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Wed14Mar2018
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts for Wednesday of the Fifth Week of the Great Fast
LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS
At Psalm 140
In Tone 3
- Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
Even more than all others, I have sinned of my own will,
and for that, I am condemned;
the arrogance of my flesh is the enemy of my soul.
O guide for those who have lost their way
and light for those without hope,
save me, O Lord, before I completely perish.- The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
For the Prophet says,
my soul shall live and shall praise You, O Lord.
I am the lost sheep;
call me back and number me among Your flock.
Give me time to repent that I may sigh and cry out to You:
Save me, O Lord, before I completely perish.- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
Greatly despising You commandments,
I have sinned, O Christ our God.
Spare me, O Benefactor,
that my inner eye may be freed from darkness;
and in fear I shall cry out to You:
Save me, O Lord, before I completely perish.- Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
Having been encircled by wild beasts,
I beseech You to deliver me from their clutches, O Lord.
You wish that all be saved
and come to the knowledge of the truth;
save all Your people, O Creator,
that I may be saved with them;
save me, O Lord, before I completely perish.- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
I am lying here in sin;
heal me, O Redeemer and Benefactor;
be not far from me, O Saviour.
Raise me up, O almighty One,
that I may confess all my sins and cry to You:
Save me, O Lord, before I completely perish.- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
Just as the foolish servant,
I have hidden the talent You gave me;
I have buried it in the ground.
I have been condemned as useless,
and I dare not ask for anything more.
In Your goodness, spare me,
that I may also cry to You:
Save me, O Lord, before I completely perish.- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Kindly, You dried up the marsh of her passions,
when the woman with the flow of blood touched Your garment.
I have received the forgiveness of my sins
by drawing near to You in complete faith;
receive me, as You accepted her, and heal me of my grief;
save me, O Lord, before I completely perish.- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Lord, Your word has made heaven and earth,
and You shall come to sit upon a throne;
and we shall all stand in Your presence and confess our sins.
Before that day comes, receive my repentance;
save me, O Lord, before I completely perish.- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Mercifully look upon me and spare me, O Saviour;
pour out the streams of healing upon my poor and afflicted soul.
Purify it from all stain
so that I may sing to You:
Save me, O Lord, before I completely perish.- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Now my soul has been quickly assailed by the sword that the devil prepared;
he has made me a stranger to the light of Your face, O Lord.
But, by the power of Your arm,
draw me up from his jaws;
save me, O Lord, before I completely perish.Glory…
Your love is beyond expression, O merciful and good Lord!
You alone are without sin!
Do not reject me far from Your face,
that, with thanksgiving and with joy,
I may sing and cry out to You:
Save me, O Lord, before I completely perish.Now…
Zealously, we sing of the ineffable condescension of God!
It is a miraculous and wondrous birth!
How has the Virgin carried You in her arms as a child,
for You are her Creator and her God?
O Benefactor, who willed to become incarnate from her,
save me before I completely perish, O Lord.Prokeimenon I, Tone 4
O Lord, God of vengeance,* show Yourself.
verse: Rise up, O Judge of the earth; give the proud what they deserve!Reading I
Genesis 17:1-9
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am your God; be pleasing before Me and blameless. I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be your God and the God of your seed after you. Also I will give you and your seed after you the land you are occupying as a sojourner, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations.”Prokeimenon II, Tone 6
O sing to the Lord a new song,* sing to the Lord all the earth!
verse: O sing to the Lord; bless His name.Reading II
Proverbs 15:20-16:9
A longsuffering man will extinguish condemnations,
But the ungodly man stirs up more.
The ways of idle men are strewn with thorny plants,
But the thorny plants of the courageous are worn smooth.
A wise son gladdens a father,
But a son without discernment treats his mother with contempt.
The paths of one without understanding are in need of discernment,
But a man with discernment walks uprightly.
Those not honoring councils defer their deliberations,
But counsel remains in the hearts of those who resolve to do it.
The evil man will not obey counsel,
Nor will he speak anything appropriate, even something for the common good.
The thoughts of a wise man are his ways of life,
That he might turn aside and be saved from Hades.
The Lord will destroy the houses of the arrogant,
But He will strengthen the boundary of a widow.
The thinking of the unrighteous man is an abomination to the Lord,
But the words of the holy are sacred.
He who receives bribes utterly destroys himself,
But he who hates the receiving of bribes saves himself.
Sins are cleansed by almsgiving and faithfulness,
And by the fear of the Lord everyone turns aside from evil.
The hearts of the righteous care about faithfulness,
But the mouth of the ungodly answers evil things.
The ways of righteous men are acceptable before the Lord,
And through them even enemies become friends.
God is far from the ungodly,
But He hears the prayers of the righteous.
Better is a small yield with the righteous
Than abundant fruits with the unrighteous.
Let the heart of a man think righteous things
That he may make his steps straight under God.
The eye that beholds good things gladdens the heart,
But a good report enriches the bones.
He who rejects instruction hates himself,
But he who gives heed to reproofs loves his soul.
The fear of God is instruction and wisdom,
And the beginning of glory will respond to it.
All the works of the humble are evident before the Lord,
But the ungodly will be destroyed in the evil day.
Every high-hearted man is unclean before the Lord,
And he who joins hands with the unrighteous will not go unpunished.
The beginning of a good way is to do righteous things,
And this is more acceptable to God than to offer sacrifices.
He who seeks the Lord will find knowledge with righteousness,
And those who seek Him rightly will find peace.
All the works of the Lord are with righteousness,
But the ungodly man is kept for an evil day.
There is an oracle on the lips of a king,
And his mouth does not err in judgment.
The weight of a scale is righteousness before the Lord,
For His works are righteous standards.
He who does evil things is an abomination to a king,
For the throne of a ruler is prepared with righteousness.
Righteous lips are acceptable to a king,
And he loves upright words.