At Vespers

Glory..., to the Fathers, in Tone VI—

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 6 stichera, in Tone II—

Now & ever…: Dogmatic theotokion, in the same tone—

N.B. But if this Sunday fall on the 24th of December, the above troparion of the fathers, twice, and the following troparion of the forefeast, once, in Tone IV—

Now and ever..., of the forefeast, in the same tone, the composition of Byzantius—

With what wreaths of praise shall we crown the holy Modestus: the boast of the venerable, the majesty of hierarchs, the beacon of Jerusalem, who illumineth the universal Church, the speedy helper of the faithful, whom Christ our God, Who hath great mercy, doth crown with crowns of immortal glory? Twice

But if this Sunday fall before the 20th of December: Now and ever..., Theotokion—

A Reading from Genesis (14:14-20).

With what beauties of hymnody shall we crown the holy hierarch Modestus: the champion of the truth, the zealot of Orthodoxy, the godly orator of the Holy City, the pillar and radiant star of the Church, who illumineth creation with rays of miracles, by whom Christ our God, Who hath great mercy, hath dispelled the gloom of ungodliness? Twice

After the Blessing of the Loaves, the Theotokion “Virgin Theotokos, rejoice...,” twice, and the troparion to the Fathers, once, in Tone II—

A Reading from Deuteronomy (10:14-21).

With what spiritual hymns shall we praise the divinely wise Modestus: the teacher of good morals, who lived like an angel upon the earth, the receptacle and instrument of the Holy Spirit, the father of fathers, the pastor of pastors, whom Christ our God, Who hath great mercy, hath enriched with the grace of healings.

Glory..., in Tone III, the composition of Germanus—

With what humble mouths shall we hymn thee, O great Modestus? For, having loved humility, which accomplisheth exalted things, thou wast exalted by the heavenly Chief Shepherd, as a hierarch of the Mother of Churches and an initiate of the mysteries of God, having compassion upon all and praying to Christ, Who hath great mercy.

Now and ever..., of the forefeast, in the same tone—

Glory…, in Tone VI—

Glory..., in the same tone, the composition of Cyprian—

Be glad today, O Holy City! For, lo! the honored memorial of thy venerable and guileless archpastor Modestus hath now dawned! Rejoice, O Church of the faithful, for thou hast a holy hierarch and wonderworker who is right compassionate unto all, who standeth before the all-holy Trinity and asketh remission of sins, peace and salvation for those who have recourse unto him with faith!

Now and ever..., of the forefeast, in the same tone, the composition of Cyprian—

Who doth not call thee blessed, O all-holy Virgin? Who will not hymn thine all-pure birthgiving? For the only-begotten Son, Who shone forth timelessly from the Father, came forth, ineffably incarnate, from thee, the pure one; and being God by nature, He became man for our sake, not divided into two Persons, but known in two natures without confusion. Him do thou beseech, O pure and most blessed one, that our souls find mercy!

After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man...,” the entire kathisma.

N.B. If this Sunday fall on either the 18th or 19th of December, at “Lord, I have cried...,” we chant 3 stichera to the Resurrection, 3 by Anatolius, and 3 to the Fathers.

But if it fall between the 20th and 23rd of December, we chant 3 stichera to the Resurrection, 1 sticheron by Anatolius, 3 stichera for the forefeast, and 3 of the fathers.

The stichera for the forefeast, in Tone VI, the composition of Anatolius: Spec. Mel: “Having set all aside...”—

The never-setting Sun doth come to shine forth from the Virgin’s womb and to enlighten all the world. Let us make haste to meet Him with pure eyes and deeds; and let us now make ready in spirit to receive Him Who cometh into His own through a strange birth, as He hath been well pleased to may be born in Bethlehem, that, as He is compassionate, He might lead us up who have estranged ourselves from the life of Eden.

God the Word, Who is upborne upon the shoulders of the cherubim, having united Himself hypostatically to the flesh, hath made His abode within the womb of the all-immaculate one and become a man; and He hath come to earth to be born of the tribe of Judah. The holy cave is beautifully adorned, like a most magnificent palace, for the King of all; and the manger, wherein the Virgin Mary layeth the Infinite One as a babe, is like a fiery throne, and serveth for the renewal of creation.

In a manger of dumb beasts doth the Virgin lay Thee, O unoriginate Word of God, Who, in manner which passeth understanding, hast received a beginning. For Thou comest to put an end to that foolishness which I assumed through the malice of the serpent, and to be wrapped in swaddling clothes, that Thou mightest rend asunder the rags and chains of my transgressions, O Thou who alone art good and lovest mankind. Wherefore, I glorify Thee and I hymn and most joyfully worship Thine advent in the flesh, whereby I have been set free.

The stichera of the holy Fathers, in the same tone and melody—

Unto the ends of the earth hath the memory of the forefathers been manifest as truly filled with light and shining with rays of grace; for Christ, the radiant Sun, shining from afar on high, doth lead forth an assembly of stars which shineth with Him, and in the midst of Bethlehem a nativity is shown to be that of God and man. Therefore, piously clapping our hands, with faith let us all join chorus to utter praise unto His nativity before the feast. ### Twice , if the Sunday fall before December 20th

Rejoicing today, Adam is adorned with the glory of divine communion, as the foundation and confirmation of the wise forefathers; and with him Abel doth leap for joy and Enoch is glad, and Seth danceth together with Noah; the all-praised Abraham doth chant with the patriarchs, and from on high Melchizedek doth behold a birth wherein a father had no part. Wherefore, celebrating the divine memory of the forefathers of Christ, we beseech Him, that our souls be saved.

With gladness hath the assembly of the divinely wise children in the furnace shone forth, and it proclaimeth the nativity of Christ on earth; for the Lord, descending like a precious dew, doth preserve unconsumed her who gave Him birth, doth keep her undefiled and doth enrich her with divine gifts. Wherefore, the God-pleasing Daniel rejoiceth in gladness, for he hath clearly foreseen the Stone uncut from the mountain, and with boldness doth now pray in behalf of our souls.

Daniel, the man of divine desires, seeing Thee, the Stone uncut by human hands, O Lord, prophetically called Thee a babe born without seed, the Word incarnate of the Virgin, the immaculate God, the Savior of our souls.

Splendidly adorn thyself, O cave, for the ewe-lamb cometh who doth bear Christ in her womb! O manger, receive thou Him Who by a word doth release us mortals from irrational activity! Ye piping shepherds, bear witness to the awesome wonder! Ye magi from Persia, bring forth gold, frankincense and myrrh, for the Lord hath appeared from the Virgin Mary. And the Mother, regarding Him as befitteth a handmaid, worshipped Him and cried out in greeting unto Him Who was laid in her arms: How wast Thou sown within me? How didst Thou spring forth in me, O my Deliverer and God?

Or, if this Sunday fall on the 18th or 19th of December: Now and ever..., the Dogmaticon of the Tone.

Entrance. Prokimenon of the Day. 3 Readings:

Abram, having heard that Lot his nephew had been taken captive, numbered his own home-born ­servants three hundred and eighteen, and pursued after them to Dan. And he came upon them by night, he and his servants, and he smote them and pursued them as far as Hoba, which is on the left of Damascus. And he recovered them all the cavalry of Sodom, and he recovered Lot his nephew, and all his possessions, and the women and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after he returned from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and the kings with him, to the valley of Shaveh, this was the plain of the kings. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth loaves and wine, and he was the priest of the Most High God. And he blessed Abram, and said: “Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, Who made heaven and earth, and blessed be the Most High God Who delivered thine enemies into thy power.

A Reading from Deuteronomy (1:8-11, 15-17).

In those days, Moses said to the children of Israel: “Behold, God hath delivered the land before you, [saying:] ‘Go in and inherit the land, which I sware to your fathers, Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, to give it to them and to their seed after them.’ And I spake to you at that time, saying: I shall not be able by myself to bear you. The Lord your God hath multiplied you, and behold, ye are today as the stars of heaven for multitude. The Lord God of your fathers add to you a thousandfold more than you are, and bless you as He hath spoken to you. So I took of you wise and understanding and prudent men, and I set them to rule over you as rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, and rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens, and officers to your judges. And I charged your judges at that time, saying: Hear causes between your brethren, and judge rightly between a man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. Thou shalt not have respect to persons in judgment, thou shalt judge small and great equally, thou shalt not shrink from before the person of a man, for the judgment is God’s.

In those days, Moses said to the children of Israel: “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the Lord thy God, the earth and all things that are in it. Only the Lord chose your fathers to love them, and He chose out their seed after them, even you, beyond all nations, as at this day. Therefore ye shall circumcise the hardness of your heart, and ye shall not harden your neck. For the Lord your God, He is God of gods, and terrible God, Who doth not accept persons, nor will He by any means accept a bribe: executing judgment for the stranger and orphan and widow, and He loveth the stranger to give him food and raiment. And ye shall love the stranger, for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve Him, and shalt cleave to Him, and shalt swear by His name. He is thy boast, and He is thy God, Who hath wrought in the midst of thee these great and glorious things, which thine eyes have seen.”

At the Litia, the sticheron of the temple, and this sticheron of the Fathers, in Tone I—

The prophets of great renown, splendid in the rays of divine eloquence, are ever blessed, and, putting forth the sayings of the Spirit as fruit, they preached to all the ineffable nativity of Christ God; and having lived most wondrously, they ended their lives in accordance with the law.

Come, ye lovers of the feasts of the Church, and with psalms let us praise the assembly of the forefathers: Adam, the forefather of us all, Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and, after the Law, Moses and Aaron, Joshua, Samuel and David, and, with them, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and the twelve prophets, together with Elijah, Elisha and all the rest, Zechariah and the Forerunner: who all preached Christ, the Life and Resurrection of our race.

Adorn thyself splendidly, O Bethlehem, for Eden hath been opened! Make ready, O Ephratha, for Adam is restored, and Eve with him; for the curse is annulled, the salvation of the world hath blossomed forth, and the souls of the righteous are adorned. And bearing hymnody as a gift of offering instead of myrrh, they receive salvation of soul and incorruption. For, lo! He Who lieth in the manger doth command before, that a spiritual hymn be chanted by those who cry out unceasingly: O Lord, glory be to Thee!

Without seed, through the divine Spirit and by the will of the Father didst thou conceive the Son of God, Who is begotten of the Father without mother before the ages; to Him Who, for our sake, was born of thee without father didst thou give birth in the flesh, and thou didst nourish Him as a babe with thy milk. Wherefore, cease thou never to pray that our souls be delivered from misfortunes.

At the Aposticha, the stichera of the Resurrection. But if this Sunday fall on the 24th of December, these stichera, in Tone II—

Automelon: O house of Ephratha, thou holy city, glory of the prophets: adorn thou the house wherein the Divine One is born.

Stichos: God shall come out of Thaeman, and the Holy One out of a mountain overshadowed and densely wooded.

Idiomela: O Bethlehem, land of Judah, splendid habitation of Him Who is incarnate: prepare thou the divine cave wherein God is born in the flesh of the holy Virgin who hath not known man, that He might save the world!

Stichos: O Lord, I have heard Thy report, and I was afraid; O Lord, I have considered Thy works, and I was amazed.

Come ye all, and with faith let us celebrate the forefeast of the nativity of Christ, and noetically let us put forth like a star the hymn of the glorification of the magi, and with the shepherds let us cry out: The salvation of men hath come from the Virgin’s womb, summoning the faithful.

Rejoice, ye honorable prophets who dedicated yourselves well to the law of the Lord, and by faith revealed yourselves as unshaken and unbreakable pillars of Christ; and, having passed on to heaven, beseech Him to grant peace to the world and to save our souls.

Behold, the hour of our salvation hath arrived! Make ready, O cave, for the Virgin approacheth to give birth! Rejoice and be glad, O Bethlehem, land of Judah, for from thee shall our Lord shine forth! Hearken, ye mountains and hills, and ye surrounding lands of Judæa, for Christ cometh to save man whom He created, in that He loveth mankind!

N.B. But if this Sunday fall before the 20th of December: Now and ever..., Theotokion—

O new wonder greater than all the wonders of the past! For who hath ever known a mother to give birth without having known a man, and to bear on her arm Him Who sustaineth all creation? Yet it was the will of God to be born. O all-pure one, who bore Him in thine arms as an infant and hast maternal boldness before Him: cease not to pray in behalf of those who honor thee, that He have compassion and save our souls.

Great are the accomplishments of faith! In the fountain of flame, as in refreshing water, the three holy children rejoiced; and the prophet Daniel was shown to be a shepherd of lions, as of sheep. By their prayers, O Christ God, save Thou our souls!

Once Mary, bearing in her womb an Offspring conceived without seed, was registered in Bethlehem with the elder Joseph, as being of the seed of David. And while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. There was no room for them in the inn. But the cave showed itself to be a beauteous palace for the Queen, and Christ is born to raise up the image that fell of old!