Elskede fædre, brødre og søstre i Kristus, Han som fødes
Gud, som til forskellige tider og på forskellige måder i forgangne tider talte til fædrene ved profeterne (Heb. 1:1), forudsagde Messias’ komme, Han, som skulle fri os fra den fædrene synd. Denne forudsigelse kom gradvist. Allerede i Paradis, da Gud talte til de faldne Adam og Eva, foregreb Han Forløseren, der skulle fødes som kvindens afkom: Jeg sætter fjendskab mellem dig og kvinden, mellem dit afkom og hendes: Hendes afkom skal knuse dit hoved’, og du skal bide hendes afkom i hælen (1. Mos. 3:15).
Forberedelsen af Israel til Herrens komme blev gjort på mange måder, men særlig vigtig var de hellige profeters rolle i folkets oplysning. Profeterne forudsagde og skildrede på levende vis billedet af Messias århundreder inden Hans Fødsel og virke blandt folk – så levende, at man fyldes af ærefrygt for Gud og Hans tjenere, profeterne fra Den Gamle Pagt.
Kristi Fødsel og det vidunderlige mysterie om Ham, der fødes i grotten i Bethlehem, blev forudskikket på en hjerte-gribende måde af Profeten Esajas: Men Herren vil selv give jer et tegn: Se, Jomfruen skal blive med Barn og føde en Søn, og hun skal give Ham navnet Immanuel (Es. 7:14) Og dog glemmer vi ofte det Store Lys – Guds Søn – som samme profet beskriver i begyndelsen af Kapitel 9 : Det folk, der vandrer i mørket, skal se et stort lys, lys stråler frem over dem,der bor i mørkets og dødens land (Es. 9:2)
Lyset er en guddommelig egenskab. I Den Hellige Skrift benævnes Gud selv som Det Sande Lys: Herren er mit Lys og min Frelse, for hvem skulle jeg da frygte? (Sl. 26/27:1) Og igen: Og Lyset skinner i mørket; og mørket fik ikke bugt med det (Joh. 1:5). Dette Lys vil, at folket tager del i det, tager imod det og følger det. Således frelser Gud Sit folk, ikke alene fra fremmedes indtrængen, men også Sit nye folk – de ret troende kristne – fra Dødsrigets mørke og synd.
Tiden for Lysets nærvær er oprunden, og Gud proklamerer en glædens tid – en glæde, der kommer fra Ham. Den store og sande glæde er kommet til verden ved Barne-Kongens Fødsel i kongelig pragt. En Konge, som hidbringer den længe ventede frisætning fra synd og død. Den Konge er det menneskevordne Guds Ord, vor Herre Jesus Kristus, som for vor frelses skyld blev os lig i alle ting, undtagen synd (Rom. 8:3)
Hans herredømme er evigt, og selv om Han ydmygede Sig og antog en tjeners skikkelse ved Sin Fødsel (Fil 2: 7–8), mistede han på ingen måde Sin guddommelige værdighed og majestæt: Thi et Barn er født os, en Søn er os givet, på Hans skulder skal herredømmet hvile; og Hans Navn skal være: Underfuld-Rådgiver, Vældig-Gud, Evigheds-Fader, Freds-Fyrste (Es: 9:6).
Fred er ikke blot og bart fravær af krig, men en guddommelig gave – forsoningen af syndige mennesker med Gud ved Kristi offer på Golghata. Det er grunden til, at Hans fred skal være uden ende, og Hans herredømme skal vare evigt. Barnet er den sande Salvede, som til fulde ejer Helligåndens gaver: Den Herre, Herrens Ånd er over mig, fordi Herren salvede mig; Han sendte mig med glædesbud til ydmyge, med lægedom for sønderbrudte hjerter, for at udråbe frihed for fanger, og blinde skal få synet tilbage (Es. 61:1). Modsat præster, konger og profeter i Den Gamle Pagts tid, som var salvede til at virke som mellemmænd mellem Gud og mennesker, så er Kristus selv Den Guddommelige, den sande Mellemmand.
Som Profet udråber Herren Jesus Kristus et nådens år fra Herren – den Nye Pagt (Es. 61:2). Som Ypperstepræst gav Han Sig selv hen som et rent og lydefrit offer for vore synders skyld. Som sand Konge er Han Kirkens Hovede, og Han skal regere for evigt i Sit Rige. Hans herredømme må begynde her på jorden i vore hjerter, så at vi må være delagtige i Ham i Hans evige Rige.
Kristus regerer med retfærd og retfærdighed. Han alene er retfærdig, og Han skal dømme på Den Yderste Dag: Når Menneske sønnen kommer i Sin herlighed, og alle englene med Ham, da skal Han sætte Sig på Sin herligheds trone. Og alle folkeslag skal samles foran Ham … (Matt. 25: 31–32). Foersoningen udvirkes af Herren Jesus Kristus, om Hvem der er skrevet: Hærskarers Herres nidkærhed skal udvirke dette (Es. 9:7)
I Det Gamle Testamente beskrives Gud ofte som en nidkær Gud: … Thi jeg, Herren din Gud, er en nidkær Gud (2. Mos. 20:5). Han vogter nidkært over Sit folk, når de falder bort fra den sande tilbedelse af den ene Gud og begynder at tjene afguder: Folkens billeder er sølv og guld, værk af menneskehænder (Sl. 134/135:15). Guds nidkærhed er nært knyttet til Hans guddommelige magt, hvorved Han åbenbares som Den Almægtige, Den Sejerrige. For os er den største af Hans sejre dén på Korset – sejren over synd og død – en sejr, i hvilken også vi med Guds hjælp må blive delagtige i vore jordiske liv.
Folkene i Den Gamle Pagts tid afventede med frygt og bæven fremkomsten af det underfulde guddommelige Lys – Lyset, om hvilket den hellige apostel og evangelist Johannes Teologen skriver: Og lyset skinner i mørket, og mørket fik ikke bugt med det (Joh. 1:5) Tilsynekomsten af dette uskabte Lys, som var til før verden blev til, blev forudsagt af Profeten Esajas. Lyset er Underfuld-Rådgiver, Barne-Kongen, vor Herre Jesus Kristus.
Det Bulgarske Ortodokse Stift for USA, Canada og Australien afventer ligeledes i ærbødighed dagen for Kristi Fødsel. I disse forfestens dage forbereder vi os, så at vore hjerter må blive grotter i Bethlehem, hvori Kristus må fødes, så Han kan oplyse os med Sit aldrig svindende forklarelsens Lys og gøre os Ham lige.
En velsignet Kristi Fødsel og et glædesfyldt Nytår 2026!
sign. Met. Joseph Metropolit for USA, Canada og Australien
Glory to Thee, Who hast shown us the Great Light!
Beloved fathers, brothers, and sisters in the Christ Who is born, God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets (Heb. 1:1), proclaimed the coming of the Messiah, the Deliverer from the ancestral sin. This proclamation was gradual. Already in Paradise, when God spoke to the fallen Adam and Eve, He foretold the Redeemer Who would be born of the seed of the woman: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall be on guard for His heel” (Gen. 3:15).
The preparation of Israel for the coming of Christ was carried out in many ways, but of particular importance was the role of the holy prophets in the spiritual upbringing of the people. The prophets proclaimed and vividly depicted the image of the Messiah centuries before His Incarnation, Nativity, and public ministry—so vividly that one is filled with awe before God and His servants, the prophets of the Old Covenant.
The Nativity of Christ, and the wondrous mystery of the One born in the cave of Bethlehem, was foretold in a heart-stirring way by the Prophet Isaiah: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14). Yet we often forget the Great Light—the Son of God—Whom the same prophet describes at the beginning of chapter 9: “The people who walked in darkness saw a great light; those who dwell in the land and shadow of death, a light will shine upon them” (Isa. 9:2).
Light is a divine attribute. In Holy Scripture, God Himself is called the true Light: “The Lord is my light and my savior; whom shall I fear?” (Ps. 26:1). And again, “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:5). This Light desires that people partake of it, receive it, and follow it. Thus God saves His people not only from foreign invaders, but also His new people—the Orthodox Christians—from the darkness of sin and of Hades.
The time of the manifestation of the Light has been fulfilled, and God proclaims a time of joy — joy that comes from Him. The great and true joy is brought about by the birth of the Child-King in royal courts. A King Who brings the long-awaited deliverance from sin and death. This King is the Incarnate Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who for our salvation became like us in all things except sin (Rom. 8:3).
His reign is eternal, and although He humbled Himself and took the form of a servant at His Birth (Phil. 2:7–8), He in no way lost His divine dignity and majesty. The names given to this Child reveal His qualities: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder. His name shall be called the Angel of Great Counsel, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6).
Peace is not merely the absence of war, but a divine gift—the reconciliation of sinful humanity with God through the sacrifice of Christ on Golgotha. For this reason His peace shall have no end, and His reign is everlasting. The Child is the true Anointed One, possessing in fullness the gifts of the Holy Spirit: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord anointed Me; He sent Me to preach good tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind…” (Isa. 61:1–2). Unlike priests, kings, and prophets of the Old Covenant, who were anointed to serve as mediators between God and man, Christ Himself is the Divine Person, the true Mediator.
As Prophet, the Lord Jesus Christ proclaims the acceptable year of the Lord—the New Covenant (Isa. 61:2). As High Priest, He offered Himself as a pure and spotless sacrifice for our sins. As true King, He is the Head of His Church and will reign forever in His Kingdom. His reign must begin here on earth in our hearts, that we may share with Him in His eternal Kingdom.
Christ reigns with justice and righteousness. He alone is righteous and will render judgment on the Last Day: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him…” (Matt. 25:31–32). The work of redemption is accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom it is written: “The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this” (Isa. 9:7).
In the Old Testament, God is often described as a jealous God: “…For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God” (Ex. 20:5). He zealously guards His people when they fall away from the true worship of the one God and begin to serve idols: “The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands” (Ps. 134:15). God’s zeal is closely bound with His divine might, by which He is revealed as the Almighty, the Victor. For us, the greatest of His victories is that of the Cross—victory over sin and death—a victory to which we must also become partakers with God’s help in our earthly lives.
The people of the Old Covenant awaited with trembling the manifestation of the wondrous Divine Light—that Light of which the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian writes: “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:5). The manifestation of this uncreated Light, which existed before the foundation of the world, was foretold by the Prophet Isaiah. This Light is the Wonderful Counselor, the Child-King, our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia likewise awaits with reverence the Day of Christ’s Nativity. In these forefeast days we prepare ourselves so that our hearts may become Bethlehem caves, wherein Christ may be born, to illumine us with His unwaning and transfiguring Light, and to make us like unto Him.
A Blessed Nativity of Christ and a Joyful New Year 2026!
+JOSEPH Metropolitan of the USA, Canada, and Australia
ARCHPASTORALPASCHALGREETINGS 2025 from His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph Christ is risen! Indeed, He is risen! (John 1:1–17)
Dearest Beloved,
Today—thanks be to God—there is good news! On this bright and holy Pascha, all the news is good: glad tidings, joyous tidings, triumphant tidings! It is the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from the dead. This is wondrous news not only for Christ’s sake—for death could not hold Him in the grave—but also for ours, for His victory is our victory. We proclaim this triumph in the joyful troparion of the Feast: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!”
Time and again, this hymn echoes through our churches—and yet we never tire of it, for it is full of life and hope.
“Christ is risen from the dead”
This is no mere metaphor; it is fact. Jesus died on Great and Holy Friday and was laid in the tomb. A great stone sealed the grave. Soldiers stood guard at its entrance. But no earthly power could imprison the Lord of life. At dawn on that first Paschal morning, Christ broke through every barrier and rose in glory from the dead! When the holy women came to anoint His body, they found the tomb empty—and an angel proclaiming: “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen!”(Luke 24:5–6) From that moment to this very day—two thousand years later—the faithful continue to echo the angelic greeting: Christ is Risen! And each one of us is called to respond in joy and faith: Indeed, He is risen!
So central was this miracle that the Apostles changed their day of worship from Saturday to Sunday. The first day of the week became the Day of Resurrection, the day of God’s new creation. And to this day, we Orthodox call Sunday the Lord’s Day—the Day of Resurrection. Every Sunday is a “little Pascha,” and the hymns and readings of our services throughout the year proclaim this message again and again: Christ is risen!
“Trampling down death by death”
Death—the ancient enemy of mankind, feared and relentless—has at last been overthrown. For centuries, death claimed countless lives and left behind sorrow, fear, and despair. But now Christ has broken its power. He entered into death willingly, and then rose again in glory. What power does death hold if it cannot keep its prey? The Lord shattered its grip once and for all. This is why we rejoice! This is why we proclaim Jesus Christ as Victor, the Conqueror of all conquerors!
As St. Paul exclaims: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Cor. 15:55). The sting of death is no more, for the tomb is no longer the end. Christ’s open and empty sepulcher reveals the great mystery: that death itself is now but the gateway to eternal life.
“And to those in the tombs bestowing life”
Some may wonder: “What does Christ’s Resurrection have to do with me?” It has everything to do with us. Because Christ is risen, our beloved dead shall rise. Because He lives, we too shall live—freed from corruption, sorrow, and pain. The Resurrection means life for all: life in abundance, life everlasting, life without sorrow, tears, or sickness. So let the good news be heard far and wide! Let every heart rejoice, and every tongue proclaim with one voice and one spirit: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!
Christ is risen! Indeed, He is risen!
Påskebudskabet blev oplæst Påskenat, den 20. april 2025:
Metropolit Joseph, Hellige Clement af Ohrid Kirke i Dearborn, Detroit, 23. juli 2023.
I dagene torsdag den 20. juli til mandag den 24. juli 2023 deltog f. Poul Sebbelov og kirkelæser Jakob Smith som repræsentanter for Gudsmoders Beskyttelses Menighed i det 45. stiftsmøde i vores stift. Mødet fandt sted i Hellige Clement af Ohrid Kirke i Dearborn, Detroit.
Allerede torsdag eftermiddag havde der været møder med vores biskop Metropolit Joseph, møder, som var forbeholdt popadias and diaconissas, altså ægtefæller til præster og diakoner.
Fredag morgen den 21. juli blev der fejret biskoppelig Liturgi i Hl. Clement af Ohrid Kirke.
Mens vi venter på transport til kirken inden morgentjenesten, fredag den 21. juli 2023, møder vi vores biskop, Metropolit Joseph for første gang i hotellets lobby. Fra venstre: Metropolit Joseph, fader Poul.
Lørdag var den koncentrerede konference-dag. Efter morgenmad og Moleben var der møde med en række emner og rapporter fra tillidsfolk og arrangører, valg af mødeledelse, godkendelse af dagsorden og øvrige formaliteter, der hører et officielt møde til.
Mødeaktivitet om lørdagen.
I løbet af lørdagen fik f. Poul mulighed for i detaljer at berette for hele forsamlingen om vor menigheds tilblivelse og historie og vej ind i Metropolit Joseph’s Stift. Det samme gjorde f. Angel for menigheden i Stockholms vedkommende. – Ved samme lejlighed overdrog f. Poul Gudsmoders Beskyttelses Menigheds gave til Metropolitten og Stiftet: En ikon af hl. Johannes af Shanghai og San Francisco, som diakonissa Nana Quparadze har tilvirket. Ikonen blev modtaget med klapsalver af de tilstedeværende.
Metropolit Joseph modtager ikonen af f hl. Johannes af Shanghai og San Francisco.
Lørdag aften efter aftentjeneste i kirken var der ”Banquet Dinner & Dance”. Det blev en festlig afslutning med glimrende og rigelig mad, god amerikansk vin, hyggelige mennesker og en smuk opvisning af bulgarsk folkedans med tilhørende musik.
Søndag formiddag var der (igen) biskoppelig Liturgi, hvor alle præster tjente ved alteret. Så for første gang (antager vi) lød der en dansk ekfonese fra alteret i hl. Clement af Ohrids Kirke i Detroit USA.
Biskoppelig liturgi, søndag den 23. juli 2023, Hellige Clement af Ohrid Kirke i Dearborn, Detroit.
For os, der repræsenterede Gudsmoders Beskyttelses Menighed, var det en stor glæde at møde alle de nævnte og at kunne fejre Liturgi sammen med dem under Metropolit Joseph’s ledelse. Og det var en glæde at kunne tale sammen, både formelt på Konferencens møder og mere uformelt under måltider og den slags.
Dearest Beloved Fathers, Brothers and Sisters,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). It is with these words, that the angels joyfully praised the coming to earth of the Son of God on the Holy Eve of Nativity two thousand twenty-two years ago. The human race had long awaited the Savior of the world, and the shepherds of Bethlehem, pure in heart and filled with sincere faith, were the first to receive the message of the Birth of Christ. “I bring you good tidings of great joy”, the angel told them, “which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10–11).
St. Apostle Paul calls this event “great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16). “He Who, being the brightness of His glory”, (Heb. 1:3) has become “the Son of man” (Luke 7:34). He has brought low the heavens, as the hymnist poetically describes the Birth of Christ, and has descended to earth. “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a Woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” (Gal.4:4–5).
It was out of love, that the Son of God came down to earth and gave us reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:19), the word of life (Phil. 2:16), that He might lift us up to Heaven. (Phil.3:20).
It is this Gospel message of Christ, which the Apostles spread to all the peoples of the world, and those who believed, they made members of the Church of Christ and children of God through the Mystery of Holy Baptism (1 John 3:1). Through the labors of the Apostles in preaching the Gospel, local Churches appeared in all parts of the world, much as oases in the desert, and these Churches in turn comprise the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, whose Head is Christ.
The Church history tells us, that in 988, at the moment when the people of Kiev were being baptized in the waters of the Dnieper River, the Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir prayed: “O God, look dawn from heaven, and behold, and visit, bless and nourish this our vineyard, which You have planted with Your right hand.”
Thanks to his ardent labors, the Faith of Christ spread throughout the lands of Kievan Rus and beyond. Along with it, the peoples’ education and culture flourished, and numerous beautiful temples and monasteries were built, where even today Orthodox Ukrainians and Russians praise and glorify The Lord.
Now, that we have entered the 2nd Millennium of Orthodox Christian Faith in the Ukrainian and Russian Lands, to our deepest regret, we have become witnesses to a bloody fratricidal war. Despite of the constant military operations and attacks and the disruptions of the civilian life, Orthodox Christians in both countries, Ukraine and Russia, continue to worship the Coming of Our Lord, born of The Most Holy Virgin Mary, in Bethlehem.
My Dearly Beloved in the Newborn Lord, we in our Bulgarian Orthodox Diocese, like all the Orthodox Ukrainians and Russians, are recipients of the same spiritual legacy and ecclesiastical traditions of our pious ancestors. Just as the branch cannot bring forth fruit, if it does not remain on the vine (John15:4), so too, we cannot embody in our lives the spiritual legacy of our ancestors, if we do not remain one in our spiritual Mother – the Orthodox Church of Christ. My warm request to all of you now is: “Please, let us pray to the Newborn God-Child for peace in Ukraine, in Russia, and among the nations in the entire world!”
It is through the Holy Mysteries that we partake of the never- ending wellspring of Goodness, and it is through pious living that we deepen our roots in the soil of the Church. Just as a seed which has fallen on fertile soil brings forth a rich harvest, so too, we who have been grafted to the Church of Christ through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, and who remain within the holy enclosure of the Orthodox Church, are to bring forth a rich harvest through the example of our lives.
Dearly Beloved in the Lord, fathers, brothers and sisters! I sincerely greet you with this day of great joy – the Feast of the Birth of Christ.
May the grace of the God-Child born to us today remain with each one of you throughout the year, and continually bring you spiritual joy, renewal and a Blessed Orthodox Christian Life.
During these holy days, let us all bring forth our pure and steadfast faith as a gift to the newborn Christ, and likewise give witness to this faith with works of love and mercy. Let us continually “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18).
