Homily for Christmas
By Fr. Daniel Sysoev
By Fr. Daniel Sysoev
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!
Today we celebrate a wondrous day, as the prophets of old foretold. A small child has been born — the eternal Son, the Angel of the Great Counsel of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Mighty God, the Ruler, the Prince of the world, who was given for reconciliation between God and man, and the Father of the future Universe, with whom begins the great healing of all mankind. This is a flame overflowing with beauty and power, seething with life and strength, filled with love, mercy, and justice. This is but a faint shadow of the eternal existence of God the Son, who, like the eternal sun, is born from the essence of the sun's infinity. The sun begets the sun, God the Father in eternity begets the Son, the flame bursts forth from the flame and yet remains within this infinite flame. No one can withstand this secret flame, that Trinity of Light, the image of which we bear in our arms. We were all initiated into this Triune Light during baptism, but none can withstand even the approach of this infinite Light. The greatest fiery, flaming spirits — the seraphim — tremble at this Light, and when they approach God, they cover their faces with their wings in terror, lest they burst into flame and be consumed by the endless flame of Almighty God. They cry out in terror and sing with thunderous voices: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord of hosts, heaven and earth are full of Your glory."
From this infinite glory and infinite power, grace pours down upon us today. We cannot live without this power, for God is life, but we cannot meet this power! And anyone who distances themselves from life inevitably falls into death and perishes. We cannot even approach this power, for evil and sin have so corrupted us that we are unable to hold onto this power without bursting into flames and being consumed by this endless flame. God's flame destroys all sin, but man, who clings to sin hand and foot, bursts into flames and is consumed along with it. Today, healing finally occurs, a great recovery, the beginning of a universal healing for all who have chosen to accept grace. Today, God becomes man, so that man may become God.
At the very beginning of the world, God created humans as partakers of the Divine Breath, breathing souls into them. Thus, we were created from the very beginning, partakers of the Divine Spark. At the moment of creation, the Divine Spark was within everyone; we were partakers of this uncreated light, had eyes to see this infinite light, had hearts to feel this infinite love, had the power to not be consumed by this infinite light. But the first humans desired more; they were promised that they would become godlike beings, but with God's help. They were promised that they would become sons and daughters of God, but only in God the Son, the eternal offspring of the essence of the Father.
But the serpent came and said: “You will be like gods, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5).
The serpent forced people to reject God and become like gods themselves, deciding what is good and what is evil. And many still repeat the serpent's ancient lie, saying that neither God nor the Church is necessary; we ourselves will decide what is good and what is bad. God agrees, but warns of inevitable destruction without Him, since man is not all-seeing and prone to error. And people who distanced themselves from God began to decay and disintegrate, and these destructive processes continue to this day. If God were only just, He would say, "I warned you; you chose what you wanted, and that's what you'll get."
But our God is a God of mercy and generosity; His love surpasses all imagination. And for His enemies, those who opposed Him, those who were at odds with Him, those who fought against Him, those who were rude to God and zealously violated all His commandments and continue to do so to this day — for them, God sent His Son into the world to die and cleanse them with His incarnation and redemption. And today is a great day, the day Emmanuel appeared — God is with us! God is not somewhere in the cosmic reaches of space, not some impersonal, powerful, distant force, as many believe. God is a Person: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And we know this because God became man. In Christ, we received adoption; in Christ, through baptism and through Communion, we ourselves become children of God. What a great gift! We, created from dust and dirt, possessing limited knowledge, subject to sleep, malnutrition, and overeating — we, perishable, weak humans — God makes His children. For he who unites with the Son becomes a son; he who unites with God becomes God. He who partakes of immortal life himself receives immortality.
Yes, we do not receive bodily immortality. We receive more. We receive the resurrection of the body! Our dying body will be restored to live forever and ever before the face of God and draw from Him strength, glory, power, and love. Today is the day of the appearance of the Mediator. Christians need not simply pray to God; we need more; we need to meet and unite with God! And how can this be done without a Mediator? No! Who among us can pierce the heavens? No one! Can you rend space and stop time? Can a person receive immortality without a Mediator? No, they cannot! Christians have a Mediator and know God. God has revealed and reveals Himself to us. We proclaim eternal life, which was once with the Father, while we were in death. After all, every icon is a testimony that life has appeared to us! We not only see God, but also, literally, taste His Flesh and Blood with our lips, thereby becoming members of the Body of Christ. We are filled with infinite life, we receive the mind of God, and He personally teaches us as His children.
The Lord teaches us through His word, through discipline, and through mercy we don't deserve. He also teaches us by performing good deeds in us and then pretending we did them ourselves, thus rewarding us. This is a manifestation of God's great mercy. Therefore, let us rejoice and be glad. Today, a Mediator has appeared among us. Today, we have received a connection with God. Now we can communicate with God face to face. And God molds our face, He draws it after the Great Model — the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Eternal Image of God the Father, who, as Scripture says, is the wisdom of the Father, in whom the Father designed the world, which is the power of the Father, since God the Father created the world through Christ. He is the image of the Father.
Christ said: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9 ). Man was also designed according to Christ; each of us bears the imprint of Jesus Christ.
And so, the Prototype appears to restore the corrupted caricature to its original form. To make us, who have become like apes rather than God, into gods. We are made by God's hands and are His children, destined to live with Him. So let us thank God for the great gift of mercy. Let us strive to become deified. Christ is on earth so that we may ascend to Heaven!
Holy Trinity, glorify us also in Your eternal Kingdom! Amen!
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
