Today we gather to celebrate the birth in the flesh of the Son of God. Angels sang, shepherds came from their fields to worship and Magi journeyed a great distance to adore a Babe laid in a manger poor, cold and in swaddling bands, this tiny Babe Who is Lord of all creation. And what caused Him to empty Himself and take on our lowly human form? His inexhaustible love for His creatures. Man had disobeyed, had gone after false gods and rejected Him; and yet His love for us is so great that it causes Him to become incarnate and to labour and suffer all that He did, that He might bring us back to the Father. He has bestowed on us incalculable riches, which we can gain if we but strive to live in accordance with His commandments. The beauty and depth of our services are beyond compare. The means of acquiring grace are constantly with our reach. Every phase of our life has a blessing attached to it. And all this started in that humble cave and lowly manger. Let us hasten there in spirit to worship with the shepherds and with the Magi offer gifts to the new born King: a loving and humble heart, a grateful disposition and fervent prayer for one another.
May the Light of Christ shine in our hearts during these joyful days, blessing us and those around us. I wish you all a Happy Christmas filled with every blessing.
In Christ,
Andrew, Metropolitan of Toronto