Dear all.
Gospel readings
Today, we celebrate the incarnation of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ and thus setting into play the divine plan for our salvation. Christ came to earth, and through the Virgin Mary, took on human flesh – our flesh – and in so doing became the “Man – God.” The significance of this is incalculable but perhaps is best summed up by St Athanasius who averred that: God became man so that man could become God by adoption. What greater gift could there be! What love has the creator for his creation!
However, in their wisdom our church fathers have given the reading of Luke 13:19 – 29 on each and every Saturday before Christmas – a most austere reading bearing in mind the coming exaltation associated with the incarnation. There we are reminded that it is not enough to be an occasional Christian. Well might we all say: Lord “we ate and drank in your presence and you taught in our streets” only to receive the response “I tell you, I do not know where you come from”. You see, there are responsibilities to being a Christian – and that is to follow Christ with all our might, with all our heart, with all our strength and with all our soul.
Yesterday we listen to the genealogy of Christ through the line of Joseph (Matthew 1:1 – 25). The significance of all those names chronicled grounds Christ in human history. Christ may well have come and visited his people as God and assumed human form. If this were so Christ would be totally removed from our humanity and his presence on earth would be a phantasm which could never have united us with God. To unite us he had to become real man whilst real God.
If his birth can be encapsulated in one word, it must be this: JOY. Joy is a word full of hope and elation. Hope, because there is now a plan of salvation available to us all, whereas before there was only hopelessness. Elation because we now know that God so loved the world that he sent his son so that the world may be saved. No wonder today the world dances for joy.
So here is the promise! God saves us if we want to be saved. In the form of a babe and until his crucifixion he experienced human life with all its vagaries. Christ is one of us and yet at all times he continued to remain God. That is the mystery of the incarnation. That is the mystery of our faith.
Programme for this week
Please refer to the programme sent last fortnight. Also, please visit our web site as we are constantly updating it now and the programme as well as other information can be found there.
Thought of the week
In the Gospel of Luke we are presented with two prayers: one by man, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (18:13) – the other by an angel: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased” (2:14). The one focusing inward and on human failing; the other glorifies God. Of the two prayers I just wonder which one better praises the Lord.
Thank you
Finally, I would like to take the opportunity of thanking those people that helped the church of St Nektarios in 2017. He is rich who gives much. No matter what no one man is simply not big enough to run the myriad needs that a church has. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. To everyone, may the incarnated Lord bring joy, love, peace, patience and above all hope in the knowledge that each and every one of us is loved. May you all have a great holy season.
Till next time.
In Christ.
Father John Athanasiou – 0411 061 554
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