The Season of Christmas

from Prepare O Bethlehem: 

Reflections on the Scripture Readings for the Christmas-Epiphany Season,

by Father William Mills

According to the Orthodox Church Calendar, the official name for Christmas is:  The Nativity according to the Flesh of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, or sometimes referred to as simply the Nativity.  In addition to the celebration of Christmas on December 25^th, the Christmas Season includes also the Circumcision and Naming of Jesus on January 1^st; the Baptism in the Jordan River, called the Epiphany or Theophany, on January 6^th; and the Entrance of the Lord into the Temple on February 2^nd.   These three feasts celebrate the gift of the Word of God who is fully revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ.   These feasts also reveal to us God’s saving work in the world through his Son.   

It is tempting to see these three feasts as mere historical events in the life of Jesus which some scholars have done in the past.   However, if we carefully listen to the liturgical hymnography of the Church, we see that while these events are recorded in the Gospel narratives, they are also presented to us today as yet another example of the Gospel of salvation.  While Jesus did die 2,000 years ago, he is very much alive in the world through the proclamation of the Gospel. Thus, Jesus is alive and present for us today.  Hence, the word “today” is often repeated in the hymns as a reminder of God’s present saving action in our lives:

Today heaven and earth are united for Christ is born

Today God has come to earth and man ascends to heaven

Today, God who by nature cannot be seen,

Is seen in the flesh for our sake.

Let us glorify him, crying:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace!

Thy coming has brought peace to us:

Glory to Thee, our Savior!” 
[Stikhera from the Litya of Great Compline for Christmas]

Today you have shone forth in our world, O Lord

And the light of your countenance has been marked on us.

Knowing you we sing your praises.

You have come and revealed yourself

O unapproachable light.
[Kontakion of the Feast of the Theophany]

Today Symeon the Elder enters the Temple rejoicing in spirit,

To receive in his arms him who gave the Law to Moses,

He who himself now fulfills the Law.

For Moses himself was counted worthy to see God through darkness and sounds not clear,

And his face covered, he rebuked the unbelieving hearts of the Hebrews.

But Symeon carried the Pre-Eternal Word of the Father in bodily form,

And he revealed the Light of the Gentiles, the Cross and the Resurrection.

Anna was proved to be a prophetess, preaching the Savior and Deliverer of Israel.

Unto him let us cry aloud, “O Christ our God, through the prayers of the Theotokos, have mercy on us.”
[Stikhera from the Litya for the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple]

These hymns remind us that while Jesus Christ has already come in the flesh and was crucified for us and for our salvation, he also comes again as a child in the manger and in the temple and as an adult in the River Jordan as a reminder of the great gift of our redemption and salvation   Today, we are saved through our faith in him, and today, we rejoice in his baptism in the River Jordan.   The repetition of “today” is quite meaningful as we ponder the saving mysteries of God in his Son Jesus.  We also know that even though he already came as an infant, he will also come again as the judge in order to bring God’s justice to the world.   Thus, we need to be vigilant because we know neither the time nor the place nor the hour of his coming:

"But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Take heed, watch, for you do not know when the time will come.  It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on watch.  Watch, therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning – lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.  And what I say to you I say to all: 'Watch'."  [Mark 13.32-37.  See also Acts 1.7].

However, while we wait his coming again, we also ponder the great mystery of his birth in the flesh.  Jesus’ birth is one of the most solemn feasts of the Church, but which is also filled with joy.

The words “joy” and ”rejoice” are found throughout the birth narratives.  The Gospel of Matthew tells us that when the Magi encountered the star, they “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” [2.10].  When Mary visited Elizabeth and told her that she was with child, Luke says that the babe in Elizabeth’s womb “leaped for joy” [1.44].   The babe was John who was later called the Baptist.  When the angels come to the shepherds to announce the good news of the birth of Jesus, they brought “news of great joy” [Luke 2.10].