Sunday after the Nativity
Divine Liturgy of our Father among the Saints John Chrysostom, celebrated by Father Yuriy at Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Parish, Victoria. 10AM 27 December 2020.
First Antiphon
Verse: I will confess You, Lord, with all my heart, * I will declare all Your wondrous deeds.
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Verse: In the council of the just and the congregation, * great are the works of the Lord, conforming to His will in every way.
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Verse: His work is filled with praise and majesty, * and His righteousness endures forever.
Refrain: Through the prayers of the Mother of God, O Saviour, save us.
Third Antiphon
Verse: Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord, let us acclaim God, our Saviour.
Refrain: Son of God, born of a Virgin, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Verse: Let us come before His face with praise, and acclaim Him in psalms.
Refrain: Son of God, born of a Virgin, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Verse: For God is the great Lord, and the great king over all the earth.
Refrain: Son of God, born of a Virgin, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Entrance Verse: Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ.
Refrain: Son of God, born of a Virgin, save us who sing to You: Alleluia.
Troparion, Tone 5
Let us the faithful acclaim and worship the Word, * co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, * and born of the Virgin for our salvation. * For He willed to be lifted up on the cross in the flesh, to suffer death * and to raise the dead by His glorious resurrection.
Troparion, Tone 4
Your Nativity, O Christ our God, * made the light of knowledge dawn on the world: * through it, those who worshipped the stars were taught by a star * to worship You, the Sun of Righteousness, * and to know that You, the Dawn from on the high. * Glory to You, O Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, Tone 3
Yesterday the Master came to us incarnate; * but His servant departs today from the flesh. * Yesterday the One who now reigns in the flesh was born; * but His servant today is killed by stoning. * For His sake the first martyr, the divine Stephen, gives up his life.
Now and forever and ever, Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 3
The Virgin today gives birth to Him who is above all being; * the earth offers the cave to Him whom no one can approach; * Angel with shepherds give Him glory, * while Magi make their way with a star, * for to us is born a little Child—the pre-eternal God.
Prokimenon, Tone 8
You, O Lord, will guard us and will keep us * from this generation and for ever.
Verse: Save me, O Lord, for there is no longer left a just man. (Psalm 11:8,2)
Epistle : Galatians 1:11–19
A Reading from the letter of Saint Apostle Paul to the Galatians:
Brothers and Sisters, I want you to know that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. But when God, who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me, but I went away at once into Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus. Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him for fifteen days; but I did not see any other apostle except James the Lord’s brother.
Alleluia, Tone 1
Verse: Your mercies, O Lord, I will sing for ever; from generation to generation I will announce Your truth with my mouth.
Verse: For You have said: Mercy shall be built up for ever; in the heavens Your truth shall be prepared. (Psalm 88:2,3)
Verse: The heavens shall confess our wonders, O Lord, and Your truth in the church of the saints. (Psalm 88:6)
Gospel : Matthew 2:13–23
When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.’ Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’ When Herod realised that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.’ When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.’ He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee. He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, ‘He shall be called a Nazorean.’
Instead of ‘It is truly…’ we sing: O my soul, magnify Christ the King born in a manger. Irmos: A strange and glorious mystery do I behold: the cave is heaven; the Virgin, the throne of the cherubim; the manger, a dwelling place in which is laid Christ, the God Whom nothing can contain. Singing His praises, we magnify Him.
Сommunion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens; * praise Him in the highest. (Psalm 148:1) * Their utterance has gone forth into all the earth, * and their word unto the ends of the world. (Psalm 18:5) * Alleluia, alleluia, * alleluia.
[A private prayer of spiritual communion:
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in these Holy Gifts!
I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot receive You now,
I place before You my whole life and hope, O loving Master;
and I ask, pray, and entreat You: Make me worthy to partake in a mystical way
and with a pure conscience of Your awesome and heavenly Mysteries:
for forgiveness of sins, for the pardon of offences, for communion of the Holy Spirit,
for the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven, for confidence before You,
and not for judgment or condemnation.
I embrace You as You enter and abide in me, and I unite myself completely to You.
Permeate my soul and body, and never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.]
Instead of ‘Blessed is He who comes…’ we sing: All creation is filled with rejoicing today, for Christ is born of a Virgin. (1х)
Instead of ‘We have seen the true light…’ we sing: All creation is filled with rejoicing today, for Christ is born of a Virgin. (1х)
Instead of ‘May our mouths…’ and ‘Blessed be the Name…’ we sing: All creation is filled with rejoicing today, for Christ is born of a Virgin. (3x)