It was the end of a very warm day in Melbourne - the sun had been shining and the air smelt of summer when the ringing of the church bells signalled the beginning of our Nativity celebrations.
The evening began with some prayers to the Holy Theotokos and the preparing of the proscomedia.
Then, the Divine Liturgy began with a stirring rendition of 'O Come All Ye Faithful' as the icon of Christ's nativity was carried and placed on the altar. There was much beautiful singing and prayer as the evening progressed.
Metropolitan and Primate +Raffaele's homily focused on the importance of family and staying connected during times of trauma, and showed how important Jesus's family was, and still is, in our understanding of the infant Christ and his great impact on the world. He spoke of the genealogy of man and the genealogy of the church, and the importance of the blending of cultures. He warned against losing our individual flavour and spice and spoke of the dangers of selective blending of cultures where the essence of meaning and purpose can be lost. He went on to show how the meaning of Christ's birth had been diluted over the years, with people feeling God to be the "great punisher of sin", rather than the welcoming, warm Father who wants to help us make this existence ripe and fulfilling as he truly is. He said that "instead of something Holy and beautiful, [our relationship with God] becomes something barren and dry" when we turn from God and interpret His word through the worldly lens of mankind. Instead, we should look to Jesus as our guide. When his apostle Peter said, "Lord, I'm a sinful man, get away from me," Jesus replied, "do not be afraid; believe, and all will be well". And so it is through our belief in Him that we are saved, and through our belief in ourselves that we are fulfilled. He concluded that by letting Christ into the intimate manger of our hearts we may find the strength to believe in ourselves, to love one another and to put aside fear. Through His Love, we are renewed.
Soon, communion was shared by the clergy and then with the congregation - each with an individual silver spoon (to protect from the pandemic). And then, after some more beautiful songs from the clergy, agape was served and many wonderful conversations were had with the community.
A Musical Journey of our Nativity Celebrations
This year we decided to feature the beautiful voices of our clergy for our Nativity video. Many songs are sung during the feast of Nativity and the voices of Metropolitan +Raffaele, Bishop-Elect Mark and Arch-Presbyter Matthew this year surely pleased the Lord on his birthday celebrations!
Watch the video below:
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