Christmas: A time for renewal and rededication

Christmas:

A time for renewal and rededication
to Jesus Christ
A Message from Fr. Christopher

What a joyful time of year this is as we remember and celebrate the most significant event in the history of the world: the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. He is the purpose and focus of this season,
and He should be our purpose and focus all year long
During this season many “religious” people will lament the fact that Christmas has become “secularized" and “commercialized” by the constant attempts to take Jesus out of Christmas and replace Him with Frosty the snowman. Yet are those religious people themselves truly dedicated to Jesus Christ – not just in a seasonal nostalgic way, but in a way that has transformed the very core of
their lives

In the Orthodox Church today many professors and evangelists are talking about this need for renewal and rededication to Jesus. Bradley Nassif, Orthodox professor of
biblical and theological studies at North Park University, who is currently writing the Westminster Handbook to Eastern Orthodox Theology, writes the following

“The most urgent need in world Orthodoxy is the need to engage in an aggressive internal mission’ of spiritual renewal and rededication of our priests and people to

Jesus Christ. I know from experience that it’s possible to be ‘religious but lost.’ That’s why all of us Orthodox – bishops, priests and people – need to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ crystal clear and absolutely central in our lives and in our parishes

Dear friends, is Jesus central in our lives? It is quite possible to sit in Church every Sunday for 40 years and still not know Jesus! As professor Nassif states – there are many people who are “religious,
but lost. Yet this is the beauty of Christmas: it serves as an annual reminder of our need for constant renewal and rededication to Jesus Christ. This is the crystal clear message of Christmas and it is the core message of our Church and Orthodox Christian faith

Therefore, beloved in Christ, let us all seek to aggressively focus on our own spiritual renewal and rededication to Jesus Christ during
this Christmas season. How can we do this

Come to church and worship

every Sunday in December

Confess your sins privately in prayer – or make an appointment for
Confession at Church

Receive Holy Communion frequently – which is the very presence
of Jesus entering into us

Pray and read the Bible daily

Think, pray and say the Name of Jesus everyday – for example, say quietly to yourself many times daily, while driving the car, and during various circumstances and happenings: “thank you Jesus,” - Jesus be with me,” etc

Make the sign of your cross (slowly) frequently during the day, saying little prayers and the Name of Jesus, especially during times of sinful temptation

Try to think like Jesus – kind, loving, forgiving and caring to others
Keep Him constantly on your mind

May this wonderful season be a time of spiritual renewal and rededication that will carry over to the rest of the year and throughout our lives. Amen