The Russian war on Ukraine has lasted 10 months and this little country has miraculously held out against a much bigger adversary.
The Ukraine Orthodox Church made an important decision this year to allow local Ukrainian churches to celebrate Christmas on December 25th rather than the traditional January 7th like the Russian Orthodox Church and most Easter Orthodox churches.
Why? The Ukrainian Church is officially separating itself from the influence of Russia and specifically the Russian Orthodox Church. This is a significant step to show the world that the church stands behind the Ukrainian people and against the Russian influence upon their lives.
This is more than a symbolic move. By allowing Ukrainian Christians to celebrate Christmas on December 25th they are aligning themselves with the West while giving beleaguered Ukrainians hope that peace is possible by aligning with the West.
This is a religious rebellion, a religious revolution, designed to use peace in the unjust war brought upon Ukraine. Christmas is a time of hope when we seek peace to reign upon the earth as we celebrate the birth of Christ.
By allowing Ukrainians to celebrate Christmas early at the same time as the Western world, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is offering hope to a war-torn country while seeking help from the West.
As we start this New Year we need to do more than pray for the country of Ukraine; prayer is always important and we should pray for the country and her citizens to be freed of the violence this was has caused upon their lives. Let's do more! Reach out and encourage our government and other world governments to step up and help Ukraine and convince Russia to end this unjust war.
Here's some background on the Eastern & Western churches: In 1054 the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church split. We refer to the Western Christian churches to include the Roman Catholic Church and all of the Protestant denominations that formed after Martin Luther formed the Lutheran Church in 1517. There are differences between the Eastern & Western Churches but the difference that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church took a stand on is that Western Churches celebrate Christmas on December 25th and Eastern Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas on January 7th.
Some material from this post came from "Some Ukrainians move up Christmas celebration in face of Russian invasion" New York Post, By David Propper, December 25, 2022 at https://nypost.com/2022/12/25/ukrainians-move-up-christmas-in-face-of-russian-invasion/
Wikipedia was used to find dates of the Catholic schism and start of Lutheranism.
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