GREAT VESPERS

Kathisma Reading

“Blessed is the man…” is sung.

At Psalm 140

In Tone 8

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

O Christ, during this spiritual service,* we sing to You these evening prayers,* commemorating the mercy You have shown us* by Your resurrection.

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

O Lord, O Lord, do not cast us away from Your face;* but in Your kindness have mercy on us* through Your resurrection.

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

Rejoice, O holy Sion,* the Mother of Churches and the dwelling-place of God;* for you were the first to receive the forgiveness of sins* through the resurrection.

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

Christ the Word was begotten by God the Father before all ages;* yet in these latter times,* He freely willed to take flesh from the Virgin who did not know man.* By His death on the cross and His resurrection,* He saved mankind from the ancient curse of death.

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

O Christ, we glorify Your resurrection;* for by rising from the dead* You freed the race of Adam from the sufferings of Hades,* and as God You granted eternal life* and great mercy to the world.

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

Glory to You, O Christ our Saviour,* the only-begotten Son of God;* for You were nailed to the cross,* and then arose from the dead on the third day.

In Tone 6

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

The prophets, inspired by Your Spirit, O Lord,* foretold that You, whom nothing can contain or grasp,* and who has shone forth in eternity before the morning star* from the immaterial and bodiless womb of the Father,* was to become a child,* taking flesh from the Virgin,* being joined to men and seen by those on earth.* At the prayers of these Your prophets,* in Your compassion count us worthy of Your light,* for we sing the praises* of Your ineffable and holy Resurrection.

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

The divinely-inspired prophets preached You in word and honoured You in works,* and they received as their reward a life without end.* For they steadfastly refused, O Master,* to worship the creation instead of You, the Creator;* They renounced the whole world for the Gospel’s sake,* and in their suffering they were conformed to Your Passion which they had foretold.* At their intercessions, count us worthy to pass through the period of the Fast without offence,* for You alone are rich in mercy.

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

You who are uncircumscribed, O Master, in Your divine nature,* were pleased in the last times to take flesh and be circumscribed;* and in assuming flesh, You have also taken on Yourself all its distinctive properties.* Therefore we depict the likeness of Your outward form,* venerating it with an honour that is relative.* So we are exalted to the love of You,* and following the holy traditions handed down by the apostles,* from Your icon we receive the grace of healing.

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

As a precious adornment* the Church of Christ has received the venerable and holy icons of the Saviour Christ,* of God’s Mother and of all the saints.* Celebrating now their triumphant restoration,* she is made bright with grace and splendour,* and drives away all heretics.* With great rejoicing* she gives glory to God who loves mankind,* and who for her sake* has endured His voluntary Passion.

In Tone 2

Glory…

The grace of truth has shone upon us;* the mysteries darkly prefigured in the times of old have now been openly fulfilled.* For behold, the Church is clothed in a beauty that surpasses all things earthly,* through the icon of the incarnate Christ that was foreshadowed by the ark of testimony.* This is the safeguard of the orthodox faith;* for if we hold fast to the icon of the Saviour whom we worship,* we shall not go astray.* Let all who do not share this faith be covered with shame;* but we shall glory in the icon of the Word made flesh,* which we venerate but worship not as an idol.* So let us kiss it, and with all the faithful cry aloud:* O God, save Your people* and bless Your inheritance.

In Tone 8

Now…

Out of his love for mankind* the King of heaven appeared on earth and dwelt with men,* for He assumed a human body from the pure Virgin* and was seen in the flesh He received from her.* He is the One and only God* having two natures but not two persons.* Wherefore we profess and declare the truth* that Christ our God is perfect God and perfect Man.* O Mother, who knew not carnal union,* intercede with Him that He may have mercy on our souls.

Aposticha

In Tone 8

O Jesus, You descended from heaven* so that You might ascend the cross.* O immortal Life, You came to die.* You are the true light to those who live in darkness,* and You are the resurrection of the fallen.* Therefore, O Saviour of all, we glorify You.

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

Let us glorify Christ, the Saviour of our Souls* who arose from the dead.* For He took upon himself a soul and a body,* and during His passion He separated the one from the other.* His pure soul went down to conquer Hades,* while His holy body lay uncorrupted in the grave.

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

O Christ, we glorify Your resurrection with psalms and hymns.* For by Your victory over death* You delivered us from the sufferings of Hades,* and as God You granted us eternal life and great mercy.

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

O Lord of all, Creator of heaven and earth,* You are above all understanding.* Through Your passion on the cross* You freed us from the sufferings of Hades.* And, after condescending to be buried, You arose in glory;* and with Your mighty arm You also raised up Adam.* O most merciful Lord, we glorify You;* for by Your resurrection on the third day* You granted us remission of sins and eternal life.

In Tone 2, Glory…

Advancing from ungodliness to the true faith,* and illumined with the light of knowledge,* let us clap our hands and sing aloud,* offering praise and thanksgiving to God;* and with due honour* let us venerate the holy icons of Christ;* of the all-pure Virgin and the saints,* whether depicted on walls, on wooden panels or on holy vessels,* rejecting the impious teachings of the heretics.* For, as Basil says,* the honour shown the icon passes to the prototype it represents.* At the prayers of Your undefiled Mother and of all the Saints,* we beseech You, Christ our God,* to bestow upon us Your great mercy.

Now…

We now behold a new wonder,* greater than the wonders of old.* For who has ever known a mother to bear a child without the help of man?* Who has known a mother to hold in her arms the Source of all Creation?* It was God’s own will to be born in this manner;* and you, O most pure Virgin, carried Him as an infant in your arms.* Because of this, you can approach God with the boldness of a mother.* Therefore, we venerate you, and ask you to always beseech Him* to have mercy on us and save our souls.

Troparia

In Tone 8

You came down from on high, O Merciful One,* and accepted three days of burial* to free us from our sufferings.* O Lord, our life and our resurrection,* glory be to You.

In Tone 2, Glory…

We bow before Your most pure image, O kind Lord,* and beg pardon for our sins, O Christ our God.* Of Your own will You consented to ascend the Cross in the flesh* to free Your handiwork from enslavement to the enemy.* In thanksgiving we cry aloud to You:* by coming to save the world, our Saviour, You filled all things with joy.

Now…

O Mother of God, the mysteries which surround you are exceedingly glorious,* and beyond the power of understanding.* For you retained the seal of purity,* and your virginity remained inviolate;* yet you are acknowledged, without doubt,* to be the Mother who gave birth to the true God.* We beg you, therefore, to entreat Him to save our souls.

DIVINE LITURGY
The Divine Liturgy of our Father among the Saints Basil the Great is celebrated

Troparia and Kontakia

Troparion, Tone 8: You came down from on high, O Merciful One,* and accepted three days of burial* to free us from our sufferings.* O Lord, our life and our resurrection,* glory be to You.

Troparion, Tone 2: We bow before Your most pure image, O kind Lord,* and beg pardon for our sins, O Christ our God.* Of Your own will You consented to ascend the Cross in the flesh to free Your handiwork from enslavement to the enemy.* In thanksgiving we cry aloud to You:* by coming to save the world, our Saviour, You filled all things with joy.

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

Kontakion, Tone 8: The uncircumscribed Word of the Father* became circumscribed when He took flesh of you, O Mother of God,* and when He restored the divine image to its ancient glory,* He suffused it with the beauty of God.* Therefore, confessing our salvation in deed and word,* we portray it in images.

Prokeimenon, Tone 4
Blessed are You, Lord God of our fathers,* and praised and glorified is Your Name for ever.
verse: For You are righteous in everything You have done to us. (Daniel 3:26,27)

Epistle: Hebrews 11:24-26,32-40; 12:1-2 (NRSV)
Brothers and Sisters, by faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered abuse suffered for the Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the reward. And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented— of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Alleluia, Tone 4
verse: Moses and Aaron are among His priests and Samuel among those who call upon His name.
verse: They called on the Lord, and He heard them. (Psalm 98:6)

Gospel: John 1:43-51 (NRSV)
At that time Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Hymn to the Mother of God

In you, O Full of Grace, all creation rejoices: the angelic ranks and all the human race. Sanctified temple and spiritual paradise, virgins’ pride and boast, from whom God is made flesh and became a little Child; and He who is our God before all ages, He made your womb a throne, and He made it wider that all the heavens. In you, O Full of Grace, all creation rejoices. Glory be to you.

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.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 32:1)