The Nativity of our Lord

Transcript

1 The Nativity of our Lord Χριστούγεννα Όρθρος Κυριακής στις 7:00 π.μ. και Θ. Λειτουργία στις 8:00 π.μ. Sunday Orthros at 7:00 a.m. and D. Liturgy at 8:00 a.m. Presiding Priest: Fr. Nicholas Dassouras 25 Δεκεμβρίου December 2016

2 Ἀπολυτίκιον Χριστουγέννων, Ἦχος δ' Ἡ γέννησίς σου Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, ἀνέτειλε τῷ κόσμῳ, τὸ φῶς τὸ τῆς γνώσεως ἐν αὐτῇ γὰρ οἱ τοῖς ἄστροις λατρεύοντες, ὑπὸ ἀστέρος ἐδιδάσκοντο σὲ προσκυνεῖν, τὸν Ἥλιον τῆς δικαιοσύνης, καὶ σὲ γινώσκειν ἐξ ὕψους ἀνατολήν, Κύριε δόξα σοι. Κοντάκιον, Ηχος γ', Αὐτόμελον Ποίημα Ῥωμανοῦ τοῦ Μελῳδοῦ Ἡ Παρθένος σήμερον, τὸν ὑπερούσιον τίκτει, καὶ ἡ γῆ τὸ Σπήλαιον, τῷ ἀπροσίτῳ προσάγει. Ἄγγελοι μετὰ Ποιμένων δοξολογοῦσι. Μάγοι δὲ μετὰ ἀστέρος ὁδοιποροῦσι δι' ἡμᾶς γὰρ ἐγεννήθη, Παιδίον νέον, ὁ πρὸ αἰώνων Θεός.

3 Christmas Apolytikion, Fourth Tone Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, hath shined the light of knowledge upon the world; for thereby they that worshipped the stars were instructed by a star to worship Thee, the Sun of Righteousness, and to know Thee, the Dayspring from on high. O Lord, glory be to Thee. Kontakion for Christmas, Third Tone Today, the Virgin bears Him who is transcendent, and the earth presents the cave to Him who is beyond reach. Angels, along with shepherds glorify Him. The Magi make their way to Him by a star. For a new child has been born for us, the God before all ages.

4 Αποστολικόν Ανάγνωσμα: Eκ της Γαλάτας Επιστολής του Αποστόλου Παύλου 4:4-7 Ἀδελφοί, ὅτε δὲ ἦλθεν τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, γενόμενον ἐκ γυναικός, γενόμενον ὑπὸ νόμον, ἵνα τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον ἐξαγοράσῃ, ἵνα τὴν υἱοθεσίαν ἀπολάβωμεν. Ὅτι δέ ἐστε υἱοί, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν, κρᾶζον, Αββα ὁ πατήρ. Ὥστε οὐκέτι εἶ δοῦλος ἀλλὰ υἱός εἰ δὲ υἱός, καὶ κληρονόμος διὰ Χριστού.

5 The Reading is from St. Paul's Second Letter to the Galatians 4:4-7 BRETHREN, when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then also an heir of God through Christ.

6 Ευαγγελικόν Ανάγνωσμα: Eκ του κατά Ματθαίον 2:1-20 Τοῦ Ιησοῦ γεννηθέντος ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ιουδαίας ἐν ἡμέραις Ηρῴδου τοῦ βασιλέως, ἰδοὺ μάγοι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν παρεγένοντο εἰς Ιεροσόλυμαλέγοντες, Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ τεχθεὶς βασιλεὺς τῶν Ιουδαίων; εἴδομεν γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸν ἀστέρα ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ καὶ ἤλθομεν προσκυνῆσαι αὐτῷ. Ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ηρῴδης ἐταράχθη καὶ πᾶσα Ιεροσόλυμα μετ αὐτοῦ,καὶ συναγαγὼν πάντας τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ γραμματεῖς τοῦ λαοῦ ἐπυνθάνετο παρ αὐτῶν ποῦ ὁ Χριστὸς γεννᾶται. Οἱ δὲ εἶπαν αὐτῷ, Εν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ιουδαίας οὕτως γὰρ γέγραπται διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Καὶ σύ, Βηθλεὲμ γῆ Ιούδα, οὐδαμῶς ἐλαχίστη εἶ ἐν τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν Ιούδα ἐκ σοῦ γὰρ ἐξελεύσεται ἡγούμενος, ὅστις ποιμανεῖ τὸν λαόν μου τὸν Ισραήλ. Τότε Ηρῴδης λάθρᾳ καλέσας τοὺς μάγους ἠκρίβωσεν παρ αὐτῶν τὸν χρόνον τοῦ φαινομένου ἀστέρος,καὶ πέμψας αὐτοὺς εἰς Βηθλεὲμ εἶπεν, Πορευθέντες ἐξετάσατε ἀκριβῶς περὶ τοῦ παιδίου ἐπὰν δὲ εὕρητε ἀπαγγείλατέ μοι, ὅπως κἀγὼ ἐλθὼν προσκυνήσω αὐτῷ. Οἱ δὲ ἀκούσαντες τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπορεύθησαν, καὶ ἰδοὺ ὁ ἀστὴρ ὃν εἶδον ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ προῆγεν αὐτοὺς ἕως ἐλθὼν ἐστάθη ἐπάνω οὗ ἦν τὸ παιδίον. Ἰδόντες δὲ τὸν ἀστέρα ἐχάρησαν χαρὰν μεγάλην σφόδρα. Καὶ ἐλθόντες εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν εἶδον τὸ παιδίον

7 μετὰ Μαρίας τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ πεσόντες προσεκύνησαν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀνοίξαντες τοὺς θησαυροὺς αὐτῶν προσήνεγκαν αὐτῷ δῶρα, χρυσὸν καὶ λίβανον καὶ σμύρναν. Καὶ χρηματισθέντες κατ ὄναρ μὴ ἀνακάμψαι πρὸς Ηρῴδην, δι ἄλλης ὁδοῦ ἀνεχώρησαν εἰς τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν.

8 The Gospel Reading is from Matthew 2:1-20 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the 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

9 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.

10 In his Matthew for Everyone commentary, N.T. Wright describes the ways in which the beginning of Matthew s gospel, including the story of the magi, points to the end of the gospel: There is another way as well in which this story points ahead to the climax of the gospel. Jesus will finally come face to face with the representative of the world s greatest king Pilate, Caesar s subordinate. Pilate will have rather different gifts to give him, though he, too, is warned by a dream not to do anything to him (27.19). His soldiers are the first Gentiles since the Magi to call Jesus king of the Jews (27.29), but the crown they give him is made of thorns, and his throne is a cross. At that moment, instead of a bright star, there will be an unearthly darkness (27.45), out of which we shall hear a single Gentile voice: yes, he really was God s son (27.54). Listen to the whole story, Matthew is saying. Think about what it meant for Jesus to be the true king of the Jews. And then come to him, by whatever route you can, and with the best gifts you can find.

11 The Journey of the Magi by TS Eliot A cold coming we had of it, Just the worst time of the year For a journey, and such a long journey: The ways deep and the weather sharp, The very dead of winter. And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory, Lying down in the melting snow. There were times when we regretted The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces, And the silken girls bringing sherbet. Then the camel men cursing and grumbling And running away, and wanting their liquor and women, And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters, And the cities dirty and the towns unfriendly And the villages dirty and charging high prices: A hard time we had of it.

12 At the end we preferred to travel all night, Sleeping in snatches, With the voices singing in our ears, saying That this was all folly. Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley, Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation; With a running stream and a water mill beating the darkness, And three trees on the low sky, And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow. Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel, Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver, And feet kicking the empty wineskins. But there was no information, and so we continued And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory. All this was a long time ago, I remember,

13 And I would do it again, but set down This set down This: were we led all that way for Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly, We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death, But had thought they were different; this Birth was Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death. We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, With an alien people clutching their gods. I should be glad of another death. This poem was written after Eliot s conversion to Christianity and his confirmation in the Church of England in 1927, and was published in Ariel Poems in This poem is truly a sermon in poem.

14 St. John Chrysostom Homily on Christmas Morning BEHOLD a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd s song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised. Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices; and in place of the sun, enfolds within itself on every side, the Sun of justice. And ask not how: for where God wills, the order of nature yields. For He willed; He had the power; He descended; He redeemed; all things yielded in obedience to God. This day He Who is, is Born; and He Who is, becomes what He was not. For when He was God, He became man; yet not departing from the Godhead that is His. Nor yet by

15 any loss of divinity became He man, nor through increase became He God from man; but being the Word He became flesh, His nature, because of impassability, remaining unchanged. And so the kings have come, and they have seen the heavenly King that has come upon the earth, not bringing with Him Angels, nor Archangels, nor Thrones, nor Dominations, nor Powers, nor Principalities, but, treading a new and solitary path, He has come forth from a spotless womb. Since this heavenly birth cannot be described, neither does His coming amongst us in these days permit of too curious scrutiny. Though I know that a Virgin this day gave birth, and I believe that God was begotten before all time, yet the manner of this generation I have learned to venerate in silence and I accept that this is not to be probed too curiously with wordy speech. For with God we look not for the order of nature, but rest our faith in the power of Him who works. What shall I say to you; what shall I tell you? I behold a Mother who has brought forth; I see a Child come to this light by birth. The manner of His conception I cannot comprehend.

16 Nature here rested, while the Will of God labored. O ineffable grace! The Only Begotten, Who is before all ages, Who cannot be touched or be perceived, Who is simple, without body, has now put on my body, that is visible and liable to corruption. For what reason? That coming amongst us he may teach us, and teaching, lead us by the hand to the things that men cannot see. For since men believe that the eyes are more trustworthy than the ears, they doubt of that which they do not see, and so He has deigned to show Himself in bodily presence, that He may remove all doubt. Christ, finding the holy body and soul of the Virgin, builds for Himself a living temple, and as He had willed, formed there a man from the Virgin; and, putting Him on, this day came forth; unashamed of the lowliness of our nature. For it was to Him no lowering to put on what He Himself had made. Let that handiwork be forever glorified, which became the cloak of its own Creator. For as in the first creation of flesh, man could not be made before the clay had come into His hand, so neither could this corruptible body be glorified, until it had first become the garment of its Maker. What shall I say! And how shall I describe this Birth to you? For this wonder fills me with astonishment. The Ancient of days has become an infant. He Who sits upon the sublime and heavenly Throne, now lies in a manger. And He Who cannot be touched, Who is simple, without complexity, and incorporeal, now lies subject to the hands of men. He Who has broken the bonds of sinners, is now bound by an infant s bands. But He has decreed that ignominy shall become honor, infamy be clothed with glory, and total humiliation the measure of His Goodness. For this He assumed my body, that I may become capable of His Word; taking my flesh, He gives me His spirit; and so He

17 bestowing and I receiving, He prepares for me the treasure of Life. He takes my flesh, to sanctify me; He gives me His Spirit, that He may save me. Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Truly wondrous is the whole chronicle of the Nativity. For this day the ancient slavery is ended, the devil confounded, the demons take to flight, the power of death is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on every side, a heavenly way of life has been in planted on the earth, angels communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels. Why is this? Because God is now on earth, and man in heaven; on every side all things commingle. He became Flesh. He did not become God. He was God. Wherefore He became flesh, so that He Whom heaven did not contain, a manger would this day receive. He was placed in a manger, so that He, by whom all things arc nourished, may receive an infant s food from His Virgin Mother. So, the Father of all ages, as an infant at the breast, nestles in the virginal arms, that the Magi may more easily see Him. Since this day the Magi too have come, and made a beginning of withstanding tyranny; and the heavens give glory, as the Lord is revealed by a star. To Him, then, Who out of confusion has wrought a clear path, to Christ, to the Father, and to the Holy Ghost, we offer all praise, now and forever. Amen.

18 EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT THE MAGI MAY BE WRONG Recently, I was pondering the story of the Magi and the Star of Bethlehem in the Gospel of Matthew and found myself plagued with tons of questions. Who were the magi? Where were they from? What was this pro-astrology story doing in the Bible? These and countless other questions piqued my curiosity and led me on a journey for the truth. What I discovered managed to completely shatter many of the preconceptions I had about the Nativity story, while at the same time filling me with wonder and awe at the truth. Below, in Q&A style, I have summarized my findings for your reading pleasure. May they surprise and fill you with the same awe and reverence for God s saving power in history on this wonderful Feast in Epiphany like they did for me! Who were the Magi? There are actually A LOT of theories about these mysterious men from chapter 2 of Matthew. Their exact origin is unknown; all we basically know is that they were from the East. Whether or not they were astrologers has been up for question. Some scholars interpret the wise men to be Chaldean priest-sages, while others assume they were from the priestly caste of the Medes and Persians. There are

19 reasonable arguments for both positions (priest-sages vs astrologers). Those in favor of the priest-sage argument point to the fact that if the Magi were a small group of astrologers, this would affirm the highlycondemned (among Jews at the time) pseudo-science of astrology. Rather, they were priestly-sages familiar with the prophecy of Balaam in the Book of Numbers. I see him, but not now. I see him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob. A scepter will rise out of Israel, and shall strike through the corners of Moab, and break down all the sons of Sheth. Numbers 24:17 Those in favor of the astrologers argument simply argue that while the Magi were astrologers, having been exiled among Jews they would have become familiar with the popular prophecy of Balaam in the Book of Numbers. Did the Magi actually have names? Contrary to popular belief, the names and number of Magi are the result of a legend. In Ravenna, Italy, there is a church called the New Basilica of Saint Apollinaris, with a mosaic dating back to the sixth century depicted the Magi. In the image (pictured below), above the heads of the Magi, we can see the three names popularly associated with the magi: +SCS BALTHASAR +SCS MELCHIOR +SCS GASPAR.

20 What was the significance of the gifts they brought? While Church tradition has colored the gifts of the wise men with rich theological symbolism, the historical significance of the gifts at the very least represents the Magi s homage to the future King of the East. In fact, the three gifts (gold, frankincense, myrrh) were considered a standard way to honor a king or deity in biblical times. The individual importance of each gift is up for question. Some perceive that the gifts were merely products of the Magi s country of origin. The Church sees the gifts as a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah about Jerusalem s restoration, where nations and kings will come and bring gold and frankincense and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord (Isaiah 60:6). Most folks though are familiar with the spiritual symbolism attributed to the gifts in the Church hymn We Three Kings : gold representing his kingship, frankincense a symbol of his priestly role, and myrrh a prefiguring of his death and embalming. Did the Magi worship the Christ child? Despite some scriptural translations having the Magi worship the

21 Christ child, a more correct translation would be that they paid Him homage. The reason behind this, according to some sources, is the Magi were probably monotheistic, and likely only recognized the Christ child as fulfilling the prophecy of an eastern king. Finally, why would the Bible promote astrology? For early Christians the story of the Magi in the Gospel of Matthew was a source of controversy. A simple reading of the story seemed to advocate the practice of astrology, something strongly condemned throughout Judeo-Christian history. Thankfully, some of the early Church Fathers reasoned to an explanation for the complication the story brought to the Gospel of Matthew. For Origen, a belief in the widespread knowledge and influence of Balaam throughout Mesopotamia provided the answer: If Balaam s prophecies were included in the sacred books by Moses, how much more would they have been copied by those who were then living in Mesopotamia, among whom Balaam had a great reputation and who are known to have been disciples in his art. It is said that the race of Magi descends from him, and that their institution flourishes in eastern lands, and that they [the Magi] had copied among them all of Balaam s prophecies, including A star shall arise out of Jacob [Num 24.17]. The Magi had these things written among themselves, and so when Jesus was born they recognized the star and understood that the prophecy was fulfilled. Origen Homilies on Numbers 13.7

22 The most popular explanation for the astrology in the story of the Magi comes from Saint Jerome. He wrote that whether or not the Magi knew of Christ s birth from the teaching of demons (astrology) or the prophecy of Balaam, the coming of God s Son (marked by the star of Bethlehem) meant the destruction of the whole power of astrology: A star shone in heaven, brighter than all the stars, and its light was ineffable, and its novelty caused astonishment; all the other stars together with the sun and moon became a chorus for the star, and it outshone them all with its light; and there was perplexity [as to] whence [came] this novelty so unlike them. Thence was destroyed all magic, and every bond vanished; evil s ignorance was abolished, the old kingdom perished, God being revealed as human to bring newness of eternal life, and what had been prepared by God had its beginning; hence all things were disturbed because the destruction of death was being worked out. Ignatius Letter to the Ephesians by Joseph Feeley

23 Την σημερινή Κυριακή εορτάζουμε την κατά σάρκα Γέννηση του Κυρίου και Θεού και Σωτήρος ημών Ιησού Χριστού. This Sunday we celebrate the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

24 Καλά Χριστούγεννα