Texts for Great Vespers and Divine Liturgy for September 10, 2017.

GREAT VESPERS

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

At Psalm 140

In Tone 5

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

With Your precious Cross, O Christ,
You have put the Devil to shame.
With Your Resurrection You have deadened the sting of Death.
We, therefore, glorify You, O only-begotten Son of God.

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

O Christ, Who granted resurrection to mankind,
You were led like a lamb to the slaughter.
Then the princes of Hades were struck with terror
as they saw the gates of their tearful domain being lifted up;
for Christ, the King of Glory, entered therein
and exclaimed to those in chains: Go forth from here!
And to those in darkness: Go forth into the light!

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

What a great wonder!
The Creator of invisible beings suffered in the flesh for mankind,
and rose from the dead as immortal.
Come, therefore, all you nations and adore Him;
for through His compassion we have been freed from the snares of the Devil,
and we have learned to praise the one God in three Persons.

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

We offer to You our evening worship,
O Light Whom the darkness of night can never extinguish.
For in these latter days Your radiance has appeared to the world,
shining in Your flesh as light reflected in a mirror.
Your brilliance has descended even to the depths of Hades and dissolved its gloom.
O Lord, Giver of Light, glory to You;
for You have shown the radiance of Your Resurrection to all the nations.

In Tone 2

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

With what lips shall we, poor and worthless,
praise the birth of the Virgin?
She is more honoured than all creation;
more holy than the cherubim and the angels.
She is the unshaken throne of the King,
the house in which the Most High has dwelt,
The holy place of God,
Who richly grants great mercy to the faithful
on this her nativity!

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

What spiritual songs shall we offer you, all-holy one?
By your birth from a barren womb, you hallow all the world!
You have freed Adam of his chains and Eve of her grief;
therefore the choirs of angels assemble to keep your feast.
Heaven rejoices with earth;
the souls of the righteous clap their hands,
singing praises to glorify your nativity!

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

Virgin, what songs filled with awe are your due?
Young maidens dance with joy, praising your nativity!
They cry out in amazement:
The palace of the King is born!
The holy ark shines forth!
The barren gates are opened and the gate of God comes forth:
The child of righteousness!
She will bear Him Who brings us justice, peace and great mercy!

In Tone 4

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

You arrayed yourselves in garments dyed purple with your own blood.
in your beauty, virgin maidens and martyrs,
you united yourselves spiritually to Christ,
our all-beautiful God Who preserves your virginity undefiled
in the eternal bridal chamber of incorruption;
in the mansions of heaven,
in a chamber not made by hands.

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

In imperfect bodies, yet with a perfect mind,
by the power of the spirit, glorious ones,
you conquered the ancient serpent, the source of evil,
and showed his power to be impotent.
Therefore you have received crowns of victory,
Menodora, Metrodora and Nymphodora,
champions of the Trinity!

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

Your limbs were twisted and thrown on the fire,
you were torn with iron hooks and hanged upon a tree.
Beheaded by the sword, you did not deny Christ, all-praised athletes.
Therefore you have received the crown of victory,
Menodora, Metrodora and Nymphodora,
champions of the Trinity!

In Tone 4, Glory… Now…

Let barren Anna clap her hands in gladness!
Let the earth put on bright array!
Let kings now dance and priests rejoice in hymns of blessing!
Let the whole world celebrate!
For behold the Queen, the spotless Bride of the Father
today has blossomed from the root of Jesse.
No more shall woman bear in sorrow, for joy has blossomed!
The life of mankind now dwells in the world!
the gifts of Joachim are not turned away,
the lamentations of Anna have been changed to joy.
She cries: Rejoice with me, chosen Israel!
The Lord has granted me a living palace of His divine glory
for the joy and gladness of us all
and the salvation of our souls!

In Tone 5, Now…

A symbol of the undefiled Virgin and bride
was revealed in the Red Sea.
There, Moses divided the waters;
here, Gabriel is the messenger of the miracle.
There, the Israelites crossed the deep and their feet were not even wet;
here, the Virgin gives birth to Christ without human seed.
There, the sea remained uncrossed after the passing of Israel;
here, the immaculate remained incorrupt after giving birth to Emmanuel.
Therefore, O immortal God, who appeared in the flesh as true Man,
have mercy on us!

Aposticha

In Tone 5

O Christ our Saviour,
we lift up our voices to glorify You.
For, in Your love for mankind,
You became incarnate without leaving heaven;
You accepted the Cross and death;
You cast down the gates of Hades;
and on the third day You arose from the dead
for the salvation of our souls.

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

O Giver of Life,
streams of forgiveness, life, and salvation
poured forth from Your pierced side upon us all.
By accepting physical death, You granted us immortality;
by lying in the tomb, You freed us from Hades,
and as God, by rising from the dead,
You raised us with Yourself in glory.
Therefore, we cry out to You:
O Lover of mankind, glory to You!

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

O Lover of mankind,
Your crucifixion and descent into Hades are most wondrous.
For, as God, You thereby conquered the power of Hades,
and raised up in glory, with Yourself, those who were long imprisoned there.
You reopened Paradise and enabled them to enter.
Grant forgiveness of sins to us
who glorify Your Resurrection on the third day,
for You alone are all-merciful.

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

O Lover of mankind,
You accepted suffering in the flesh
and rose from the dead on the third day.
Therefore, heal the passions of our flesh,
raise us from our dreadful iniquities, and save us.

In Tone 2, Glory… Now…

Receive, O Mary,
this song from my soiled lips
and give me release
from all my transgressions,
and make straight my evil way of life.

Troparia

In Tone 5
Let us, the faithful, acclaim and worship the Word* co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit,* and born of the Virgin for our salvation.* For He willed to be lifted up on the cross in the flesh,* to suffer death and to raise the dead,* by His glorious Resurrection.

In Tone 4, Glory… Now…
Your nativity, O Virgin Mother of God,* has made joy known to all the world,* for from you dawned the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God.* He abolished the curse and gave the blessing;* and by making death of no effect He bestowed on us eternal life.

DIVINE LITURGY

Troparia and Kontakia
Troparion, Tone 5: Let us the faithful acclaim and worship the Word,* co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit,* and born of the Virgin for our salvation.* For He willed to be lifted up on the cross in the flesh, to suffer death* and to raise the dead by His glorious resurrection.

Troparion, Tone 4: Your nativity, O Virgin Mother of God,* has made joy known to all the world,* for from you dawned the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God.* He abolished the curse and gave the blessing;* and by making death of no effect He bestowed on us eternal life.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and ever. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone 4: By your birth, O immaculate one,* Joachim and Anna were freed from the reproach of childlessness,* and Adam and Eve* from the corruption of death.* And your people, redeemed from the guilt of their sins,* celebrate as they cry out to you:* “The barren one gives birth to the Mother of God* and nourisher of our life.”

Prokeimenon, Tone 6
Save Your people, O Lord, * and bless Your inheritance.
verse: Unto You I will cry, O Lord, my God, lest You turn from me in silence. (Psalm27:9,1)

Epistle
Galatians 6:11-18

And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Alleuia, Tone 1
I have exalted one chosen from the people and with my holy oil anointed him.
verse: My hand shall always be with him and my arm shall make him strong. (Psalm 88:20-21,22)

Gospel
John 3:13-17

Hymn to the Mother of God
O my soul, magnify the Virgin Mary, born from a barren womb.
And the Irmos, Tone 8: Virginity is alien to mothers* and childbearing is foreign to virgins;* yet in you, O Mother of God, both of them came together.* Therefore we and all the nations of the earth* without ceasing magnify you.

Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 148:1)