Nativity Sermon 2023

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.