It’s Christmas Eve here in Ukraine. After preaching in our Christmas Eve service I came home and was relaxing a bit when I came across this Christmas greeting by Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko. I was so impressed with it that I decided to translated his words and send it to you.
I hope you’ll remember to pray for Ukraine this Christmas day!
“Dear Ukrainians with my whole heart I greet you on the birth of Christ.
Over 2000 years ago a Savior came to earth who took upon himself the sins of the people and gave us the hope of salvation.
Our country has belonged to the Christian European civilization for over 1,000 years. Today it is being born once again. And our plans to change the lives of all Ukrainians for the better will only come to pass if we honor God and not break his holy commandments. Our faith will be strong and immovable and it will be given to us according to our faith.
The birth of Christ has always been and is now a big and important holiday for us and especially for those who protect their motherland, those who protect Ukraine.
Christ in his words said, “There’s no greater love than when one gives his life for his friends.” So in these holidays we especially pray for our soldiers. May the Lord protect their lives.
The deep meaning of today’s holiday is faith, love and hope and especially peace because when the angels brought the good news of the birth of the Savior these words sounded “Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth”
Dear countrymen I’m glad that Ukraine has kept wonderful traditions like mangers scenes and Christmas carols. May each home today have some tasty Ukrainian kutya. (traditional Christmas porridge)
May God’s long awaited peace come to Ukraine! And may God bless each Ukrainian family and each Ukrainian. On the day of Christ’s birth let’s greet each other with the words that Ukrainians have repeated over many centuries,
Christ is born!
Let us praise him!”
TCAvey
January 7, 2015It’s amazing how times of great struggle can bring us closer to our Savior and make us cherish our heritage and traditions all the more.
Caleb
January 7, 2015It’s true TC we’ve seen it happen in so many ways here.
eruaran
January 9, 2015I’ll pray for the people being shelled by Poroshenko’s forces.
Maureen Ray
February 22, 2015I guess I have to say I really do not this Poroshenko and the country has been driven into a greater mess through the sort of manipulative comments and sheer coercion he includes in this lamentable Christmas Greeting. Encouraging people to stand on a particular political viewpoint and using Christianity to do so is reprehensible. The Ten commandments or the Law of Christ!!! You cannot live under both. The Ten commandments are part of the 613 Laws of the Torah. People cannot and will never be able to keep all the laws and should not be burdened with the Mosaic Law. They are superseded by Christ’s death on the Cross, for all He did was totally sufficient and to say otherwise is blasphemous and heretical. May this man be led into all truth and your people discover the fulness of the Gospel for this can, most assuredly provide no greater joy in the midst of conflict.