I've again begun to read Winter Pascha by
Fr. Thomas Hopko. It is often said that there would be no Good
Friday without Easter morning. Orthodox remind us that there
would be no Pascha without the Incarnation. Christmas is
not a "stand-alone" holiday. It brings us face to face with
Christ's death and resurrection... at least it should:
"The litugrical services for Christmas, officially called The Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, (Deb says: try to put that on your Christmas cards, folks!)
are consciensly patterned after the services for the festival of Pascha
of the Lord, the holy Resurrection. There is a forty-day
fast. There are prefeast preparations. There are the special
royal hours with their prophescies, epistles, gospels, and humns of the
eve of the feast, followed by t he vesperal liturgy of St. Basil the
Great. There is the solemn all night vigil, crowned by matin's
canon and hymns"
Okay, so I must have been daydreaming during last year's Nativity season (I was a new catechumen then) because I never
saw this connection. Now, it also wasn't pointed out to me
either, and being the clueless neophyte that I am, I didn't connect the
dots. In my defense, I had not yet experienced the Lenten season
either. It will be fun to look at the Nativity season with
different eyes this year.
Fr. Thomas goes on:
"Jesus
lay as an infant in the cavern in the reign of Caesar Augustus that He
might lay in the tomb under Pontius Pilate. He was hounded by
Herod that He might be caught by Caiaphas. He was buried in
baptism that He might descend into death through the Cross.... The
Pascha of His Cross was prepared by the Pascha of His coming. The
Pascha of His Resurrection was begun by the Pascha of His Incarnation."
Today He who hung the earth upon the waters
is hung upon the tree.
Today He who holds the whole creation in His hand
is born of a virgin.
The King of angels is decked with a crown of thorns.
He whose essence none can touch is bound in
swaddling-clothes as a mortal man.
This is part of a hymn which is sung at both the Nativity Eve services and Great & Holy Friday (Good Friday).
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Posted by November In My Soul 
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Ancient Faith Radio
Nov. 16, 2006 - Untitled Comment
Should we fear our God's displeasure,
Who to save,
Freely gave
His most precious treasure?
To redeem us He has given
His own Son
From the throne
Of His might in heaven.
See the Lamb, our sins once taking
To the cross,
Suff'ring loss,
Full atonement making.
For our life His own He tenders
And His grace
All our race
Fit for glory renders.