NEBAB #24: 3rd Sunday before Christmas: Sibket (Preaching)

NEBAB #24

The Orthodox Tewahedo Magazine

3RD WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS: SIBKET (PREACHING)


The Spiritual Education Unit

Ethiopian Orthodox Church

Archdiocese of the Caribbean and Latin America



3rd Sunday before Christmas: Sibket
In this issue:

    1. The Season of Preaching

    2. The 4 Major Prophets and their Prophecies

    3. Faith and works

    4. “Ask Abba/Kes”

    5. A Miracle of the Holy Virgin Maryam

    6. Children’s corner

    7.ይበል ግዕዝ 

    8. Orthodox Q&A

 
The Season of Preaching
The third week before the Birth of Christ in the Orthodox Tewahedo Church is called 'Sibket' . Although the word itself means "preaching" or proclamation, during the week of Tahisas 7-13 (December 16-22) it takes on a new  meaning and is used to describe the prophetic proclamations made by the prophets whose words spoke about the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Preaching has always been used both in the Old and New Testament as a blessed means of conveying God’s message to the people of Israel and a sanctified means to reach all the people. Between this period, the Church reflects on the prophecies spoken about the Incarnation of God the Word and how this was revealed to the prophets. As far as the Old Testament is concerned, the preaching of the prophets was important not only to proclaim God’s word but to rebuke and calling all to repentance. This week of sibket highlights the main prophecies about Christ's coming and its significance for humanity which is to save mankind. 

According to Saint Athanasius, our early Father of the Church,
“For of His becoming Incarnate we were the object, and for our salvation, He dealt so lovingly as to appear and be born even in a human body.” “For God has made man, and willed that he should abide in incorruption; but men, having despised and rejected the contemplation of God, and devised and contrived evil for themselves, received the condemnation of death.”
During this time of old, let us remember the prophetic preaching of the prophets read during this period as we turn to the scriptures to receive the medicine of our souls. Some of the readings that we can reflect on during this week as we welcome in the light are as follows: Hebrews 1:1-14; 2 Peter 3:1-10; Acts 3:17-26; Psalms 114:7-8 and John 1:44-51.

May God Make Us Hear The Word of Life!

The Four Major Prophets and Their Prophecies
There are two main categories of Prophets in the Orthodox Church: Major Prophets and Minor Prophets. The Major Prophets are: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. The Minor Prophets are: Hosea, Joel, Amos,Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. There are other prophets mentioned in the bible such as Samuel, Elijah and Elisha during the "Era of the Fathers" and the "Era of the Kings".
In addition to their prophecies, the prophets fasted and lived holy lives awaiting the fulfillment of God's promise to save mankind. During this fasting period, the "Fast of the Prophets" let us redirect our hearts to the proper understanding of this time and meditate upon the words of life and we prepare our hearts for Christ's birth

Isaiah the Prophet
The Book of Isaiah predicts the destruction of Judah and Israel, with prophecies of Immanuel's birth in chapters 6-9. Chapters 13-23 foretell the doom of various nations, and chapters 24-27 summarize these prophecies. Chapters 23-35 predict the Assyrian invasion, which is fulfilled in chapters 36-39.

Jeremiah
The book of Jeremiah consists of two main sections: chapters 1-45, which contain prophecies primarily directed to Judah and Jeremiah's personal history, and chapters 46-51, which focus on prophecies against other nations. The chapters cover various time periods, including prophecies against Judah's kings, false prophets, and the fall of Jerusalem, as well as messages of comfort for the Babylonian exiles. The book concludes with prophecies against Babylon and a supplementary narrative in chapter 52.

Ezekiel
The name "Ezekiel," meaning "God gives strength," reflects the prophet's need for divine support to minister to a rebellious nation, with Origen seeing Christ as the new Ezekiel who offers freedom through His cross. Ezekiel's prophecies emphasize the long duration of captivity, the necessity of repentance, and the responsibility of individuals for their own sins. He offers hope of restoration and a new heart, foreshadowing the coming of a new temple and the Messianic era. Additionally, he prophesied against nations like Tyre, foretelling their destruction, which was later realized by Alexander the Great.

Daniel
The Book of Daniel is written in both Hebrew and Aramaic, with the first seven chapters providing a general view of world powers and divine governance, and chapters 8-12 focusing on the fortunes of God's people and the Church. Daniel appears historically in the first half and personally in the latter chapters. The book significantly influenced Christian thought, with its miracles, predictions, and doctrine of angels, despite some modern challenges to its authenticity.

The four major prophets provides reflective themes that is applicable to all of us today. All four major prophets tell of us of the judgements of God both in his mercy as well as in his justice which is necessary for us to reflect upon. Jeremiah specifically challenges us to recognize the consequences of our own actions while still offering hope of redemption through sincere repentance. Likewise, Ezekiel's prophecies also offer hope to a rebellious Israel emphasizing the need for accountability and repentance. The Book of Daniel illustrates mainly the rise and fall of empires and how necessary it is for us in these time to trust in God's saving plan which will triumph all earthly powers.


Faith and Works:
Hear the words of life
We often say and hear “qale hiywet yasimalin” or “may we hear the word of life”, but what part must we play in receiving this ‘word of life?’, even once we have heard it?

Hearing- The first part, of course, faith comes by hearing (Rom 10:17). Hearing means hurrying to the place where the word is preached, whether in the church or at another gathering, or online. Wherever the word of God is preached let us be there!

Reading- The Bible is our foundation, and as our archbishop always advises us- get familiar with it. After the sermon on Sunday, read over the lessons at home again. The Holy Spirit will teach you more than even the archbishop can!

Meditation- Psalm 1, 119 and others teach us the importance of meditating on the Bible. After reading/hearing the word of God, take a few minutes to just think about it in silence.


Ask Abba/Kes

"What is a Prophecy?"

Prophecy is the revelation of God's divine power (2 Peter 1:20-21). This revelation usually comes through dreams or visions, which are first given to the Prophets and then shared with people (Numbers 12:6).

BIBLE QUIZ!
“He would be born from the family of Jesse” which prophet said these words?

 
A Miracle of the Holy Virgin Maryam

A miracle performed by Our Lady Mary, Holy Virgin Mariham, the Mother of God. May her intercession be with us, amen. It is said that a nun lived in a convent, and she was serving Our Lady Mary, the Holy Virgin Mariham. She was honoring her, repeating her greeting, and saying to her all the time, “Peace be to you, O Fullness of grace. God is with you.” She visited all the churches of Our Lady Mary, the Holy Virgin Mariham. She brought gifts to them according to her ability and her poverty. She would pure-heartedly and fearfully increase honor and praise to Our Lady Mary Mariham and to her son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

After this, Our Lady Mary, the Holy Virgin Mariham, openly appeared to the nun in her church. Mary said to her, “I am pleased with you on account of the glory, adoration, and praise that you have performed for me and for my son, for they are delightful. We are delighted with what you have done. We find favor with you, and we are happy with you and all your deeds. But [to ensure] that your reward will be complete in the kingdom of heaven, take care and pay attention when you revere me and say the greeting of the angels to me. Do not rush, for this prayer pleases me and makes me happy.” When Mary finished this instruction, she disappeared. That good holy nun rejoiced about what Our Lady Mary, the Holy Virgin Mariham, had openly revealed, and what she had told her. [From then on,] in the days of her life until her death, she increased the greeting of Our Lady Mary Mariham calmly, without ceasing or hurrying, according to her ability. Then she entered the kingdom of heaven, and she was united with all the saints by the intercession of the Intercessor, the Treasurer of good things, and the Glorious Crown of the faithful: Our Lady Mary, the Holy Virgin Mariham. May her prayers and blessings be with your servant King Dawit forever and ever, amen, amen, and amen.

O Holy Virgin Maryam, pray for us!


LIJOCH! The Children's Corner

Memory verse: Amos 3 :7
Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.”






ይበል:ግዕዝ (yibel Ge’ez)
Let's reclaim our forefathers’ language

For the next 3 weeks as we count down to Christmas, we’ll learn some important and interesting vocabulary from the theme of each week!
ስብከት
sibket - preaching
The name of this week, sibket, comes from the root verb ሰበከ sebeke - to preach, proclaim or announce. This gives us the word ሰባኪ sebaki - preacher, and the word ምስባክ misbak - place from which preaching is made (a pulpit)
Some of you may know that misbak is the term that refers to the psalm before the gospel in our liturgy: indeed, the gospel reading represents Christ Himself, and the Psalm announces, introduces, and even makes way for the Word of God, making it a kind of pulpit, from which the gospel is preached.


ORTHODOX Q&A

Why do Orthodox Christians celebrate the birth of Christ in January?

The date of the birth of Christ is calculated from the annunciation of the archangel St Gabriel to Mary the Holy Virgin on the 29th day of the Ethiopian month Megabit (7th April in the Gregorian calendar). Church tradition teaches that the Lord was in the womb of His Mother for 9 months and 5 days- it is important to know that in the Ethiopian system a month is 30 days exactly. Counting from that day, we go through the months of Miyaziya, Ginbot, Senne, Hamle, Nehasse, Pagume (the 13th small month at the end of the Ethiopian year which lasts 5 days or 6 in a leap year), Meskerem, Tikimt, Hedar, and finally Tahisas. On the 29th of Tahisas (or 28th in a leap year) we celebrate the birth of our Lord, and at this moment in time, that corresponds to the 7th of January in the Gregorian calendar.

Send us your questions at: seu.eotccarla@gmail.com


References

Short message on behalf the Spiritual Education Unit:

His Grace Abune Thaddaeus, Head Administrator Archimandrite Abba Gebreyesus, and all clergy and faithful- thank you for the opportunity to share this labour of love with you. Thanks also to the team of the Spiritual Education Unit for their hard work.
-Liqe Teghuan Tekle Mariam Greene


CONTACT US:
Archdiocese headquarters: Medhane Alem (Saviour of the World), Old Golden Grove Rd. Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago.
Tel. 868-642-4230.
e-mail: eotc.arch.carla@gmail.com

      

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