The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ
In place of the
usual antiphons, use the festal antiphons:
The
Liturgy of St. Basil
The
First Antiphon
Stichos 1: I will confess Thee, O Lord, with
my whole heart, I will tell of all Thy wonders.
Refrain: Through
the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us.
Stichos 2: In the Council of the upright and in the
congregation, great are the
works of the
Lord.
Refrain: Through
the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us.
Stichos 3: Sought out in all the things that He hath
willed.
Refrain: Through
the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us.
Stichos 4: Confession and majesty are His
works, and His righteousness abideth
unto ages
of ages.
Refrain: Through
the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us.
Glory
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and
unto the
ages of ages. Amen.
Refrain: Through
the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us.
The
Second Antiphon
Stichos 1: Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord; in
His commandments shall
he
greatly delight.
Refrain: O Son
of God Who wast born of the
Virgin, save us who sing to Thee:
Alleluia.
Stichos 2: His seed shall be mighty upon the
earth; the generation of the upright
shall be
blessed.
Refrain: O Son
of God Who wast born of the
Virgin, save us who sing to Thee:
Alleluia.
Stichos 3: Glory
and riches shall be in his house, and his righteousness abideth
unto ages
of ages.
Refrain: O Son
of God Who wast born of the
Virgin, save us who sing to Thee:
Alleluia.
Stichos 4: There hath risen up in darkness a light for
the upright; he is merciful
and
compassionate and righteous.
Refrain: O Son
of God Who wast born of the
Virgin, save us who sing to Thee:
Alleluia.
Glory
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and
unto the
ages of ages. Amen.
O only-begotten Son and Word of God, Who art
immortal, yet didst deign for our
salvation to be incarnate of the Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, and
without
change didst become man, and was crucified, O Christ God, trampling down
death by
death. Thou Who
art one of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy
Spirit, save us.
The
Third Antiphon
Reader: Stichos 1: The
Lord said unto my Lord: Sit Thou at My right hand.
Choir: (Troparion, Tone 4):
Thy
Nativity, O Christ our God,
* hath shined upon the
world the light of
knowledge; * for
thereby, they that worshipped the stars * were taught by a star * to
worship Thee,
the Sun of Righteousness, * and to know Thee, the Dayspring from on
high. * O
Lord, glory be to Thee.
Stichos 2: Until I make Thine enemies the
footstool of Thy feet.
Choir: Repeat Troparion
Stichos 3: A
scepter of power shall the Lord send unto Thee out of Zion; rule
Thou in
the midst of Thine enemies.
Choir: Repeat Troparion
Stichos 4: With
Thee is dominion in the day of Thy power, in the splendor of
Thy
saints.
Choir: Repeat Troparion
The
entry verse:
From the womb before the morning
star have I begotten Thee. The Lord hath sworn and
will not
repent: Thou art a priest forever, after
the order of Melchizedek.
Troparion & Kontakion
Tone 4: Thy
Nativity, O Christ our God,
/
hath shined upon the world the light of knowledge; /
for thereby, they that worshipped the stars /
were taught by a star /
to worship Thee, the Sun of Righteousness, /
and to know Thee, the Dayspring from on high. //
O Lord, glory be to Thee.
Glory… Both now…
Tone 3: Today the Virgin giveth
birth to Him Who is transcendent in essence; /
and the earth offereth a
cave to Him Who is unapproachable. /
Angels with shepherds give glory; /
with a star the Magi do
journey; //
for our sake a young Child
is born, Who is pre-eternal God.
Instead
of the Trisagion: As many
as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Alleluia. Thrice.
Glory
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and
unto the
ages of ages. Amen. Have put on Christ. Alleluia.
As
many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Alleluia.
The Epistle
Reader: The
Prokimenon in the 8th Tone:
Let all the earth worship Thee and chant unto
Thee;
let them chant unto Thy name, O Most High.
Choir: Let all the earth worship Thee and chant unto Thee; let them chant unto Thy
name, O Most High.
Reader: Shout with jubilation unto the Lord all the
earth; chant ye unto His name, give
glory in praise of Him.
Choir: Let all the earth worship Thee and chant unto Thee; let them chant unto Thy
name, O Most High.
Reader. Let all the earth worship Thee and chant
unto Thee
Choir: Let them chant unto Thy name, O Most High.
Reader: The Reading is from the Epistle of the
Holy Apostle Paul to the Galatians:
[Gal.
4:4-7 (§209)]
Reader: Alleluia
in the 1st Tone.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaimeth the works
of
His hands.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: Day
unto day poureth forth speech, and night unto night proclaimeth
knowledge.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Gospel [Matt. 2:1-12 (§3)]
Instead of “It is truly
meet…” we chant the Irmos of the 9th Ode of the Second Canon
of
the feast, First Tone:
Refrain: Magnify,
O my soul, her who is more honorable and more glorious than
the
hosts on high, the most pure Virgin Theotokos.
Irmos: Better would it be for us to keep silence in
fear, for it is without peril; and
it
is difficult, O Virgin, to weave complex hymns harmoniously with love. But grant us,
O Mother, the strength
to fulfill our intent.
Or according to the
current practice of some, the following Irmos is used (with the same
refrain,
and in the same tone):
A strange and most wonderful mystery do I see: the
cave is heaven; the Virgin the
throne of the cherubim; the manger a room, in which Christ, the God whom
nothing can
contain, is laid. Him do we praise and
magnify.
Communion Verse:
The Lord hath sent
redemption unto His people. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia!