GREAT VESPERS
Kathisma reading
“Blessed is the man…” is sung.
At Psalm 140
In Tone 3
- Lead my soul forth from prison* that I may give thanks to Your name.
By Your Cross, O Christ our Saviour,
the power of Death has been vanquished
and the deceit of the devil has been destroyed.
Therefore, mankind, saved by faith,
offers You hymns of praise forever.
- The just shall gather around me* when You have been good to me.
O Lord, all creation has been enlightened by Your resurrection,
and Paradise has been reopened;
therefore, all creation extols You
and offers You hymns of praise forever.
- Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!
I glorify the powers of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
and I praise the dominion of the undivided Divinity,
the consubstantial Trinity,
Who reigns forever and ever.
- Let Yours ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.
We adore Your precious Cross, O Christ,
and with hymns of praise we glorify Your Resurrection;
for by Your wounds we have all been healed.
- If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.
Let us sing the praises of the Saviour,
Who was incarnate of the Virgin;
for He was crucified for our sake,
and on the third day He arose from the dead,
granting us His great mercy.
- I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.
Christ descended into Hades and announced to those confined there:
Take courage, for today I have conquered death.
I am the Resurrection, the One Who will set you free.
I shattered the gates of the realm of death.
- From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.
O Christ our God, we unworthily stand in Your most pure temple,
and offer to You our evening hymns.
From the depths of our souls we cry out to You:
O Lover of Mankind, Who has enlightened the world
by Your Resurrection on the third day,
deliver Your people from the hands of Your enemies.
In Tone 1
- For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
Bacchus and Sergius,
the Lord of glory adorned you with gifts of healing!
He showed you forth in glory as wonder-workers in the world:
Through you He continues to heal the sick.
Therefore intercede with Him that peace and great mercy
may be granted to our souls.
- Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.
Bacchus and Sergius,
after your struggle on this earth,
you rejoice together in the heavens,
for with the angels you ever stand before the holy Trinity.
You delight in great glory.
Therefore intercede with Him that peace and great mercy
may be granted to our souls.
- Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.
Bacchus and Sergius,
both of you destroyed the insolence of the enemy.
With power, you drove away the deadly deceit of idols,
preaching Christ the King.
Therefore intercede with Him that peace and great mercy
may be granted to our souls.
In Tone 4, Glory…
The bright radiance of the martyrs Sergius and Bacchus
struck down the insolence of tyrants,
and made powerless the deceit of idols.
They spoke sublimely, proclaiming the perfect mystery of the knowledge of God.
Christ, their Lawgiver, You oversaw their contest
and granted them their crowns:
Grant that by their prayers we may be crowned with strength
against visible and invisible powers!
In Tone 3, Now…
O Lady most honourable,
how can we but be rapt in wonder
at you giving birth to the Incarnate God
who, without a mother, was born of the Father before all ages?
You gave Him birth in the flesh without a father,
without a man instrumentality.
He is God and man whose two natures are intact,
neither one losing any of its properties.
Therefore, O Virgin Mother,
intercede with Him to save the souls
of those who believe and confess in true faith
that you are the Mother of God.
Aposticha
In Tone 3
O Christ, Who darkened the sun by Your passion
and enlightened all creation by Your resurrection,
accept our evening prayer; for You love mankind.
The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty. Robed is the Lord, and girt about with strength.
O Lord, Your life-giving Resurrection has enlightened the entire universe
and has revived Your creation which lay in corruption.
Therefore, we, who have been released from the curse of Adam, cry out to You:
Almighty Lord, glory to You!
For He has made the world firm, which shall not be moved.
O God, although in Your divine nature You are unchangeable,
yet in Your human nature You underwent change by suffering in the flesh.
All creation was prostrate with fear
when it saw You hanging on the Cross,
and it groaned in sorrow as it sang the praises of Your long-suffering.
But You descended into Hades and arose on the third day,
granting life and great mercy to the world.
Holiness befits Your house, O Lord, for length of days.
You suffered death, O Christ, to deliver mankind from death.
And when You arose from the dead on the third day,
You enlightened the world
and resurrected all who acknowledge You as God.
In Tone 8, Glory…
The army of the martyrs of Christ
has been strengthened against the enemy.
Among them Sergius and Bacchus shine like stars:
The all glorious and excellent athletes!
The evil host of demons was forced into flight by them;
by them tyrants were amazed and angels astonished,
beholding the bodiless enemy trampled underfoot by bodily men!
Celebrating their feast with universal joy,
the Church of the faithful cries out:
As You bound the mighty one by the weakness of the flesh;
through the prayers of Your saints, save our souls!
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 3
Let the heavens be glad, let the earth rejoice,* for the Lord has done a mighty deed with His arm.* He trampled death by death. He became the first-born of the dead;* He saved us from the abyss of Hades* and granted great mercy to the world.
In Tone 4, Glory…
Your holy martyrs Sergius and Bacchus, Lord,* through their sufferings have received their incorruptible crowns from You, our God,* for having Your strength, they laid low their adversaries* and shattered the powerless boldness of demons.* Through their intercessions, save our souls!
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 3: Let the heavens be glad, let the earth rejoice,* for the Lord has done a mighty deed with His arm.* He trampled death by death. He became the first-born of the dead;* He saved us from the abyss of Hades* and granted great mercy to the world.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 3: You rose from the tomb, O compassionate Lord,* and led us out from the gates of death.* Today Adam exults and Eve rejoices,* and the prophets together with the patriarchs* unceasingly acclaim the divine might of Your power.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Theotokion, Tone 3: Today the Virgin stands before us in the church* and together with the choirs of saints invisibly prays to God for us.* Angels are worshipping with hierarchs,* Apostles exult with prophets,* for the Mother of God prays in our behalf to the eternal God.
Prokeimenon, Tone 3
Sing to our God, sing; sing to our King, sing.
verse: Clap your hands, all you nations; shout unto God with the voice of joy. (Psalm 46:7,2)
Epistle
Galatians 1:11-19
Alleluia, Tone 3
verse: In You, O Lord, have I hoped that I may not be put to shame for ever.
verse: Be a protector unto me, O God, and a house of refuge to save me. (Psalm 30:2,3)
Gospel
Luke 7:11-16
Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 148:1)
20-а Неділя по Зісланні Св. Духа. Свв. мчч. Сергія і Вакха.
Тропарі і Кондаки
Тропар (глас 3): Нехай веселяться небеснії, нехай радуються земляни,* бо показав владу рукою Своєю Господь,* Він смертю смерть подолав,* первістоком з-поміж мертвих став,* визволив нас із глибин аду,* і подав світові велику милість.
+Слава Отцю, і Сину, і Святому Духові.
Кондак (глас 3): Воскрес Ти нині з гробу, Щедрий,* і нас візвів із брам смерти;* нині Адам веселиться і радіє Єва,* разом же і пророки з патріярхами безустанно оспівують* божественну могутність влади Твоєї.
І нині, і повсякчас, і на віки вічні. Амінь.
Богородичний (глас 3): Діва сьогодні стоїть перед нами у храмі* та з хорами святих невидимо за нас молиться Богу.* Ангели з архиєреями поклоняються, апостоли ж з пророками радуються;* бо за нас благає Богородиця споконвічного Бога.
Прокімен (глас 3):
Співайте Богові нашому, співайте;* співайте цареві нашому, співайте (Пс 46,7).
Стих: Всі народи, заплещіть руками, кликніть до Бога голосом радости (Пс 46,2).
Апостол: (Гл. 1,11-19):
Браття і Сестри, звістую вам, що Євангелія, яку я вам проповідував, не є за людською мірою; бож я її не прийняв, ані навчився від людини, лише – через об’явлення Ісуса Христа. Ви чули про мою поведінку колись у юдействі, про те, як я несамовито гонив Божу Церкву та руйнував її. Я перевищував у юдействі багатьох ровесників з мого роду, бувши запеклим прихильником передань моїх предків. Та коли той, хто вибрав мене вже від утроби матері моєї і покликав своєю благодаттю, зволив об’явити в мені Сина свого, щоб я проповідував його між поганами, то я негайно, ні з ким не радившись, ані не подавшися в Єрусалим до тих, що були апостолами передо мною, пішов в Арабію, а потім знову повернувся в Дамаск. По трьох роках по тому пішов я у Єрусалим відвідати Кифу і перебув у нього п’ятнадцять день. А іншого з апостолів я не бачив, крім Якова, брата Господнього.
Алилуя (глас 3):
Стих: На Тебе, Господи, уповав, щоб не осоромитись навіки (Пс 30,2).
Стих: Будь мені Богом захисником і домом пристановища, щоб спасти мене (Пс 30,3).
Євангеліє: (Лк 7,11-16):
В той час пішов Ісус у місто, що зветься Наїн, а з ним ішли його учні й сила народу. Коли ж вони наблизились до міської брами, якраз виносили мертвого сина, єдиного в матері своєї, що була вдовою; і було з нею досить людей з міста. Побачивши її, Господь зглянувся над нею і сказав до неї: “Не плач.” І приступивши, доторкнувсь до мар, і ті, що несли, зупинились. Тоді Ісус сказав: “Юначе, кажу тобі, встань!” І мертвий підвівся і почав говорити. І він віддав його матері. Страх огорнув усіх, і вони прославляли Бога та й говорили: “Великий пророк устав між нами”, і: “Бог навідався до народу свого.”
Причасний:
Хваліте Господа з небес,* хваліте Його на висотах (Пс 148,1). Алилуя (х3).