Peace to you, dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
May we bring to your attention the Christmas message of our Bishop Vsevolod (will be read in the parishes of Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church during the Christmas liturgy).
Brothers and sisters,
We long to see with our own eyes the peace that we sing following the Christmas angels. From the time of the Fall, however, the earthly life does not get by without wars, although we do not always experience it first-hand. Still, even with no global strife in view, when “nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Mt. 24:7), people continue to hate and quarrel with one another to the point that “a person’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Mt. 10:36).
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace” (Lk. 2:14). At the original Christmas night, the angels were singing about peace as reconciliation with God. “A Savior, who is Christ the Lord,“ (Lk. 2:11) has brought this reconciliation to us. Every person now is called to acquire this peace with God and life eternal; having confessed one’s sins and joined the Church by means of the Holy Baptism, so as to live by a Christian way of life and strive for peace with everyone (Rom. 12:18; Heb. 12:14).
With every year passing by, we are increasingly aware that sinful people are unable to build a better world apart from God. That is why we pray to God to grant us to “lead a peaceful and quiet life” (1Tim 2:2) yet trust that there will be a day when the Lord will come again. At that time, all the evil on earth will cease, that “God may be all in all” (1Cor. 15:28).
While longing for this day, keep coming to the church as often as possible in the upcoming year; confess your sins, confess the faith, hear about Christ in all the Scriptures (Lk. 24:27), and partake of the life-giving Body and Blood of the Lord in order to regain peace with God over and over.
Merry Christmas to you, fathers-coworkers, and all beloved parishioners!