Texts for Great Vespers and Divine Liturgy for September 24, 2017.
GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma Reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 7
Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
Come, let us rejoice in the Lord,
Who destroyed the power of death
and enlightened the human race;
and let us cry out with the angels:
Glory to You, our Creator and Saviour!
The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
O Saviour, for our sake You suffered crucifixion and burial;
and, as God, You destroyed death by Your death.
Therefore, we adore Your resurrection on the third day
and we sing: Glory to You, O Lord!
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
On seeing the resurrection of the Creator,
the Apostles were amazed,
and they sang an angelic hymn of praise:
This is the glory of the Church,
this is the richness of the Kingdom!
O Lord, Who suffered for our sake, glory to You!
Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
O Christ, although You were taken captive by Your enemies,
I still acknowledge You as my God,
and am not ashamed of You;
I will not hide the fact that You were nailed to the Cross.
Your death is my life, almighty Lord,
and I extol Your resurrection.
O Lover of mankind, glory to You!
If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
In fulfilment of the prophecy of David,
Christ revealed His majesty to His disciples in Sion.
He showed Himself to be worthy of equal praise
with His Father and the Holy Spirit;
for He existed from all eternity as God the Word, without a body;
then, out of love for mankind, He became incarnate,
and for our sake He was put to death as a man;
finally, by His own power He arose from the dead.
I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
O Christ, of Your own free will, You descended into Hades;
and, as God the Lord, You destroyed death.
On the third day You arose from the dead and raised up Adam
from the bonds of Hades and corruption.
In joy he cried out and said:
Glory to Your resurrection, O Lover of mankind!
From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
O Lord, You were placed in the tomb as one sleeping,
and on the third day You arose in might and power.
You raised up Adam from the corruption of death,
for You alone are almighty.
In Tone 8
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Lord, Thekla was involuntarily separated from her teacher, Paul,
while during her time of struggle she was not separated from You
Being stripped of her garments,
she was clothed with Your glory!
Crowned by Your hand, she is the defender of our souls!
Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Lord, Thekla made haste to the bound apostle Paul,
while she rejected the bond of attachment to earthly things!
With the chain of the might of Your love,
she bound herself fast to You, the Saviour of our souls!
Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Lord, Your pure protomartyr was committed to the fire,
while she was not consumed by it!
She had You as a refreshing dew.
She remained unconsumed among many wild beasts,
preserved by Your hand, Saviour of our souls!
In Tone 6, Glory…
In the struggles of your contest,
you trampled the enemy underfoot, most blessed Thekla!
As an athlete, you crushed his wiles!
You fled from Thamaris and were wedded to your truly beloved Christ.
Companion of Paul and fellow-sufferer with Stephen:
Since you have boldness, first martyr of Christ among women,
deliver our souls from danger,
as we celebrate your all-glorious memorial in faith!
In Tone 7, Now…
Immaculate Mother of God,
you became a mother outside the laws of nature,
remaining a virgin in a way that exceeds all description
and human understanding.
The wonder of your birth-giving could not be told in human language,
for your conception of Christ blinded intelligence,
and your birth-giving exceeded understanding:
for whenever God so desires, the laws of nature are broken.
Wherefore, we all firmly believe that you are the Mother of God,
and we eagerly beseech you to intercede for the salvation of our souls.
Aposticha
In Tone 7
O Saviour of the world, You arose from the grave,
and together with Your own flesh You raised up mankind.
O Lord, glory to You!
The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.
Come, let us worship Christ Who arose from the dead
and enlightened all creation.
For by His resurrection on the third day,
He set us free from the oppression of Hades,
granting us life and His great mercy.
For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.
O Christ, Lover of mankind,
You descended into Hades and destroyed death.
Then You arose on the third day;
and, together with Yourself You lifted up all of us
who glorify Your mighty resurrection.
Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.
O Lord, what a fearful sight it was to see You lying in the tomb as if asleep.
Yet on the third day You arose in great power,
and at the same time You raised up Adam who joyfully cried out:
Glory to Your resurrection, O Lover of mankind!
In Tone 8, Glory…
You trampled on the attacks of lions,
putting your fallen nature to shame,
greatly-suffering Protomartyr!
You followed after your Bridegroom, crying aloud:
I run after the fragrance of Your myrrh, O Christ!
You sought out Paul and received a gift from heaven!
You were given a crown by God Who judges the contest!
You ever intercede for us
that forgiveness of sins may be granted to those who celebrate your memory in faith!
Now…
O Virgin, You have never known wedlock,
Yet You conceived God in the flesh
in a manner which words can never describe.
You thus became the Mother of God on high.
O Immaculate Lady, receive the supplication of your servants
and grant us the cleansing of our sins.
Accept now our prayers and beseech God to save all of us.
Troparia
In Tone 7
By Your cross You destroyed death;* You opened Paradise to the thief;* You changed the lamentation of the myrrh-bearers to joy,* and charged the apostles to proclaim* that You are risen, O Christ our God,* offering great mercy to the world.
In Tone 4, Glory…
You were enlightened by the words of Paul, bride of God, Thekla,* and your faith was confirmed by Peter, chosen one of God.* You became the first sufferer and martyr among women,* by entering into the flames as into a place of gladness.* For when you accepted the Cross of Christ,* the demonic powers were frightened away.* All-praised one, intercede before Christ God* that our souls may be saved!
Now…
O Mother of God, the mystery hidden from all eternity* and unknown even to the angels,* was revealed through you to those on earth:* God took on our human nature* and united it to His divine nature in a perfect but unconfused union.* Then, He willingly accepted the cross for our sake* and thereby raised again the first created man,*and saved our souls from death.
DIVINE LITURGY
Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 7: By Your cross You destroyed death;* You opened Paradise to the thief;* You changed the lamentation of the myrrh-bearers to joy,* and charged the apostles to proclaim* that You are risen, O Christ our God,* offering great mercy to the world.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 7: No longer shall the dominion of death be able to hold humanity,* for Christ went down shattering and destroying it s powers.* Hades is bound.* The prophets exult with one voice.* The Saviour has come for those with faith, saying:* “Come forth, O faithful, to the resurrection!”
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Theotokion, Tone 7: O all-praised treasury of our resurrection, we hope in you,* bring us up from the pit and depth of sin,* for you have saved those subject to sin* by giving birth to our Salvation,* O Virgin before childbirth, and Virgin in childbirth,* and still a Virgin after childbirth.
Prokeimenon, Tone 7
The Lord will give strength to His people;* the Lord will bless His people with peace.
verse: Bring to the Lord, O you sons of God; bring to the Lord young rams. (Psalm 28:11,1)
Epistle
2 Corinthians 6:1-10
Alleluia, Tone 7
verse: It is good to give praise to the Lord; and to sing to Your name, O Most High.
verse: To announce Your mercy in the morning, and Your truth every night. (Psalm 91:2,3)
Gospel
Matthew 25:14-30
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 148:1)