January 4, 2021

Events of the day

No commemorations in the content package for this day yet

• Forefeast: Holy Theophany. The Baptism of the Lord

Fasting

No fast

Christmastide (25 Dec – 4 Jan Old Style) is fast-free: no fasting.

Food rules are reference church information. Agree your personal measure of fasting with a priest; consult a doctor if you are ill.

Readings of the day

• Epistle

  Hebrews 11:17–23, 27–31

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  ¹⁷By faith, Abraham, being tested, offered up Isaac. Yes, he who had gladly received the promises was offering up his one and only son,

  ¹⁸to whom it was said, “Your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac,”

  ¹⁹concluding that God is able to raise up even from the dead. Figuratively speaking, he also did receive him back from the dead.

  ²⁰By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even concerning things to come.

  ²¹By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.

  ²²By faith, Joseph, when his end was near, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.

  ²³By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.

  ²⁷By faith, he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

  ²⁸By faith, he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them.

  ²⁹By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as on dry land. When the Egyptians tried to do so, they were swallowed up.

  ³⁰By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been encircled for seven days.

  ³¹By faith, Rahab the prostitute didn’t perish with those who were disobedient, having received the spies in peace.

• Gospel

  Luke 17:20–25

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  ²⁰Being asked by the Pharisees when God’s Kingdom would come, he answered them, “God’s Kingdom doesn’t come with observation;

  ²¹neither will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ for behold, God’s Kingdom is within you.”

  ²²He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.

  ²³They will tell you, ‘Look, here!’ or ‘Look, there!’ Don’t go away or follow after them,

  ²⁴for as the lightning, when it flashes out of one part under the sky, shines to another part under the sky; so will the Son of Man be in his day.

  ²⁵But first, he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Source: Orthocal: lectionary data — Slavic tradition, New Calendar (OCA practice). Text: World English Bible.

Saints and icons

• Prayer of the day: Morning prayer of St Macarius the Great