57.180 upon the journey that the church gives us for 00:04:57.180 --> 00:05:00.220 the most certain light that we can have, which 00:05:00.220 --> 00:05:04.040 is Christ in the gospel, is here in the church. 00:05:06.480 --> 00:05:11.620 And Herod was troubled. about all this, and our 00:05:11.620 --> 00:05:15.000 soul can be troubled about all this too, when 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:17.379 we come up against something within ourselves 00:05:17.379 --> 00:05:22.079 that we cannot accept. But are we wiser than 00:05:22.079 --> 00:05:28.100 God? God stoops so low. His foolishness is wiser 00:05:28.100 --> 00:05:32.139 than this world, says St. Paul. And the wise 00:05:32.139 --> 00:05:36.480 men, the magi, at their journey, which we must 00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:41.129 take also. If we are to be saved, we must take 00:05:41.129 --> 00:05:44.310 that journey mentally, spiritually, noetically, 00:05:44.329 --> 00:05:49.509 and put to death within us that which is on the 00:05:49.509 --> 00:05:52.470 way that will not help us. The false lights, 00:05:52.569 --> 00:05:54.790 the false teaching, the false wisdom that's not 00:05:54.790 --> 00:05:58.470 wisdom at all. And we end up at the cave of Bethlehem, 00:05:58.470 --> 00:06:01.730 which is the church. Stand in, you're here. You 00:06:01.730 --> 00:06:05.170 are in Bethlehem now. You're not in a strange 00:06:05.170 --> 00:06:08.279 place. You're in the warmth of the cave where 00:06:08.279 --> 00:06:13.060 the child is with you, is with us. When we say 00:06:13.060 --> 00:06:15.699 God is with us, we don't mean it metaphorically. 00:06:15.779 --> 00:06:19.939 We mean it actually, truthfully, powerfully. 00:06:20.740 --> 00:06:25.480 God is with us, and we dwell with him in the 00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:27.959 church, and we have the light of wisdom shining 00:06:27.959 --> 00:06:31.120 to us. And what do we bring to him when we come? 00:06:32.300 --> 00:06:37.399 We bring a gift. Whatever you can bring, whichever 00:06:37.399 --> 00:06:40.240 way, whatever light that got you to the true 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:43.519 light, you give thanks to God for that and you 00:06:43.519 --> 00:06:47.199 give a gift to him. It may be your time, it may 00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:49.899 be your treasure, it may be your talent, it may 00:06:49.899 --> 00:06:52.220 be to the poor, in which case the honor goes 00:06:52.220 --> 00:06:57.660 to Christ himself. And then what do you do? You 00:06:57.660 --> 00:07:02.740 stay in a state of worship because God has given 00:07:02.740 --> 00:07:06.829 us Something that the Magi could not imagine. 00:07:08.750 --> 00:07:13.569 St. Paul said in the fullness of time, God was 00:07:13.569 --> 00:07:18.930 born of a woman. Born under the law. To redeem 00:07:18.930 --> 00:07:22.230 those, that's us, under the law. The law of sin 00:07:22.230 --> 00:07:27.230 and death and corruption and annihilation. Does 00:07:27.230 --> 00:07:30.750 the Spirit cry out in your heart, brothers and 00:07:30.750 --> 00:07:35.720 sisters? St. Paul says it should. The Spirit 00:07:35.720 --> 00:07:40.060 crying, Abba, Father. Why? Because we're children 00:07:40.060 --> 00:07:44.839 now of the Most High God through baptism because 00:07:44.839 --> 00:07:50.420 the Savior has come. He doesn't need the healthy. 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:54.560 He does not need the righteous. He does not need 00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:57.620 your intelligence. He does not need your might. 00:07:58.189 --> 00:08:00.709 He does not need your self -reliance. He does 00:08:00.709 --> 00:08:04.029 not need your philosophy or your pride or your 00:08:04.029 --> 00:08:06.790 self -centeredness. He does not need the self 00:08:06.790 --> 00:08:11.430 -sufficient people. He needs, no, he needs nothing. 00:08:11.829 --> 00:08:19.730 He desires the weak, the ignorant, those who 00:08:19.730 --> 00:08:23.610 have failed, those who are hungry for righteousness, 00:08:23.790 --> 00:08:26.360 those who are thirsting. those who are honest, 00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:29.660 those who desire to confess their own uselessness 00:08:29.660 --> 00:08:33.460 while confessing his mercy, love, and power. 00:08:34.179 --> 00:08:37.519 He desires those who do not hope in their own 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:42.799 wisdom and strength. He desires children, children 00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:47.399 in heart, children regarding malice, children 00:08:47.399 --> 00:08:50.179 who are fully dependent on the Father and life 00:08:50.179 --> 00:08:54.759 of all, children who cry out simple prayers, 00:08:55.360 --> 00:08:58.600 begging help at every moment like the children 00:08:58.600 --> 00:09:01.720 in this congregation that cry out for their parents. 00:09:03.940 --> 00:09:10.840 We are to be just like Christ. Christ is born.