GREAT VESPERS
At Psalm 140
In Tone 2
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
Ascending to heaven, from where You came,
do not leave us as orphans, Lord.
Let Your Spirit come, bringing peace to the world;
show the children of mankind the works of Your power,
Lord and Lover of mankind!
- Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
Christ, You have ascended to Your Father, Who has no beginning,
and the powers of heaven did not cease singing the thrice-holy hymn.
Even as a Man they recognized You, Lord,
as the only-begotten Son of the Father.
In the multitude of Your bounties, have mercy on us!
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Your angels told the apostles, Lord:
Men of Galilee, why do You stand looking to heaven?
The One Who ascended is Christ our God;
He will come again in the same way.
Serve Him in truth and righteousness!
In Tone 8
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
Blessed Forerunner John, your head shone from the ground
with rays brighter than the sun.
It enlightens the faithful.
We have it has a divine treasure
and draw rich grace from it,
sanctifying our souls, our bodies and thoughts.
As we celebrate, we call you blessed.
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
Blessed Forerunner John, your head shone from the ground
with rays brighter than the sun.
It enlightens the faithful.
We have it has a divine treasure
and draw rich grace from it,
sanctifying our souls, our bodies and thoughts.
As we celebrate, we call you blessed.
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Your holy head, blessed Forerunner, poured out abundant grace.
It was shown without his foreknowledge
to the priest who was wise in God.
He quickly went with faith and grace
and openly brought about its sanctified coming
with the emperor and the divinely wise people
who fervently maintain the orthodox faith.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Your holy head, blessed Forerunner, poured out abundant grace.
It was shown without his foreknowledge
to the priest who was wise in God.
He quickly went with faith and grace
and openly brought about its sanctified coming
with the emperor and the divinely wise people
who fervently maintain the orthodox faith.
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
We celebrate the third revelation of your precious head.
When it was severed, glorious one,
the Trinity crowned it for your godly zeal.
The ranks of angels, the company of martyrs,
the apostles of God and all the prophets rejoice in its discovery.
Together with them, ever remember us, Forerunner of the Lord!
In Tone 6, Glory…
O Forerunner, your head, divinely preserved,
has risen from the bosom of the earth
as a treasury of graces of God.
Having received it, we bow down in reverence, O glorious prophet of Christ.
Through you, we have been given wondrous miracles
and have obtained the remission of our sins.
In Tone 2, Now…
By Your nativity You revealed Yourself;
by Your sufferings in the flesh, You arose from the dead,
trampling down death by death.
You ascended in glory, filling all things!
You sent us Your divine Spirit,
that we may praise and glorify Your divinity.
Great Prokeimenon, Tone 7
Our God is in the heavens and on earth * He does whatever He pleases!
verse: When Israel went forth from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
verse: Judah became His sanctuary, Israel His dominion!
verse: The sea looked and fled, Jordan turned back!
Readings
(1) Isaiah 40:1-11; (2) Malachi 3:1-18; (3) Wisdom 4:7-15.
Aposticha
In Tone 2
Come, O faithful: let us venerate the head which was cut off by a sword:
the precious head of the Forerunner,
commemorating its finding on this day.
Let us go out to meet it with hymns, wholeheartedly honouring it
as a fountain which pours forth the grace of healing upon us.
This is the head which was once cut off by the foolish Herod,
goaded by the grudging of Herodias.
O precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His faithful.
As gold is taken from the mines,
so has the head of the Forerunner come forth from the earth,
radiant in its reliquary.
He still speaks, clearly accusing Herod, the adulterous murderer;
and he illumines our souls with his light.
In our hymns today, we the faithful venerate the Forerunner
who intercedes for us before God.
The just will flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a Lebanon cedar.
The head of the Baptist lay long hidden underground
like a treasure in a chest.
Today it is revealed to the whole world, pouring forth abundant streams of healing,
stopping illnesses, and shedding light on our souls.
We rejoice in its divine consolations as we sing the praises of the Forerunner.
Glory…
O illustrious John, the venerable reliquary of divine thoughts,
your head which had clearly foreseen the mystery of the Ineffable One
came out from the caves of the earth as from a mother’s womb.
It perfumes the whole world with the myrrh of holiness,
to us you preach the way of repentance, interceding for our souls before the Saviour of all.
In Tone 6, Now…
We praise the radiance of Your countenance,
seeing Your Ascension upon the mount, Christ,
the splendour of the Father’s glory!
We bow in worship before Your Passion!
We honour Your Resurrection!
We magnify Your glorious Ascension!
Lord, have mercy on us!
Troparion
In Tone 4
O prophet and forerunner,* Christ has revealed to us your head as divine treasure concealed in the earth.* Assembled for this discovery* we praise Christ with hymns inspired of God.* Through your intercessions He saves us from corruption.
Glory… Now…
You ascended in glory, O Christ our God,* giving joy to Your disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit,* and assuring them through Your blessing* that You are the Son of God,** the Redeemer of the world.
DIVINE LITURGY
First Antiphon
Clap your hands, all you nations;* shout to God with the voice of joy.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save, us.
For the Lord most high is awesome,* a great king of all the earth.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save, us.
He has subdued peoples to us,* and nations under our feet.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save, us.
God ascended amid shouts of joy;* the Lord at the sound of the trumpet.
Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save, us.
Glory… Now… Only-Begotten Son…
Third Antiphon
Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord,* let us acclaim God, our Saviour.
Son of God, who ascended in glory,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Let us come before His face with praise,* and acclaim Him in psalms.
Son of God, who ascended in glory,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
For God is the great Lord,* the great king over all the earth.
Son of God, who ascended in glory,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Entrance
Come, let us worship* and fall down before Christ.
Son of God, who ascended in glory,* save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 4: You ascended in glory, O Christ our God,* giving joy to Your disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit,* and assuring them through your blessing* that You are the Son of God,* the Redeemer of the world.
Troparion, Tone 4: O prophet and forerunner,* Christ has revealed to us your head as divine treasure concealed in the earth.* Assembled for this discovery* we praise Christ with hymns inspired of God.* Through your intercessions He saves us from corruption.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 6: The Forerunner, a luminous and divine support in the world,* the lampstand of the sun,* has revealed his resplendent and divine head to the ends of the earth.* He hallows those who bow and cry out in faith:* “Save us all, O most wise Baptist of Christ.”
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 6: When you had fulfilled Your plan for us* and united things on earth with those in heaven,* You ascended in glory, O Christ our God,* in no way distant, but remaining in separable,* You cried to those who love You:* I am with You and there is none against you.
Prokeimenon, Tone 7
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;* above all the earth be Your glory.
verse: My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready. I will sing and make music in my glory. (Psalm 56:6,8)
Prokeimenon, Tone 7
The just man shall be glad in the Lord and shall hope in Him. (Psalm 63:11)
Epistle
Acts 19:1-8; 2 Corinthians 4:6-15
Alleluia, Tone 2
verse: God ascended amid shouts of joy; the Lord at the sound of the trumpet.
verse: Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with the voice of joy. (Psalm 46:6,2)
verse: Light is risen for the just and joy for the righteous of heart.
verse: Truth sprang up from the ground, and righteousness bent down from heaven. (Psalm 96:11; 84:12)
Gospel
John 14:1-11; Matthew 11:2-15
Hymn to the Mother of God
O my soul, magnify the Lord who in glory ascended bodily into the heavens.
Irmos: O Mother of God,* you transcended both mind and word,* and in time, ineffably bore the Timeless One:* it is you who, with one accord,* we, the faithful, magnify.
Communion Hymn
God ascended amid shouts of joy;* the Lord at the sound of the trumpet. (Psalm 46:6)* The just man shall be in everlasting remembrance;* of evil hearsay he shall have no fear.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 111:6)
Instead of We have seen the true light and Let our mouths be filled we sing:
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, above all the earth be Your glory.