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Hieratikon

Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

Octoechos - Mode 1.

On Sunday Morning

Menaion - December 18-24

Sunday Before Christmas

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LITURGY OF ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

Antiphon 1. Mode 2.

Verse 1: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and everything within me, bless His holy name. [SAAS]

Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us.

Verse 2: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His rewards.

Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us.

Verse 3: The Lord prepared His throne in heaven, and His Kingdom rules over all.

Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us.

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

Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us.

Antiphon 2. Mode 2.

Verse 1: Praise the Lord, O my soul! I shall praise the Lord while I live; I shall sing to my God as long as I exist. [SAAS]

Save us, O Son of God, risen from the dead. We sing to You, Alleluia.

Verse 2: Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob; his hope is in the Lord his God.

Save us, O Son of God, risen from the dead. We sing to You, Alleluia.

Verse 3: The Lord shall reign forever; your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Save us, O Son of God, risen from the dead. We sing to You, Alleluia.

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

Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Only-begotten Son and Logos of God, being immortal, You condescended for our salvation to take flesh from the holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary and, without change, became man. Christ, our God, You were crucified and conquered death by death. Being one of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit: Save us.

Antiphon 3.

Mode 1.

Verse 1: This is the day the Lord made; let us greatly rejoice and be glad therein. [SAAS]

Resurrectional Apolytikion.

Mode 1. Automelon.

The stone having been sealed by the Pharisees and chief priests, * and Your all-immaculate body being guarded by soldiers, * You rose on the third day, O Lord and Savior, granting life unto the world. * Then the powers of the heavens cried out to You, O Giver of Life, and shouted, * “Glory to Your resurrection, O Christ! * Glory to Your eternal rule! * Glory to Your plan for saving us, only benevolent God!” [GOASD]

Verse 2: Let heaven and earth praise Him.

The stone having been sealed by the Pharisees and chief priests, * and Your all-immaculate body being guarded by soldiers, * You rose on the third day, O Lord and Savior, granting life unto the world. * Then the powers of the heavens cried out to You, O Giver of Life, and shouted, * “Glory to Your resurrection, O Christ! * Glory to Your eternal rule! * Glory to Your plan for saving us, only benevolent God!” [GOASD]

Entrance Hymn. Mode 2.

Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ. Save us, O Son of God, risen from the dead. We sing to You, Alleluia.

Hymns after the Entrance.

From Octoechos - - -

Resurrectional Apolytikion.

Mode 1. Automelon.

Τοῦ λίθου σφραγισθέντος.

The stone having been sealed by the Pharisees and chief priests, * and Your all-immaculate body being guarded by soldiers, * You rose on the third day, O Lord and Savior, granting life unto the world. * Then the powers of the heavens cried out to You, O Giver of Life, and shouted, * “Glory to Your resurrection, O Christ! * Glory to Your eternal rule! * Glory to Your plan for saving us, only benevolent God!” [GOASD]

For the Forefeast.

Mode 4.

O Bethlehem, prepare, Eden is opened unto all. * And be ready, Ephrata, for the Tree of life * has in the grotto blossomed forth from the Virgin. * Indeed her womb is shown to be spiritually * a Paradise, in which is found the God-planted Tree. * And if we eat from it we shall live, and shall not die, as did Adam of old. * Christ is born, so that He might raise up * the formerly fallen image. [SD]

For the Fathers.

Mode 2.

Magnificent are the accomplishments of faith! The holy Three Servants greatly rejoiced, as they stood in the fountain of fire, as if beside the still waters; and the Prophet Daniel appeared to be a shepherd of lions, as if they were sheep. At their entreaties, O Christ God, save our souls. [SD]

The Apolytikion of the parish church is sung. Then:

From Menaion - - -

Kontakion.

Mode 3. Automelon.

Ἡ Παρθένος σήμερον.

On this day the Virgin Maid * goes to the grotto to give birth * to the pre-eternal Word * in an ineffable manner. * Dance for joy, all the inhabited earth, on hearing. * Glorify along with Angels and with the shepherds * Him who willed that He appear as * a newborn Child, * the pre-eternal God. [SD]

Trisagios Hymn

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3)

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

The Epistle

Sunday Before Christmas

Prokeimenon. Mode 4. The Prayer of Azariah.

Blessed are You, O Lord God of our fathers. [SAAS]

Verse: For You are righteous in all You did for us. [SAAS]

The reading is from Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews.

Heb. 11:9 – 10, 32 – 40

Brethren, by faith Abraham sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. And what more shall 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, enforced justice, received promises, stopped 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. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated — of whom the world was not worthy — wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. [RSV]

Alleluia. Mode 4.

Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Verse 1: O God, we heard with our ears. [SAAS]

Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Verse 2: The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them.

Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

The Gospel

Sunday Before Christmas

The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.

Mt. 1:1 – 25

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Ammin′adab, and Ammin′adab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Bo′az by Rahab, and Bo′az the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uri′ah, and Solomon the father of Rehobo′am, and Rehobo′am the father of Abi′jah, and Abi′jah the father of Asa, and Asa the father of Jehosh′aphat, and Jehosh′aphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzzi′ah, and Uzzi′ah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezeki′ah, and Hezeki′ah the father of Manas′seh, and Manas′seh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josi′ah, and Josi′ah the father of Jechoni′ah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoni′ah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerub′babel, and Zerub′babel the father of Abi′ud, and Abi′ud the father of Eli′akim, and Eli′akim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eli′ud, and Eli′ud the father of Elea′zar, and Elea′zar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne her firstborn son; and he called his name Jesus. [RSV]

Hymn to the Theotokos.

It is truly right to bless you, Theotokos, ever blessed, most pure, and Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, without corruption you gave birth to God the Logos. We magnify you, the true Theotokos.

Communion Hymn. Psalm 148.

Praise the Lord from the heavens. [SAAS] Alleluia.

Hymn after Holy Communion.

Mode 2.

We have seen the true light; we have received the heavenly Spirit; we have found the true faith, worshiping the undivided Trinity, for the Trinity has saved us.

DISMISSAL

Glory to You, O Christ our God. Glory to You.

May He who rose from the dead, Christ our true God, through the intercessions of His all-pure and all-immaculate holy Mother, the power of the precious and life-giving Cross, the protection of the honorable, bodiless powers of heaven, the supplications of the honorable, glorious prophet and forerunner John the Baptist, of the holy, glorious, and praiseworthy apostles, of the holy, glorious, and triumphant martyrs, of our righteous and God-bearing fathers, (local patron saint); of the holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, all those who from the beginning of time were well-pleasing to God, from Adam to Joseph the Betrothed of the Most Holy Theotokos, whose memory we observe; and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, as He is good, benevolent, and merciful God.

Fasting Rule

Wine: Wine and oil are allowed. Refrain from meat, fish, dairy, and eggs.

It is the Christmas fast.