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ON THE 25TH OF THE MONTH The Nativity according to the flesh of our Lord and God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. AT VESPERS At Lord, I have cried we insert 8 Stichera and sing the following Idiomels, doubling them. 2nd Tone. By Germanos. Come, let us rejoice in the Lord, as we tell of the present mystery. The middle wall of partition has been destroyed; the sword of flame 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 slave, coming forth from a Mother who did not know wedlock, not undergoing change; for what he was he has remained: true God; and what he was not he has taken up, becoming man through love for mankind. To him let us cry out: God, born from a Virgin, have mercy on us. By Anatolios. Same Tone. When the Lord Jesus was born of the holy Virgin, the whole universe was enlightened. For Shepherds were abiding in the fields, Magi worshipping, Angels singing in praise, while Herod was troubled; because God had appeared in flesh, the Saviour of our souls. The same Tone. Your kingdom, Christ God, is a kingdom of all the ages, and your Rule is from every generation to generation. Incarnate of the Holy Spirit and becoming man of the ever-Virgin Mary, you made light shine on us, Christ God, by your coming. Light of Light, Radiance of the Father, you have made all creation bright with joy. Everything that has breath praises you, Imprint of the Father’s glory. O God, who exist and pre-exist and who shone from a Virgin, have mercy on us. The same Tone. What shall we offer you, O Christ, because you have appeared on earth as a man for our sakes? For each of the creatures made by you offers you its thanks: the Angels their hymn; the heavens the Star; the Shepherds their wonder; the Magi their gifts; the earth the Cave; the desert the Manger; but we a Virgin Mother. God before the ages, have mercy on us. Glory. Both now. The same Tone.By Kasia. When Augustus reigned alone on the earth, the many kingdoms of mankind came to an end; and when you became man from the pure Virgin, the many gods of idolatry were destroyed; the cities of the world passed under one single rule; and the nations came to believe in one single Godhead; the peoples were enrolled by decree of Caesar; we the faithful were enrolled in the name of the Godhead, when you became man, O our God. Great is your mercy, Lord; glory to you! And there takes place an Entrance with the Gospel; O Joyful Light, and the Readings in their order, with the Troparia and their verses.The Reading is from Genesis. In the beginning God made the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. And God said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters. And it was so.’ And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And God called the firmament Heaven. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. And God said, ‘Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one gathering and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. And the water that was under Heaven was gathered to their gatherings, and the dry land appeared. And God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. And God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth.’ And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. The Reading is from Numbers. And the Spirit of God came upon Balaam, and he took up his discourse, and said, ‘How fair are your houses, O Jacob, your tents, O Israel! Like shady groves, like gardens beside a river, like tents that the Lord has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. A man shall chrome forth from his seed and will be Lord over many nations, and his kingdom shall be exalted and increased. God led him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of the unicorn, he shall eat up the nations of his adversaries, and suck the marrow of their fat bones, and pierce the foe through with his arrows. He couched, he lay down like a lion, and like a young lion; who will rouse him? Blessed be every one who blesses you, and cursed be every one who curses you.’ A star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a man shall rise out of Israel; and shall crush the princes of Moab, and plunder all the sons of Seth. Edom shall be an inheritance, Esau his foe shall be an inheritance, while Israel did valiantly. The Reading from the Prophecy of Micheas. In those days, says the Lord, I will gather her that is bruised, and her that has been driven out I will receive, and those whom I have driven out; and her that has been bruised I will make into a remnant; and her that has been cast out into a strong nation; and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Sion from this henceforth and for evermore. Thus says the Lord: And you Bethlehem, house of Ephratha, are not least among the thousands of Juda; for from you there will come forth for me the one who is to be ruler in Israel, and his goings out are from the beginning, from eternity. Because of this he will give them until the moment that she who bears child shall bring to birth; and the remainder of his brethren will return to the children of Israel. And he will stand and will see, and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, and they will abide in the glory of the name of the Lord his God; for now they will be magnified even to the extremities of the earth. Then we sing, standing: Secretly you were born in a cave, but heaven proclaimed you to all, using the star as its mouth, O Saviour. It brought you Magi, who worshipped you in faith. Have mercy on them and on us. 1st Verse. His foundations are in the holy mountains; the Lord loves the gates of Sion more than all the tabernacles of Jacob. It brought you Magi, who worshipped you in faith. Have mercy on them and on us. 2nd Verse. Glorious things have been spoken of you, City of God; I shall remember Rahab and Babylon to those who know you. It brought you Magi, who worshipped you in faith. Have mercy on them and on us. 3rd Verse. And see, strangers, and from Tyre, and people of Ethiopia. It brought you Magi, who worshipped you in faith. Have mercy on them and on us. 4th Verse. These were born there. My mother is Sion, a man will say; and a man was born in her; and the Most High himself has founded her. It brought you Magi, who worshipped you in faith. Have mercy on them and on us. 5th Verse. The Lord will recount it in the writing of peoples, and of these Rulers who were born in her. The dwelling in you is as that of all who rejoice. It brought you Magi, who worshipped you in faith. Have mercy on them and on us. Glory. Both now. The whole.Secretly you were born in a cave, but heaven proclaimed you to all, using the star as its mouth, O Saviour. It brought you Magi, who worshipped you in faith. Have mercy on them and on us. Then the following Readings. (11:1-10) Thus says the Lord: There shall come forth a rod from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall grow out of the root. And the Spirit of the Lord God shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and piety. The spirit of the fear of the Lord will fill him. He shall not judge by glory nor reprove by hearsay; but he will give judgement for the lowly with justice, and reprove with equity the glorious ones of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the word of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall destroy the wicked. And he will have his loins girt with justice, and his sides clothed with truth. Then the wolf shall feed with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the bull and the lion will feed together, and a little child shall lead them. The ox and the bear shall feed together; their young shall be together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. An infant child shall put its hand over the hole of asps, and the weaned child its hand on the nest of the offspring of asps. They shall not hurt or be able to destroy anyone on my holy mountain; for the whole earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as much water covers the sea. In that day there shall be the root of Jesse, and he that shall arise to rule nations; in him shall the nations hope, and his rest shall be honour. The Reading is from the Prophecy of Jeremias. This is our God, and there shall be none other reckoned in comparison with him. He has found out all the way of knowledge, and given it to Jacob his servant and Israel his beloved. After this he appeared on earth and lived among men. This is the book of the commandments of God, and the law which exists for ever; all those who keep it fast will have life; but those who abandon it will die. Turn back Jacob, and lay hold of it, walk in the presence of its light to be illumined. Do not give your glory to another, and what is profitable to you to a foreign nation. The Reading is from the Prophecy of Daniel. Daniel said to Nabuchodonosor, ‘You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was lightening. The head of this image was of pure gold, its hands, breast and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. As you looked, a stone was cut out from a mountain by no human hand, and it smote the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces; then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall this kingdom be left to another people. It shall crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever; just as you saw that a stone was cut from the mountain not by hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has informed the king what shall be hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation trustworthy.’ Troparion. Tone 6. You have dawned from a Virgin, O Christ, spiritual Sun of justice; and a star showed you whom nothing can contained in a cave. You led Magi to worship you in faith; with them we magnify you. Giver of life, glory to you! 1st Verse. The Lord is king and has robed himself in glory; the Lord has robed and girded himself with strength. You led Magi to worship you in faith; with them we magnify you. Giver of life, glory to you! 2nd Verse. He has established the world, which shall not be shaken; your throne is prepared from of old; you are from everlasting. You led Magi to worship you in faith; with them we magnify you. Giver of life, glory to you! 3rd Verse. The rivers have lifted up, O Lord, the rivers have lifted up their voice; the rivers will raise their waves at the voice of many waters. You led Magi to worship you in faith; with them we magnify you. Giver of life, glory to you! 4th Verse. Wonderful are the billows of the sea; wonderful the Lord in the heights. Your testimonies are exceedingly sure. You led Magi to worship you in faith; with them we magnify you. Giver of life, glory to you! 5th Verse. Hallowing, O Lord, becomes your house for length of days. You led Magi to worship you in faith; with them we magnify you. Giver of life, glory to you! Glory. Both now. The whole.You have dawned from a Virgin, O Christ, spiritual Sun of justice; and a star showed you whom nothing can contained in a cave. You led Magi to worship you in faith; with them we magnify you. Giver of life, glory to you! Then the following Readings. (9:6-7) A child has been born for us, a son has been given to us; whose government is upon his shoulder, and his name will be called ‘Angel of Great Counsel, Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Potentate, Prince of Peace, Father of the age to come.’ For I will bring peace upon princes, peace and health to him. Great his government, and of his peace there is no bound, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with judgement and with justice from henceforth and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. The Reading is from the Prophecy of Isaias. Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, ‘Ask a sign of the Lord your God; in the depth or in the height.’ But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.’ And he [Isaias] said, ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it a little thing for you to contend with men, and how do you contend with the Lord? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel. He shall eat butter and honey before he knows how to prefer evil or choose good. For before the child knows good or evil, he refuses the evil to choose the good. Then the Lord said to me, ‘Take for yourself a large new volume and write upon it in with a man’s pen, Of making a rapid plunder of spoils; for it is at hand. And get me witnesses, reliable men, Urias the priest and Zachary the son of Barachias. And I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, ‘Call his name Despoil quickly, plunder rapidly; for before the child knows how to cry ‘Father’ or ‘Mother,’ he will take the power of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria before the king of the Assyrians.’ Know you nations and be worsted; give ear, as far as the extremity of the earth; for if again you have become strong, again you will be worsted. And whatever counsel you take, the Lord will scatter it; and whatever word you speak, it will not remain in you, for God is with us. After the completion of the Readings the Small Litany, and after the Ekphonesis the Trisagion. Then the Prokeimenon of the Apostle. The Lord said to me: You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Verse: Ask of me, and I will give you nations as your inheritance.The Reading is from the Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews. In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the ages. He is the radiance of his glory and the very imprint of his substance, upholding the universe by the word of his power. When he had made purification for our sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has obtained is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’? Or again, ‘I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son’? And again, when he brings the first-born into the world, he says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’ Of the angels he says, ‘Who makes his angels spirits and his ministers flames of fire.’ But to the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is to age on age, the sceptre of justice is the sceptre of your kingdom. You have loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your comrades.’ And, ‘You, Lord, founded the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all grow old like a garment, like a mantle you will roll them up, and they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will never end.’ But to what angel has he ever said, ‘Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? Therefore we must pay the closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the word spoken by angels was sure and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him. Alleluia. Tone 8. Verse 1: The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I place your enemies as a footstool under your feet.Verse 2: The Lord will send you a rod of power out of Sion.Verse 3: From the womb before the Morning Star I have begotten you.The Reading is from the holy Gospel according to Luke. In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrolment and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was from the house and family of David. He went to be enrolled with Mary, his espoused wife who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. In that region there were shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were sore afraid. But the angel said to them, ‘Fear not; for see—I am bringing you good tidings of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men!’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Then the divine Liturgy of St Basil the Great. Communion. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the highest. Alleluia. |
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