Inspiration
During the early
Christian centuries Christmas and Theophany (or Epiphany) were celebrated to-gether. The liturgical tradition concentrated on
Theophany, which marks the baptism of Jesus and the beginning of His adult
ministry. During the early 4th
century records show that the Church
of Alexandria
observed both Christmas and Theophany on January 6th. In due time, Christmas began to be
celebrated separately—first in Rome (354), then Antioch (386),
Constantinople (400) and then gradually everywhere—on December 25th. By choosing this date the Church wished
to christianize the “Feast of the Invincible Sun,”
a very popular pagan celebration that marked the shift in the sun’s cycles
in late December when the days again become longer. For the Church Fathers, Christ was the
only invincible Sun of Righteousness Who by His birth illuminated the world
and brought the dawn of a new age.
The Christmas Hymn written above teaches of this truth and is still
sung in our churches today.
For
Orthodox Christians, it is natural to hold the period from Christmas to
Theophany as one continuous celebration of Christ’s coming to the
world. There is no fasting from
December 25th until January 5th and this time is
characterized by daily liturgies and visiting friends and family. On Christmas Day we celebrate the incarnation of Christ while on
Theophany we remember His public
appearance as the Son of God. We
think of the period between these two holidays as having the same
significance, that is, Christ’s coming to the world, and so we remember
more deeply the meaning of Christ’s coming into our own lives. What is the
meaning of Christmas? The heart of
Christmas is Christ Himself. Only
Christ can give us a true Christmas.
The meaning of Christmas is summed up by a single verse:
And she
will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus,
for He will
save His people from their sins. (Mt. 1:21)
Many Western-style Christmas carols tell
of this joyous good news. In one
carol we sing: “The Savior
reigns!” In another we pray to Him
that he might “cast
out our sin and . . . be born in us today.”
In yet another we sing:
“Christ the Savior is born.”
Christmas is overall a feast of joy that leads us to sing and
exchange gifts and break bread together.
In all this we catch a glimpse of humanity’s deepest longings for
joy, peace, sharing, unity, love and celebration. Christ is the fulfillment of all our
longings. He is Emmanuel. He is God
with us!
All the
angels in heaven greatly rejoice today.
The whole
creation leaps with joy,
For the
Savior and Lord is born in Bethlehem
Christmas Vigil Hymn
Taken from:
A Year of the Lord: Liturgical Bible Studies, vol.2, Late Fall &
Winter, by Fr. Theodore Stylianopoulos, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese
Department of Religious Education, 1982
