Sunday 22nd December 2024
Nativity Fast: wine and oil allowed
Tone 1 – Eothinon 4
Sunday before the Nativity of Our Lord
Forefeast of The Nativity of Christ
Today we commemorate:
Great Martyr Anastasia, ‘Deliverer From Bonds’, and her teacher, Martyr Chrysogonus, and with them Martyrs Theodota, Evodias, Eutychianus, and others, who suffered under Diocletian (304).
Today's Readings:
Hebrews 11:9-10,32-40; Matthew 1:1-25
Readings in bold type are those appointed by the Typikon for use at the Liturgy
Epistle
Hebrews 11:9-10,32-40
By faith Abraham settled as a foreigner in the promised land. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise, for he was awaiting the city with foundations whose designer and builder is God. … What more shall I say? For time would fail me to speak at length about Gideon or of Barak and Samson and Jephthah, or of David and Samuel and the prophets. Through faith they overcame kingdoms. They laboured for righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped from the edge of the sword, grew strong out of weakness, became powerful in battle, put to flight foreign armies. Women received their dead by resurrection, and others were beaten to death, not accepting deliverance so that they might gain a better resurrection. Others were tested by mockery and scourgings, yet others by shackles and imprisonment. They were stoned; they were sawn in two; they were subjected to ordeals; they were put to the sword. They went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, tormented. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and were in caves and holes in the ground. All these through faith received a testimony, but they did not receive the promise because God had already provided something better for us, so that they would not attain perfection without us.
Gospel
Matthew 1:1-25
A scroll of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. Abijah was the father of Asa. Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was the father of Joram. Joram was the father of Uzziah. Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham was the father of Ahaz. Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amon. Amon was the father of Josiah. Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylon exile. After the Babylon exile Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud. Abiud was the father of Eliakim. Eliakim was the father of Azor. Azor was the father of Sadoc. Sadoc was the father of Achim. Achim was the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the father of Matthan. Matthan was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph. He was the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus who is called Christ. Therefore all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, and from David until the Babylon exile there are fourteen generations, and from the Babylon exile until the Christ there are fourteen generations. The birth of Jesus Christ was like this. When his mother Mary was promised in marriage to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her betrothed, being a righteous man and not wanting to make an example of her, intended to send her away quietly. While he was considering these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, you need not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for what is conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son and you will give him the name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this has happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: ‘Behold a virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him Emmanuel,’ which means ‘God with us.’ On waking from sleep Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. He took his wife but had no intercourse with her until she gave birth to her son, the firstborn, and given him the name Jesus.
Hebrews 11:9-10,32-40; Matthew 1:1-25
Readings in bold type are those appointed by the Typikon for use at the Liturgy
Epistle
Hebrews 11:9-10,32-40
By faith Abraham settled as a foreigner in the promised land. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise, for he was awaiting the city with foundations whose designer and builder is God. … What more shall I say? For time would fail me to speak at length about Gideon or of Barak and Samson and Jephthah, or of David and Samuel and the prophets. Through faith they overcame kingdoms. They laboured for righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped from the edge of the sword, grew strong out of weakness, became powerful in battle, put to flight foreign armies. Women received their dead by resurrection, and others were beaten to death, not accepting deliverance so that they might gain a better resurrection. Others were tested by mockery and scourgings, yet others by shackles and imprisonment. They were stoned; they were sawn in two; they were subjected to ordeals; they were put to the sword. They went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, tormented. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and were in caves and holes in the ground. All these through faith received a testimony, but they did not receive the promise because God had already provided something better for us, so that they would not attain perfection without us.
Gospel
Matthew 1:1-25
A scroll of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. Abijah was the father of Asa. Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was the father of Joram. Joram was the father of Uzziah. Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham was the father of Ahaz. Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amon. Amon was the father of Josiah. Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylon exile. After the Babylon exile Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud. Abiud was the father of Eliakim. Eliakim was the father of Azor. Azor was the father of Sadoc. Sadoc was the father of Achim. Achim was the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the father of Matthan. Matthan was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph. He was the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus who is called Christ. Therefore all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, and from David until the Babylon exile there are fourteen generations, and from the Babylon exile until the Christ there are fourteen generations. The birth of Jesus Christ was like this. When his mother Mary was promised in marriage to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her betrothed, being a righteous man and not wanting to make an example of her, intended to send her away quietly. While he was considering these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, you need not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for what is conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son and you will give him the name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this has happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: ‘Behold a virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him Emmanuel,’ which means ‘God with us.’ On waking from sleep Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. He took his wife but had no intercourse with her until she gave birth to her son, the firstborn, and given him the name Jesus.