Nativity of the Glorious Prophet and Forerunner John the Baptist

Categories: hymns, parish-life, feast-days

Date: 24 June 2007 03:26:47

Commemorated today [June 24] for those of us Orthodox on the New Calendar. Information on St John the Forerunner in Orthodox thought can be found here.

Troparion
Prophet and Forerunner of the coming of Christ,
although we cannot praise you worthily,
we honour you in love at your nativity,
for by it you ended your father's silence and your mother's barrenness,
proclaiming to the world the incarnation of the Son of God!

Kontakion
Today the formerly barren woman gives birth to Christ's Forerunner,
who is the fulfillment of every prophecy;
for in the Jordan,
when he laid his hand on the One foretold by the prophets,
he was revealed as Prophet, Herald, and Forerunner of God the Word.

Liturgy Epistle: Romans 13:11 - 14:4
Liturgy Gospel: Luke 1:1-25; 57-68; 76; 80

Father gave a very relevant, for our parish, sermon on God's time: while Zacharias and Elizabeth no doubt believed their chance to have children was gone, through them, in His own time, God brought into the world the Forerunner: who proclaimed the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

It has been five months since we have had our new, and first full-time, priest: and many people in our parish are wondering, as is to be expected, when will we have a place of our own, or when will this or that happen. Five months is too soon to expect massive changes, at least I tend to think it is, but, thanks be to God, progress is being made. And, may we remember that God has His own time.