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Event Information:

  • Sun
    29
    Dec
    2019

    Sunday after the Nativity of Christ Commemoration of the Holy and Righeous Joseph the Betrothed, David the King, and James, Brother of the Lord. Octoechos Tone 4; The Holy Children who were murdered by Herod in Bethlehem; Our Venerable Father Marcellus, Hegumen of the Monastery of the Sleepless Ones (c. 470)

    GREAT VESPERS

    Kathisma Reading
    “Blessed is the man...” is sung.

    At Psalm 140

    In Tone 4

    1. Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.

    We never cease to adore Your life-giving Cross, O Christ our God,* And we glorify Your resurrection on the third day.* For You, Almighty One, have thereby restored the corrupted nature of all* and reopened the way to heaven,* since You alone are gracious and You love mankind.

    1. The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.

    O Saviour, You have absolved the penalty of disobedience,* committed through the tree of Eden,* by willingly being nailed to the tree of the Cross.* As Almighty God, You descended into Hades* and broke asunder the bonds of death.* We, therefore, venerate Your resurrection from the dead,* and joyfully cry out to You:* Almighty Lord, glory to You!

    1. Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!

    O Lord, You have battered down the gates of Hades,* and by Your death You have dissolved the realm of death.* You have freed mankind from corruption,* bestowing life, incorruption, and Your great mercy upon the world.

    In Tone 2

    1. Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.

    Come, let us greatly rejoice in the Lord* as we tell of this present mystery.* The middle wall of partition has been destroyed;* the flaming sword turns back, the cherubim withdraw from the tree of life,* and I partake of the delight of Paradise* from which I was cast out through disobedience.* For the express Image of the Father, the Imprint of His eternity,* takes the form of a servant,* and without undergoing change He came forth from a Mother who knew not wedlock.* For what He was, He has remained, true God:* and what He was not, He has taken upon Himself,* becoming man through love for mankind.* Unto Him let us cry aloud:* God born of a Virgin, have mercy on us.

    1. If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.

    When the Lord Jesus was born of the holy Virgin,* all the world was enlightened.* The shepherds watched in the fields,* the Magi adored and the angels praised in song;* but Herod was troubled:* for God has appeared in the flesh,* the Saviour of our souls.

    1. I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.

    Your Kingdom, O Christ our God, is a Kingdom of all the ages,* and Your rule is from generation to generation.* Made flesh of the Holy Spirit and made man of the ever-Virgin Mary,* You have enlightened us by Your coming.* Light of Light, Brightness of the Father,* You made the whole creation shine with joy.* All that has breath praises You, the Image of the glory of the Father.* O God who are, and who have ever been,* who have shone forth from a Virgin,* have mercy on us.

    1. From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.

    What shall we offer You, O Christ,* who for our sakes has appeared on the earth as man?* Every creature made by You offers You thanks.* The angels offer You a hymn; the heavens, a star;* the Magi, gifts; the shepherds, their wonder;* the earth, its cave; the wilderness, the manger:* and we offer You a Virgin Mother.* O pre-eternal God, have mercy on us.

    In Tone 1

    1. For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

    Let us praise David the King, the ancestor of God,* because from him came forth the branch who is the Virgin.* From her bloomed the Flower, Christ,* Who summoned Adam and Eve from corruption.* He is compassionate towards all.

    1. Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.

    In his advanced years,* Joseph clearly saw the prophecies fulfilled.* It was truly a strange betrothal;* and he received a revelation from the angels who cried out:* Glory to God Who sent down peace upon the world.

    1. Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.

    Let all of us praise the relative of the Lord, James the Apostle,* who bravely suffered martyrdom as a bishop.* By his prayers, O Christ our God,* Who was wrapped in swaddling clothes in the cave,* save all those who extol You.

    In Tone 6, Glory…

    We are commemorating the noble David and James:* the king and prophet, the apostle and first bishop;* because by their teachings we have been delivered from error.* Let us sing the praises of Christ* Who came forth from the Virgin* and became incarnate to save our souls.

    In Tone 4, Now…

    O Mother of God, because of You David the Prophet* became an ancestor of God;* he foretold and sang a joyous hymn of praise* and cried out to Him who worked wonders in you:* “The Queen stood at your right hand.”* God revealed you as a life-giving mother,* when He chose to be incarnate of you without a father.* He renewed in man His image which the passions had corrupted.* He found the lost sheep in the mountains, carried it on His shoulders,* offered it to the Father, generously numbered it among the powers of heaven,* and saved the whole world, since He is Christ of great and rich mercy.

    Aposticha

    In Tone 4

    In being lifted upon the Cross, O Lord,* You abolished the curse which we had inherited from our ancestors.* By going down into Hades,* You freed from eternal captivity those imprisoned there,* and granted incorruption to the human race.* We, therefore, praise Your life-giving and redeeming resurrection.

    The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.

    By hanging on the Cross, O Almighty One,* You shook the whole creation to its foundations.* When You Yourself were laid in the grave,* You raised to life those who had been lying in the graves,* and You granted life and incorruption to mankind.* We, therefore, praise and glorify Your resurrection on the third day.

    For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.

    O Christ, the lawless people showed their ingratitude to You, their Benefactor,* by delivering You to Pilate who condemned you to be crucified.* But You willingly suffered death and burial;* and, as God, You rose by Your own power on the third day,* granting us everlasting life and great mercy.

    Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.

    The women, shedding bitter tears, came to see You in Your tomb;* and not finding Your body, they lamented, saying:* O Saviour and King of All, how were You stolen?* What place holds Your life-bearing body?* An angel answered them, saying:* Do not weep, but go and proclaim that the Lord is risen,* filling our hearts with joy;* for He alone is most compassionate.

    In Tone 6, Glory…

    The remembrance of Your Nativity* brings happiness to priests and might to kings.* Let us also boast of it and say:* Our Father, Who art in heaven,* hallowed be Thy Name, O Lover of mankind.

    Now…

    Today the invisible nature is united with our visible nature through the Virgin.* Today the infinite Essence is wrapped in swaddling clothes in Bethlehem.* Today God is guiding the Magi by a star* so that they might worship Him.* With the gold, frankincense, and myrrh,* He is foretelling His three-day burial.* Let us cry out to Him:* Having become incarnate from the Virgin,* save our souls, O Christ God.

    Troparia

    In Tone 4
    When the disciples of the Lord learned from the angel* the glorious news of the resurrection* and cast off the ancestral condemnation,* they proudly told the apostles:* “Death has been plundered!* Christ our God is risen,*granting to the world great mercy.”

    In Tone 2, Glory…
    O Joseph, announce to David, the ancestor of God, the news of the miracle:* You saw a virgin giving birth.* With the shepherds, you gave praise and with the Magi you worshipped;* they too were warned by an angel.** Pray to Christ our God to save our souls.

    In Tone 4, Now…
    Your Nativity, O Christ our God,* made the light of knowledge dawn on the world:* through it, those who worshipped the stars were taught by a star* to worship You, the Sun of Righteousness,* and to know You, the Dawn from on high.* Glory to You, O Lord.

     

    DIVINE LITURGY

    Antiphon 1
    I will confess You, Lord, with all my heart,* I will declare all Your wondrous deeds.
    Through the prayers of the Mother of God,* O Saviour, save us.
    In the council of the just and the congregation,* great are the works of the Lord, conforming to His will in every way.
    Through the prayers of the Mother of God,* O Saviour, save us.
    His work is filled with praise and majesty,* and His righteousness endures forever.
    Through the prayers of the Mother of God,* O Saviour, save us.
    Glory…  Now… Only-Begotten Son…

    Antiphon 3
    Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord, let us acclaim God, our Saviour.
    Son of God, born of a Virgin, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
    Let us come before His face with praise, and acclaim Him in psalms.
    Son of God, born of a Virgin, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
    For God is the great Lord, and the great king over all the earth.
    Son of God, born of a Virgin, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.

    Entrance
    Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ.
    Son of God, born of a Virgin, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.

    Troparia and Kontakia
    Troparion, Tone 4: When the disciples of the Lord learned from the angel* the glorious news of the resurrection* and cast off the ancestral condemnation,* they proudly told the apostles:* “Death has been plundered!* Christ our God is risen,* granting to the world great mercy.”

    Troparion, Tone 4: Your Nativity, O Christ our God,* made the light of knowledge dawn on the world:* through it, those who worshipped the stars were taught by a star* to worship You, the Sun of Righteousness,* and to know that You, the Dawn from on the high.* Glory to You, O Lord.

    Troparion, Tone 2: O Joseph, announce to David, the ancestor of God, the news of the miracle:* You saw a virgin giving birth.* With the shepherds, you gave praise and with the Magi you worshipped;* they too were warned by an angel.* Pray to Christ our God to save our souls.

    Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

    Kontakion, Tone 3: Today the divine David is filled with gladness;* Joseph along with James offers praises* for having received a crown through their kinship with Christ they rejoice* and sing of the One who inexpressibly was born on earth,* crying out, “O Gracious One, save those who worship You.”

    Now and for ever and ever. Amen.

    Kontakion, Tone 3: The Virgin today gives birth to Him who is above all being;* the earth offers the cave to Him whom no one can approach;* Angel with shepherds give Him glory,* while Magi make their way with a star,* for to us is born a little Child – the pre-eternal God.

    Prokeimenon, Tone 4
    God is wonderful in His saints,* the God of Israel.
    verse: In the churches bless God, the Lord from the fountains of Israel. (Psalm 67:36,27)

    Epistle
    Galatians 1:11-19

    Alleluia, Tone 4
    verse: Lord, remember David and all his meekness.
    verse: How he swore an oath to the Lord, and vowed to the God of Jacob. (Psalm 131:1,2)

    Gospel
    Matthew 2:13-23

    Hymn to the Mother of God
    O my soul, magnify Christ the King born in a manger.
    and the Irmos: A strange and glorious mystery do I behold:* the cave is heaven;* the Virgin, the throne of the cherubim;* the manger, a dwelling place* in which is laid Christ, the God Whom nothing can contain.* Singing His praises, we magnify Him.

    Communion Hymn
    Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest (Psalm 148:1).* Rejoice in the Lord, O you just;* praise befits the righteous (Psalm 32:1).* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia.

    Instead of “Blessed is He who comes…” we sing:
    All creation is filled with rejoicing today, for Christ is born of a Virgin.

    Instead of “We have seen the true light…” we sing:
    All creation is filled with rejoicing today, for Christ is born of a Virgin.

    Instead of “May our mouths…” and “Blessed be the Name…” we sing:
    All creation is filled with rejoicing today, for Christ is born of a Virgin. (3)