Genesis,
Chapter 21, Verse 14-18
14 Early the next
morning Abraham got some bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar.
Then, placing the child on her back,
he sent her away. As she roamed aimlessly in the wilderness of Beer-sheba, 15
the
water in the skin was used up. So she put the child down under one of the
bushes, 16 and then went
and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away; for she said to herself, “I
cannot watch the child die.” As she sat opposite him, she wept aloud. 17 God heard the boy’s voice, and God’s
angel called to Hagar from heaven: “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not fear;
God has heard the boy’s voice in this plight of his. 18 Get up, lift up
the boy and hold him by the hand; for I will make of him a great nation.”
Hagar was the servant of
Sarah. Hagar was also the mother of Abraham’s firstborn illegitimate son
Ishmael. The situation here was horrendous, due to Sarah’s practical nature;
she gave her slave to Abraham to raise as a son to give his inheritance, too. According
to Islamic sources it was Ishmael that Abraham tried to offer as a sacrifice to
God at the Dome of the rock in Jerusalem. A war ensued between the mother of Ishmael
and the mother of Isaac. Now that Sarah had her own son--Hagar and her son was
a threat to Sarah and Sarah wanted her and her son dead. Fear is the root of the evil between Sarah and Hagar. Sarah and
Hagar feared the loss of life and
property for their son’s; and unfortunately this in-house squabble continues
today with the descendants of Abraham (The Jews and the Arabs). Here we see God
sends his angel to pronounce to Hagar, dying of thirst and having to watch her
son die of thirst, to not be afraid. Legend
has it that the angel produced life giving water for Hagar and Ishmael and the
courage to continue. Blood feuds are the worst and are usually caused by fear which leads to puffed up pride and
envy. Pride and envy are a slow poison to avoid. Today would be a good day to
reflect if we have given in to this type of poison.
The Three Kings[1]
The Gospel of Matthew
mentions only that several Magi -- respected priestly scholars
from Persia and other neighboring countries -- came to worship the Christ Child
from the East. Tradition, however, has added a few details: that there were
three of them, that they were kings, and that their names were Gaspar,
Melchior, and Baltasar. Devotion to the three kings is a marked
feature of Epiphany and was traditionally encouraged in a number of ways. From
Christmas onward, for example, the figurines of the Magi, which had been
kept a distance from the crèche, were brought closer and closer until it
reached the crèche
on Twelfth-night. Another traditional observance was the solemn blessing of
a home on the Feast of the Epiphany, after which the initials of the Magi
would be written on the frame of the door, together with the year and several
crosses that connected all of the letters and numbers. There is even a special blessing
for the chalk in the Roman ritual.
Orthodox Christmas[2]
Well if you have not got
enough of the Christmas Season you can always celebrate with the Orthodox
Catholics.
Some Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on December
25th, but others mark the birth of Jesus on a variety of dates including
January 7th and January 19th. It depends on which calendar the particular
church follows - while western Christendom has adopted the Gregorian calendar,
some Orthodox churches use the older Julian calendar to calculate the dates for
holy feast days. December 25th on the original Julian calendar falls on January
7th of our calendar. Most Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on this date;
however some churches, including Armenian orthodox Christians use the revised
Julian calendar and their Christmas falls on January 19th of our calendar. While
Christmas is a very important religious celebration for Orthodox Christians, it
falls second to Easter which they consider to be the most important date in the
religious calendar.
Religious
Observance of Orthodox Christmas
Most believers in the Eastern Orthodox Church prepare
for Christmas with 40 days of fasting, continuing right up until late on
Christmas Eve Jan 6th.
·
Traditionally, when the first star appears on
Christmas Eve Eastern Orthodox Christians will break their fast with a
celebratory meal.
·
Also on Christmas Eve, traditionally Orthodox
Christians will cut a branch from a tree and bring it into their home, as a
symbol that Jesus is entering their house and their hearts.
·
A prayer and blessing will be said before the
Christmas Eve feast begins, and the head of the family will greet each person
present with the traditional Christmas greeting of 'Christ is born' to which the response is 'Glorify him!'. Then the bread will be torn by hand and shared with
all present. Some families will have straw scattered around the table, as a
reminder of Jesus's birth in the manger.
·
On Christmas Day, Orthodox Christians will
attend Divine Liturgy, which will usually be a little longer than usual due to
being an exceptional religious holiday. It is traditional to light candles in
honor of Jesus, as light of the world.
·
Afterwards people walk in procession to a sea,
lake or river. The water will be blessed as part of an outdoor ceremony, and
some people will take the blessed water back to their homes.
Let us pray that all leaders will use their power in service to Christ and that they use their powers for the good of mankind.
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