In this moving Christmas homily from 2013, Father Dave relates the heart-warming experience of people reuniting and welcoming each other at the airport to the birth of Christ: “The one word we should all walk away from Christmas with — Welcome.”
Father Dave explains: “The shepherds and magi made the journey to welcome the newborn king. Like those folks at the airport, they had been waiting a long, long time.”
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He also mentions the writings of the prophet Isaiah: “Isaiah gave people a sketch of who they were waiting for. The coming Messiah, the one who will come and finally save us. That was centuries and centuries before the event we celebrate today — the birth of Jesus.”
The Scriptures tell us that Christ was present at the dawn of creation: “In fact, all of creation had been yearning and longing for him to come in human form. That’s why in the nativity scene there aren’t just humans waiting to welcome him; all of God’s creatures gather round and say ‘welcome’ as you make your home among us, your creatures.”
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“We welcome the savior, but it’s probably more important to hear the reverse. That God welcomes us. Jesus is thrilled to welcome you. We celebrate today that finally, we can be at home with Jesus our Savior. You are always welcome here. We are welcomed here, and yet Christ does not force his way down anyone’s throats; he waits for us to welcome him.” (Preached on Wednesday, December 25, 2013, St. Paul the Apostle Church, New York City)