Holy Dormition Orthodox Church

Rejoice, O Holy Cross of the Lord, whereby the race of man was loosed from the ancient curse; thou ensign of joy and gladness, thou who dost dash down the foes by thine Exaltation,... O All-Venerable. Our succour and help are thou, and the might of all them that rule, strength of the righteous, and the beauty adorning priests; where thou art portrayed, thou dost rescue from every ill. Scepter of power, staff of strength, wherewith we are shepherded; weapon of peace round about which the Angels hover with fear and awe; Divine and True Glory of Christ God, Who doth bestow His great mercy on the world. [From Vespers, Sunday of the Adoration of the Cross]

Let us observe a fast acceptable and pleasing to the Lord. True fasting is to put away all evil, to control the tongue, to forbear from anger, to abstain from lust, slander, falsehood and perjury. If we remove these things, then is our fasting true and acceptable to God. [Aposticha from Lenten Vespers]

Grant speedy and steadfast consolation unto Thy servants, O Jesus, when our spirits are become despondent. Depart not from our souls when they be in afflictions, nor be Thou afar from our minds when they be in tribulations, but do Thou ever go before us. Draw nigh unto us, draw nigh, O Thou Who art everywhere present: even as Thou wast ever with Thine apostles, so also do Thou unite Thyself to them that long for Thee, O Compassionate One, that, being one with Thee, we may praise and glorify Thine All-holy Spirit. [From the Lenten Third Hour]

In today’s gospel reading Nathanael says to his brother Philip can anything good come out of Nazareth? And how does Philip respond? Come and see. That is the Christian faith. It is not philosophical theory but experience that includes our senses. We don’t know God through books. We know God by experience.In the Orthodox faith we have a sensory experience every time that we enter the church. We taste the Lord’s body and blood, we smell the incense, we see and kiss the icon...s, we hear the hymns. It must be so! Because our redemption and healing happens not only on some far-away cosmic level, but it happens even within the individual person and within his very cells. Sanctification through the life of the Holy Spirit, transforms us at every level. As a person participates through the body, through their senses, they are healed. The Lord Jesus Christ in His abundant mercy and love for mankind, has made this healing possible by truly taking our human flesh and lifting it up to His level. Hisresurrection becomes our resurrection. Everything is healed. Everything is transformed. Everything is made new in the light of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. So now you see why we remember the return of the icons into the Church. Because we can’t get to the resurrection without the incarnation. We can’t get to the life-saving faith unless the apostles had first witnessed the Word made flesh, and been so convinced of this fact that they were willing to die to proclaim the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a powerful testimony of the truth of our faith and it is this faith that gives us new life. It is this faith that we cling to and embrace as we repent and fast and attend extra services andask the Lord to open our hearts and minds and make these truths a part of our being.

Come, ye faithful, and in the light let us perform the works of God; let us walk honestly as in the day. Let us cast away every unjust accusation against our neighbor, not placing any cause of stumbling in his path. Let us lay aside the pleasures of the flesh, and increase the spiritual gifts of our soul. Let us give bread to those in need, and let us draw near unto Christ, crying in penitence: O our God, have mercy on us. [from Vespers, Friday of the first week of Lent]

Make ready, O Zebulon! Adorn thyself, O Naphtali! O River Jordan, leaping up, receive thou the Master Who cometh to be baptized! Rejoice, O Adam, with our first mother!... Hide not yourselves as ye did before in paradise; for He that beheld you naked hath revealed Himself, that He may clothe you in your primordial raiment. Christ hath appeared, desiring to make all creation new! [Hymn of the Forefeast of Theophany]

Let us pass, O faithful, From Bethlehem to Jordan, For behold, the Light which came into the darkness, There begins to overcome the night.... Let us, the guests of God's banquet, Who feasted in Bethlehem, Giving glory to the incarnate Lord with the angels, men, and shepherds, Now proceed in the spirit to the Jordan To see Christ perform a great mystery. Let us exalt Him throughout all ages. [Hymns of the prefeast of Theophany]

Christ is born, glorify Him! Christ from heaven, go out to meet Him! Christ on earth, be exalted! Sing to the Lord all the whole earth; and that I may join both in one word, let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad, for Him who is of heaven and then of earth. Christ in the flesh, rejoice with trembling and with joy; with trembling because of your sins, with joy because of your hope.... Again, the darkness is past; again Light is made; again Egypt is punished with darkness; again Israel is enlightened by a pillar. The people who sat in the darkness of ignorance, let them see the great Light full of knowledge. Old things have passed away, behold all things have become new. The letter gives way, the Spirit comes to the front. The shadows flee away, the truth comes in on them...The laws of nature are upset; the world above must be filled. Christ commands it, let us not set ourselves against Him. O clap your hands together all you people, because unto us a Child is born, and a Son given unto us, whose government is upon His shoulder (for with the cross it is raised up), and His name is called The Angel of the Great Counsel of the Father. Let John cry, prepare the way of the Lord; I too will cry the power of this Day. He who is not carnal is Incarnate; the Son of God becomes the Son of Man, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever... This is our present Festival; it is this which we are celebrating today, the Coming of God to Man, that we might go forth, or rather (for this is the more proper expression) that we might go back to God that putting off of the old man, we might put on the new; and that as we died in Adam, so we might live in Christ, being born with Christ and crucified with Him and buried with Him and rising with Him. For I must undergo the beautiful conversion, and as the painful succeeded the more blissful, so must the more blissful come out of the painful. For where sin abounded grace did much more abound; and if a taste condemned us, how much more does the passion of Christ justify us? Therefore let us keep the Feast, not after the manner of a heathen festival, but after a godly sort; not after the way of the world, but in a fashion above the world; not as our own, but as belonging to Him who is ours, or rather as our master’s; not as of weakness, but as of healing; not as of creation, but of re-creation. [The Nativity Homily of St. Gregory the Theologian]

Upon the leavetaking of Nativity, the "Holy Dormition and Friends" men's choir would like to wish you a Merry Christmas one last time. Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

Make ready, O Bethlehem! Let the manger be prepared! Let the cave show its welcome! The Truth comes, and the shadow flees. God is born of a Virgin and is revealed to men.... He is clothed in our flesh and makes it divine. Therefore Adam is renewed and cries out with Eve: Thy favor has appeared on earth, O Lord, for the salvation of the human race. Today He Who holds the whole creation in His hand is born of a Virgin. He Whose essence none can touch is bound in swaddling-clothes as a mortal man. God, Who in the beginning fashioned the heavens, lies in a manger. He who rained manna on His people in the wilderness is fed on milk from His mother’s breast. [Stichera from the Royal Hours on the Eve of the Nativity]

This Christmas night bestowed peace on the whole world; So let no one threaten; This is the night of the Most Gentle One - Let no one be cruel; This is the night of the Humble One -... Let no one be proud. Now is the day of joy - Let us not revenge; Now is the day of Good Will - Let us not be mean. In this Day of Peace - Let us not be conquered by anger. Today the Bountiful impoverished Himself for our sake; So, rich one, invite the poor to your table. Today we receive a Gift for which we did not ask; So let us give alms to those who implore and beg us. This present Day cast open the heavenly doors to our prayers; Let us open our door to those who ask our forgiveness. Today the Divine Being took upon Himself the seal of our humanity, In order for humanity to be decorated by the seal of Divinity. [St. Isaac the Syrian]

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 infants bands. But He has decreed that ignominy shall become honor, infamy be clo...thed 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 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 implanted 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. To Him, then, Who out of confusion has wrought a clear path, to Christ, to the Father, and to the Holy Spirit, we offer all praise, now and for ever. Amen. [St. John Chrysostom, Homily on Christmas Morning]

Make ready, O Bethlehem! Open unto all, O Eden! Adorn thyself, O Ephratha! For the Tree of life hath blossomed forth from the Virgin in the cave.... Her womb is shown to be a noetic paradise, wherein lieth a divine garden, eating from whence we live, not dying like Adam. Christ is born to raise up His image which before was fallen. [Troparion of the Forefeast]

The Creator, the Wisdom of God draws near, The mist of the prophet’s promise has dispersed. Joy clears the skies, Truth is resplendent, The dark shadows are dispelled,... The gate of Eden are opened. Adam dances in exultation: Our Creator and God wills to fashion us anew. [Prefeast of the Nativity]