Orthodox Church in Athens
Orthodox Churches in Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine that follow the Julian calendar, Epiphany is celebrated on Jan. 19, as their Christmas Eve falls on Jan. 6. Orthodox Christian churches in Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania celebrate the feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 6.
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.
You have brought them abundant joy
and great rejoicing,
as they rejoice before you as at the harvest,
as people make merry when dividing spoils.
For the yoke that burdened them,
the pole on their shoulder,
and the rod of their taskmaster
you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.
For every boot that tramped in battle,
every cloak rolled in blood,
will be burned as fuel for flames.
For a child is born to us, a son is given us;
upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.
His dominion is vast
and forever peaceful,
from David’s throne, and over his kingdom,
which he confirms and sustains
by judgment and justice,
both now and forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this!
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that the whole world should be enrolled.
This was the first enrollment,
when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth
to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem,
because he was of the house and family of David,
to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there,
the time came for her to have her child,
and she gave birth to her firstborn son.
She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.
Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields
and keeping the night watch over their flock.
The angel of the Lord appeared to them
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were struck with great fear.
The angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David
a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you:
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,
praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
This is a Christmas post. Absolutely no tolerance will be given to any off topic comments. Please respect the intent and nature of this post, keeping it open for Christmas greetings and comments.
“Years from now, it is unlikely anyone will remember that thing they unwrapped. What they will remember, what will have much greater impact, is a message from YOU to THEM that they matter, that they are loved.” ~Sundance
I first wrote about the great foreboding in 2021. I never thought it would apply to a second, third or fourth, advent. Essentially, this national foreboding stems from a Godless political effort intended to diminish the true meaning of this celebration. Seriously! Stop for a minute. Just stop.
Stop and think about the purpose of that political narrative; then ask yourself, are you succumbing to it?
This is the day of great joy, the greatest joy of all.
A day when we celebrate a loving and purposeful blessing provided to us by our Creator. The universal truth. The pure perfection of a loving Child born in the most ordinary fashion for us, to us, to guide and share the most blessed and purposeful message that could ever be delivered to mankind: You are Loved.
Pause amid the human distractions. That message of love is pure.
Stop, sit in peace and join together in the joy.
Yes, it is true, all around us is this great sense of foreboding ugh, and it’s not just connected to our sense of division and targeting; it’s everything before and everything since.
Everything created around us, by government, is weird. Everything created around us is less comfortable, everything created around us is intended to project less joy – and as a consequence, it requires an intensity of thought just to carry on ordinary events.
Christmas, the day we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is tonight and tomorrow. Yet almost everything created by the mechanics of men seems purposefully placed to distract from that joy – and focus our attention on what joy we are missing.
Diminished faith creates anxiety, a sense of foreboding, a sense of fear and worry and a sense of trepidation. Additionally, evil tribesmen know the strategy to create the environment for control is isolation.
Isolation, the tool to remove hope, begins with a diminishment of God.
A faith-filled person is never alone.
In our daily lives, we encounter ordinary disconnects now. For many, isolation from the workplace has disconnected our sense of interaction, our human connection.
Unfortunately, and as a natural outcome of these social and technological advancements, we are accepting greater disconnect and creating a void inside ourselves. At the same time many people are physically disconnected from their families.
Many families will not gather this year to celebrate the joyous event of Christ’s birth. Perhaps parents and grandparents will not see their adult children for the first time in years.
Perhaps destabilized families are disconnecting as they succumb to cultural fractures, political division, economic challenges and purposeful roadblocks created by people who appointed themselves as leaders.
It is almost unbelievable when you contemplate the damage. Politicians, yes P.O.L.I.T.I.C.I.A.N.S, have created terms and conditions, instructions for you and me, with the expectation that somehow, we will adhere to their fiats or accept their cultural aspersions. I reject this.
I reject this effort with every fiber of my being.
Division, regardless of intent, is not a term or condition that I will accept. However, amid all of this bombardment, flux and ugh, even simple tasks like decorating the Christmas tree can feel for some somehow senseless, perhaps even less joyful.
Perhaps financial worry, again driven by the outcomes of man, stems the joy in shopping for family and friends.
Perhaps the shine within the cheer is slightly dimmed, because all around us is something we cannot quite describe, yet we feel it.
Perhaps tears flow at times, and we struggle to understand what this unusual anxiety is all about. Then, we begin to struggle with the feelings of shame or guilt for being weak and allowing our humanity to pour out of our human selves. Then, at the worst possible time in the year, our faith organizations are slow to understand the importance of fellowship and community amid an upheaval that has taken our center from under our feet.
The insufferable lack of regional leaders standing tall only makes the anxiety worse. Where is the brave?
Where are the purposeful few who know the benefit of larger messages? I do not fault their absence, because their void reminds me to stop, look at that face I see while brushing my teeth, and remember the greatest strength of all is from within. Nothing has the capacity to remove the strength provided by a loving God unless we allow it to, unless we allow them to.
As our grip on our familiar surroundings becomes more tenuous, we are faced with dictates and mandates that only exacerbate the issues our community faces. Meanwhile, this ridiculous media drumbeat an incessant noise intent on destabilizing us. Perhaps we cannot quite put our finger on why the impact is worse now…. but it is. This effort of theirs is more impactful. It is all ugh. It is all just ugh.
If you find the assembly of these simple words familiar to your current sense, first understand YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
Second, understand there is nothing wrong with you. This blanket of anxiety is laying across our entire nation, indeed the entire world, and no matter where we stand – we are all sensing a various level of this ‘ugh’ with some familiarity. However, that said, it is important to know this is transitional. We will not be in this place long. This too shall pass.
How do we shake these destabilizing feelings and emotions?
How do we reconnect to the core-spirit we carry in our lives?
These are the questions we should use to leverage ourselves back to a center of peace and hope. These are the questions that empower us to recharge our sense of purpose and life within the lives of others, including our community, family and friends.
♦ The first way we shake this ‘ugh’, is to give to others without reservation. Giving with purpose is the true spirit of human contact. The giving is not related to money or wealth, the giving is related to our human purpose. Perhaps we give a smile. Perhaps we give a kind word. Perhaps we give a compliment, or perhaps we just give time to another.
You could give a more valuable gift this year to anyone simply by reaching them. Perhaps send an email; or better yet, write a letter to a dear friend or family member, or just pick up the phone. Reach out and tell them they matter and express why their place in this life of yours is important. Remind them of your specific thankfulness and connect to the purpose of why we endeavor in this thing we call life.
Years from now, it is unlikely anyone will remember that thing they unwrapped. What they will remember, what will have much greater impact, is a message from YOU to THEM that they matter, that they are loved.
That moment you create, perhaps those multiple moments provided by your strength, will NEVER be forgotten.
That look in your eye or sound of your voice that reached into them and emphasized their value, their worth, their importance. That is the gift they will remember in great detail, forever.
The important thing is to give, and to do it without any other intent or purpose than to fill their heart.
♦ Within the giving, remind yourself what this journey is all about, and look around to recognize how fortunate we are to have this life.
Choose to cherish the ultimate gift from a loving God who wants joy and hope to permeate our human sense.
Hope is the one necessary human element beyond all other facets of life. Give the gift of hope and light to those you love by first reminding yourself of the gift that a loving God has given us all. It is too easy in our human sense to forget the biggest gift we have been granted, the gift of life. The ability to live and choose how we engage in the lives of others.
Remind yourself of the kind of purposeful HOPE that would leave the most glorious throne to be born into a manger as a baby, only to grow into a Man willing to lay down His everything for the flawed people amid humanity. Why? Because that hope is pure. That love is perfect.
No politics or false sense of security can overwhelm the message of HOPE that a loving God has provided. No effort of man or human disposition can surmount the greatest love of all. The message of Christ’s birth is bigger and greater than any COVID virus or legislative battle.
“No power of hell, nor scheme of man” can come close to the purpose of God’s intent and love for you as a unique person qualified to receive that love.
Wrap yourself in the blanket of that unconditional love. Stop what you are doing.
Pause in the peace of this moment… set down your troubles, LISTEN and FEEL.
“Long lay the world in sin and error pining, til He appeared and the souls felt its worth. A thrill of HOPE; the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn…”
Let the tears flow, and with them release the foreboding. Engage in the next moment with a loving purpose filled with the HOPE that He provides. Fall forward to the centered purpose of your life, a very special life, and reflect on the gift we are too quick to diminish.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.”
Revelation 21:1-6
Abiding love to all.
You matter.
You are important.
You are loved.
Steadfast,
~ Sundance
President Trump releases his 2024 Christmas message. {Direct Rumble Link}
Donald Trumps Loving Christmas Message – December 24, 2023
Additionally, Donald J. Trump for President 2024 released a new television ad, titled “A Christmas To Remember.”
The ad—shown nationally as well as in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina — features Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders recounting her time from the White House and Christmas Day in 2018 when President Trump visited U.S. troops in war-torn Iraq. [link]
Just as the Nativity story unfolds with a sense of anticipation and promise, the financial world too experiences its own cycles that we explore together every day on this blog. We have witnessed seasons of abundance and periods of restraint akin to the volatility in the markets. Through it all, the message remains clear — resilience in the face of uncertainty.
The Christian narrative underscores the significance of faith — a steadfast belief in a brighter tomorrow despite the challenges of today. Similarly, in the financial landscape, faith in sound principles, strategic planning, and the ability to adapt is paramount. As we celebrate the birth of Christ, let us find inspiration in the resilience that faith provides, both spiritually and financially.
This is a repeat post from years past. I like to post it on Christmas Eve, a place to share our own best memories of Christmases past.
The Secret Sam was my favorite Christmas present as a child. I still have it, and I will keep it, or perhaps pass it on to a grandchild. Oh, how excited and hopeful I was the year I asked for my own Secret Sam. My mother told me it was a boy’s toy, but I was never a Barbie doll girl.
That was my spy year, my year of intrepid adventures around the neighborhood. It was one of my last Christmases as a child, I think, wanting toys and dreaming of adventures. Not too many years later, perhaps even the next one, my Christmas gifts would be stereos and albums, bell bottom jeans and paisley print turtlenecks.
Perhaps that is why the memory of it is such a treasure to me.
This year my grandchildren will be blessed with the breathless anticipation of what might be under the tree Christmas morning. They will be late to bed, too excited to sleep easily, and early to rise, rushing to the living room in all the excitement and wonder a child can have.
They are being taught the real reason for Christmas, and they will have opened the last flap on the Advent calendar the day before, they will place Jesus in the manger on Christmas morning, and some of them will have caught snippets of the Christmas story, perhaps even at Midnight Mass. They have a book here at my house that unfolds into the journey to Bethlehem, and all the figures are there to travel or meet Mary and Joseph along the way. We read stories, we sing songs, we watch videos.
I want to help nurture faith, hope, and love, generosity, joy, as well as create memories and enjoy the anticipation. I want to see Christmas through the eyes of happy children who see so clearly the joy, the promise, and the simpleness of it all.
Most of all, I want to share the feelings, the very same feelings of a child who exclaims “I love Jesus!” and means it with all their heart.
May your Christmas Eve be blessed with warmth and hope and family and stockings that will soon be full, a house filled with scents of the season, and the anticipation of the birth of our Savior.
I pray for those who can’t be home, especially our service men and women, all those who work to keep us safe and healthy, and those who just can’t be home with loved ones. I pray for those who are alone in the world, for children who won’t have a joyful and warm and safe Christmas.
I pray for the world to share the joy and peace of the season. God bless us every one.
According to recent media reporting, various state police agencies in Europe took action against Islamic extremists, identified as ISIS-k affiliates, to stop planned terror attacks against Christian targets, specifically well-known cathedrals, this Christmas holiday season. The events took place in Austria and Germany, with targets identified in Vienna and Western Germany.
(Jerusalem Post) – Austrian, German, and Spanish police were on high alert at cathedrals in several cities due to concerns that Islamists were planning a terrorist attack on Christmas or New Year’s Eve, with several suspects already arrested in Vienna and Germany, according to German reports.
According to the Bild, several suspects were arrested in the Ottakring district of Vienna, while another was arrested in Saarland, Germany. The arrested suspects are Tajiks allegedly affiliated with the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, the branch of ISIS in south-central Asia, according to the report.
Vienna Police noted in a press release that there is an “increased terror alert level” and “generally an increased risk in Austria during the Christmas holidays.”
“Since terrorist actors across Europe are calling for attacks on Christian events – especially around [Christmas Eve,] December 24 – the security authorities have increased the corresponding protective measures in public spaces in Vienna and the federal states,” Vienna Police said, adding that there would be increased patrols and surveillance during the holidays, with attention focused primarily on churches, religious events, and Christmas markets. (read more)
I would be remiss if I did not add context to this report, literal boots on the ground reporting, something that many U.S. readers might find of interest.
The cultural crisis within the EU rests just under the surface. It is very visible if you look with eyes to see and have discussions with native Europeans in almost every country.
The import of millions, actually tens-of-millions of Muslim oriented migrants is problematic for the domestic tranquility of multiple nations. The more “progressive” or multicultural minded the country’s political leadership, the greater the turmoil.
The issue is simply a percentage of extremism within the larger Islamic migrant population. Not all Muslim immigrants are extremists, but a significant percentage of them reject even the concept of assimilation. That percentage might only be around 25%, but when you think of the scale of the denominator, 25% of a large number is a very significant issue.
Very well-known Christian cathedrals and monuments are now essentially operating like guarded fortresses. It is a very sad thing to witness, as this reality has turned the churches, synagogues and places of faith into risk zones. Even the smaller churches and lesser known -albeit generationally old- houses of faith, have very visible security.
In almost all areas, the days of just walking into a civically positioned church, beautiful old churches built for the local population that eventually built houses around the church, are gone.
The doors of the church are locked, the grounds secured and only at scheduled times is the church available.
There’s another even more sad aspect to this, it’s become the new normal.
Again, to emphasize, the scale of the issue is directly proportionate to the ideology of the political structures that sit atop the society. The more “progressive” or multicultural the emphasis of the political leadership, the stronger the security and threat around the churches.
France is the worst, and fear has become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany and the rest of the Western EU all experience this fear/threat/security situation in varying degrees.
Additionally, and this is where it gets really interesting, the further North and East toward Russia you travel, the lesser the threat dynamic seems to show. Belarus, Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Estonia, and some of the Baltic states do not have as severe a Christian security problem.
Look at a map (with non-pretending eyes), plot the highest threats/incidences and you will clearly see the overlay. Much of Europe is killing its own Christian faith simply by reacting to being threatened, taking security efforts and being politically/culturally correct, according to their own stages of pretense.
Remarkably, and this is where it becomes an astonishingly big lie, Russia…. Yes, RUSSIA, is the safest place for openly visible social/societal Christianity to exist.
In the former Soviet Union, cathedrals and massive places of Christian orthodox worship were essentially turned into warehouses and devalued. Thankfully, these beautiful buildings and architectural masterpieces were not destroyed, they were just neglected. However, in the past 20+ years something amazing has happened, and the people in almost every Russian region talk about what is happening with incredible optimism and fondness.
All of the old monuments and cathedrals are now considered as national cultural prizes. The restoration and preservation are simply stunning, I mean drop your jaw on the ground stunning and overwhelming. The beauty and Christian grandeur are bigger, brighter and feels more alive, cherished and respected than any place in Western Europe.
Yes, this perspective, this modern valuation, this incredible, remarkable and social celebration of Christianity that exists in Russia, far surpasses almost EVERY historic Christian monument and building in the EU in comparison to Russia. It’s not just the building, it’s the way the social fabric of the people thinks about the values reflected within the represented imagery.
I don’t know when this modern Russia began to restore itself, and I have no concept of time to give it context. But what I witnessed is nothing even remotely within the ballpark of what I previously imagined or believed.
Even the Muslims in Russia that don’t celebrate Christmas have found a way to enjoin themselves culturally to the representation of faith and values, in their celebration of the New Year. I found this expressed and open religious cohesion/respect to be incredible and uplifting. It reminded me… and this is going to sound really odd… of the United States many years ago.
Risking a little diminishment I will let you in on a secret, … I was so overwhelmed at times, while visiting these places more than once I had to leave, find a quiet place, and just sit still so I could openly cry with the sense of joy and wonderment – without anyone thinking I was weird. When you feel close to God, you shrink… and nothing in a long time made me as irrelevant and miniscule as those moments of awe.
Socially the valuation system in St Petersburg Russia, formerly Leningrad, is nothing like what you might have been led to believe. The value of the family structure is the apex of expressed social, public and governing policy. Family values are celebrated, men are men, women are women and children are children, nurtured and protected.
Everything in Russian culture is very deliberate, very forceful, incredibly non-pretending, and that sentiment carries forth in the way the Christian religion is presented.
I guess the best way to encapsulate religion and this time of year in a way that most could understand, is to say: Christmastime in St Petersburg, Russia, is like traveling back to Christmastime in 1950’s USA. The purity of it is overwhelming.
Merry Christmas!
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