SUNDAY, December 20th, 2020 –Sunday
Before Nativity
·
8:30 am
-Matins/Orthros
Click
this link to Orthros/Matins Gospel Reading
·
9:30 am
- Divine Liturgy.
Click
this link to Epistle Reading
Click this link to Holy Gospel Reading
·
There will be NO 12:00 pm Paraklesis to Saint Nectarios.
Reading
Matthew 1:1-25 – the genealogy of jesus
christ
The Gospel:
1The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the
Son of David, the Son of Abraham: ω
2Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and
Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. 3Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot
Ram. 4Ram begot Amminadab,
Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot
Salmon. 5Salmon
begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, 6and Jesse begot David the
king.
David the king begot Solomon by her who had
been the wife of Uriah. 7Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and
Abijah begot Asa. 8Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram,
and Joram begot Uzziah. 9Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham
begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. 10Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon,
and Amon begot Josiah. 11Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were
carried away to Babylon.
12And after they were brought to Babylon,
Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. 13Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot
Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. 14Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot
Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. 15Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan
begot Jacob. 16And
Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is
called Christ.
17So all the generations from Abraham to David
are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are
fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the
Christ are fourteen generations.
The Virgin
Birth of Christ
18Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows:
After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came
together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19Then Joseph her husband,
being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded
to put her away secretly. 20But while he thought about these things, behold, an
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of
David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which
is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21And she will bring forth a
Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people
from their sins.”
22So all this was done that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23“Behold, the virgin shall be
with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,”
which is translated, “God with us.” 24Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the
angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25and did not know her till she
had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.
Source: Bible, Crimson Publishing. The Orthodox
study bible (updated Old and New testament) (Kindle Locations
73850-73851). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
Life Application Narrative:
MT 1: 1
Presenting this record of ancestors (called a genealogy) was one of the
most interesting ways that Matthew could begin a book for a Jewish
audience. Because a person’s family line proved his or her standing as
one of God’s chosen people, Matthew began by showing that Jesus was a
descendant of Abraham, the father of all Jews, and a direct descendant
of David, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah’s line.
The facts of this ancestry were carefully preserved. This is the first
of many proofs recorded by Matthew to show that Jesus is the true
Messiah.
MT 1:
1-25 More than 400 years had passed
since the last Old Testament prophecies, and faithful Jews all over the
world were still waiting for the Messiah (Luke 3: 15). Matthew wrote
this book to Jews to present Jesus as King and Messiah, the promised
descendant of David who would reign forever (Isaiah 11: 1-5). The
Gospel of Matthew links the Old and New Testaments and contains many
references that show how Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy.
MT 1:
1-25 Jesus entered human history when
the land of Palestine was controlled by Rome and considered an
insignificant outpost of the vast and mighty Roman Empire. The presence
of Roman soldiers in Israel gave the Jews military peace, but at the
price of oppression, slavery, injustice, and immorality. Into this kind
of world came the promised Messiah.
MT 1:
1-17 In the first 17 verses we meet 46
people whose lifetimes span 2,000 years. All were ancestors of Jesus,
but they varied considerably in personality, spirituality, and
experience. Some were heroes of faith— like Abraham, Isaac, Ruth, and
David. Some had shady reputations— like Rahab and Tamar. Many were very
ordinary— like Hezron, Ram, Nahshon, and Akim. And others were evil— like Manasseh and
Abijah. God’s work in history is not limited by human failures or sins,
and he works through ordinary people. Just as God used all kinds of
people to bring his Son into the world, he uses all kinds today to
accomplish his will. And God wants to use you.
MT 1:
3-6 Matthew’s inclusion of four
particular women (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba— here called
“Uriah’s wife”) reveals his concern to do more than relay historical
data. These women raise both ethnic and ethical questions. At least two
of them were not Israelites by birth and all four of them had
reputations that could have made them unmentionable in an ancestral
tree. Yet this was the line into which God’s Son was born. Jesus’
genealogy makes it clear, not that there were a few disreputable people
in his family, but that all of them were sinners. God sent his Son as
Savior of all people— Jews, Gentiles, men, and women. No matter what
the sins of the people, God’s plan was never thwarted. It continues to
unfold. That plan includes you.
MT 1: 11
The exile to Babylon occurred in 586 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar, king of
Babylon, conquered Judah, destroyed Jerusalem, and took thousands of
people captive.
MT 1: 16
Because Mary was a virgin when she became pregnant, Matthew lists
Joseph only as the husband of Mary, not the father of Jesus. Matthew’s
genealogy gives Jesus’ legal (or royal) lineage through Joseph. Mary’s
ancestral line is recorded in Luke 3: 23-38. Both Mary and Joseph were
direct descendants of David. Matthew traced the genealogy back to
Abraham, while Luke traced it back to Adam. Matthew wrote to the Jews,
so Jesus was shown as a descendant of their father, Abraham. Luke wrote
to the Gentiles, so he emphasized Jesus as the Savior of all people.
MT 1: 17
Matthew breaks Israel’s history into three sets of 14 generations, but
there were probably more generations than those listed here.
Genealogies often compressed history, meaning that not every generation
of ancestors was specifically listed. Thus, the phrase “the father of”
can also be translated “the ancestor of.”
MT 1: 18
Jewish marriage involved three basic steps. First, the two families
agreed to the union. Second, a public announcement was made. At this
point, the couple was “pledged.” This was similar to engagement today
except that their relationship could be broken only through death or
divorce (even though sexual relations were not yet permitted). Third,
the couple was married and began living together. Because Mary and
Joseph were engaged, Mary’s apparent unfaithfulness carried a severe
social stigma. According to Jewish civil law, Joseph had a right to
divorce her, and the Jewish authorities could have had her stoned to
death (Deuteronomy 22: 23-24).
MT 1: 18
Why is the Virgin Birth important to the Christian faith? Jesus Christ,
God’s Son, had to be free from the sinful nature passed on to all other
human beings by Adam. Because Jesus was born of a woman, he was a human
being; but as the Son of God, Jesus was born without any trace of human
sin. Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.
Because
Jesus lived as a man, we know that he fully understands our experiences
and struggles (Hebrews 4: 15-16). Because he is God, he has the power
and authority to deliver us from sin (Colossians 2: 13-15). We can tell
Jesus all our thoughts, feelings, and needs. He has been where we are
now, and he has the ability to help.
MT 1: 19
Joseph was faced with a difficult choice after discovering that Mary
was pregnant. Perhaps Joseph thought he had only two options: divorce
Mary quietly or have her stoned. But God provided a third option— marry
her (1: 20-23). In view of the circumstances, this had not occurred to
Joseph. But God often shows us that there are more options available
than we think. Although Joseph seemed to be doing the right thing by
breaking the engagement, only God’s guidance helped him make the best
decision. But that did not make it an easy decision. Consenting to
marry Mary surely cast doubt on his own innocence regarding the
pregnancy, as well as leaving them both with a social stigma they would
carry for the rest of their lives. Yet Joseph chose to obey the angel’s
command (1: 24). When our decisions affect the lives of others, we must
always seek God’s wisdom and then be willing to follow through no
matter how difficult it may be.
MT 1: 20
The conception and birth of Jesus Christ are supernatural events beyond
human logic or reasoning. Because of this, God sent angels to help
certain people understand the significance of what was happening (see
2: 13, 19; Luke 1: 11, 26; 2: 9).
Angels
are spiritual beings created by God who help carry out his work on
earth. They bring God’s messages to people (Luke 1: 26), protect God’s
people (Daniel 6: 22), offer encouragement (Genesis 16: 7-16), give
guidance (Exodus 14: 19), carry out punishment (2 Samuel 24:
16), patrol the earth (Zechariah 1: 9-14), and fight the forces of evil
(2 Kings 6: 16-18; Revelation 20: 1-2). There are both good and
bad angels (Revelation 12: 7), but because bad angels are allied with
the devil, or Satan, they have considerably less power and authority
than good angels. Eventually the main role of angels will be to offer
continuous praise to God (Revelation 7: 11-12).
MT 1:
20-23 The angel declared to Joseph that
Mary’s child was conceived by the Holy Spirit and would be a son. This
reveals an important truth about Jesus— he is both God and human. The
infinite, unlimited God took on the limitations of humanity so he could
live and die for the salvation of all who would believe in him.
Jesus means
“the LORD saves.” Jesus came to earth to save us because we can’t save
ourselves from sin and its consequences. No matter how good we are, we
can’t eliminate the sinful nature present in all of us. Only Jesus can
do that. Jesus didn’t come to help people save themselves; he came to
be their Savior from the power and penalty of sin. Thank Christ for his
death on the cross for your sin, and then ask him to take control of
your life. Your new life begins at that moment.
Jesus
would fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah, for he would be “Immanuel” (“God
with us”; see Isaiah 7: 14). Jesus was God in the flesh; thus, God was
literally among us, “with us.” Through the Holy Spirit, Christ is
present today in the life of every believer. Perhaps not even Isaiah
understood how far-reaching the meaning of Immanuel would be.
MT 1: 24
Joseph changed his plans quickly after learning that Mary had not been
unfaithful to him (1: 19). He obeyed God and proceeded with the
marriage plans. Although others may have disapproved of his decision,
Joseph went ahead with what he knew was right. Sometimes we avoid doing
what is right because of what others might think. Like Joseph, we must
choose to obey God rather than seek the approval of others.
Source: Tyndale. NIV Life Application Study Bible,
Second Edition (pp. 7229-7230). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Kindle
Edition.
Apolytikion
of Sunday Before Nativity
Second Tone.
Great are the
accomplishments of faith. In the fountain of flame the three Holy
Youths rejoiced as though they were resting by the waters. And the
Prophet Daniel showed himself to be a shepherd to the lions, as though
they were sheep. Through their prayers O Christ our God, save our
souls.
Kontakion of Sunday
Before Nativity
Plagal of the Second Tone
You did not worship a
man-made image, O Thrice-Blessed Youths, * but were glorified in the
test of fire, * protected by a power beyond description. * From the
searing flames you cried out to God, saying: * "Hasten to help us,
O Merciful Lord * for in Your greatness You can do whatever You
will."
WEDNESDAY, December 23rd, 2020
·
There will be NO 7:00 pm -Paraklesis Service to Saint Nectarios.
THURSDAY, December 24th,
2020
·
6:30 am
-Matins/Orthros followed by Royal Hours, Christmas Vespers followed by
the Liturgy of
Saint Basil.
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