My beloved brethren of the Christ loving Diocese of Melbourne and Affiliated Regions, love and peace to you from Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Praying that 2003 will be a year full of hope, joy and much fruitful activity.

The story of the incarnation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is truly an amazing journey of love and sacrifice that has led to the salvation of mankind. God created man in a holy image full of purity. As Moses tells us in the Book of Genesis, "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness." (Genesis 1:26) It was an image of righteousness, innocence and an image of living a sinless life with God in the Garden of Eden.

About this image given to mankind by God, Saint Athanasius the Apostolic in his book "On the Incarnation" says, "He bestowed a grace which other creatures lacked - namely, the impress of His own Image, a share in the reasonable being of the very Word Himself, so that, reflecting Him and themselves becoming reasonable and expressing the Mind of God even as He does, though in limited degree, they might continue for ever in the blessed and only true life of the saints in paradise."

However, God created man free and gave him the ability to choose whether to live in purity, righteousness and in the love of God or to choose another path that would lead to death, pride, corruption and the loss of innocence. Unfortunately man chose the path leading to destruction. Hence, the punishment was death and rejection from paradise. God's justice had to be fulfilled and yet at the same time He is a merciful God. His justice is merciful and His mercy is just. One does not negate the other. God loved His human creation with an amazing love and did not want man to perish forever because of this transgression.

The sin of Adam and Eve had to be paid for, yet it was a sin against the infinite and sinless God, hence the person to redeem this sin has to be sinless and infinite also. No other prophets or angels, who are limited, could have taken on this unlimited responsibility. The only candidate that could have taken the place of man and redeemed him is the Lord Jesus Christ - The Alpha and the Omega, God the incarnate Logos. Saint Athanasius says about this, "it was our sorry case that caused the Word (Logos) to come down, our transgression that called out His love for us, so that He made haste to help us and to appear among us. It was we who were the cause of His taking human form, and for our salvation that in His great love He was both born and manifested in a human body."

Saint Athanasius also reminds us that there is a very important link between creation and salvation. He says about the Lord Jesus Christ, "He has been manifested in a human body for this reason only, out of the love of goodness of His Father, for the salvation of us men. The renewal of creation has been wrought by the Self-same Word (Logos) Who made it in the beginning. There is thus no inconsistency between creation and salvation; for the One Father has employed the same Agent for both works, effecting the salvation of the world through the same Word (Logos) Who made it in the beginning."

The Lord Jesus Christ came to earth for this sole reason to save mankind from eternal damnation. He says to us, "for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10) The Lord also says to Nicodemus, "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) Saint Athanasius comments on this by saying, "He was not referring to a man's natural birth from his mother, as they thought, but to the re-birth and re-creation of the soul in the Image of God."

It is indeed the desire of God for all men to be saved and it was for this reason that He came. This is very clear from many verses in the Bible. "And all flesh shall see the salvation of God." (Luke 3:6) "Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:4) And also Saint Peter reminds us of this by saying, " The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)

Truly, salvation is a blessed gift from God to humanity, "For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

We ask our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to bestow His peace upon the whole world. A world that is today full of strife, despair, war and enmity. We ask the Saviour of the world to bestow His peace upon the Middle East, to restore the Palestinian people to their homeland, to grant wisdom to the leaders of the world to work for peace and not for destruction.

We pray that God may preserve the life of our beloved father, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of Saint Mark for many more blessed years to come. We pray that God may strengthen him in his pastoral work to his children all around the world.

I also pray that God may strengthen my dear brother, His Grace Bishop Daniel, Bishop of Sydney and Affiliated Regions in his blessed ministry and grant him joy to see the fruits of his labour.

On this occasion I wish to thank the President of Egypt for declaring the seventh of January as an official public and national holiday for all Egyptians. We pray that love, peace and harmony may prevail in our beloved homeland of Egypt and amongst all of its inhabitants.

We also remember on this occasion the third anniversary of our twenty one martyrs of El-Kosheh Village in Upper Egypt that God may repose their pure souls. We also pray that God may grant wisdom to the judges and all of those responsible for proclaiming the final judgement in this court case during this month. We pray that God may speak in their hearts to give a just and fair judgement for the sake of the blood of these innocent victims who gave their lives for the sake of Christ their beloved Saviour. We Christian Copts in Australia and New Zealand stand united together for the cause of these martyrs and will pray and struggle for their justice.

Wishing you all a joyous life in the Lord, a blessed New Year and a holy Christmas.

Suriel
Servant of the Christ-loving Diocese of Melbourne and Affiliated Regions