Day 15, 15 December 2024, the 1026th day of the full-scale war. As this war empties us of resources and energy and sometimes even of hope, I find myself contemplating the kenosis of Christ, His divine self-emptying in the incarnation. What does it mean to be emptied while trying to remain present? What can the… Continue reading

Day 14, 14 December 2024, the 1025th day of the full-scale war. Just when life in Nazareth had finally found its rhythm for Mary and Joseph, with the divine pregnancy explained by gentle wisdom, the quiet wedding celebrated by understanding hearts, the strained family relationships carefully mended, an imperial decree shattered that reconstructed peace and… Continue reading

Day 13, 13 December 2024, the 1024th day of the full-scale war. As millions of Ukrainians seek shelter from missiles and war, the ancient words about no room echo with fresh pain. When bomb shelters fill past capacity, when refugee centers reach their limits, when European countries begin restricting their possibilities, we confront an old… Continue reading

Day 12, 12 December 2024, the 1023rd day of the full-scale war. Three winters into this war, I find myself contemplating another name that found redemption in displacement: Ruth, whose Moabite roots mirror our own diaspora across Western Christendom. Her journey from the fields of Moab to the fields of Bethlehem resonates with our wartime… Continue reading

Day 11, 11 December 2024, the 1022nd day of the full-scale war. As we count our fallen defenders, with public estimates ranging widely, I am drawn to a haunting name in the genealogy of Jesus: Uriah the Hittite, whose name means that God is my light. Where does a person find light after being betrayed… Continue reading

Day 10, 10 December 2024, the 1021st day of the full-scale war. Thousands of the most profound acts of faithfulness in this war happen quietly. Defenders standing guard in frozen trenches and dugouts. Medics saving lives under fire, as my brother Andrii did. Chaplains staying beside soldiers through the darkest hours. Neighbors sharing generators during… Continue reading

Day 9, 9 December 2024, the 1020th day of the full-scale war. Across 1,020 days of this war, our community of hope walks a tightrope between the air-raid warnings of technology and the whisper of the Holy Spirit, between political proclamations and divine guidance. We often find ourselves like those ancient sages from the east,… Continue reading

Day 8, 8 December 2024, the 1019th day of the full-scale war. In Ukraine today we watch an ancient pattern repeat itself: church leaders in russia wielding sacred texts to justify imperial violence. As Orthodox and evangelical hierarchs there bless the missiles of a special military operation aimed at our cities and our civilians, I… Continue reading

Day 7, 7 December 2024, the 1018th day of the full-scale war. Different lights pierce the darkness over Ukraine through these 1,018 days: not the star of Bethlehem, but the glow of incoming missiles and kamikaze drones and anti-aircraft fire. Our nights echo with sirens and explosions and the cries of the wounded rather than… Continue reading

Day 6, 6 December 2024, the 1017th day of the full-scale war. Dedicated to all children killed in wars, in Ukraine, in the Middle East, and elsewhere. The numbers pierce the heart like shrapnel: 592 children killed and 1,702 wounded since 24 February 2022. Behind each figure a Rachel weeps, a mother whose world has… Continue reading