St. Luke Orthodox Christian Church Diocese of the South, Orthodox Church in America
The Rev. Father Basil Henry, Priest 1415 Woodstock Ave. • Anniston, Alabama • www.stlukeanniston.org/
December 25, 2011 • 28th Sunday after Pentecost THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD GOD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST
The Adoration of the Magi: Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar. Commemoration of the Shepherds in Bethlehem who were watching their flocks, and went to see the Lord. Massacre of Monk Martyr Jonah and with him 50 Monks and 65 Laymen at St. Tryphon of Pechenga Monastery, by the Swedes (1590).
Announcements
We welcome our Visitors and hope you can join us for coffee hour following Divine Liturgy. The Auvils and Champions will receive the Mystery of Holy Baptism next Saturday at 10 a.m. The icon on the front is of the Tree of Jesse.
Mon, 12/26 No service
This Week’s Fasting, Service and Scripture Schedule Tues, 12/27 Wed, 12/28 Thurs, 12/29 Fri, 12/30 Sat, 12/31 Nativity Feast (Fast Free Week) Matins 8 a.m.
No Class
No service
No service
Baptism 10 a.m.
Sun, 1/1 Divine Liturgy 10 a.m.
Great Vespers 4 p.m. Heb. 2:11-18
Heb. 4:1-13
Heb. 5:11-6:8
Heb. 7:1-6
Heb. 7:18-25
Ephes. 2:11-13
Gal. 1:11-19
Mark 11:11-23
Mark 11:23-26
Mark 11:27-33
Mark 12:1-12
Luke 17:3-10
Matt. 2:13-23
Acts 6:8-15; 7:1-5,47-60
1 Tim. 6:11-16 (Sat. aftr. Nativity)
(Circumcision)
Matt. 21:33-42
Matt. 12:15-21
Lk. 2:20-21,40-52
(Theotokos)
(Sun. Aft. Nativity) (Sun. Aft. Nativity & Theotokos)
2 Tim. 4:5-8
(Sun. bfr. Theophany)
Mark 1:1-8
(Sun. bfr. Theophany)
Col. 2:8-12
(Saint) (Saint)
(Circumcision)
(Sat. aftr. Nativity)
1 Tim. 3:14-4:5
(Sat. bfr. Theophany)
Matt. 3:1-11
(Sat. bfr. Theophany)
Synaxis of the Theotokos
St. Stephen the Protomartyr
St. Simon the Myrrh-gusher
The Holy Innocents
St. Gideon of Karakalou
St. Melania the Younger
St. Basil the Great/ Circumcision
Service times are subject to change. Please check with Fr. Basil if in any doubt.
Divine Liturgy of St Basil the Great
First Festal Antiphon
I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will make all Thy wonders known. Refrain: Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us!
Third Antiphon
The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand…” Refrain: Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, hast shone to the world the light of wisdom! For by it, those who worshipped the stars, were taught by a star to adore Thee, the Sun of righteousness, and to know Thee, the Orient from on high. O Lord, glory to Thee!
In the company of the upright, in the congregation, great are the works of the Lord. Refrain: Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us!
“…until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool!” Refrain: Thy Nativity, O Christ our God…
They are sought out according to His will. Refrain: Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us!
The Lord shall send You the scepter of power from Zion: “Rule in the midst of Your enemies!” Refrain: Blessed art Thou, O Christ our God…
Full of honor and majesty is His work, and His righteousness endures forever. Refrain: Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us!
Authority shall be with You on the day of Your power, in the splendor of Your saints. Refrain: Blessed art Thou, O Christ our God…
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Refrain: Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us!
Second Festal Antiphon
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments. Refrain: O Son of God, born of the Virgin, save us who sing to You: Alleluia! His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Refrain: O Son of God, born of the Virgin, save us who sing to You: Alleluia! Glory and wealth are in His house, and His righteousness endures forever. Refrain: O Son of God, born of the Virgin, save us who sing to You: Alleluia! Light rises in the darkness for the upright; the Lord is merciful, compassionate and righteous. Refrain: O Son of God, born of the Virgin, save us who sing to You: Alleluia! Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
“Only Begotten Son”
“Out of the womb before the morning star have I begotten You.” The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind: “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
Troparia
Nativity of Christ (Tone 4)
Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, hast shone to the world the light of wisdom! For by it, those who worshipped the stars, were taught by a star to adore Thee, the Sun of righteousness, and to know Thee, the Orient from on high. O Lord, glory to Thee!
Kontakia
Nativity of Christ (Tone 3)
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Today the Virgin gives birth to the Transcendent One, and the earth offers a cave to the Unapproachable One. Angels with shepherds glorify Him; the Wise Men journey with the star, since for our sake the eternal God was born as a little Child!
Trisagion
Nativity of Christ
(Instead of Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal…)
As many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. Alleluia.
~3~
Prokeimenon
Nativity
of Christ
(Tone 8)
Let all the earth worship Thee and praise Thee! Let it praise Thy Name, O Most High! Vs: Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth! Sing of His Name! Give glory to His praise!
Epistle Reading
Nativity of Christ
The Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Galatians (4:4-7)
Brethren, when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Alleluia Verses
Nativity of Christ (Tone 1)
Vs: The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork. Vs: Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declare knowledge.
Gospel Reading
Nativity
of Christ
The Gospel according to St. Matthew (2:1-12)
East, and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.’” Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Theotokion
Nativity of Christ
O my soul, magnify her who is more honorable , and who is more glorious than the heavenly hosts.
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the A mystery I behold which is strange and wondrous: the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been cave is heaven, and the Virgin is the throne of the cheruborn king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the bim, in the confines of the manger is laid the infinite
Christ our God, Whom we praise and magnify.
Continued from page 4
The Nativity of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
he incomprehensible and inexplicable Nativity of Christ came to pass when Herod the Great was reigning in Judea; the latter was an Ascalonite on his fathers’s side and an Idumean on his mother’s. He was in every way foreign to the royal line of David; rather, he had received his authority from the Roman emperors, and had ruled tyrannically over the Jewish people for some thirty-three years. The tribe of Judah, which had reigned of old, was deprived of its rights and stripped of all rule and authority. ➡ ~4~
Such was the condition of the Jews when the awaited Messiah was born, and truly thus was fulfilled the prophecy which the Patriarch Jacob had spoken 1,807 years before: “A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a prince from his loins, until there come the things stored up for him; and he is the expectation of the nations” (Gen.49:10). Thus, our Saviour was born in Bethlehem, a city of Judea, whither Joseph had come from Nazareth of Galilee, taking Mary his betrothed, who was great with child, that, according to the decree issued in those days by the Emperor Augustus, they might be registered in the census of those subject to Rome. Therefore, when the time came for the Virgin to give birth, and since because of the great multitude there was no place in the inn, the Virgin’s circumstace constrained them to enter a cave which was near Bethlehem. Having as shelter a stable of irrational beasts, she gave birth there, and swaddled the Infant and laid Him in the manger (Luke 2:1-7). From this, the tradition has come down to us that when Christ was born He lay between two animals, an ox and an ass, that the words of the Prophets might be fulfilled: “Between two living creatures shalt Thou be known” (Abbacum 3:2), and “The ox knoweth his owner and the ass his master’s crib” (Esaias 1: 3). But while the earth gave the new-born Saviour such a humble reception, Heaven on high celebrated majestically His world-saving coming. A wondrous star, shining with
uncommon brightness and following a strange course, led Magi from the East to Bethlehem to worship the newborn King. Certain shepherds who were in the area of Bethlehem, who kept watch while tending their sheep, were suddenly surrounded by an extraordinary light, and they saw before them an Angel who proclaimed to them the good tidings of the Lord’s joyous Nativity. And straightway, together with this Angel, they beheld and heard a whole host of the Heavenly Powers praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men” (Luke 2:8-14).
St. Stephen, Archdeacon & First Martyr
aint Stephen was a Jew, by race, and, as some say, a disciple of Gamaliel, the teacher of the Law mentioned in Acts 5:34 and 22:3. He was the first of the seven deacons whom the Apostles established in Jerusalem to care for the poor, and to distribute alms to them. Being a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, he performed great signs and wonders among the people. While disputing with the Jews concerning Jesus, and wisely refuting their every contradiction, so that no one was able to withstand the wisdom and the spirit whereby he spake, he was slandered as a blasphemer and was dragged off to the Sanhedrin of the elders. There with boldness he proved from the divine Scriptures the coming of the Just One (Jesus), of Whom they had become the betrayers and murderers, and he reproved their faithless and hardheartedness. And finally, gazing into Heaven and beholding the divine glory, he said: “Lo, I see the Heavens opened and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.” But when they heard this, they stopped up their ears, and with anger cast him out of the city and stoned him, while he was calling out and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then, imitating the long-suffering of the Master, he bent his knees and prayed in a loud voice for them that were stoning him, and he said, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge,” And saying this, he fell asleep (Acts 6, 7), thus becoming the first among the Martyrs of the Church of Christ. ~5~
The Twelve Days of Christmas T
he Twelve Days of Christmas are a part of the church year often misunderstood among Christians who are not part of an actively liturgical tradition. Contrary to much popular belief, these are not the twelve days before Christmas, but the twelve days from Christmas until Theophany. By starting with the Nativity of Christ and ending with His Baptism, we participate in the reality that by Jesus’ birth, His Incarnation in the flesh, the doorway to union with God is opened: “The Son of God became man that man might become God” (St. Athanasius). Our membership in Him, that is our acceptance of His invitation to partake of the divine, is actualized by baptism in the Church, His Body. In keeping the celebration of Christmas for the twelve days between Nativity and Theophany, we also remind ourselves that our salvation is a process, for we proceed from His invitation (Nativity) to our acceptance (Theophany/baptism) and beyond. There are many ways, some simple, others elaborate, by which we can make the Twelve Days of Christmas real in our homes. We can draw out the season as a time for festivity and the nurturing of a Christ-centered life for our children, our friends, and ourselves. In simpler times, the theme of this season was unrestrained hospitality. People took time off with their friends and family to simply enjoy and bask in the light and joy of Christ’s birth and His revelation as the Son of God, the Savior of mankind. We too can make this effort in various ways. Perhaps a good place to start would be with a simple tradition in our own homes that keeps us focused and celebratory in our hearts. Sit down with friends or family each evening and write a few (or additional) Christmas cards. Exchange a small gift or good deed each day until Theophany. Or make an effort to open your home for hospitality in the spirit of receiving the Christ-child. In Greece, a fire or smoldering log is kept burning for twelve days to keep evil spirits at bay until the house blessings of Theophany seal the new year’s holiness. In Ireland, young people sing home to home each evening, coercing other youths to join them until a final home gives hospitality to them all. In some countries there is a special meal each night, while others focus on an abundance of candles that signify their home is “open” to receive Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. One tradition is to keep torches burning all day and then combine them all into a bonfire each evening around which everyone gathers, drinks, and eats. Slavs emphasize the sauna or hot baths as a time of daily “cleansing of the soul” and wholesome fellowship. Others spread housecleaning duties (ending with a sweet treat) over the twelve days in preparation for Theophany house-blessings. Theophany is also remembered as the day the Three Magi reached the cave and baby Jesus. In light of this, themes revolve around kingliness, royalty, and journey. Some folks set up their manger scene with the wise men far off and have the children move the wise men a little closer each day until Theophany. Most traditions for this period revolve around hospitality and friendship, light, the giving of gifts, doing of good deeds, and general goodness with which to usher in the new year. Whatever the theme, picking something and having a time for it each of the days between Nativity and Theophany may work well to sanctify the home and prepare the heart for exercises in godliness throughout the coming year. And this is better than any New Year’s resolution!
The Song
T
he popular song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is usually seen as simply a nonsense song for children. However, it began as a song of Christian instruction with hidden references to the basic teachings of the Faith. It is a memorization device to teach basic catechism to youngsters. The “true love” mentioned in the song is not an earthly suitor, but God Himself. The “me” who receives the presents refers to every baptized person who is part of the Christian Faith. Each of the “days” represents some aspect of the Christian Faith that was important for children to learn. (over)
~6~
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . A Partridge in a Pear Tree: The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on December 25, the first day of Christmas. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, recalling the expression of Christ’s sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so . . .” (Luke 13:34). Two Turtledoves: The Old and New Testaments, which together bear witness to God’s selfrevelation in history and the creation of a people to tell the Story of God to the world. Three French Hens: The three theological virtues: (1) Faith, (2) Hope, and (3) Love (1 Corinthians 13:13). Four Calling Birds: The Four Gospels: (1) Matthew, (2) Mark, (3) Luke, and (4) John, which proclaim the Good News of God’s reconciliation of the world to Himself in Jesus Christ. Five Gold Rings: The first five Books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch: (1) Genesis, (2) Exodus, (3) Leviticus, (4) Numbers, and (5) Deuteronomy, which give the history of humanity’s sinful failure and God’s response of grace in the creation of a people to be a light to the world. Six Geese a-Laying: The six days of creation that confess God as Creator and Sustainer of the world (Genesis 1). Seven Swans a-Swimming: The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: (1) prophecy, (2) ministry, (3) teaching, (4) exhortation, (5) giving, (6) leading, and (7) compassion (Romans 12:6–8; cf. 1 Corinthians 12:8–11). Eight Maids a-Milking: The eight Beatitudes: Blessed are (1) the poor in spirit, (2) those who mourn, (3) the meek, (4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, (5) the merciful, (6) the pure in heart, (7) the peacemakers, (8) those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. (Matthew 5:3–10) Nine Ladies Dancing: The nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: (1) love, (2) joy, (3) peace, (4) patience, (5) kindness, (6) generosity, (7) faithfulness, (8) gentleness, and (9) self-control. (Galatians 5:22) Ten Lords a-Leaping: The ten commandments: (1) You shall have no other gods before me; (2) Do not make an idol; (3) Do not take God’s name in vain; (4) Remember the Sabbath Day; (5) Honor your father and mother; (6) Do not murder; (7) Do not commit adultery; (8) Do not steal; (9) Do not bear false witness; (10) Do not covet. (Exodus 20:1–17) Eleven Pipers Piping: The eleven faithful Apostles: (1) Simon Peter, (2) Andrew, (3) James, (4) John, (5) Philip, (6) Bartholomew, (7) Matthew, (8) Thomas, (9) James bar Alphaeus, (10) Simon the Zealot, (11) Judas bar James. (Luke 6:14–16) Twelve Drummers Drumming: The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles’ Creed: (1) I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. (2) I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. (3) He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. (4) He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the grave]. (5) On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. (6) He will come again to judge the living and the dead. (7) I believe in the Holy Spirit, (8) the holy catholic Church, (9) the communion of saints, (10) the forgiveness of sins, (11) the resurrection of the body, and (12) life everlasting.
~7~
A Greek Orthodox priest blesses candles for Christian pilgrims in the Church of the Nativity in the biblical West Bank city of Bethlehem. Scores of Christian pilgrims are preparing to gather in the traditional birthplace of Jesus Christ in the West Bank to celebrate Christmas. (Musa AlShaer, AFP/Getty Images) St. Luke Orthodox Christian Church 1415 Woodstock Ave. Anniston, AL 36207