Christmas Message 1998

• "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given" (Isaiah 9:2,6)

This prophecy has been fulfilled on holy ground – in the village of Bethlehem in a crib inside a cave. Jesus was born there. God has come in the flesh. He has become Man in order to deify us. The hymn of the angels, "Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth" echoes henceforth in heaven and earth – glory to God incarnate and that peace which God wants both in the world and in the heart of every man called to become a child of God by faith.

      We must take to heart the immensity of God’s love expressed in His Son Jesus; it is then that we will come to see at its true value the divine God who helps us to renew our life and free us from fear and anxiety. This Gift gives us the resources we need to live worthily and in moral uprightness. We are enlightened by the power of God which burst forth from the cave.

      It is then, too, that we will understand that "unto us a Son is given and the government shall be upon His shoulders and His name shall be called the mighty God … the everlasting Father." (Isaiah 9:6).

      The child of Bethlehem has come into this world in order that those who do not see should see (John 9:39). By accomplishing the mystery of the Incarnation, God has put within our reach all we need for our salvation. This salvation becomes realisable through a spiritual relationship linking us with Jesus Christ from that moment on.

      He is at once God and man. And we follow His life both through receiving His Spirit and by living according to His will and His teaching. The Church also, which He instituted on earth, is herself at once human and divine. She is human in that she is a gathering of the faithful called together by a true faith and confession – "he that believeth on him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already." (John 3:18)

      The Church is also divine by the power of the Holy Spirit working in her – the Holy Spirit fills the heart of the faithful with the Word of God and helps them to draw nearer to the fullness of God in his heavenly Kingdom.

      God’s Child is born of a Virgin and He is come into the world in order to be the Witness to the truth, to save sinners, calling them to repentance. By His Incarnation he has given us the opportunity of distancing ourselves from the old man and putting on the new man like a garment – entering into a new life. "He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold is a thief and a robber; He that entereth in by the door is the Shepherd of the sheep. To Him the porter openeth and the sheep hear His voice and follow Him. A stranger they will not follow but will flee from him for they do not know the voice of strangers." (John 10:1-5)

      My Well-Beloved, God has declared to us by His intermediary, Isaiah, "a Child is born to us. His Name shall be called the Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). God said to us through Jeremiah, "the thoughts that I think towards you are thoughts of peace and not of evil." (Jeremiah 29:11) The new-born Child is, therefore, our Peace. He is our only Head and Guide. He is the Shepherd who knows His sheep and they do not flee from Him. We then must work to keep his teaching ‘alive’ in us. We must watch not to let workers of darkness, deceivers and troublemakers drag us back and hinder us. These are the ones who jump over walls in order not to enter by the door – which is wide open and leads to a safe home.

      On this day of the Nativity of God’s Child, we offer our prayer to God in repentance, asking Him to have mercy on mankind, which groans under the weight of wars, terrorism, violence and murder. Let us ask Him that He may enable us to approach the third millennium with a heart ready to rest in the light of the Lord. The light of Jesus burst forth from the crib so that we ourselves may always be children of light!

I send warm Christmas greetings to our British Deanery!

Bishop Gabriel

Metropolitan of Western and Central Europe