30th Sunday after Pentecost / Sunday of the Holy
Fathers / Forefeast of Nativity
Beatitudes on 12,
Octoechos: 4; Fathers: 4, Ode 3; Forefeast: 4, Ode 6.
1. Believing Thee to be God, O Christ, the thief on the cross confessed Thee in a pure manner, crying out from the depths of his heart: Remember me in Thy kingdom, O Lord!
2. Together let us hymn as Savior and Creator, Him Who on the Cross budded forth life for our race and caused the curse which originated from the tree to wither up.
3. By Thy death hast Thou destroyed the power of death, O Christ, and Thou didst raise up with Thyself the dead of ages past, who now hymn Thee as our true God and Savior.
4. Arriving at Thy tomb, O Christ, the honorable women sought to anoint Thee with myrrh, O Bestower of life; but an angel appeared to them, crying out: The Lord is risen!
5. Faithfully preserving the glory of the image and likeness of God, with the fire of the Spirit the children, as champions, extinguished the fire of the golden image, chanting: We know but one Lord!
6. The captive children, clothed with the wisdom and power of the Spirit, put to shame the wise men of Babylon and boldly cried out: None is holy save Thee, O Lord Who lovest mankind!
7. The law doth rejoice and joineth chorus with the children and the prophets and doth exult today before the divine advent of the Lord. And Abraham doth rejoice, for from his seed hath the incarnate Lord appeared.
8. A conception without pain, an acceptance of thy birthgiving hath transpired in manner beyond recounting, O Theotokos, for the Word of God, Who is God and was proclaimed by the prophets, hath shown Himself to be a mystery beyond nature.
9
& 10. O Mistress, as a new heaven thou dost come, that Christ, the Sun of
glory, might shine forth in the flesh from thy womb, as through a cloud, in the
cave; for, in His boundless loving-kindness, He desireth splendidly to illumine
all who are of this earth with rays of His own light.
11. Thou didst perceive our infirmity and misery,
O compassionate Christ, and didst not disdain us; but, without leaving the
Father, Thou didst abase Thyself and make Thine abode in the womb of her who
knew not wedlock, who now cometh forth to give birth unto Thee, without pain,
in the cave.
12. Ye mountains and hills, fields and vales,
people and generations, nations and every creature: exult, filled with divine
gladness, for the deliverance of all, the Word of God, the Timeless One, Who in
His loving-kindness hath come under time, doth come with haste.
Troparia & Kontakia
Tone 5: Let us, O faithful, praise and worship the Word /
Who is co-unoriginate with the Father and the Spirit, /
and Who was born of the Virgin for our salvation; /
for He was pleased to ascend the Cross in the flesh /
and to endure death, //
and to raise the dead by His glorious Resurrection.
Tone 2: Great are the achievements of faith! /
In the fountain of flame, as in
refreshing water, /
the Three Holy Children
rejoiced. /
And the prophet Daniel proved a
shepherd of lions as of sheep. //
By their prayers, O Christ God,
save our souls.
Tone 4: Make ready, O Bethlehem, /
Eden hath been opened unto all. /
Prepare, O Ephratha, /
for the Tree of life hath blossomed in the cave from the Virgin. /
For her womb proved to be a spiritual paradise /
wherefrom there came the Divine Plant, /
whereof eating we shall live and not die like Adam. /
Christ is born //
to raise the image that fell of old.
Glory… Tone 1: Rejoice, O Bethlehem! /
Ephratha, make ready! /
for behold, the Ewe hasteneth
to give birth unto the Great Shepherd /
Whom she carrieth in her womb.
/
And seeing Him, the God-bearing
Fathers rejoice, //
and with the shepherds praise the Virgin who giveth milk.
Both
now… Tone 2: Beholding Him Who holdeth the whole world in
His hands /
wrapped in
swaddling-bands in Bethlehem, /
let us offer up
hymns of the forefeast /
unto her who gave
birth to Him; /
for she rejoiceth
maternally, //
holding the Son of
God at her bosom.
The Epistle
Reader: The Prokimenon in the 4th Tone:
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is
Thy name unto the ages.
Choir:
Blessed
art Thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is Thy name
unto the ages.
Reader: For
righteous art Thou in all which Thou hast done for us.
Choir: Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the God of our
fathers, and praised and glorified is Thy name unto the ages.
Reader: Blessed art Thou, O
Lord, the God of our fathers.
Choir: And praised and
glorified is Thy name unto the ages.
Reader:
The
[Hebrews 11:9-10,17-23,32-40 (§328)]
Reader: Alleluia
in the 4th Tone:
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: O
God, with our ears have we heard, for our fathers have told us.
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: Thou hast saved us from them that afflict
us, and them that hate us hast Thou put to shame.
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Gospel [Matthew 1:1-25
(§1)]
Communion
Verse:
Praise
the Lord in the heavens, praise Him in the highest! Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; praise
is meet for the upright. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia!