Sunday

January 5, 2025

5 January (Revised Julian) · 28th Sunday after Pentecost

New Calendar (Revised Julian)

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Month calendar

Events of the day

Eve of Theophany

Informational

A strict fast day; the Great Blessing of Water.

Forefeast: Holy Theophany. The Baptism of the Lord

Fasting

Fast day · Eve of Theophany

Eve of Theophany: strict fast; with oil on Saturday or Sunday.

Meat: not allowed
Dairy & eggs: not allowed
Fish: not allowed
Oil: allowed
Wine: allowed

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 · Sunday before Theophany

2 Timothy 4:5–8

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⁵But you be sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfill your ministry.
⁶For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure has come.
⁷I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith.
⁸From now on, the crown of righteousness is stored up for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day; and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved his appearing.
Gospel · Sunday before Theophany

Mark 1:1–8

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¹The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
²As it is written in the prophets, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you:
³the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord! Make his paths straight!’ ”
⁴John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins.
⁵All the country of Judea and all those of Jerusalem went out to him. They were baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins.
⁶John was clothed with camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey.
⁷He preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen.
⁸I baptized you in water, but he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.”
Vespers

Genesis 1:1–13
Vespers

Exodus 14:15–18, 21–23, 27–29
Vespers

Exodus 15:22–16:1
Vespers

Joshua 3:7–8, 15–17
Vespers

4[2] Kings 2:6–14
Vespers

4[2] Kings 5:9–14
Vespers

Isaiah 1:16–20
Vespers

Genesis 32:1–10
Vespers

Exodus 2:5–10
Vespers

Judges 6:36–40
Vespers

3[1] Kings 18:30–39
Vespers

4[2] Kings 2:19–22
Vespers

Isaiah 49:8–15
6th Matins Gospel

Luke 24:36–53

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³⁶As they said these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be to you.”
³⁷But they were terrified and filled with fear, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
³⁸He said to them, “Why are you troubled? Why do doubts arise in your hearts?
³⁹See my hands and my feet, that it is truly me. Touch me and see, for a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see that I have.”
⁴⁰When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
⁴¹While they still didn’t believe for joy, and wondered, he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”
⁴²They gave him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.
⁴³He took them, and ate in front of them.
⁴⁴He said to them, “This is what I told you, while I was still with you, that all things which are written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me must be fulfilled.”
⁴⁵Then he opened their minds, that they might understand the Scriptures.
⁴⁶He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,
⁴⁷and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things.
⁴⁹Behold, I send out the promise of my Father on you. But wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high.”
⁵⁰He led them out as far as Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
⁵¹While he blessed them, he withdrew from them, and was carried up into heaven.
⁵²They worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
⁵³and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.
Epistle · at Vespers

1 Corinthians 9:19–27

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¹⁹For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more.
²⁰To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law;
²¹to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law.
²²To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.
²³Now I do this for the sake of the Good News, that I may be a joint partaker of it.
²⁴Don’t you know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run like that, that you may win.
²⁵Every man who strives in the games exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.
²⁶I therefore run like that, not aimlessly. I fight like that, not beating the air,
²⁷but I beat my body and bring it into submission, lest by any means, after I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected.
Gospel · at Vespers

Luke 3:1–18

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¹Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
²in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.
³He came into all the region around the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for remission of sins.
⁴As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.
⁵Every valley will be filled. Every mountain and hill will be brought low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth.
⁶All flesh will see God’s salvation.’ ”
⁷He said therefore to the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
⁸Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance, and don’t begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father;’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones!
⁹Even now the ax also lies at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.”
¹⁰The multitudes asked him, “What then must we do?”
¹¹He answered them, “He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise.”
¹²Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what must we do?”
¹³He said to them, “Collect no more than that which is appointed to you.”
¹⁴Soldiers also asked him, saying, “What about us? What must we do?” He said to them, “Extort from no one by violence, neither accuse anyone wrongfully. Be content with your wages.”
¹⁵As the people were in expectation, and all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he was the Christ,
¹⁶John answered them all, “I indeed baptize you with water, but he comes who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire,
¹⁷whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
¹⁸Then with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people,
Great Blessing of Waters

Isaiah 35:1–10
Great Blessing of Waters

Isaiah 55:1–13
Great Blessing of Waters

Isaiah 12:3–6
Great Blessing of Waters · Epistle

1 Corinthians 10:1–4

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¹Now I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
²and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
³and all ate the same spiritual food;
⁴and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.
Great Blessing of Waters · Gospel

Mark 1:9–11

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⁹In those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
¹⁰Immediately coming up from the water, he saw the heavens parting, and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
¹¹A voice came out of the sky, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

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

Saints and icons

Prayer of the day: The Symbol of Faith (Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed)