CHRISTMAS PASTORAL MESSAGE
Heaven and earth have united through the birth of Christ. Today, God has appeared on earth, and man has ascended to heaven. (Christmas Hymn)
Beloved,
It is true; it is "the most wonderful time of the year". Christmas, celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the most wonderful time of the year. There are a myriad of things that make it wonderful; however, there is one that is constant and that is that Christ descended that we may ascend. Christ entered our human condition so we may become Christ-like. Christ took on our humanity that we may recognize where we fall short. Christ became man to Shepherd us in becoming all we could be in this life and in anticipation of our life to come.
As Advent continues and Christmas arrives, it becomes easy for us to fall into the secular holiday of Christmas which measures everything by the brightness of the lights and the quantity of gifts. The Wise Men give us the example of gift giving. God has given us the gift of life through His Son. How we live our lives is our gift back to Him. Learning this lesson for ourselves and passing it on to our children, godchildren and grandchildren will rekindle the brilliant light of Christ, found not on Christmas Trees but within our very hearts.
In the joy of our Lord's glorious Nativity I pray you and yours have a Blessed and Merry Christmas.
​
​​
​
Rev. Father Christ Kontos, Protopresbyter
