Christmases Long Long Ago - Part 2

Merry Christmas y'all!

In today's post, I'll be sharing the second part of the sermon I gave on 20 December 2020. Before reading on, make sure to read Christmases Long Long Ago first! 

Scripture & Hymns

Scripture and our hymns reveal that Christmas has nothing to do with a pagan holiday and everything about our radical belief that Jesus Christ is God became man – that God, the creator of everything – came and lived a life like us. That God is with us!

Let’s look at St. Paul’s letter to the Church in Colossae. Here St. Paul is talking about Christ:

"He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities - all things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent." - Colossians 1:15-18

This is a radical, radical passage for a Jewish man in the first century to be writing about another human being. He’s saying that Jesus Christ is God, that He didn’t somehow become God, or that he appeared like God. But that Jesus Christ is the image of God the Father, that He is the only way that we see God. That He’s the first-born, that He before all creation was begotten of the Father as we say in the Creed. That everything that we see and everything that we don’t see is because Jesus – before He took on flesh from the Virgin Mary – made it so.

This is an amazing passage that echoes through into the Creed that we say every Sunday. Now, I also want us to look at some of the hymns that we sing during Christmastime to show what it is that we’re celebrating.

One says:

"I see here a strange and paradoxical mystery. * For, behold, the grotto is heaven; * cherubic throne is the Virgin; * the manger a grand space * in which Christ our God the uncontainable reclined as a babe; * Whom in extolling do we magnify."

 

It’s talking about the cave that the Virgin Mary gave birth to Christ in. Oftentimes we think of it as a barn but the Church in its icons show it as a cave where the animals were living in. And the Church refers to the cave as heaven itself – reflecting on this mystery. Similarly, the icon above the altar shows the Virgin Mary with the words Πλατυτέρα των Ουρανών (Platytera ton ouranon), the one that is wider than the heavens. The one who in the mystery of the incarnation contained Christ. In this icon we also see Christ on the Virgin Mary’s lap, as if she is the throne of God. So the hymn is also comparing her to the angels that form the throne of God.

During Christmas, Orthodox Christians greet one another with, “Christ is born” and respond “Glorify Him!” This greeting comes from the katavasias hymns of Christmas:

"Christ is born; glorify Him! * Christ is come from heaven; go and meet Him. * Christ is on earth; arise to Him. * Sing to the Lord, all you who dwell on the earth; * and in merry spirits, O you peoples, praise His birth. * For He is glorified."

In another hymn, the Church refers to Christ as the tree of life that is blossoming forth at Christmas.

"O Bethlehem, prepare, Eden is opened unto all. * And be ready, Ephrata, for the Tree of life * has in the grotto blossomed forth from the Virgin. * Indeed her womb is shown to be spiritually * a Paradise, in which is found the God-planted Tree. * And if we eat from it we shall live, and shall not die, as did Adam of old. * Christ is born, so that He might raise up * the formerly fallen image."

As opposed to the tree in the garden of Eden that after eating from it, Adam and Eve began to die, now we have this tree that through Him we have life.

And then we have a BEAUTIFUL hymn in the Hours on Christmas Eve. This hymn echoes Holy Friday’s hours during Holy Week. On Holy Thursday night, while Christ is being brought around the Church on the cross, we sing, “Today He who hung the earth upon the waters is hung upon a tree.”

A similar hymn, but referring to Christ’s birth is sung during the Hours of Christmas Eve morning:

"Today, He who holds the whole world in His hand is born from a Virgin. (3) He who is impalpable in essence is wrapped in swaddling clothes as a mortal. God, who in the beginning established the heavens of old, is lying in a manger as a newborn babe. He who rained down manna for the people in the wilderness is nursed by His mother. He who is the Bridegroom of the Church is summoning the Magi. And He is accepting their gifts, now as the Son of the Virgin. We adore Your Nativity, O Christ. We adore Your Nativity, O Christ. We adore Your Nativity, O Christ. Also show us Your divine Epiphany."

It's showing this paradox about what we believe as Christians. That this mystery of this great God who has showered his love upon His people throughout the Old Testament is now living among us in this mystery. So why does any of this matter?

Why celebrate Christmas?

Why does it matter that we celebrate Christmas? Why do we celebrate Christmas?

After all, I love the lights, I love the Christmas trees and the presents, the tinsel and the ornaments. But that’s not what Christmas is about. I love family, I love carols and Christmas meals – especially pecan pie - , but that’s not what Christmas is about. And I love the hymns and the scripture readings, and the night-time service on Christmas Eve. But that’s not even what Christmas is about. We have Christmas because CHRIST IS BORN!

What I mean is: Christmas isn’t about this or that. It’s about Jesus Christ Himself and us preparing our hearts to meet Him together with the Church.

We believe in a God who is bigger and greater than we can ever imagine. Yet…that God who is greater than everything came to experience life as we live it. He came to sanctify this life, to make our existence holy, to renew creation, and ultimately to die (not to take our place but) to destroy the power of death and sin in our lives by rising from the dead.

We believe in a God who became man, born into an imperfect family just like we were born into imperfect families. Because it shows us that God doesn’t wait for us to be perfect first, but He comes to us and makes us holy.

Christ is risen because Christ is born. And this is joy because we’re connected to Him through our baptism, through Holy Communion, and through all the sacraments of the Church.

Grandma Nora's Decorations

Recently, I heard a story from Christmastime about my Grandma Nora that gave me goosebumps. She passed when I was only 2 weeks old, so I never got to make Christmas memories with her.

She loved nature, she loved her garden, and she loved her family. It must have been painful for her once my family became Jehovah’s Witnesses and they could no longer celebrate Christmas together.

But one Christmas, my Grandma Nora had found all these praying mantis nests which she had placed around the house as decoration. Well, you guessed it. They hatched! So somehow years later, at my first Christmas, when she couldn’t be with us, God was letting us know that we could share a little bit of her joy too.

I pray that your Christmas is filled with just as much JOY – hopefully a few less praying mantises – and that you have the peace in knowing that Christ is born! Glorify Him!

*****

I love getting to share family stories and these special memories with all of y'all. Thank you for humoring this not-entirely genealogy related post and I wish you and yours a blessed remainder of the Christmas season and a happy new year!

Your ancestors deserve the best researcher, the most passionate story-teller, and the dignity of being remembered. So let's encounter your ancestors through family history and remember the past made present today!