Do Not Lose Hope
“No matter what happens, do not lose hope. A way out will appear that matches the trial; God won’t allow, or rather, give a person a burden that exceeds his strength.”
-Elder Ephraim of Arizona
#hope #strength #god
Friday December 13, 2024 / November 30, 2024
25th Week after Pentecost. Tone seven.
Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Wine, and Food with Oil.
Holy and All-praised Apostle Andrew the First-called (62).
St. Elias, schemamonk of Valaam and Verkhoturye (1900).
New Hieromartyr John priest (1937).
St. Frumentius, archbishop of Abyssinia (380).
St. Tudwal, bishop in Wales and Brittany (6th c.) (Celtic & British ).
St. Alexander, bishop of Methymna on Lesbos (Greek).
Sts. Peter I (5th c.) and Samuel I (5-6th c.), Catholicoses of Georgia.
St. Vakhtang Gorgasali, King of Georgia (502).
The Scripture Readings
Matthew 4:18-23 Matins Gospel
18
And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
19
Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
20
They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
21
Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,
22
and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
23
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
6
But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.
7
For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you;
8
nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you,
9
not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.
10
For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.
11
For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.
12
Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.
13
But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.
14
And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed.
15
Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
16
Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.
17
The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is a sign in every epistle; so I write.
18
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
19
And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people -for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.
20
So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.
21
Then they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth:
22
Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
23
But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Why do you test Me?
24
Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have? They answered and said, “Caesar’s.”
25
And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
26
But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.
1 Corinthians 4:9-16 Apostle
9
For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.
10
We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored!
11
To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless.
12
And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;
13
being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.
14
I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you.
15
For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
16
Therefore I urge you, imitate me.
John 1:35-51 Apostle
35
Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.
36
And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”
37
The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38
Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”
39
He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).
40
One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
41
He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ).
42
And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).
43
The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.”
44
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45
Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote-Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46
And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
48
Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49
Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50
Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
51
And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
https://rumble.com/v5y0bm8-do-not-lose-strength.html
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