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Christ Is Born. Halleluiah.

Our beloved in Christ, Very Rev. & Rev. Fathers of our Western Archdiocese.

Dearly beloved in Christ.

May the grace, blessing, prayers, and peace of the Newborn Lord be with you all.

“They shall call His name Emmanuel,” which is translated, (God is with us.)” Matthew 1:23

One of the most beautiful names for the incarnated God in the Holy Bible is “Emmanuel” (Matthew 1: 18; 1:23), which means “God is with us” and expresses the beauty and wonder of the incarnation of the Word of God the Father, that “The Word became flesh and dwelt within us” (John 1: 14).

On the birth of the Lord in the flesh, there is no more important name than “ܥܡܢܘܐܝܠ” Emmanuel. This name was first given to Savior by the prophet Isaiah, more than 700 years before His birth (Isaiah 7:14). This name is distinguished for the birthday of the Lord in the flesh, as the Apostle Matthew tells us, Jesus Christ is Emmanuel. There is no name more significant than "Emmanuel". On the occasion of this special Christmas time, I would like to share with you the importance of this name.

The name "Emmanuel" explains to us how God came for us, answered the questions of the world, reconciled the hearts, and granted us the hope of salvation. The Child born to Mary in a manger, the infant whom the shepherds ran to see, the Newborn Child Whom the Magi traveled hundreds of miles to worship is Emmanuel - God is with us. But in what sense is Jesus "God with us"?

Wasn't God always "God is with us" before Jesus? Yes. In one sense God, the Creator, has always been "with" His creation. Unlike the false god of the Deists and Theists and of many evolutionists, who believe in a god who started the world and then departed far away, the true God has always been with us. About this He says in Jeremiah 23 "`Am I God who is near,' declares the Lord, `And not far off? Can a man hide himself in hiding places, so I do not see him?' declares the Lord. `Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?' declares the Lord." (Jer. 23:23-24). The God of the Holy Bible is the true Creator, omnipresent, everywhere at the same time. He fills all of creation with His presence; and yet He is not a part of this creation. He remains Creator distinct from His creation. Thus the omnipresent God, Who is everywhere is certainly a God who is with us.

When St. Paul was preaching to the pagans of Lystra (Acts 14:17), he reminded them that the true God, the Creator, had always been with them, “He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” Thus, God has always been with His creation in the sense that He, who is everywhere, despite their sin, has showered His blessings on all of humanity.

But with the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, Emmanuel "God is with us," takes on a whole new meaning. For in the person of baby Jesus, God is really "with us" not merely to bless us. Nor is He with us in the sense that He is going to merely work through Jesus to help us, protect us, and guide us. No, the Lord Jesus, the little Child sleeping on the hay of the manger is "God with us" because He is God.

What sent the shepherds back to the fields rejoicing, what made the wise men fall down in wonder in the shadow of that babe, was the gripping realization that they were in the presence of their Creator made man.

Years later St. John the Evangelist under the inspiration of the Spirit would write the perfect commentary on the Christmas events. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1-3, 14).

The true message of Christmas is one to stuns the imagination: The Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the only begotten Son of the Heavenly Father, the eternal Word, our Creator wills to clothe Himself in our nature and to become man, our brother, one of us. God, Himself lies in the manger, completely perfect human, and a completely perfect Divine.

Why do we need "God with us?" It is said that one does not appreciate the cure, unless one first tastes of the sickness. And such is the case with the true meaning of Christmas.

Why does mankind need "God with us?" Listen to what our Creator says in Isaiah 59: "Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save; Neither is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear." These words were spoken originally to the covenant people of Israel, but they apply to all who have sinned against the Creator. "The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one" (Psalm 14:2-3). "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of it all" (James 2:10).

Why does the human race need "Emmanuel-God with Us?" Because we have separated ourselves far away from Him by our sin, and we were slowly sinking into oblivion. Only He can undo what we have done. Only the One who created us in the first place can restore us again. Only our Creator can break down the wall of sin that separates His creatures from Him. Only He can give their lives the meaning and completeness they were supposed to have. Only "Emmanuel-God is with us" can rescue us from the oblivion that we are heading toward.

And that is what the eternal Word of God decided to do. So great was His love for His fallen creation, that He “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.” Phil. 2:7. And through His perfect life and death on the cross He broke down the wall of separation that our sin had built and reconciled us to Himself; as it is written "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them." (2 Cor. 5:19). Through Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, our sins are forgiven, and we have fellowship with our Creator again.

Emmanuel, in this one name, everything humankind needs, and the entire plan of God's salvation is subsumed. How blessed we are that Emmanuel-God is with us, has born today.

This year of 2020 has been extraordinarily difficult challenging in so many ways. We praise God that He is continuously in control and provides us peace amid the chaos! We pray for our Western Archdiocese Churches, clergy, parish councils, organizations, and faithful, that God grants you peace and renews your strength for the years ahead. We wish you all the best during this season of the Newborn Child of Bethlehem, and beyond, of health, prosperity, and joyous occasions.

Christ Is Born. Halleluiah.

+ Clemis Eugene Kaplan, Metropolitan
Patriarchal Vicar of the Western Archdiocese, USA