The genealogy of our Lord, always read on the Sunday before the Nativity, reminds us of two fundamental truths. First, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, Who is the Logos, took upon Himself our human nature. He was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was named Jesus, who is the Christ, that is the Messiah. He entered human history, and although He was “begotten of the Father before all ages,” as we say in the Creed (the symbol of faith), He took for Himself a human Mother and, therefore, also grandparents, great-grandparents, and other family relationships. He is truly Emmanuel, meaning “God with us.” He unites in Himself history and eternity, God and man, heaven and earth. He unites past, present, and future. The second truth we learn is that God took on human nature to save us. He is named Jesus, meaning “God saves.” As the Son of God and God Himself, He has always existed and therefore has no genealogy. However, as the Son of the Virgin, He was born in time and space, and He has a human genealogy through her, even though He has no biological human father. He is a Son without a human father, Who is begotten of God the Father before all ages. He becomes incarnate for our salvation. From the beginning, the Gospel of Matthew emphasizes that this is the “genealogy of Jesus Christ.” The word Christ (Χριστός) is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah. “Christ” and “Messiah” both mean the “Anointed One,” that is, the One whos anointed with the Holy Spirit to be Prophet, Priest, and King to His chosen people. His genealogy, therefore, locates Him in the history of humanity, particularly in the context of Jewish history, in which He was born. Genealogies were very important to the Jewish people because they established their identity as the people of God. Similarly, the Church is also validated, in part, by its history, particularly its “apostolic succession.” This succession — a type of ‘genealogy’ — links our present hierarchs with the very first apostolic hierarchs. The Apostles appointed Bishops as their successors, who in turn appointed their own successors, and so on. We have these genealogical records intact, which means the Church recognizes communion and canonicity among the hierarchy. For instance, records show that His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is the 270th successor to the Apostle Andrew. This succession is also seen in spiritual ways, especially in monasticism, as there are spiritual lines from saints to elders (in Greek, Γέροντες) and likewise to their spiritual children. These are not genealogies of ecclesiastical or administrative authority but rather of spiritual grace and virtue. A holy person with a particular spiritual gift called charisma (in Greek, χάρισμα) is likely to pass on that gift to spiritual children through their teachings and spiritual training. Saint Athanasius of Alexandria says, “The Word was made man so that we might be made divine. He displayed himself through a body, so that we might receive knowledge of the invisible Father.” Again, as Saint Gregory the Theologian says, “The deity is made man, so that manhood may be deified.” Jesus becomes “God with us” in such a manner that He is closer to us than we are to ourselves. Baby Jesus was born in a cave and placed in a manger (feeding trough). In the original Greek, it was a “fatni” (φάτνη), where the food is placed for animals to eat. The Bread of Life came to be our food from the beginning, as we receive His Body and Blood in Holy Communion. The Lord Jesus, the Creator and Sustainer of all things comes to redeem the world, but He comes not in His unveiled glory. He is born not in a palace fitting for a King, but in a humble place — a manger. The King of Kings comes in humility. He comes as a Baby who needs to be cared for, fed, nourished, protected, and loved. God becomes a Man, so He does not merely relate to humanity externally, as it were, as One Whom we only encounter as a stranger. Without ceasing to be God, He Who is without sin takes humanity upon Himself completely so that He can live not only with us, but also in us. As the Baby Jesus is born, He is wrapped in cloths and laid on a manger. As depicted in the Nativity icons, the same kind of cloths would be used later for His burial. Jesus Christ came to live and to die for us and to rise from the dead to destroy the power of death. He is placed in a manger, the feeding place for livestock. He is born in Bethlehem, which, in the Hebrew language, means the House of Bread. Bethlehem becomes indeed the house where Jesus, the Bread of Life, is given for the life of the world. Christmas is a great time to join family and friends to give and receive gifts. The greatest gift we can give each other, however, is love. God’s greatest gift has been given to us, His only Son, because He is love. The gifts the wise men brought Jesus had symbolic significance. The gift of gold symbolizes that Jesus is the King of Israel, even of the entire universe. The gift of frankincense symbolizes that Jesus is God, since incense is for worship, and only God may be worshipped. The dead were anointed with myrrh, as Jesus was at His burial. Therefore, the gift of myrrh symbolizes that the great King had come to die as the perfect sacrifice to redeem us through His Resurrection from our sins. Humanity has been redeemed in Christ. Christ has sanctified birth, and He has sanctified death. He has sanctified riches and poverty, time and space, history, and all peoples. When we struggle and feel like we live merely to survive, Christ assures us that His birth opens the possibility for us to be born anew to abundant life in Him each day The Incarnation reminds us that Christianity is not merely a set of timeless ideas but a Faith of flesh and blood, which redeems the soul, the heart, and the whole body. Christ Jesus redeems women and men, the elderly and the young, the rich and the poor, and people from all races, from every tribe, tongue, and nation. He redeems the whole cosmos. Let us open our hearts to the King of Glory so that He may enter and be born in our lives. Let us bring Him forth as the Light of the world. He is our life. May our hearts become more spacious than the heavens, for the Creator of the universe, the Son of God, lives in us. The Light has shone in the darkness, and our lives are enlightened and redeemed by His Birth. The Lord Jesus comes to us, who are His own. As we receive Him, we become children of God. As He is born in us, through Him we are born to a new life by the Holy Spirit. Christ is born, and we are brothers and sisters with Him. The Eternal God has united Himself with us, joining Himself with our history, heritage, and humanity in His birth of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. Let us now, in love and gratitude, join ourselves to Him — through prayer and love toward God and neighbor — so that we might rejoice together in the wonder of His Birth!

We welcome you to worship with us on Sunday and whenever the Divine Liturgy is celebrated. Matins begins at 9:00 am and the Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am.

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DIRECTIONS TO THE DORMITION CHURCH FROM THE NORTH:

1. Proceed south on Interstate 81 South heading toward Winchester
2. Take exit 317 for VA-37/ US-11 toward US-522 N/ US-50 W/ Winchester/ Stephenson (0.3 mi)
3. Turn right at US-11 S/ VA-37 S/ Martinsburg Pike, Continue to follow VA-37 S (3.8 mi)
4. Take the ramp to US-50 E/ Northwestern Pike (0.2 mi)
5. Turn left at US-50 E/ Northwestern Pike, Continue to follow US-50 E (0.6 mi )
6. Turn left at Omps Dr, Continue to entrance of the Church`s parking lot (100 ft)
7. Turn left into the Church`s parking lot.

DIRECTIONS TO THE DORMITION CHURCH FROM THE SOUTH:

1. Proceed north on Interstate 81North heading toward Winchester
2. Take exit 310 for VA-37 toward US-11/VA-642/ Winchester/ Kernstown/ US-50/ US-522/ Berkely Spgs/ Romney (0.2 mi)
3. Turn left at VA-37 N (5.2 mi)
4. Take the US-50 ramp to Winchester/ Romney (0.3 mi)
5. Turn right at US-50 E/ Amherst St (0.5 mi)
6. Turn left at Omps Dr, Continue to entrance of the Church`s parking lot (100 ft)
7. Turn left into the Church`s parking lot.