Christmas is coming! This feast of joy for the whole world, announced by the Angel of the Lord to the shepherds of Bethlehem: “I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).
“What is it that makes me feel joyous as Christmas approaches?” This is the question that each of us should ask ourselves. For some people, the happiness of Christmas is in getting time off from work, travelling to desired places and spending quality time with family and friends. The children will be on school holiday, and the excitement of lavish meals, singing carols and receiving gifts will be in the air. Of course, there will also be Christians who will participate in the Divine Liturgy on Christmas, and engage in the celebration with relatives and friends. All of these things are good, but is it the source of the “great joy” that the Angel declared to the shepherds?
The “great joy” that the Angel speaks of is because it is the day of Christ the Savior’s birth. Imagine the joy of someone who has long been a prisoner, and has suffered horribly at the hands of their captors. Suddenly, an all-powerful liberator comes, defeats and subdues the captors, and the prisoner gains freedom. This is the kind of joy that is felt, we who were under the dominion of the devil, and are released by the coming of Christ the Savior. Or we can look at a person who was sentenced to death, but at the last moment is saved from execution by mercy. This is exactly what Christ has done with His coming, setting us free from eternal death. Christ cleanses us from the cancer of our sins by His coming to earth, as a sick person is healed from disease by the doctor who comes with the cure. This is what the Angel said to St. Joseph: “She will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). This is the joy that we faithful feel as Christmas approaches: to be saved from death, to be freed from the tyranny of Satan and from our own deadly sins!
There is one thing that must be emphasized in all of this, and that is the necessity of each person to make an effort. People have to respond to the offer of freedom, immortality and redemption that Christ holds out for us. We have to want to accept Christ as our Savior; to want to come near Him, and accept His word in trying to follow His steps. We have to want the Light of Christ to shine upon us throughout our lives. Christ cannot save us from our sins if we hold onto them inside. If we do not repent of our sins and confess before our Spiritual Father, how can we be saved? How can we be released from slavery to the devil if we continue to attach our souls to pleasure seeking, material gains and greed? It is this “idolatry” that God condemns (Colossians 3:5). For those who express the desire for repentance, the approaching of Christmas brings a change of heart and mind, and the uprooting of every passion and selfish desire that leads us away from God! Inside the cave of Bethlehem, the great mystery of God Incarnate is revealed as the mystery of love, freedom, and renewal. What is revealed is that God is with us: “Behold, the Virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated ʿGod with usʼ” (Matthew 1:23).
My dear brothers and sisters, with His birth, Christ came to earth to meet every single one of us with affection and love, and to offer such blessings to humanity. Let us allow ourselves to be free from the snare of selfishness and every other sin. Let us approach Emmanuel, through our love towards our fellow human beings. In this way, our hearts will be ready to receive, as another manger, the birth of the divine Infant with unimaginable joy!