At Great Vespers

And these stichera, in the same tone and melody—

After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man...,” the first antiphon.

Troparion, in Tone IV—

Glory..., in Tone VIII—

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera: 3 of the forefeast, idiomela, the composition of Anatolius, in Tone I—

Or this Troparion, in Tone IV—

Glory..., in Tone I—

Let us celebrate the forefeast of the nativity of Christ, O ye people, and raising our thoughts on high let us go in spirit to Bethlehem; and with the eyes of our mind let us look upon the Virgin, as she hasteneth to give birth unto our God, the Lord of all. Joseph, when he beheld the magnitude of this wonder, thought that he saw a mortal wrapped as a babe in swaddling clothes; but from all that came to pass he understood that it was the true God, who granteth the world great mercy.

If there be a vigil, the troparion of the saint, twice, and that of the forefeast, once, in Tone IV—

Glory..., in Tone VIII—

Let us celebrate the forefeast of the nativity of Christ, O ye people, and raising our thoughts on high let us go in spirit to Bethlehem, and let us look upon a great mystery in the cave. For Eden is opened once again, when from the pure Virgin God cometh forth, as perfect in His divinity as in His humanity. Wherefore, let us cry aloud: Holy God, Thou Father without beginning! Holy Mighty, Thou Son made flesh! Holy Immortal, Thou Spirit, the Comforter! Holy Trinity, glory be to Thee!

Troparion of the hieromartyr, in Tone IV—

Hearken, O heaven, and give ear, O earth! For, lo! the Son and Word of God the Father cometh forth to be born of a Maiden who hath not known man, through the good pleasure of the Father Who begat Him dispassionately, by the activity of the Holy Spirit. Make ready, O Bethlehem! Throw open thy gates, O Eden! For He Who is becometh that which He was not, and He Who formed all creation Himself taketh form, granting the world great mercy.

Glory…, Now & ever…: Troparion of the forefeast, in the same tone—

And 5 stichera of the saint, in Tone VI, Spec. Mel: “Having set all aside...”—

Having set aside all the things of this world, with one voice let us praise the wondrous beacon of the land of Russia and of the whole world, the good shepherd, the priest John, who hath given us a splendid model of life in Christ, who on earth was aflame with the spirit of prayer, and who received from the Lord a twofold gift of healing. Through his prayers may Christ strengthen us in piety and show us to be steadfast children of the Church, for the salvation of our souls.

With all thy heart and mind, O blessed John, thou didst love the life in Christ. Thinking and doing all things to please God, thy labors bore fruit abundantly through the grace of the priesthood, and at the Lord’s Supper, as if in heaven, with enraptured spirit thou didst stand at the altar of the Lord from day to day with tears of compunction. And now, standing before the Holy Trinity in the highest, offer up prayers, that He grant peace to the world and save our souls.

By the path of spiritual vigilance, reverence, contemplation of the mysteries of God, amendment of soul, and rest in God, thou didst attain unto the heavenly bridal chamber. By acts of mercy and thy miracles the Church is adorned, by the purity of thy life impiety is put to shame, and by the words of thy writings the Faith is confirmed. Wherefore, we entreat thee, O most honored John: Be thou our guide amid all our circumstances, that guided and guarded by thee, we may be vouchsafed the kingdom of heaven.

Travailing with all thy heart over the darkness of the nations, thou didst at first think to go to the lands of the East. But, beholding Kronstadt, which was far nearer, perishing, thou didst submit to the call from on high, which came once during sleep through a vision of a temple, O righteous John. “I know,” thou didst say, “the loftiness of the priesthood, yet I hope in God; for I know that He is my strength.” O, the divine power of love, which doth draw us to Christ and strengthen us!

Making room for all in thy pastoral heart, and constrained by the wounds inflicted upon the poor by poverty, thou didst call all people by thy words and by thy writings, to build a house of industry, wherein the poor might find refuge. O teacher of good deeds worked through faith! O nurturer of the souls and bodies of the poor! O John, joy of those who before were in despair! Thy care for such here on earth was a likeness of thine intercession now in heaven.

Thou didst believe in righteousness with thy whole heart, O priest of God, and with thy lips thou didst speak unto salvation: The Lord is my being; the Lord is my deliverance from everlasting death; the Lord is my eternal life; the Lord is my purification, my deliverance and sanctification; the Lord is my strength in weakness, my freedom when I am straightened, my light amid darkness, my peace amid confusion! Glory to Thee, O my Savior, almighty power! Glory to Thee, O Savior, omnipresent power! Glory to Thee, most kind-hearted Compassion! Glory to Thee, Power ever open to my prayers! Glory to Thee, brightest Eye which ever regardest me and beholdest all my hidden things! Wherefore, O holy John, following after thee we also cry out to the Lord: Glory to Thee, O our God, wondrous in Thy saints whose teachings show forth Thy wonder! Glory to Thee!

Now & ever…, of the forefeast, in the same tone—

Receive, O Bethlehem, the Mother of God, for she approacheth thee to give birth unto the unwaning Light. O ye angels, look down with wonder from heaven; O ye men, give glory on earth! O ye magi from Persia, bring your threefold gift; ye shepherds abiding in the fields, sing ye the thrice-holy hymn: Let everything that hath breath praise the Creator!

Entrance. Prokimenon of the Day. And three Lessons:

Reading from the Prophecy of Joel (2:12-27).

Thus saith the Lord: Turn to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with lamentation: and rend your hearts, and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God: for He is merciful and compassionate, long-suffering and plenteous in mercy, and repenteth of evils. Who knoweth if he will return, and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat-offering and a drink-offering to the Lord your God? Sound the trumpet in Sion, sanctify a fast, proclaim a solemn service: gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the infants at the breast; let the bridegroom go forth from his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Between the porch and the altar let the priests that minister to the Lord weep and say: Spare Thy people, O Lord, and give not Thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them, lest they should say among the heathen: Where is their God? But the Lord was jealous of His land, and spared His people. And the Lord answered and said to His people: Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied with them: and I will no longer make you a reproach among the gentiles. And I will chase away from you the northern adversary, and will drive him into the dry land, and I will sink his face in the former sea, and his back parts in the latter sea, and his ill savor shall come up, and his stink shall come up, because he hath wrought great things. Be of good courage, O land; rejoice and be glad: for the Lord hath done great things. Be of good courage, ye beasts of the plain, for the plains of the wilderness have budded, for the trees have borne their fruit, the fig tree and the vine have yielded their strength. Rejoice then and be glad, ye children of Sion, in the Lord your God: for He hath given you food fully, and He will rain on you the early and the latter rain, as before. And the floors shall be filled with corn, and the presses shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will recompense you for the years which the locust, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, and the cankerworm have eaten, even My great army, which I sent against you. And ye shall eat abundantly, and be satisfied, and shall praise the name of the Lord your God for the things which He hath wrought wonderfully with you: and My people shall not be ashamed forever. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and that there is none else beside Me: and My people shall no more be ashamed forever.

Reading from the Prophecy of Joel (2:27-32).

Thus saith the Lord: Ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and that there is none else beside Me: and My people shall no more be ashamed forever. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. And on My servants and on My handmaids in those days will I pour out of My Spirit. And I will show wonders in heaven and upon the earth: blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Reading from the First Epistle General of John (4:20-5:5).

Beloved, if a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth Him Who begat, loveth him also that is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

At the Litia, these stichera, in Tone II—

“O Jesus, Son of God, my strength! O Light of my mind, Thou peace and joy of my heart: Glory to Thee! Glory to Thee Who dost deliver me from mine invisible enemies!” didst thou cry aloud, O John. Thus do thou also teach us to hymn the Lord with all our heart, O righteous John, servant of Christ.

Incarnate, Christ called thieves and harlots to repentance; and thou, O merciful pastor, fulfilling the commandment of the Chief Shepherd, ate with publicans and conversed with sinners, calling all to repentance and teaching all to pray: O God, be merciful to me, a sinner! O merciful God, glory to Thee!

“Ye are the image of God; wherefore preserve ye this great image, the image of God’s beauty, the image of His boundless love, that ye may be children of our Father Who is in heaven, that ye may be holy as your Father is holy.” Thus, O divinely wise pastor, didst thou instruct thy flock, and thus didst thou thyself live in holy manner.

“When we pray, we pray through the Holy Spirit; wherefore, all the prayers of the Church are the breathing of the Holy Spirit, and all we Christians are His offspring. Come, therefore, and abide in us, O Holy Spirit! Have mercy on us and renew us all, that we may be the one Body of Christ.” Such was thine unceasing prayer, O most wondrous John our father, and God hearkened unto thee and anointed thee with the oil of eternal joy.

Now & ever…, of the forefeast, in the same tone—

Receive, O manger, Him Whom Moses the Law-giver foresaw in the bush on Horeb, now born of the Virgin through the divine Spirit. This is she of whom the Law speaketh. She is the seal of the prophets, who revealeth in mortal flesh God Whom we adore.

On the Aposticha, these stichera of the saint, in Tone VI—

O most blessed father John, being an emulator of all the saints, thou didst acquire the holy faith of the patriarchs, the zeal of the prophets and the apostles, the sanctity and godly-mindedness of the holy hierarchs, the boldness of the confessors, the freely-given aid of the unmercenary healers, the unceasing prayer of the venerable. Wherefore, we celebrate thy holy memory with splendor.

Stichos: He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor, his righteousness abideth unto ages of ages.

O divinely wise father John, having begun with the fear of God, in understanding thou didst reach the heights of wisdom. And being crucified with Christ by love, having become His very own, thou didst later drive out the fear by love; for fear hath torment, as the Apostle of love hath taught us. Wherefore, O father, thou didst adorn the minds of the faithful and didst teach thy flock to love God. O John, entreat Christ our God, that He grant us also this grace and great mercy.

Stichos: His heart is ready to hope in the Lord.

The Lord is the strength of my heart, the Lord is the light of my mind, the Lord is my rest and my joy, my faith, hope and love; He is my food and drink, my vesture and protection. Teach us also, O holy father, to understand these words and to place our salvation in the Lord. Grant us of thy goodness, as Elijah granted to Elisha, that all our hope and steadfastness may be in the Lord.

It was not our fathers that told us, nor our elders that informed us, but we ourselves have seen the miracles that have taken place through thee; we ourselves have experienced the grace that doth pour forth from thee. Our loved ones were healed, they that were dying rose from bed in good health, our every petition was granted through thy prayer. Wherefore, we honor thee as a favorite of God and an intercessor before the Lord.

Now & ever…, of the forefeast, in the same tone—

O Lord, having come to Bethlehem, Thou didst make thine abode in a cave. Having heaven as Thy throne, Thou didst lie in a manger. Thou Whom hosts of angels surround didst come down to shepherds, that Thou mightest save our race, in that Thou art compassionate. Glory be to Thee!

With the apostles thy sound hath gone forth into all the earth; with the confessors thou didst endure sufferings for Christ; thou didst resemble the holy hierarchs in thy preaching of the Word; and with the venerable hast thou shone forth in the grace of God. Therefore, the Lord hath exalted the depths of thy humility above the heavens, and hath given us thy name as a source of most wondrous miracles. Wherefore, O wonderworker, who livest in Christ forever, take pity in thy love upon people in misfortunes; and hearken unto thy children, who with faith call upon thee, O righteous John, our beloved pastor.

O wonderworker, who livest in Christ forever, take pity in thy love upon people in misfortunes; hearken unto thy children who with faith call upon thee, expecting compassionate aid from thee, O John of Kronstadt, our beloved pastor.

Make ready, O Bethlehem! Be thou opened unto all, O Eden! Adorn thyself, O Ephratha! For in the cave the Tree of Life hath sprung forth from the Virgin. Her womb is shown to be a noetic paradise, in the midst of which is the divine Tree, whereof eating, we shall live, and not die as did Adam. Christ is born, that He might restore His image which fell of old!

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 6 stichera: 3 of the forefeast, the composition of Anatolius, idiomela, in Tone I—

O ye people, let us celebrate the forefeast of the nativity of Christ, and lifting our thoughts up to Bethlehem, let us elevate ourselves in mind; and with the eyes of our souls let us gaze upon the Virgin, who cometh to give birth in the cave to our Lord and God. Joseph, beholding the magnitude of His miracles, supposed that he beheld a man wrapped as a babe in swaddling-bands, but perceived from the testimony of things that He was the true God, Who bestoweth great mercy upon our souls.

O ye people, let us celebrate the forefeast of the nativity of Christ, and elevating our mind to Bethlehem, let us soar aloft in thought and behold the great mystery in the cave; for Eden was opened when God issued forth from the pure Virgin, being perfect in both divinity and manhood. Wherefore, let us cry aloud: O holy God, Thou unoriginate Father! O Holy and Mighty One, Thou Son Who becamest incarnate! O holy Immortal One, Thou comforting Spirit! O Holy Trinity, glory be to Thee!

Hearken, O heaven, and give ear, O earth! For, lo! the Son and Word of God the Father cometh to be born of the Maiden who knew not man, at the good pleasure of Him Who begat Him in dispassion, and with the coöperation of the Holy Spirit. Prepare thyself, O Bethlehem! Open thy gates, O Eden! For the Author of all creation remaineth what He was before, yet taketh form, granting the world great mercy.

And 3 stichera of the hieromartyr, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Called from on high…”—

O blessed Ignatius, thou wast fittingly called God-bearer when the Master, in His mercy, embraced thee, revealing to thee the dogmas of the most sublime philosophy. Then didst thou receive most splendid radiance, as a sponge soaketh up water, drawing it forth from the depths of enlightenment. Wherefore, thou didst follow in the steps of Christ our God, Who called thee. Him do thou entreat, that He save and illumine our souls.

Wounded with perfect love when zeal for salvation enkindled thy soul, impelling thee to go to the Master, O most sacred father, thou didst give voice to ever-chanted words: “I am the wheat of the Creator, and it is fitting that I be ground fine by teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be shown to be pure bread for the Word my God!” Him do thou entreat, that He save and illumine our souls.

Thou wast crucified with Christ, O thou who art manifest in sanctity, when thou didst cry out the divinely inspired words: “My Love is crucified, and I hasten to share in His suffering!” Wherefore, O blessed Ignatius, making thy transit, like the sun, from the East to the West, thou didst travel, shedding enlightenment; and, adorned with a royal diadem, thou hast been brought before Christ. Him do thou entreat, that He save and illumine our souls.

Glory…, the composition of Anatolius, in Tone VIII—

O God-bearing Ignatius, soaring aloft to Christ Whom thou didst desire, thou hast received the reward of the sacred ministry of the Gospel of Christ, which thou didst complete in the shedding of thy blood. Wherefore, as the wheat of the immortal Husbandman, thou wast ground by the teeth of the wild beasts and hast been shown to be sweet bread for Him. Pray for us, O blessed athlete.

Now & ever…, in the same tone—

O Bethlehem, receive standing as the metropolis of God; for the never-waning Light cometh to be born within thee. Ye angels, marvel in the heavens! Ye men, give glory on earth! O magi, bring ye all-glorious gifts from Persia! Ye shepherds, piping, sweetly sound forth the thrice-holy hymn! Let every breath praise the Creator of all!

If this forefeast of the nativity of Christ fall on Saturday, at Friday vespers the dogmatic theotokion of the tone of the week is not chanted.

On the aposticha, these stichera, the composition of Cyprian, idiomela, in Tone II—

Lo! the time of our salvation draweth nigh! Make ready, O cave! The Virgin approacheth to give birth. O Bethlehem, land of Judah, adorn thyself and rejoice, for from thee hath our Lord shone forth! Hearken, ye mountains and hills, and ye parts of Judæa which lie round about, for Christ cometh, that He might save man whom He created, in that He loveth mankind.

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

O Bethlehem, land of Judah, splendidly prepare the divine cave for human habitation, for therein God will be born in the flesh of the holy Virgin who knew not man, that He might save our race.

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

The composition of Andrew Pyrrhus— Come ye all, and with faith let us celebrate the forefeast of the nativity of Christ, and noetically offering hymnody like a star, with the shepherds let us give voice to the glorification of the magi: Salvation hath come to men through the Virgin’s womb, restoring the faithful.

Glory…, the composition of the Studite, in Tone I—

O thy steadfast and adamantine soul, O right blessed Ignatius! For, with unwavering desire for Him Who loveth thee, thou didst say: “There is not within me the fire of the love of material things; rather there is in me living water which speaketh in me, saying within me: Come to the Father.” Wherefore, afire with the divine Spirit, thou didst permit the wild beasts to separate thee quickly from the world and send thee to Christ Whom thou didst desire. Him do thou entreat, that He save our souls.

Now & ever…, in the same tone—

O ye people, let us celebrate the forefeast of the nativity of Christ, and lifting up our thoughts to Bethlehem, let us elevate ourselves in mind; and with the eyes of our souls let us gaze upon the Virgin who cometh to give birth in the cave to our Lord and God. And Joseph, beholding the magnitude of His miracles, supposed that he beheld a man wrapped as a babe in swaddling-bands, but perceived from the testimony of things that He was the true God, Who bestoweth great mercy upon our souls.

As thou didst share in the ways of the apostles and didst occupy their throne, thou didst find thine activity to be a passage to divine vision, O divinely inspired one. Wherefore, ordering the word of truth, thou didst suffer for the Faith even to the shedding of thy blood, O hieromartyr Ignatius. Entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.

Make ready, O Bethlehem! Open unto all, O Eden! Adorn thyself, O Ephratha! For the Tree of life hath blossomed forth from the Virgin in the cave. Her womb is shown to be a noetic paradise, wherein lieth a divine garden, eating from whence we live, not dying like Adam. Christ is born to raise up His image which before was fallen.