There is Born to you a Savior
 Lk. 2: 17

 Trans: Wolde-Tinsae

MERRY ETHIOPIAN X-MAS!!!

The time has come for God to come to us in flesh as one of us and it is thus written that '' when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His son...'' Gal 4:4. The laws and prophesies had said a lot about the much longed-for time of the Son's coming. It has got its fulfillment 2001 years ago when Christ was born from Virgin Mary in the City of David, in Bethlehem, Ephrata.

His Birth was a moment of jubilation in which angels and men sung in unison saying '' Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth, peace ( and )goodwill towards men,'' heralding the end of the Age of Condemnation and the beginning of the Age of Salvation. It was a moment of praise, hymn and thanksgiving. In that moment, the angels of the Lord revealed themselves to shepherds who were guarding their herd of Sheep. The angels came to the shepherds to tell them the grandest news of happiness which mankind has been waiting for millennia since his condemnation. It was awe-inspiring for the shepherds to see a magnificent Light dominating the darkness and to talk to an angel. Their fear was removed by the angel's comforting words:'' Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.'' Lk. 2:11.

Before this time, man was living in Condemnation due to the Sin man committed which threw him into hell where he lived in utter disgrace for 5 1/2   millennia. Though created in the likeness of his Lord, man transgressed hence demons ruled over him instead of the gracious will of Lord. The power of the demons over man made his body to decay in the grave and his soul to languish in hell. For man  totally detached himself from God's will, the desire of his flesh dominated him and he relegated himself into the status of animals about which St. David has lamented saying,'' Man, though in honors, does not remain [for] he is like the beasts that perish.'' Ps. 49:12.

To ransom man who disgraced himself so  appallingly  as such, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ willed to be and was born of the virgin St. Mary. With the divine power with which He equals the Father and the Holy Spirit unaffected, i.e., without any relegation in His divinity, He became a Babe and cried as a new born. This fulfills the prophecy which runs, '' Behold, we heard of Him in Ephrata; we found Him in the fields of the woods.'' Ps. 132:6.

This Birth has completely changed man's history. Man is indeed transformed to his original grace due to this Divine Birth. To redeem man, our Lord was conceived and was born, of St. Mary all in virginity. Such a special conception and birth was long foretold by Ezekiel who prophesied saying, '' Then, He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces toward the east; but, it was shut. And the Lord said to me, this gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the Lord God of Israel has entered by it. Therefore, it shall remain shut,'' Ez.44:1-3.

Up until the Birth of Christ, from the time of being a fetus, any mortal was ill-fated to inherit Adam's Condemnation through the Original Sin. This was revoked once and for all when the Second Adam, Immanuel, was born as one of us to break up the demonic work. As Adam was made out of a virgin land which knew no human effort-plough, seeds or whatever,-so was born Immanuel, the Second Adam , of impeccable Mary who was free from the Original Sin, and remains a Virgin of the Holy Spirit in Her flesh and soul, in and out. Immanuel is born needing no man’s seed from this Virgin who was prophesied to be pure and holy enough to serve as His abode. She being ''the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High, God is in the midst of Her [and] She shall not be moved.'' ps.46:4-5.  

A man's birth is to his advantage in that, provided he passes his days in good faith and away from evil in accordance with God's commandments, he shall inherit the heavenly kingdom which before the creation of the earth God has made ready for man. Immanuel's Birth is not for Himself; it is rather for the glory of man. Looking for the exiled Adam, to find the prodigal son, to bring him back to the flock he belonged to, to mend the broken, to be light to the those in darkness, to feed the hungry, to quench the thirsty by the water of life, to liberate those in hell, to guide those in transgression to the right, to take the downtrodden to the high place of glory, Immanuel, was born.

 For mankind:due to this a Divine Birth of Christ:

1- The hovering darkness is removed

For man's heart was filled with sin, his life before was in darkness, '' They so not know, nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness," it was said of us in the psalms (Ps.82:5). Man was, hence, living in sorrow. As one treading in darkness could not tell the plain from the escarpment or the vice versa, man was not able to differentiate the good from the evil as he was fully overcome by the darkness. When Christ is born, the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them, a light have shined (Is.9:2). God is light. He lives in Light and is praised by Angles of Light. Being Light, God shines in the heart of man. In the Birth of the Living Light, Christ, from the Virgin Mary, a living light has shined for man."... the glory of the lord shone around " human beings.Lk.2:9; 1Jn.1:5; 1Tim.6:16.

2- Eternal salvation is given

As man was kept away from God due to his sin, he was condemned for ages in his flesh and soul. However pious he might have been, he was not able to get a ransom and for God to give him the salvation, he had to unceasingly pray. "O, visit me with your salvation," was man's constant prayer. Ps. 106:4; 118:25. In His promise to the people which He delivered through the prophets, He has said, "In returning and rest you shall be saved." To fulfill His promise, He is born as a Savior Is 30:15. Thus, the angel has broken the news for the shepherds dispelling their fear, for the coming of Christ is never to impose fear. It is rather to dispel it that he has been born. Lk.2:10-12.

3- Grace and Glory is delivered

As Adam and Eve ate the Forbidden Fruit, they were disgraced and lost their glory, Man, though created in God's likeness, became as ephemeral as the grass and flower of the land which withers away so soon. Is. 40:6. Pious fathers and mothers of the Old Testament period kept asking the Lord to return their lost glory. The Lord God accordingly willed to be born in due recognition of such a persevering repentance, he liberated us from the yoke of slavery and reinstituted us to the glory of becoming His children. When the son of God is born of St. Mary, He took the flesh of man which was destined for decay. The Magi have presented Him with gifts and bowed for Him knowing that He is the Lord of Hosts, the creator of all, found among us in our flesh only because of the love which words have no power to say.

4- Life of wandering and of no fear is exterminated

Genuine peace is from God. No one devoid of God is peaceful. Gen.4:13-15. The Life of man for 51/2 millennia was devoid of God and was a life of wandering, It was a life only of no peace. Praise be to Him, He has given us in His birth the life we have lost for ages. Man and angels have together born witness of this restoration of heavenly peace in their welcoming song. He himself has also later in His Ministry had said that His peace is not like the one the world might offer. His peace is eternal while that of the world is only ephemeral. Jn.14:27.

5- It became possible to sing with angles

It was angles who chased man out of Aden when he sinned and they also guarded it with swords of flame. Hence, Adam never returned to Aden. When Christ is born, the two reconciled and sung together. They together praised the incarnate God. This demonstrated the true reconciliation between heaven and earth Lk.2:8-20.

Our church colorfully celebrates this birth of Christ annually. She also teaches industriously about the grand nature of this Holy day. How about us? How are we to celebrate the day? Are we to sing with angles or spend the night in Night clubs? If we opt for secular feasts such as those in Night clubs, we will ultimately bring curse for our soul and flesh.

When shepherds were told in the night about the news of his birth, what they said was, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." Lk.2:15. There, they went and found Christ in a manger with His mother. Following their example, we shall celebrate the day in the Living Bethlehem, to find the Lord and his mother and all holy heavenly hosts together. In case we are living in places where there is no church, we have to observe the day sharing the means we have with the needy and creating the venue to assist churches, monasteries and nunneries. Let us donate the candles, mats and other utensils they badly need as much as possible.

The Ethiopian Scholar of Hymns St. Yared in His Book Called Degwa said “we shall now follow peace for our Redeemer is born.” Thus, we shall keep ourselves away from sin and live with faith, ethics and benevolence to reap the returns of peace. The Mystery of Incarnation comes down to loving God and our fellow human beings. All of us, inland and abroad, shall settle our disputes, if any, unify our hearts and minds, and work for the blossoming of our church.

Let us together sing aloud saying, "Today, our Savior Is Born". Let the Grace of the Lord and the support of St. Mary and all other Holy saints be with us. Amen.

Merry Ethiopian X- Mas!
                                                                                         

Contributed by Ze- Gabrielwa

May God Bless us, Amen.