Festival of St. Stephen, Martyr
Posted on December 26, 2022 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 2:13-18 (NKJV)
2:13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Devotion
“Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.’”
Satan, the serpent of Genesis 3 and the great red dragon of Revelation 12, sought to destroy Jesus the Christ Child, the promised Seed of the woman, before He could crush Satan’s head on the cross of Calvary and undo his evil work. Though the world did not recognize Jesus for who He was, the devil knew and moved Herod to seek Him out and destroy Him lest the words spoken to him in the garden be fulfilled: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Gen. 3:15).
But God, by directing Joseph in a dream to take the young Child Jesus and His mother to Egypt, protected the Christ Child and preserved His plan to redeem us from the sin and death Satan brought into the world. As a result, Jesus grew up to fulfill all righteousness in our stead, and then to bear on the cross the full and just punishment for our sins, so that we might be pardoned and forgiven through faith in His name.
Prayer: Almighty and everlasting God, direct our actions according to Thy good pleasure, that in the name of Thy beloved Son we may be made to abound in good works; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for St. Stephen, Martyr
Grant, O Lord, that, in all our sufferings here upon earth for the testimony of Thy truth, we may steadfastly look up to heaven, and by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed; and, being filled with the Holy Ghost, may learn to love and bless our persecutors by the example of Thy first Martyr, Saint Stephen, who prayed for his murderers to Thee, O Blessed Jesus, Who standest at the right hand of God to succor all those that suffer for Thee, our only Mediator and Advocate, Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord
Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that the new Birth of Thine Only-Begotten Son in the flesh may set us free who are held in the old bondage under the yoke of sin; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
