First Verse of the Glory of the Three Youths Hymn - Sunday's Lilyo

So I know I haven't made a post in a while, so I wanted to just post a teaser of the first qolo before the hoosoyo in the fourth watch of Sunday's lilyo.

Bless the Lord all you His works of the Lord.

Let us hear Paul when he says, “Awake, you who sleep; rise and glorify for the glorious effulgence, He who is of the eternal Father, illumines you all. Let us be spiritually girded in the breastplate of faith and trample the fiery arrows of the evil enemy.” Bless Him.

The hymn prior to the hoosoyo in lilyo uses the Glory of the Three Youths (Daniel 3: 57-88). This is not only a Daniel excerpt that is a personal favorite of mine but the Three Youths are a very common trope in Syriac liturgy. There is a particular, multilayer theological richness in the image of the Three Youths. On a literal level, they show a steadfast adherence in the true faith that cannot be shaken despite faced with the option by a pagan to either apostatize or die, similar to Mort Shmooni and her sons (2 Maccabees 7: 1-41). It further demonstrates the absolute might of God's will to contradict even natural properties like the burning of fire when the Youths are cast into the fire yet unharmed (to which the Glory of the Three Youths is a response to; Daniel 3: 19-23). The Christophany of the Fiery Furnace is also a typology to the Incarnation and the will of God that He should dwell amongst man in His visible glory but despite the fact even the seraphim need hide their face from His fieriness, Mary is permitted to intimately interact with Him.

Anyway, a book could be written on the complexity and beauty of the Three Youths. Back to the hymn, a verse from the Glory is sung followed by a typology of instruction in praising God. This verse specifically draws on Ephesians 5: 14 and 6: 16. It is by the Son we are illumined - we are a people who fell into darkness by our father Adam's choice to eat of the fruit of disobedience. By God's own volition He became the fruit of eternal life come down from heaven to nourish us in our self-elected emaciated state. Not only has He removed our stain but elevated us above what had been given before - we are given the chance to undermine the Evil One and Death through the things we have been given in the Incarnation such as the 7 Sacraments and instructions of fasting and neighborly love. We died of our own fault and God offered us eternal life. For this, we should bless the Lord!

Our Lord, accept our service, our prayers, come to our aid and have mercy on us!