Christ is born!

The day has dawned white and wintry. Bundled Orthodox weave their way through the drifts to an annual appointment with a newborn king. It is a point in time (January 7th, according to the civil calendar) and a point in place (the white, domed church upon the hill) that will take them out of time, out of place, to a cave in Bethlehem about 6 B.C. And because this liturgy is also the gateway to th' eternal, they will be lifted up into the heavens where there is neither time nor place, but the ceaseless singing of the angelic choir. "Holy, Holy, Holy."

Here, in our home, our clothes still lie neatly folded. Illness, pregnancy, and unintentioned vigil have struck here, and we have missed our appointment.

But though we couldn't journey also to the City of David to offer David's Lord our gifts of incense and open, contrite hearts, we may still say with joyfulness:

Christ is born!
Le Christ est né!
Hristos razhdayetsia!

- V.