At Great Vespers

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

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera: 4 of the feast, the composition of John the Monk, idiomela, in Tone II—

The Forerunner, beholding our Enlightener, Who illumineth every man, coming to be baptized, rejoiceth in soul and trembleth. He pointeth to Him with his hand and saith to the people: “This is He Who delivereth Israel, Who freeth us from corruption! O sinless Christ our God, glory be to Thee!”

When our Deliverer was baptized by His servant and borne witness to by the coming of the Holy Spirit, the angelic armies, looking on, were stricken with awe; and a voice was borne down from the Father in heaven: “He Whom the Forerunner baptized with his hand is My beloved Son, in Whom I have been well-pleased!” O Christ our God, glory be to Thee!

The currents of the Jordan received Thee, the Wellspring, and the Comforter descended upon Thee in the form of a dove. Thou Who bowed down the heavens dost bow Thy head, and clay crieth out to the Potter: “What dost Thou command me to do, O Thou Who art greater than I? It is I who must needs be baptized of Thee! O sinless Christ our God, glory be to Thee!”

Desiring to save man who had become lost, Thou didst deign to clothe Thyself in the guise of a servant; for it was fitting that Thou, our Master and God, assume our form: for when Thou wast baptized in the flesh, O Deliverer, Thou didst vouchsafe remission unto us. Wherefore, we cry out to Thee: O Christ our God, glory be to Thee!

And 4 stichera of the saint, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “As one valiant among the martyrs…”—

O blessed Nina, handmaid of Christ God, the Redeemer of all, O instructress of Iberia, mighty in faith, who sprang forth blamelessly, with gladness thou didst hasten after Him, didst preach the true God to the people, and didst instruct them to renounce their inanimate idols, showing them the path of life. Twice

Holding in her hand the sign of miracles, a precious cross fashioned of vine-branches, the blessed and holy Nina wrought many wonders by its power in the city of Mtskheta. Wherefore, as many as accepted her preaching were healed of their sickness and rendered glory unto God.

Let us glorify the holy Nina, the equal of the apostles, who arrived in the East from the West and enlightened with the teaching of Christ a people who sat in darkness, who brought all the tribes of Iberia to Christ God and delivered by the power of God the kings and princes who were in thrall to the graven images, for she hath freed them from the falsehood of idolatry.

Glory…, in Tone II—

Come, all ye faithful, let us praise the harp of the Holy Spirit, and let us bless the instructress of piety, the healer of our souls and bodies. With wreaths of discourse let us crown the preacher and evangelist, the equal of the apostles, the radiant beacon of Iberia, the clarion of divine sound, the godly-minded Nina, the all-praised herald of the all-pure Mother of God; and let us cry out to her thus: Rejoice, unblemished turtle-dove and pure dove! Rejoice, instructress of the knowledge of God! Rejoice, fellow laborer with the Apostles Paul and Andrew! Rejoice, enlightenment of Iberia and glory of all the world!

Now & ever…: Doxasticon of the feast, the composition of Byzantius, in the same tone—

Thou didst bow Thy head before the Forerunner, and didst crush the heads of the serpents; and, arriving at the streams, Thou didst illumine all things, O Savior, that they may glorify Thee, the Enlightener of our souls.

Entrance. Prokimenon of the day. 3 Readings:

A Reading from the General Epistle of John [I Jn. 3: 21-4: 6]

Beloved: If our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment. And he who keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than He that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us.

A Reading from the General Epistle of John [I Jn. 4: 11-16]

Beloved: If God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Reading from the First Epistle General of John [4:20-5:5]

Beloved: If a man saith: “I love God,” and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he who 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 who loveth him who begat loveth him also who 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 who overcometh the world, but he who believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

If vigil be celebrated, at Litia we chant the stichera of the feast, the composition of Cosmas the Monk, idiomela, in Tone IV—

He that doth clothe Himself with light as it were with a garment hath deigned for our sake to become like as we are; and today He is covered with the streams of the Jordan, though He hath no need to be purified by them, but that, through the cleansing He receiveth, He might Himself bestow regeneration upon us. Oh, the wonder! Without fire Christ God, the Savior of our souls, casteth anew, and without shattering He fashioneth, and He saveth those who are enlightened in Him.

Beholding Thee, Who in the Spirit and in fire doth purge away the sin of the world, coming to Him, the Baptist cried out in awe and trembling, saying: “I dare not touch Thine all-pure head! Do Thou sanctify me by Thy divine epiphany, O Master Who alone lovest mankind!

Come ye, let us emulate the wise virgins! Come ye, let us greet the Master Who hath appeared unto us! For He hath come to John like a Bridegroom. The Jordan, seeing Thee, was afraid and ceased its flow. And John cried out: “I dare not touch the head of the Immortal One!” The Spirit descended in the form of a dove, to sanctify the water. And a voice was heard from heaven, saying: “This is my Son Who hath come into the world to save the human race!” O Lord, glory be to Thee!

Christ is baptized. He cometh up out of the waters and leadeth the world up with Himself. And He beholdeth the heavens opening, which Adam closed to himself and to those with him. And the Spirit beareth witness to His divinity, for He maketh haste to come to His like. And a voice is heard from heaven; for the Savior of our souls is borne witness to from thence.

The hand of the baptist trembled when it touched Thine all-pure head. The River Jordan turned back, not daring to minister unto Thee; for if it was in awe of Joshua son of Nun, how could it not have been stricken with awe by its own Creator? O our Savior Who alone lovest mankind, Thou hast fulfilled all Thy dispensation, that Thou mayest save the world by Thine epiphany.

Glory…, the composition of John the Monk, in Tone VIII—

Desiring to fulfill that which Thou hast established from before time, O Lord, Thou didst accept ministers of Thy mystery from among all creatures: Gabriel from among the angels, the Virgin from among men, the star from among the heavens, and the Jordan from among the waters, wherein Thou didst destroy the iniquity of the world. O our Savior, glory be to Thee!

Now & ever…, the composition of Anatolius, in the same tone—

Today creation is enlightened! Today all things are glad, those of heaven and those on earth! Angels and men mingle together! For where the King arriveth, there doth order prevail. Wherefore, let us all hasten to the Jordan and see how John baptizeth the sinless head which no man fashioned. And, chanting the cry of the angel, let us exclaim together: The grace of God hath appeared, saving all men, illumining and granting mercy unto the faithful!