Metropolitan Job of Pisidia has issued his Christmas Encyclical to the holy clergy and devout faithful of the local Church.
With profound theological insight and pastoral sensitivity, the Metropolitan reflects on the central mystery of the Christian faith: the Incarnation of the Word of God, the historic event that forever transformed not only the course of human history but the world itself.
Regarding the Birth of Christ, he underscores that this event transcends human understanding, for “the Transcendent becomes comprehensible, the Eternal becomes mortal, and the Creator becomes a creature.” Through the words of the Evangelist John, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”, the divine condescension is revealed as the answer to humanity’s timeless quest for God.
The encyclical further emphasizes that the “mystery hidden for ages” not only grants knowledge of God but also opens to humanity “the possibility of participating in divine life” and entering already now into the Kingdom of God. In closing, the Metropolitan offers a paternal exhortation to the faithful: not to “neglect this great gift that has been given to us,” but to live actively the new life in Christ through the sacraments, worship, and love toward one’s neighbor.
Read below the Encyclical
Beloved Fathers, Brothers, and Sisters in Christ,
Once again, the Lord has granted us to celebrate a historic event that has forever transformed not only the course of human history but also the world: the birth in the flesh of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son and Word of God. An event that the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian marvelously summarizes in one phrase: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).
This is an event that many find difficult to comprehend, as it surpasses human reason. How, indeed, can the Transcendent become comprehensible? How can the Eternal become mortal? How can the Creator become a creature? Yet rightly so, the Church sings on this day:
“Today the Virgin gives birth to the Transcendent, and the earth offers a cave to the Unapproachable. Angels and shepherds glorify Him; Magi follow a star. For a Child has been born for us, the pre-eternal God” (Kontakion of the Feast).
Indeed, throughout the ages, humanity, consciously or unconsciously, sought through religion or philosophy the source of the spark within: the origin of the divine image and likeness in which it was created (cf. Gen. 1:26). Yet the limitations of nature prevented it from approaching and meeting God, the Creator. As a created being, humanity could not surpass the boundaries of creation.
For this reason, God Himself comes to meet humanity, becomes man through the Virgin and the Holy Spirit, and dwells among us. “A strange and wondrous mystery! Heaven in a cave; a cherubic throne, the Virgin; the manger, the place where the boundless Christ God reclined; whom we hymn and magnify” (Ode 9, Irmos).
This great “mystery hidden for ages and generations, but now revealed to His saints” (Col. 1:26) grants humanity not only the possibility of knowing God but also of participating in divine life, thereby attaining the fullness of life and inheriting eternal life. As Saint John the Theologian writes, “But to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God” (John 1:12).
Thus, we certainly celebrate an event from the past, but simultaneously, an event that introduces us already to the future—the coming Kingdom of God. Indeed, the Kingdom of God, expected in the future, comes to us in the person of the Son and Word of God, born today of the Virgin in Bethlehem. Through this world-changing event, Christianity stands out among all other religions and, in a sense, ceases to be merely a religion, since no religion has ever witnessed the incarnation of God, nor can any claim to lead to the deification of humanity.
All this was made possible through the birth in the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and subsequently, through the Passion and bodily Resurrection of the Son and Word of God, who inaugurated a new stage in human history and gave humanity the possibility of entering already now into the Kingdom of God. This is achieved through our union with Christ in Baptism and Chrismation, and through communion with His Body and Blood in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, which sustains our life in Christ.
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,
With these reflections, I extend to you my warmest wishes for the Birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and exhort you not to neglect this great gift given to us: the possibility of participating in divine life. Let us eagerly drink from this source of immortality! Let us not neglect the opportunity to participate in the Church’s liturgical services and sacraments, to receive the Holy Communion regularly, to deepen our knowledge of God through the study of Holy Scripture, and to bear witness to our new life in Christ through love, fellowship, and solidarity with every brother and sister in Christ. May He who was born in Bethlehem for our salvation bless the crown of the year of His goodness (Psalm 64:12)!
Antalya, Christmas 2025
Job of Pisidia
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
