Daily Meditations Archives - Page 255 of 356

The Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

12/25/2015

The Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Bible Readings: Epistle: Galatians 4:4-7 Gospel: St. Matthew 2:1-12 Liturgical Services: Christ is born, glorify Him. Christ has come from the heavens. receive Him Christ is on earth, elevate Him. Sing unto the Lord, all the earth. And you nations, praise Him with joy, for He has been glorified —Vesper Service of the Nativity Your Nativity, O Christ our God, has shed the light of knowledge

Fortieth Day of Christmas Advent, For so has God Loved the World (Part II)

12/24/2015

But the road from Bethlehem to Zion is long, and is leading us through Gethsemane and Golgotha. Already in Bethlehem the newborn Godchild is presented with funeral offerings by the Wise Men from the East. “Today God leads the Wise Men to worship through the star, prefiguring His three-day burial in gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” The very doors of the Bethlehem cavern are nearly stained with the innocent blood of the children who were killed

Thirty-Ninth Day of Christmas Advent, For so has God Loved the World (Part I)

12/23/2015

By Father Georges Florovsky That we begin our reckoning of time with Christ’s birth is a fact which has long been but a mere convention for many. Seldom does one recall and recognize the great event from which we count time. So do we betray our ignorance and insensitivity. In ancient days, time was computed from the Incarnation of God the Word. It signifies that we live in a world which has been renewed and

Thirty-Eighth Day of Christmas Advent, Meditation: Other Gifts to Give

12/22/2015

Meditation: Other Gifts to Give In addition to the gift of time, another great gift we can all give is friendship. A little girl said once, “I don’t have any gifts, I can’t sing, I can’t paint, and I know I can’t write poetry. I just don’t have any gifts!” “Yes, you do-it shines out all over you,” her mother said quickly. “You have one of the best gifts of all-the gift of friendship. You

Thirty-Seventh Day of Christmas Advent, COME EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US! (Part II)

12/21/2015

We tend to engineer life more than just live it. We are all overstimulated and drowning in options. We are trained to be managers, to organize life so as to make things happen. This is what has built Western civilization. It is not all bad, but if you transfer that to the spiritual life, it is pure heresy. It doesn’t work. It is not Gospel. We might be economically rich but not usually spiritually fertile.

Thirty-Fourth Day of Christmas Advent, Meditation: Gifts to Give for Christmas and Every Day

12/18/2015

Meditation: Gifts to Give for Christmas and Every Day We Christians give gifts at Christmas in humble imitation of the Gift that God gave-His only Son, our Lord Jesus. For the Christian the emphasis is on giving, not receiving. A man told what happened to him one Christmas Eve when he was a boy, after the Christmas story had been read. After he and his brothers and sisters had opened all their presents, his father

Thirty-Third Day of Christmas Advent, Jesus was Born that He Might Die

12/17/2015

By Hierodeacon Herman Majkrzak In many European cultures, and in America too, singing and listening to carols is a well-loved Christmas tradition. And many Orthodox communities in the West have admirably incorporated some of the best of these carols into their Nativity celebrations. Often, though, for Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike, our knowledge of this rich repertoire does not extend much beyond the first couple verses of a dozen or so of the most famous carols.

Thirty-Second Day of Christmas Advent, Meditation: Where is Bethlehem?

12/16/2015

Meditation: Where is Bethlehem? Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. Where is Bethlehem? Did the Son of God come to be born in a tiny hamlet in far-away Palestine? Or was He born there that He might come to be born somewhere far closer? If Christmas is the time that God chose to come close to us, then Bethlehem must be somewhere very close to us. Where is Bethlehem? It is not far at

Thirty-First Day of Christmas Advent, COME EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US! (Part I)

12/15/2015

In more ways than one, we are waiting in darkness. Isaiah prophesied Jesus’ birth, saying, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2). Yet, the darkness will never totally go away. I’ve worked long enough in ministry to know that moral evil isn’t going to disappear, but the Gospel offers something much more subtle and helpful: “the light shines on the inside of the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome

Thirtieth Day of Christmas Advent, Meditation: You Shall Call His Name Jesus

12/14/2015

Meditation: You Shall Call His Name Jesus The Gospel of Matthew begins with a long list of Hebrew names that give the family tree of Jesus on the human side. As we read these names some two thousand years of history pass in review. At the end of the list we find the name above every name, the name of Jesus. The procession passes through the centuries and comes to rest at Bethlehem. “Joseph, son