Jesus "Life of All Life" (Roumanian)

Iconographer: Tohaneau, Archimandrite Timotei
Glass Painting, 20th c. (Mid)
Orthodox Byzantine Icons©.

ADVENT GREETINGS 2010

MARANATHA! Come Lord Jesus! As we come yet again to our preparations for the season of Advent, for the coming of our Lord and Redeemer, I should like to reflect on who it is I live in expectation of welcoming at Bethlehem at Christmas.

The outlook according to St Luke is bleak – Jesus foretelling not only the coming of Anti-Christs, not just floods and earthquakes, not just wars and revolutions, but persecution, imprisonment and trials; all events which appear to be happening before our very eyes - but… He warns us that it is exactly at this moment we get our chance to witness. “Make up your minds not to prepare your defence, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict … but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your perseverance will win you your lives”. (Luke 21: 8-18)

I don’t know about you, but almost daily with more cholera in Haiti, with more violence in Afghanistan and Iraq, with economic disaster worldwide, contempt of Christianity at home, I do wonder about the future.

However, the Christ whom I await and expect is “Life of All Life”, as in the icon above – He is the One who gives me Hope and Faith and Love, because He is all of those, written large and bold. With Him, in hope and faith and love, we cannot fail, because with Him will come Peace and Justice and, dare I say it (?), Unity.

Let us remember the rainbow – Creation at its finest, manifesting to us the Unity and Diversity of all Creation – and “God saw that it was very good”. In our watchfulness for the coming of Jesus Christ, let us in confidence have the Hope, Faith and Love that truly ‘All Shall be Well’.

With love and prayers - Kate