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Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In the fourth century, Abba Poemen taught his disciples: “Do not give your heart to that which does not satisfy your heart.” As we celebrate the Incarnation this Christmas, I find myself returning to this ancient wisdom from the desert fathers, for it speaks to the very heart of what we celebrate—God’s decisive answer to the deepest yearning of the human soul.
The desert mothers and fathers understood something profound about silence, emptiness, and waiting. They fled to the wilderness not to escape the world, but to discover what truly matters when all that is superfluous is stripped away. In that stark landscape, they learned to recognize the voice of God in the stillness.
We in the Diocese of Florida know something of wilderness seasons. We have walked through challenging terrain, faced our own silences, and waited in hope. And yet, here is the great mystery we celebrate: God does not leave us in the wilderness. God comes to us there.
The Incarnation is God’s great “yes” to humanity—Emmanuel, God-with-us, entering not into our strength but into our vulnerability. Jesus is born not in a palace but in a stable, not to the powerful but to the poor, not in the center of empire but at its margins. God comes to us where we actually are, not where we wish we were.
St. Athanasius wrote, “God became human so that humans might become god”—not replacing our humanity, but healing and elevating it. This is the scandal and the glory: God takes on flesh, enters into our limitations, bears our sorrows, and in doing so, transforms everything. The Word becomes flesh and dwells among us, and suddenly every human life, every community, every struggle becomes a potential dwelling place for divine grace.
As we prepare for a new chapter in our diocesan life, this incarnational truth offers us a pattern for moving forward together. Just as God entered our world with humility and love, so we are called to approach one another—and our shared future—with the same posture. The Incarnation teaches us that transformation comes not through power or control, but through presence, vulnerability, relationship, and sacrificial love.
Abba Moses once said, “Go, sit in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything.” Perhaps our diocesan “cell”—this time of transition and discernment—has been teaching us something essential. It has been teaching us to listen more deeply to one another, to trust more fully, and to recognize that God’s presence is not dependent on our perfection but is promised to those who gather in Christ’s name.
This Christmas, I invite us all to receive again the gift of Emmanuel. Let us allow the peace of Christ to dwell in our hearts richly. Let us practice the desert fathers’ discipline of guarding our hearts against bitterness, cynicism, and division. Let us instead cultivate silence that makes space for the Word, emptiness that can be filled with grace, and waiting that opens us to hope.
The Christ Child comes to us still, in bread broken and wine poured out, in Scripture proclaimed and received, in neighbors loved and strangers welcomed, in forgiveness extended and reconciliation pursued. He comes to transform not just individuals, but communities—teaching us that we are members one of another, that we bear one another’s burdens, that we are called to be one as the Father and Son are one.
May the wonder of the Incarnation renew your faith this Christmas season. May the Prince of Peace establish peace in your heart and in our common life together. And may the Light that has come into the world illumine our path forward as we discern faithfully, love generously, and serve joyfully in the year ahead.
In the peace of Christ,
The Rev. Justin Yawn
President, Standing Committee
Diocese of Florida
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