REV. THOMAS M. CONSTANTINE Excitement in the air: It's the coming of Christ

The days are short, it is cold, and snow may be falling. The stores are packed. We are all busy decorating, purchasing gifts, and fighting the maddening crowds. Our patience is being tried.
Our children sense a change is in the air. There is an excitement and extra hyperactivity in them.
Everywhere we turn, we notice that something is very different. Even though our routines may not change, we sense there is indeed something very different around us. What is it? Christmas is here. It is a time of joy, celebration and being with family and friends.
Christmas indeed brings a change, whether or not we want to acknowledge it. During Christmas, we may exchange gifts and spend time with family and friends, but there is so much more than this.
In the Orthodox church, one of the main hymns for the feast of Christmas states, "Your Nativity, O Christ our God has shone to the world the light of wisdom ..." As our savior was born into the world, life as we knew it changed. God came among us. Wisdom came into the world and brought meaning and fulfillment.
If we stop and dwell on this miraculous feast of Christmas, we can take note that God works internally in all of us. He reveals to us that Christmas is not just a secular holiday, but a holy day.
The Virgin Birth
Let's look at the events that led up to our Savior's birth.
According to church tradition, Joseph was approximately 80 years old when he was betrothed to the Virgin Mary. St. Gregory of Nyssa states that Joseph was the "Guardian of her virginity."
Joseph was a righteous man. He was betrothed to this virgin who had dedicated herself to God. He, according to the church's holy fathers, had no intention of violating this promise of the Virgin Mary. He planned to live with her as her protector and witness to the purity of her life.
But, something unexpectedly happened. Mary became pregnant. Joseph wondered who deceived him. He felt he was betrayed.
This righteous Joseph, however, did not want to abandon her, because sins such as having an illegitimate child would cause the sinner to be stoned to death. Instead, he planned to let her secretly go to any place she wanted, and Joseph would also depart to another far land.
God, however, intervened. An angel appeared and told Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife and revealed to him that this was indeed a miraculous conception. Saint Theophylact, in his commentary, "The Explanation of St. Matthew's Gospel" states that the angel further told Joseph, "It is true that you had nothing to do with the conception, but I still give you the title 'father,' that you may name the child. You are to play the part of a father to Him, although He is not your offspring. And what shall you call Him? His name shall be Jesus, meaning 'Savior,' for He shall save His people from sins."
Joseph was obedient to the angel, although he still questioned within his heart. In fact, in the Orthodox icon the Nativity of Christ, Joseph is not with the Virgin Mary and Christ Child, but rather off to the side as an old man (the devil) faces him, tempting him and trying to convince him that this was not the miraculous Virgin Birth. Joseph kept these thoughts to himself.
The Jews, however, were not at first so forgiving. A scribe named Anniuus noticed Mary's condition and ran to the high priest and Sanhedrin and announced, "Joseph, the carpenter, whom you call a righteous man, has sinned! He has polluted the Virgin taken from the Lord's temple and entrusted to his safekeeping, and now she is carrying the fruit of iniquity!" Joseph and Mary were immediately summoned. Both denied doing any wrongdoing. They both were told to drink from the Water of Accusation (as described in the 5th book of Numbers). According to this ritual, a man or woman suspected of adultery were brought to the Lord's temple and compelled to drink this water. Great sickness and bodily deterioration would occur to the guilty. Since nothing happened to Joseph or Mary, they were not accused of any sinful wrongdoing.
Joseph, however, still had questions in his heart until the Child was born on that miraculous cold winter night.
Having to return to his own city to register for the census, Joseph and Mary set out for Bethlehem. When they could not find a room in the inn for the night, Joseph found one of the caves, which was used for a manger. It was here that our salvation came into the world! When Joseph saw this newborn king, he fell and bowed in front of him.
No longer were there any questions in him. He knew that in this child, the world would change and God's plan was revealed. He knew that this was the Christ, the savior to the world.
'Christ is born!'
This wondrous event of the birth of Christ is not just an historical event. It is indeed a live event that occurs today as it did 2,000 years ago. Our savior has come into the world and brings us life! The Orthodox greeting this time of year is "Christ is Born! Glorify him!"
Christ is alive today. He lives in our hearts and brings us peace and joy. I believe that even if we were not exchanging gifts, decorating, and shopping there will still be something in the air. The excitement and joyfulness in our hearts would still stir us. We all would exclaim that "Christ is Born! Glorify him!" May we all have a blessed and spirit filled Christmas.
XThe Rev. Thomas M. Constantine is pastor of St. John Greek Orthodox Church in Boardman. The above accounts were taken from "The Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints" by St. Demetrious of Rostov.