Prophet
Malachi, Martyr Gordius, and the Forefeast of Theophany
Beatitudes
on 8: Forefeast: 4, from Ode 3; and 4, from Ode 6.
1 & 2. Be glad, O human nature, thou arid
desert; for, lo! Christ, the restoration of all, the Water of life, hath
appeared, watering thee with grace newly sprung forth!
3. Thou comest forth to the waters to seek me out
who have gone astray in mind, O Christ; and entering them, Thou drownest my transgressions and leadest
me up from the abyss of all evil, in that Thou art compassionate.
4. Having perforce to behold Thee naked, O Word, the
sun hideth its rays; for Thou comest to clothe in the
garment of salvation, through honored baptism, me who have been stripped naked
through the deception of the serpent.
5 & 6. O ye who from
of old have sat in the darkness, beholding the Light which is come, be ye
filled with joy! Lo! the Lord hath
appeared, clothed in the streams of the Jordan.
7. How is it that the Forerunner beheld Thee coming
and asking for divine baptism, O Savior?
How is it that the waters of the Jordan receive thee, Who art the Water
of remission?
8. In gladness let the clouds drop forth noetic
joy. Lo! the Lord hath come to be
baptized, removing the dark clouds from our hearts.
Troparia
& Kontakia
Tone 4: Make ready, O Zebulon, /
and prepare thyself, O Naphtali. /
O River Jordan, stand /
and leap for joy at receiving the Lord Who cometh to be baptized.
/
Rejoice, O Adam, with our first mother; /
hide not yourselves as in paradise of old. /
For seeing us naked, he hath appeared, /
that He may clothe us with our first garment. //
Christ hath appeared, wishing to renew the whole of creation.
[Troparion of the Temple]
Tone 4: In his sufferings O Lord, /
Thy
martyr Gordius hath received an imperishable crown from Thee, our God; /
for,
possessed of Thy might, /
he
set at nought his tormentors and crushed the feeble audacity of the
demons. //
By
his supplications save Thou our souls.
[Kontakion of the Temple]
Tone 4: Enriched by the gift of prophecy, O prophet,
/
thou
didst manifestly proclaim salvation to the world and the advent of Christ, //
by
Whose radiance the world hath been illumined.
Glory…
Tone 8:
The
drops of thy sweat have watered the whole earth, O all-glorious Gordius, /
and
thou hast gladdened all the world with thy precious blood. /
By
thy supplications, O divinely wise one, save all who hymn and bless thee with
faith,//
crying
out a worthy hymn to thee, O most lauded one, as a great athlete.
Both now... Tone 4: In the streams of the Jordan today /
the Lord cried to
John: /
Be not afraid to baptize
Me, /
for, I am come to save
Adam, //
the first-fashioned man.
The Epistle
Reader: The
Prokimenon in the 8th Tone: Be glad in the Lord,
and rejoice, ye righteous.
Choir: Be
glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous.
Reader: Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
Choir: Be
glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous.
Reader: In the 7th
Tone: The righteous man shall be glad in the Lord, and shall hope in Him.
Choir: The
righteous man shall be glad in the Lord, and shall hope in Him.
Reader: The Reading
is from the First Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the
Timothy: [I Tim. 3:14-4:5
(§284); II Tim. 2:1-10 (§292)]
Reader: Alleluia in the 4th Tone: The righteous
cried and the Lord heard them, and He delivered them out of all their
tribulations.
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: Many
are the tribulations of the righteous, and the Lord shall deliver them out of
them all.
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: The righteous man shall flourish like a
palm-tree, and like a cedar in Lebanon shall he be multiplied.
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Gospel [Matt. 3:1-11 (§5); Matt. 10:16-22 (§36)]
Communion Verse: Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; praise is meet for the
upright. In everlasting remembrance shall the righteous be; he shall not be
afraid of evil tidings. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!