Hamle 29 — August 05

Remembering the Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ

On this happy day we remember the birth of our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ, the one who came to rescue us. The big feast of His birth comes in the cold winter, but on the 29th day of every month the Church stops to say thank you all over again.

Why every month? Because Jesus being born is the most wonderful gift ever given. God loved us so much that His own Son became a tiny baby. He was wrapped in soft cloths and laid in a manger, which is the box where animals eat their hay. Angels sang in the sky, and shepherds and wise men came to see Him.

Jesus came to be near us, to teach us, and to bring us home to God. So today we smile and say, 'Welcome, Lord Jesus! Thank You for coming to us.' It is a small Christmas in the middle of summer, a day to be glad and to share kindness with others, the way God shared His Son with the whole world.

Salutation to Thy Birth, O our Redeemer.

Saint Thaddeus the Apostle

Today we also remember Saint Thaddeus (say it THAD-ee-us), one of Jesus' apostles, the closest helpers He chose. Thaddeus spent his life traveling and telling people the good news that God loves them.

After Thaddeus had gone home to God, his body rested in a faraway country called Syria. A kind Christian emperor named Constantine, who loved Jesus very much, wanted to honor this holy apostle. An emperor is like a great king. So he had Thaddeus carefully carried all the way to the big city of Constantinople.

There the emperor built a beautiful new church just for him. On a day like today, the church was blessed and made ready, and Thaddeus was laid gently inside. There God answered the prayers of the people who came to be near the holy apostle, and the sick were comforted and helped. Everyone praised God, glad that the love of His faithful apostle was still bringing blessings, even long after his life on earth.

Salutation to the translation of thy body, O Thaddeus.

Saint Warestefa and His Two Friends

Saint Warestefa (say it wah-RES-te-fa) was a wise and gentle man who loved to learn about God and to pray quietly by himself. People thought he was so good that they wanted to make him a bishop, which is an important church leader. But Warestefa felt shy about that, so he quietly slipped away to another city. There he stayed with two brothers who also loved Jesus.

One night an angel of God came to him in a dream. The angel told him to be brave and to tell everyone that he believed in our Lord Jesus Christ. When Warestefa woke up, he told his two friends, and all three of them agreed to be brave together.

They went to the ruler of the land and said out loud that they loved Jesus. The ruler was not kind, and he treated them harshly and put them in prison. But God did not leave them alone. The angel came again and made them strong, and even healed them so they felt better. They stayed faithful to God right to the end, and were never afraid, because they knew they were going home to live with God forever.

Saint Warestefa and his two friends are remembered today as brave martyrs, because they stayed faithful to God even when it cost them their lives. Their courage reminds us that God is always close, especially when things are hard.

The angel of God appeared unto them, and strengthened them, and enabled them to endure.