Dear Parishioners and Friends of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church,
Christ is Born! Glorify Him! Христос рождается! Cлавите его!
“Heaven and earth are united today, for Christ is born! Today God has come upon the 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!” (Litiya Verse for Nativity)
Dear Ones,
The Feast of the Nativity of Christ has come! Christmas has arrived! What does this mean to Orthodox Christians? Does it mean a celebration of love and family? Does it exist primarily to promote commercial success? Is it a time for single and heartbroken women to find love again during the “holidays?” No, no, no! My late seminary professor, Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann wrote:
“With the words ‘Christ is Born! Glorify Him!’ something changes in our life, in the very air we breathe, in the entire mood of the Church’s life. In them we perceive… the first light of the greatest possible joy — the coming of God into His world. They proclaim the reconciliation of mankind with God, for the birth of the Son of God as a child is the beginning of the saving ministry which will lead Him, for the sake of our salvation, to the ultimate sacrifice of the Cross.”
May God Bless You and Yours with Every Good and Perfect Gift that Comes from Above this Christmas!
Archpriest Basil Rhodes
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