The Arrival of the Child

Forty days have passed since the birth from the virgin, and the Child has now come into earthly Jerusalem. Concerning this child, Amos proclaimed, saying: 'God will come from Teman,' that is, from the south (Amos 9:2). For from the south of Jerusalem, from Bethlehem, He has now come into Zion. Because of this, the child was testified to you by Moses, saying that the Lord God will raise up for you a prophet from among your brothers, and every one not listening to him, his soul shall be destroyed (Deuteronomy 18:18).

Concerning this child, the prophet David prayed, saying: 'He who sits upon the cherubim, appear; stir up your power and come to save us' (Psalm 99:1). And again: 'Let your mercies hasten to us, O Lord' (Psalm 70:2). And again: 'Lord, bend your heavens and come down' (Psalm 18:1). And in another way: 'You, Lord God of powers, attend to visit all the nations. Therefore know, O nations, and be humbled' (Psalm 86:9).

Behold, Jews, and be persuaded: this child angels hymn, archangels worship, powers tremble at, powers glorify, cherubim serve, and seraphim theologize about. To him the sun serves, to him the moon ministers, to him the elements obey, and to him the springs are subject.

Seeing this child, the gates of Hades were crushed, and the heavenly gates were opened, and Hades, seeing, was terrified.

This child abolished death, shamed the devil, loosed the curse, stopped sorrow, crushed the serpent, cut the middle partition, tore through the evil handwriting of sins, trampled sin, destroyed error, and raised creation. This child saved Adam, remade Eve, called the nations, and enlightened the world.

Therefore, come you also, lovers of Christ and lovers of God. Let us all meet the Lord and Master brightly and purely, not in a legal way, but in a spiritual way; not feasting with the stomach, but leaping with the spirit; not drinking wine, but burning with the Spirit. In this way, let us today brightly adorn the lamps.

In this way, as children of light, let us bring the candles to the true Light, Christ, because he shone as a light unto revelation of the nations to the world. Therefore, as lights from light, let us rise up above the snow, having been hardened above milk, having been polished above sapphire stone, and having flown like white doves into the heavens, so let us emerge into the meeting with God in the clouds.

Let us all today and forever shout the things of the feast. Let us dance with angels. Let us shine with shepherds. Let us worship with the magi. Let us celebrate with Bethlehem. Let us meet with Zion. Let us be sanctified with the temple. Let us rejoice, magnifying the Virgin. Let us present ourselves with Joseph, like two fruits, the soul and the body. Let us embrace Christ with Simeon, and let us confess with Anna. So that we may be found within the eternal good things by the grace and mercies and philanthropy of the Lord and God and Savior of us, Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and the power with the Father and the Holy Spirit unto the ages of ages. Amen.