Icon: The Baptism of Our Lord
Feast Date: January 6

The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan River, signaled the beginning of Christ’s teaching ministry.  In this icon, Jesus is seen standing in what seems to be “a mound of water in the midst of a wide, deep chasm which is the dark world” (Martin, 188).  Standing next to Him is St. John the Baptist with his right hand raised in a manner that depicts the act of pouring water on the Savior’s head.  The three rays of light at the top of the painting reveal the reality of the Holy Trinity, and bring to mind the following Gospel verses:  “And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22).

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Icon: The Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos
Feast Date: March 25

In the icon of the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel is depicted as one coming from above to announce to the Virgin Mary that she will be the mother of Christ.  At the top of the painting, God the Holy Spirit is seen descending upon the Virgin Mary in the form of a dove, in order to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign:  behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).  The three rays of light coming from heaven depict the fact that the whole Trinity is at work in performing this great mystery.

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Icon: The Nativity of Our Lord
Feast Date: December 25

The icon depicts the birth of Jesus Christ.  In this particular painting, the Virgin Mary is seen reclining on a long mattress.  However, there have been icons throughout the church’s history in which the Mother of God is shown sitting, in order to teach that she bore Christ without pain.  The black shape behind the Virgin represents the cave where Jesus was born and reminds us that “He is light born into darkness” (Martin, 185).

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Icon: The Entry of Christ into Jerusalem
Feast Date: Palm Sunday (the week before Easter)

The icon depicts the day on which Christ humbly rode into the holy city of Jerusalem on a donkey, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah, “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zec 9:9).  In this painting, the Savior is greeted by crowds waving palm branches and singing, “Hosanna to the Son of David!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest” (Mt 21:9).

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Icon: The Falling Asleep of the Most Holy Theotokos
Feast Date: August 15

The icon depicts the moment of death of the Virgin Mary (The Dormition).  At the bottom left, St. Peter swings a censer, an action which alludes to the liturgy of the Orthodox funeral (Martin, 202).  While sadness and grief fill the lower portion of the painting, the upper half is filled with rejoicing angels since the soul of the Queen of Heaven has finally arrived.  Her complete transition into the spiritual realm is shown by Christ who holds the Virgin’s soul in His arms.

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