30th Sunday After Pentecost / St. Seraphim of Sarov & Forefeast of Theophany
Beatitude
Verses: Octoechos: 4; Forefeast 4, from ode 3; Saint 4, from 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&
6. “The Christ hath appeared!” the Forerunner
crieth out, “And He cometh up to the
streams of the Jordan! Let us make haste to greet Him, enlightened
by pure thoughts!”
7. O my God, Thou deliverance of all, having
clothed Thyself in mine abundant poverty,
Thou approachest to be baptized, seeking me who have strayed
from the right path.
8. Let earth and heaven now join chorus, for the
Benefactor of all is baptized,
submerging the multitude of our countless
transgressions in the waters.
9. We are all full of sin, but thy
supplications, O venerable Seraphim, ascend unto the
Lord like fragrant
incense. And we now pray thee: Still
thou the raging tempest of
ungodliness in the land of Russia, and ask of the Lord
salvation for our souls.
10. Truly blessed wast thou, O venerable
Seraphim, having acquired riches through
poverty, and through tears, joy – which thou didst
abundantly bestow upon those who
came to thee.
And now thou dost emit rays of miracles and healest
all that have recourse
unto thee with faith.
11. Having dug with thine own hands a well in the
wilderness, O venerable one, thou
didst give drink unto the thirsty that came unto
thee. And now thou healest
the diseases
of the sick with the water therefrom. Truly, the Master hath shown thee forth unto
all as
a miraculous intercessor and wonderworker, O
venerable one.
12. We confess thee to be the Mother of God
indeed, the true Theotokos, for by thy
birthgiving have we been delivered from the curse of
corruption, through the loving-
kindness of God, Who loveth mankind, and have been
called to life incorruptible.
Troparia
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.
Glory… Tone 4: From thy youth thou didst love Christ, O blessed one, /
and ardently desiring to work for Him alone /
thou didst struggle in the wilderness with constant prayer and labor; /
and having acquired love for Christ with compunction of heart, /
thou didst prove to be the beloved favorite of the Mother of God. /
Wherefore, we cry to thee: //
Save us by thy prayers, O Seraphim, our holy father.
Both now… 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.
The Epistle
Reader:
The Prokimenon in the 6th Tone: Save,
O Lord, Thy people and bless Thine
inheritance.
Choir:
Save, O Lord, Thy people and bless Thine inheritance.
Reader: Unto
Thee, O Lord, Will I cry; O my God, be not silent unto
me.
Choir:
Save, O Lord, Thy people and bless Thine inheritance.
Reader: In
the 7th Tone: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death
of His saints
Choir: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints
Reader: The Reading is from the Second Epistle of the Holy Apostle
Paul to Timothy:
[2nd Timothy 4:5-8; Colossians 1:12-18 &
Galatians 5:22-6:2]
Reader: Alleluia in the 8th
Tone: God
be gracious unto us and bless us.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: Cause Thy face to shine upon us, and have
mercy on us.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: In the same
Tone: Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord; in His
commandments shall he greatly delight.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Gospel [Mark 1:1-8; Luke 6:17-23a]
Kontakia
Tone 5: Unto hades, O my Savior, didst Thou descend,
/
and having broken its gates as one omnipotent, /
Thou, as Creator,
didst raise up the dead together with Thyself. /
And Thou didst break
the sting of death, /
and didst deliver Adam from the curse, O Lover
of mankind. /
Wherefore, we all
cry unto Thee: //
Save us, O Lord.
Glory… Tone 2: Having left the beauty of the
world /
and
what is corrupt in it, O Saint, /
thou
didst settle in Sarov Monastery. /
And
having lived there an angelic life, /
thou
wast for many the way of salvation. /
Wherefore,
Christ hath glorified thee, O Father Seraphim, /
and
hath enriched thee with the gift of healing and miracles. /
And so
we cry to thee: //
Rejoice,
O Seraphim, our holy father.
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.