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Pastoral Letters

Pastoral Message December 22, 2024

Ancestors of Christ

Impossible to recount is Christ’s descent according to His divinity, but His ancestry according to His human nature can be traced, since He who deigned to become Son of Man in order to save mankind was the offspring of men. And it is this genealogy of His that two of the evangelists, Matthew and Luke, recorded. But although Matthew, in the passage from his Gospel read today, begins with those born first, he makes no mention of anyone born before Abraham He traces the line down from Abraham until he reaches Joseph to whom, by divine dispensation, the Virgin Mother of God was betrothed(Matt. 1:1-16), being of the same tribe and homeland as him, that her own stock may be shown from this to be in no way inferior.

St. Gregory Palamas

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

Tomorrow, we commemorate the holy ancestors. We take account of those who, in this earthly existence, came before the birth of the Christ. The Church in Her wisdom presents to us the genealogy of Jesus through the perspective of St. Mathew the Evangelist, who, himself, sought to establish the Savior’s legitimacy through Jewish lineage. In this day, in this age, and in this place, we take much for granted. We have the luxury of experience and perspective. Honestly, if we look back at the roots and branches of His holy family tree, perhaps it may pique our interest. But I implore you to delve deeper into the human history of God and meditate upon its significance. 

To Matthew’s contemporary listener, tomorrow’s Gospel reading (Matthew 1;1-25) was the foundational under-pinning of the Evangelist’s primary message – that the long-awaited Messiah had indeed come. That the King of Glory was in our midst. That prophecy had been fulfilled. These are fantastic realities that we can look back upon with wonderment and awe. But imagine, if we were experiencing these truths in real time and without the benefit of a 2,000-year proclamation. If we can approach the importance of Christ’s genealogy with the same sense of worth of which the Evangelist intends, we can then begin to appreciate the great Mystery.

God is incarnate.

The Creator of all shares an existence with the created.

For Christ to take on flesh, that flesh had to originate and be tracible.  

The Orthodox Christian perspective on the Nativity extends well beyond glorifying the Birth Narrative. The Birth Narrative is the prelude to the Cross. The cave of His birth foreshadows His burial site. His swaddling clothes as depicted iconographically resemble the burial bandages of Jewish burial rites. He came down to earth so He could descend even further into Hades.

My Beloved in the Lord, these statements are not meant to be macabre or drop a buzz kill on Christmas. This is the season of joy. It is the season of light. It is the season of giving. But that is the point. Joy comes from ever-lasting life. Light ultimately emanates from the brilliance of the Resurrection. The giving is the generous outpouring of His mercy. 

As we consider, honor, and give thanks to the glorious (and some, not so glorious) ancestors of Christ, let us celebrate the fruit of their progeny, and how their lives progressed until the most absolute and perfect Goodness came into the world. The Sunday before the Nativity is theologically rich and challenges us to dive deeply into the Mystery of the Savior’s Birth.

Lastly, please remember that our Sunday School will offer their special gift to the community tomorrow following the Divine Liturgy. This will be the first Christmas Program that the children have done since leaving St. Thomas More. This event is much anticipated and greatly appreciated. The Men’s Ministry will also host a Pancake Breakfast after the Program. And a “special visitor” will come by to bring Christmas happiness to the children. He’ll make his entrance then be seated by the fireplace. 

God bless you in this Season. God bless you through the Season. God bless you by the Season.

With Love in our Lord Who is to be Incarnate in the Flesh,

Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter