During a sermon, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epifaniy, emphasized the importance of preaching the truth of the Incarnation, the truth of unity of the two natures – divine and human.
“..The belief in the truth of the birth of the Savior from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, the belief that the Messiah is both the true God and the true man is the foundation and cornerstone of Christianity,” said the hierarch, according to the OCU press service.
He quoted the favorite disciple of the Savior, where he says that those who do not believe that the Lord Jesus Christ truly incarnated and became man cannot be referred to as a Christian.
Then Metropolitan Epifaniy spoke about the lineage and ancestors of Jesus Christ.
“As a true man, the Lord Jesus Christ also has relatives and ancestors. Undoubtedly, as the Son of God, He does not have an earthly father, because the Virgin Mary did not conceive from a man, but from the Holy Spirit. At the same time, the Savior, as the Scriptures tell us, truly belongs to the human race in general and to the righteous family of Joseph the Betrothed in particular. That is why on the previous Sunday before Christmas, we heard from the Gospels a reading of the Savior’s lineage, from Abraham, the father of believers, to Joseph, who is called Mary’s husband. In this way, the Church reminded us of the human nature of the Messiah, testifying that He did not come as a vision or a ghost, but was truly born as the Son of Man,” said the head of the OCU.
“All these considerations, memories of ancient events and people from sacred history are not just to increase our knowledge. By remembering Saints Joseph, David, and Jacob, by honoring them, we are reaffirmed in acknowledging the truth of the Incarnation. Through reflection on the life and ministry of these saints, we become more aware of the essence of the Nativity of Christ, and thus establish ourselves in the saving faith that the promised Messiah Christ is truly born, and we must spread this faith among our neighbors,” said the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine.
It should be recalled that Metropolitan Epifaniy said the history of mankind was not a collection of chaotic coincidences.
