"The Lord is in This Place" for the Nativity of the Theotokos
Sunday before the Nativity of the Theotokos
Genesis 28:10-17: Old Testament Reading for Feasts of the Theotokos
Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”
Video
Kontakion for the Forefeast of the Nativity of the Theotokos:
“Today the Virgin Theotokos Mary, the bridal chamber of the Heavenly Bridegroom, by the will of God is born of a barren woman, Being prepared as the chariot of God the Word. She was fore-ordained for this, since she is the divine gate and the true Mother of Life.”
Discussion Questions:
- What do a ladder and gate have in common?
- How is the Theotokos like Jacob's ladder and the heavenly gate?
- Who entered through the heavenly gate?
- Read the Kontakion of the Forefeast of the Nativity. What else is Mary called in this hymn?
- Was God in that place before Jacob's dream?
- How do you know God is present in your life?
God was with Jacob even before the dream, but the dream was a gift that revealed God's presence to him. God is always present with mankind, but he revealed himself to us in the flesh through the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Theotokos is like the ladder or heavenly gate through which Christ entered the world. The icon of the Platytera (More Spacious than the Heavens) shows Christ in the womb of the Theotokos, which is like Christ descending the ladder to earth! Like Jacob, we can glorify God with thanksgiving for his presence, for the Theotokos through whom he was incarnate, and other good gifts that help us know he is present.
- Crossword Puzzle (complete puzzle on webpage)
- Nativity of the Theotokos Coloring Page
- Printable Theotokos Platytera Coloring Page
- Printable Crossword and Word Search
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