Day 1 (Monday)
Micah 5:2-5
This week of Christmas, we will read one of the prophecies of His birth, the one that is referenced in the gospel of Matthew, and that the scholars in Jerusalem referenced when the Magi came there asking where the Messiah was supposed to be born.
2 But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth;
5 and he shall be the one of peace.
Discussion questions:
1) What does this reading have to do with Jesus and Christmas? (This is the prophecy that tells where the Messiah, the Christ, will be born. Bethlehem means “house of bread,” because it was a town in the farming area of Judaea, and Ephrathah refers to the man who founded the town. Bethlehem was the home town of King David, who was the ancestor of the Virgin Mary, and therefore the ancestor of Jesus, according to the flesh. This is why Joseph & Mary had to go back to Bethlehem to be registered. It was their ancestral home town.)
2) What sort of town is Bethlehem, according to the prophet Micah? Is it important or not? (Micah says it is not important, that it is “one of the little clans of Judah).
3) What does Micah say about the One Who is going to be born in Bethlehem? (He says that He will rule in Israel, and that His origin is from old, from ancient days).
4) What do you think it means, that Micah says someone will be born later, whose origin is from ancient days? (This is how the prophet talks about the fact that Jesus is God Himself, now born as a human being. He didn’t just come into existence, but has always been, and made all things, and will now become a human being, even though He is the One Who made human beings).
5) What else does this prophecy say about Jesus? (It says that when He comes, people who had wandered will come back, and that He will feed His flock, and will be great to the ends of the earth, and will bring peace).
6) Do you have any questions about this? (This is an open question, of course – it’s important for all of us to get comfortable with the way the Prophets talk. It’s often not obvious what it is talking about, and often we can’t immediately find answers to the questions that we ask. Sitting and reflecting on those questions, though, as we pray and worship and celebrate the Liturgy, often results in us finding answers after some time. It is a rare month that I don’t find an answer in the Liturgy or the Bible or my prayers to questions that I have been pondering for a long time. We can’t ever find answers if we aren’t comfortable asking questions for which we can’t find immediate, easy answers. The best answers are the ones that we have to work for and wait for.).
Day 2 (Wednesday)
Prayer of the Hours
This prayer is found throughout the daily prayers of the Church. It is used in each of the four services of the Hours, in Compline, and is usually used also in the private evening prayers for Orthodox Christians in the home. Because of its use in the Hours Services, we hear it four times in the service of the Royal Hours as we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Lord. It talks about how God is worshipped all the time, and how our prayer and worship are a participation in that worship.
O Christ our God, who at all times and at every hour, both in heaven and on earth, are worshipped and glorified, long suffering and plenteous in mercy and compassion; who love the just and show mercy to the sinners; who call all men to salvation through the promise of the blessings to come: Do you, the same Lord, receive also our supplications at this present time, and direct our lives according to your commandments. Sanctify our souls; purify our bodies; set our minds right; clear up our thoughts, and deliver us from every sorrow, evil and distress. Surround us with your holy Angels so that being guarded and guided by their presence, we may arrive at the unity of the faith and the knowledge of your ineffable glory; for blessed are you unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Discussion questions:
1) Which Person of the Holy Trinity do we address in this prayer? (We are talking specifically to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the 2nd Person of the Holy Trinity).
2) What do we say about God in this prayer? (We say that He is worshiped all the time both in heaven and earth, that He loves people who do well and is merciful to those who don’t, and that He calls everyone to salvation.)
3) What do we ask God to do in this prayer? (We ask Him to accept our requests and to guide us according to His instructions).
4) What parts of ourselves do we ask the Lord to help? (Our souls, bodies, minds, & thoughts).
5) Who do we ask the Lord to send to help us? (The Angels – we ask the Lord to surround us with the Angels, so that their protection and guidance can help us reach the unity of the Faith and the knowledge of the glory of God.)
Day 3 (Friday)
Luke 2:1-21
We set this reading aside when we began the Gospel of Luke, so that we could read it this week, as we celebrate the Feast of the Lord’s birth. We are blessed that this year, Day 3, Friday, falls on Christmas Day, so that we are able to read the fullest account of the Lord’s birth on the actual day of His birth.
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 And she gave birth to her son, the Firstborn, and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah,[a] the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,[b] praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”[c]
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
21 After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Discussion Questions
1) Why did Joseph go to Bethlehem when Jesus was about to be born? (He was required to go because of the registration that the Emperor Augustus did, where he told everyone to go to their home town to be counted there)
2) What do you think it means that it says Mary gave birth to her son, the Firstborn? (It could just mean that she hadn’t had any children before, but the way it is phrased in Greek is “ἔτεκεν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον”, so the word “Firstborn” may refer to how Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God, the first-born of all Creation, the one, as we say in the Creed “through Whom all things were made.”)
3) Who were the first people to see Jesus after He was born? How did they find out about it? (The shepherds were the first. An angel of the Lord – and we should note that it says AN angel of the Lord, not THE angel of the Lord, since it is THE angel of the Lord Who has just been born in Bethlehem – told them that the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One, the LORD, Yahweh Himself, had been born.)
4) What proof did the angel give to the shepherds that this child was God Himself? (He told them that they could believe his announcement to them, because when they found the baby, they would find him wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger, which were clearly not the normal things to do with a baby.)
5) What happened to Jesus on the eighth day? (He was circumcised, according to the Law of Moses, and He was given the name Jesus, which the angel Gabriel had told Mary to give Him at the Annunciation, which we read about back in Week 4).
6) Do you know what the name Jesus means? (The name Jesus, Ἰησοῦς in Greek, comes from a Hebrew name which has a particular meaning. The Hebrew name is Yah-hoshua, which means Yah (short for Yahweh) saves. So even His name says Who He is, and what He comes to do.)
7) You have all heard this story many times – is there anything that you noticed about it this time that you hadn’t noticed before? (Open question – have fun!)