Psalm, Readings, and Collects for Matins of Saint Lucy’s Day
Psalm 45
My heart is stirring with a noble song;
let me recite what I have fashioned for the king; *
my tongue shall be the pen of a skilled writer.
You are the fairest of men; *
grace flows from your lips,
because God has blessed you for ever.
Strap your sword upon your thigh, O mighty warrior, *
in your pride and in your majesty.
Ride out and conquer in the cause of truth *
and for the sake of justice.
Your right hand will show you marvelous things; *
your arrows are very sharp, O mighty warrior.
The peoples are falling at your feet, *
and the king’s enemies are losing heart.
Your throne, O God, endures for ever and ever, *
a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom;
you love righteousness and hate iniquity.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you *
with the oil of gladness above your fellows.
All your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia, *
and the music of strings from ivory palaces makes you glad.
Kings’ daughters stand among the ladies of the court; *
on your right hand is the queen,
adorned with the gold of Ophir.
“Hear, O daughter; consider and listen closely; *
forget your people and your father’s house.
The king will have pleasure in your beauty; *
he is your master; therefore do him honor.
The people of Tyre are here with a gift; *
the rich among the people seek your favor.”
All glorious is the princess as she enters; *
her gown is cloth-of-gold.
In embroidered apparel she is brought to the king; *
after her the bridesmaids follow in procession.
With joy and gladness they are brought, *
and enter into the palace of the king.
“In place of fathers, O king, you shall have sons; *
you shall make them princes over all the earth.
I will make your name to be remembered
from one generation to another; *
therefore nations will praise you for ever and ever.”
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Zechariah 2:1-13
In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo, saying: The LORD was very angry with your ancestors. Therefore say to them, Thus says the LORD of hosts: Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.” But they did not hear or heed me, says the LORD. Your ancestors, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your ancestors? So they repented and said, “The LORD of hosts has dealt with us according to our ways and deeds, just as he planned to do.” On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo; and Zechariaha said, In the night I saw a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen; and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. Then I said, “What are these, my lord?” The angel who talked with me said to me, “I will show you what they are.” So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, “They are those whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth.” Then they spoke to the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have patrolled the earth, and lo, the whole earth remains at peace.” Then the angel of the LORD said, “O LORD of hosts, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which you have been angry these seventy years?” Then the LORD replied with gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.
Matthew 24:32-44
Jesus said, “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that heg is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
Collect for the Feast of Saint Lucy of Rome
O Almighty God, by whose grace and power your holy virgin and martyr Saint Lucy triumphed over suffering and was faithful even unto death: Grant us, who now remember her with thanksgiving, to be so faithful in our witness to you in this world by the purity of our lives, that we may receive with her the crown of life; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Collect for the Third Sunday of Advent
Lord Jesus Christ, we implore you to hear our prayers and to lighten the darkness of our hearts by your gracious visitation; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Psalms, Readings, and Collect for Vespers of Monday of Advent III
Psalm 44
We have heard with our ears, O God,
our forefathers have told us, *
the deeds you did in their days,
in the days of old.
How with your hand you drove the peoples out
and planted our forefathers in the land; *
how you destroyed nations and made your people flourish.
For they did not take the land by their sword,
nor did their arm win the victory for them; *
but your right hand, your arm, and the light of your countenance,
because you favored them.
You are my King and my God; *
you command victories for Jacob.
Through you we pushed back our adversaries; *
through your Name we trampled on those who rose up against us.
For I do not rely on my bow, *
and my sword does not give me the victory.
Surely, you gave us victory over our adversaries *
and put those who hate us to shame.
Every day we gloried in God, *
and we will praise your Name for ever.
Nevertheless, you have rejected and humbled us *
and do not go forth with our armies.
You have made us fall back before our adversary, *
and our enemies have plundered us.
You have made us like sheep to be eaten *
and have scattered us among the nations.
You are selling your people for a trifle *
and are making no profit on the sale of them.
You have made us the scorn of our neighbors, *
a mockery and derision to those around us.
You have made us a byword among the nations, *
a laughing-stock among the peoples.
My humiliation is daily before me, *
and shame has covered my face;
Because of the taunts of the mockers and blasphemers, *
because of the enemy and avenger.
All this has come upon us; *
yet we have not forgotten you,
nor have we betrayed your covenant.
Our heart never turned back, *
nor did our footsteps stray from your path;
Though you thrust us down into a place of misery, *
and covered us over with deep darkness.
If we have forgotten the Name of our God, *
or stretched out our hands to some strange god,
Will not God find it out? *
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
Indeed, for your sake we are killed all the day long; *
we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Awake, O Lord! why are you sleeping? *
Arise! do not reject us for ever.
Why have you hidden your face *
and forgotten our affliction and oppression?
We sink down into the dust; *
our body cleaves to the ground.
Rise up, and help us, *
and save us, for the sake of your steadfast love.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Isaiah 8:16-9:1
Bind up the testimony, seal the teaching among my disciples. I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. See, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. Now if people say to you, “Consult the ghosts and the familiar spirits that chirp and mutter; should not a people consult their gods, the dead on behalf of the living, for teaching and for instruction?” surely, those who speak like this will have no dawn! They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry; when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will curse their king and their gods. They will turn their faces upward, or they will look to the earth, but will see only distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be thrust into thick darkness. But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
Revelation 3:7-13
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens: I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my Name. I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but are lying-I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. I am coming soon; hold fast to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it. I will write on you the Name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new Name. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
Collect for the Third Sunday of Advent
Lord Jesus Christ, we implore you to hear our prayers and to lighten the darkness of our hearts by your gracious visitation; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Santa Clause’s Feast
Happy Feast-day of St. Nicholas of Myra, Bishop and Confessor
The Troparion (aka the Hymn):
Saint Nicholas,
thou art an emblem of faith,
an icon of meekness,
and an instructor of self-control,
the truth of thy deeds hath been shown unto thy flock;
wherefore thou hast acquired through humility the highest virtues,
and through poverty the richest truths.
Father Nicholas, pray for us, always.
The Kontakion (aka the Anthem):
Thou wast a faithful minister of God in Myra,
O Saint Nicholas.
For having fulfilled the Gospel of Christ,
thou didst die for the people
and save the innocent.
Therefore thou wast sanctified
as a great exemplar of the grace of God.
The Collect (aka the Prayer):
Almighty and everlasting God, Who didst enkindle the flame of Thy love in the heart of Thy servant Saint Nicholas, grant to us, Thy humble servants, the same faith and power of love; that, as we rejoice in his triumph, we may profit by his example; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
The Synaxis (aka the Legend):
Saint Nicholas was born at the famous city of Patara in Lycia. His parents obtained him from God by prayer, and the holiness of his life was marked even from the cradle. When he was at the breast he never would suck more than once on Wednesdays and Fridays, and that always after sunset, though he sucked freely on other days. This custom of fasting he never broke through during his whole life. While he was still a young man he lost both his father and mother, after which he gave his whole property away to the poor. One particular example is given of his Christian charity. There was a certain needy man in the city who had three marriageable daughters, for whom he could not get husbands, and so thought to make them harlots. When Blessed Nicholas heard of it, he went to the house by night and threw in by the window such a sum of money as made a dowry for one of them. This he did a second and a third time, and thus by his charity they were honourably given in marriage. When he had given himself entirely to God he set forth for Palestine, that he might see the Holy Places, and worship therein. During this pilgrimage he embarked once on board a ship when the sky was clear and the sea calm, but he foretold a great storm, which afterwards arose and raged until the sailors were afraid; and then the saint by prayer stilled the tempest. After he had returned home, and his holy life was known to all men, God bade him to to Myra, which is the chief city of Lycia, at a time when the Bishop had just died and the Bishops of the Province were called together to choose a successor. While they deliberated, they received a warning from heaven to choose that Nicholas who should first come into the church in the morning. In obedience to that warning, Saint Nicholas was seized at the door of the church, and with universal consent consecrated Archbishop. In his great office he was an unceasing model of purity, as he had always been, of gravity, of regularity in prayer, of watching, of abstinence, of charity, of hospitality, of meekness in exhortation, and of sternness in rebuke. He was the comforter of widows and orphans by money, by advice, and by labour. He was the deliverer of the oppressed, so mightily, that it is related that the Emperor Constantine once unjustly condemned three Tribunes to death, and these unhappy men called upon Holy Nicholas, though living and absent, to save them, who yet appeared in a vision to the Emperor, and forced him by threats to set them free. When the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian published their edict against Christianity, Saint Nicholas did not cease to preach the truth at Myra, wherefore he was seized by the soldiers of the Emperors, carried away from his See, and thrown into prison, where he remained until the accession of Constantine. This prince set him free, and he returned to Myra. He betook himself to the First Council of Nicea, where he was one of the 318 Bishops who condemned the heresy of Arius. He returned thence to his Bishopric, and, not long after, became aware of the approach of death. When his last moment was come, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and, when he saw the Angels coming to meet him, he began to recite the Thirty-First Psalm, “In Thee, O LORD, do I put my trust,” and when he had said, “Into Thy hands I commend my spirit,” he passed to the Heavenly Fatherland. His body was finally removed to Bari in Apulia, where it is kept with great fame and honor. His charity was so great he became the inspiration for the folk legend of Father Christmas, sometimes called Santa Clause.
Happy Thanksgiving!
The earth has yielded its harvest;
God, our God, has blessed us.
You visit the earth and water it;
you make it very plenteous.
You soften the ground with showers;
and bless the increase of it.
You crown the year with your goodness;
and your paths overflow with plenty.
The meadows are clothed with sheep;
the valleys stand so thick with corn,
they shout for joy and sing.
The earth has yielded its harvest;
God, our God, has blessed us.
(Psalms 65:8,10,11,13; 67:7)
Iowa, according to Jeff Foxworthy
Iowa, according to Jeff Foxworthy…
If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you may live in Iowa.
If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don’t even work there, you may live in Iowa.
If you’ve worn shorts and a jacket at the same time, you may live in Iowa.
If you’ve had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you may live in Iowa.
If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may live in Iowa.
If you have switched from ‘heat’ to ‘A/C’ in the same day and back again, you may live in Iowa.
If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you may live in Iowa.
If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both doors unlocked, you may live in Iowa.
If you carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you may live in Iowa.
If you design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you may live in Iowa.
If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you may live in Iowa.
If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, you may live in Iowa.
If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you may live in Iowa.
If you find 10 degrees “a little chilly”, you may live in Iowa.
If you actually understand these jokes, you may live in Iowa.
Happy Feast of the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary!
I believe that there is one God the Father and one Holy Ghost proceeding from the Father, so also that there is one Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages, brightness of His glory and express image of the Father’s person, on account of man’s salvation, incarnate and made man and born of Mary the Virgin in the flesh. For so are we taught by the wise Paul “Whose are the Fathers and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen,” and again “Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness.” On this account we also call the holy Virgin “Theotokos,” and deem those who object to this appellation to be alienated from true religion. - St. Theodoret of Cyrus (393-457)
