wfn.org | 2004 Christmas Message of Metropolitan Herman, Orthodox Church

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The 2004 Christmas Message of Metropolitan Herman, Orthodox Church in America
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Feast of the Nativity of Christ 2004
Christ is born! Glorify Him!

Dearly Beloved in the Lord:
God is with us! Understand this, O nations, and submit yourselves, for God 
is with us!

As we celebrate the wondrous birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, it is fitting 
for us to reflect on His mission as the long-awaited Messiah, the 
only-begotten Son of God, and the Savior of the world.

We often hear discussions in the public forum about faith and values. Many 
voices have called for a return to a vision of life based on principles 
that, for centuries, have been at the very heart of our society. While 
these principles offer hope in a world filled with uncertainty, the 
question must be asked: "what faith" and "whose values" are we called to 
appropriate into our lives as Orthodox Christians?

The good news that Christ proclaimed was indeed a call to faith - not in a 
"concept" or an "ideology," but in a person, in the One Whom Saint Peter 
professed to be "the Son of the Living God." And the values He embodied, 
summarized in His challenge to love God above all else and to love our 
neighbor as ourselves, are neither "theory" nor "humanitarian causes" to be 
championed by people of faith-based principles. Rather, they are the fruits 
of a life lived in faith in Jesus Christ as the Lord and Master of our lives.

The period of history into which Our Lord was born, like our own, was 
filled with uncertainty. While the Roman Empire had proclaimed that peace 
had descended upon the world, it was an uncertain peace at best, one rooted 
not in divine faith and values, but in legal decrees and pronouncements. 
Into this seemingly tranquil yet highly charged setting the Prince of Peace 
entered, silently and in all humility. As we sing in the Nativity hymns, He 
made the cave His palace, the manger His throne. The simple shepherds and 
the dumb beasts worshipped Him, while the angels glorified Him in song. Yet 
the rulers of the world came to fear Him, because He revealed that 
mankind's faith was to be focused on Him alone, and that the values, the 
way of life of which He was the supreme example, was rooted in a Kingdom 
that was "not of this world."

Today, as perhaps never before in our lifetimes, we are challenged to put 
our faith in the newborn Divine Child of Bethlehem into action, to live as 
Our Lord taught us - not for ourselves, but for those around us, especially 
the "least of the brethren." Confessing Him as the One Who grants the gift 
of faith, as well as the One in Whom our faith is fulfilled, we are 
challenged to bring forth the fruits of faith, not by debating vague and 
often undefined values, but by loving others, even our enemies, as He loves 
us - unconditionally. And finally, we are challenged to proclaim our faith 
and Christ-centered lives in word and in deed, so that those who sit in 
darkness will have yet another opportunity to rejoice in His divine Light.

On this glorious and radiant feast, it is my heartfelt prayer that the 
Newborn Savior of the world will strengthen the faith that He has given you 
as a most precious gift - a gift that I pray you will value and honor every 
moment of your lives, with every breath you take! May this gift serve as 
the guide, as well as the goal, for proclaiming the wondrous news of the 
Incarnation of the Son of God now and throughout the coming year!

With love in the newborn Lord,

+ HERMAN
Archbishop of Washington
Metropolitan of All America and Canada

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With headquarters in Syosset, New York, the Orthodox Church in America 
numbers over 700 parishes, missions, monasteries, seminaries and 
institutions throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. (www.oca.org)

For a biography of Metropolitan Herman: 
http://www.oca.org/pages/ocaadmin/episcopacy/mh/biographymh.html  or
additional information, contact the Very Rev. John Matusiak, OCA 
Communications Director, at 630-668-3071 or jjm@oca.org

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