REV. ANDREW GALL Christians are called to be participants, not spectators

Once and again, we have taken that journey to Bethlehem to witness something that Adam and David only dreamed of seeing: the birth in the flesh of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Like the Wise Men, we Orthodox Christians have "followed the star" through the journey of St. Philip's Feast, which has prepared us for this blessed event. We know as Orthodox Christians that we do not just celebrate a feast, but rather we commemorate the feast.
We know that we are not just spectators at this great event, but participants -- each of us bringing what we have to offer as gifts to the newborn King.
How do we know that we are to be participants? Listen to the words that are used in our liturgical celebrations:
Today heaven and earth unite, for Christ is born. Today God came to earth in the flesh, and the human race was lifted up to the heavens. Today, for the sake of all, he is seen in the flesh. Today the Virgin gives birth to the Creator of all! Today, the temporary bond of Adam's condemnation is dissolved!
Everything happens today and we are called to be participants, not spectators; we are called to become part of this event and not just passers-by who admire the lights and the trees and the decorations, and maybe even the Icon, but then continue on our way to what is more important to us: the parties and festivities.
Looking for meaning
We are called to look into our hearts and our souls and see what this event, the birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, means for us as children of God.
Children of God. Isn't it amazing that the old saying "Christmas is for children" applies to all of us, even to you and me? Christmas is for children, even for us "big kids" who every time we celebrate the Nativity are reborn -- renewed -- by the coming of this child, the Prince of Peace, into the world.
"Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3).
One of the hardest aspects of our lives today as a modern people is understanding the meaning of time. We work and we work and we work, investing a massive amount of time to create a better life and then we miss the whole point of what our lives are called to participate in and to celebrate: our own faith commitment in Jesus Christ.
Perhaps if anything good can be found in the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, or Hurricane Katrina, it may be that the people are starting to ask the question: Do I accept every day and live every moment of my life as a child, or am I lost in the rat race and just plain "childish"?
Welcoming committee
We are called to celebrate and to participate in this feast and not get caught in our worldly pursuits. We must make time for what is truly important. If we look again, we see that David, the great king that he was, longed to see what we see, longed to be a part of what we are a part of. We are the welcoming committee for the coming of salvation, the Christ Child being born into the world.
Let us come to the cave to experience the birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, God becoming man for our salvation. Let us bow before Him bringing our gifts, our talents, our joys and our sorrows.
Let us remember those who have lost their lives in the tragedy of the war on terrorism, as well as those that were left behind and who now have an empty chair around their tables for this season of the Nativity.
Let us remember the children, those who lost a parent and those who were orphaned in these horrible events of this war, and let us pray that the Christ Child, the Prince of Peace, will bring the peace that only he can extend to all who have lost so much.
Let us allow the event of the Nativity to change us so that we may take the time to see the Christ Child in every person we meet. In this way, the Nativity of our Lord will not just be an annual event, but an event that we celebrate every moment of our lives.
Christmas is for children -- for each and every one of us as children of God.
XThe Rev. Andrew Gall is pastor of St. John Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Sharon, Pa.