Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

“A multitude of angels assembled in Bethlehem to behold the unapproachable nativity; and seeing their creator lying in the manger as a babe, they were filled with awe.”

 From the Akathist Hymn to the Nativity of Christ

The presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, even in infancy, instigated an assembly of angels to behold the nativity, which the above hymn presents as unapproachable.  Simply to be in the presence of our Savior was enough to motivate the gathering of heavenly-beings, and fill them with awe!

The Nativity of our Lord continues to motivate faithful individuals to gather in various capacities: liturgically, with family, and in social environments, among others.  In the scope of each of these gatherings we are given the opportunity to experience God through loving fellowship, yet it is through the liturgical experience of receiving the most Holy Eucharist that we are holistically edified through the experience of the authentic relationship with our Savior.  Through the responsible reception of Holy Communion, we experience an even greater sense of awe than the angels did as they assembled at His manger – as through the Holy Sacrament we are extended an invitation to not only approach He who is unapproachable, but also experience the Nativity through an intimate union with Christ Himself.

The angels yearn for the experience that we are offered continually through the Church – to come into intimate union with God!  This eternal and epic gift has been presented to God’s children for no reason other than the reality that He loves us.  At the Feast of the Nativity, and at every Divine Liturgy, we have the opportunity to receive God’s love, and allow it to heal every brokenness that we to expose to Him as the Physician of our souls and bodies.

Responsibly approaching the Nativity of our Lord is an awesome experience that graciously propels us toward an acquisition of virtues.  The recognition that we need the gift offered to us by God develops authentic humility through cognizant understanding of our relationship with Him.  This experience in turn fuels a consistently renewed commitment to our Christian journey.   

Your celebration of the Lord’s birth will be filled with peace, love, and joy when you approach as a child of God who eagerly anticipates the one true gift that is needed by your soul – the experience of Jesus Christ!

May we approach the Nativity feast with the same anticipation and awe as the angels, who will be present in the Divine Liturgy when we celebrate on December 25^th!

Christ is Born!  Glorify Him!