Eastern Christians are going t celebrate the Nativity in few days. Many happy returns on the day; we usually share the celebrations of all feasts. We beseech God to keep the whole world’s peace. In the Nativity story, we can study God’s interactions with different sorts of people. He used the suitable way to communicate with each person. For instance,
The First Group: God communicated with them in the same way. Virgin Mary, Joseph the Carpenter and the Sheppard. This group has a religious background that makes the appearance of the Angels an acknowledged and acceptable phenomenon.
Christ’s birth was announced to Mary by Gabriel the angel. She was raised up at the Alter and served in it and she knew a lot about spiritual matters, angels and how God speaks to people sometimes via messages He sends with His Angels. God used the same way he used with Zacharias the priest to give him the good tidings of John’s birth. The same goes to God’s interaction with Joseph the Carpenter. Although he was not mentioned in the Bible many a time, it can be inferred that he was of the house and lineage of David, of the tribe of Judah. He was a righteous carpenter who keeps notice of the religious rites and ceremonies. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that when endangered, he must take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until he is brought a word to go back to Palestine.
The Nativity story also included the shepherds who were tending their flock at night at Bethlehem and “suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”. The shepherds receive the message of Nativity and make hast to see the Child in a manger, Mary and Joseph.
Another sort of people God interacted with them was the Magus (The Wise Men) who came from East (Persia). They believed in Zoroastrianism and were Zoroastrian priests who worked as astrologists. They got heavenly-messages via stars and used it to run their countries. They saw unusual star that indicated a king was born. So they took presents to bring to the newly-born king till they reached Bethlehem as the star guided them. They bowed to Jesus Christ and offered Him their presents: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. God present them Himself via a mean of communication they would understand, the stars and its movement. They followed Him taking the risks of travelling that was so difficult back then.
I congratulate you on the Nativity feast and the New Year, many happy returns to all of you.
General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural center
