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Divine Liturgy for Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost. Tone 8.

September 26, 2020 By Fr. John R.P. Russell Leave a Comment

Click here to watch a video of this service on our YouTube channel. (Live stream will begin at 10:00am on Sunday, September 20th, 2020).

The Order of Third Hour

09-27-20 Third Hour Propers

People’s book for the Divine Liturgy

Divine Liturgy Propers for Sunday. Tone 8.

 

Whenever we are unable to pray the Divine Liturgy, we traditionally pray the Typika in its place. Here is Typika arranged for use at home on the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost:

TYPIKA AT HOME: SEPTEMBER 27, 2020
SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Opening Hymn:
Troparion, Tone 8:
You descended from on high, O merciful One. You accepted burial for three days to free us from our passions. O Lord, our Resurrection and our Life, glory to you.
Leader: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.
Response: Amen.
Glory to you, our God, glory to you.
Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, everywhere present and filling all things, Treasury of blessings and Giver of Life, come and dwell within us, cleanse us of all stain, and save our souls, O gracious One.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy on us. (Three times)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.
Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse us of our sins; Master, forgive our transgressions; Holy One, come to us and heal our infirmities for your name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy. (Three times)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Leader: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us.
Response: Amen.
Lord, have mercy. (Twelve times)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen
Come, let us worship our King and God.
Come, let us worship Christ, our King and God.
Come, let us worship and bow before the only Lord Jesus Christ the King and our God.
We chant the Typical Psalms:
Psalm 102:
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and never forget all his blessings.
It is he who forgives all your guilt,
who heals every one of your ills,
who redeems your life from the grave,
who crowns you with love and compassion,
who fills your life with good things,
renewing your youth like an eagle’s.
The Lord does deeds of justice,
gives judgment for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses
and his deeds to Israel’s sons.
The Lord is compassion and love,
slow to anger and rich in mercy.
His wrath will come to an end;
he will not be angry forever.
He does not treat us according to our sins
nor repay us according to our faults.
For as the heavens are high above the earth
so strong is his love for those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west
so far does he remove our sins.
As a father has compassion on his sons,
the Lord has pity on those who fear him;
for he knows of what we are made,
he remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass;
he flowers like the flower of the field;
the wind blows and he is gone
and his place never sees him again.
But the love of the Lord is everlasting
upon those who hold him in fear;
his justice reaches out to children’s children
when they keep his covenant in truth,
when they remember his commands and do them.
The Lord has set his throne in heaven
and his kingdom is ruling over all.
Bless the Lord, all his angels,
mighty in power, fulfilling his word,
who heed the voice of his word.
Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his servants who do his will.
Bless the Lord, all his works,
in every place where he rules.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
now and ever and forever. Amen.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Blessed are you, O Lord.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
I will praise the Lord all my life.
I will make music to my God while I live.
Put no trust in princes,
in mortal men in whom there is no help.
Take their breath, they return to clay
and their plans that day come to nothing.
He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who alone made heaven and earth,
the seas and all they contain.
It is the Lord who keeps faith forever,
who is just to those who are oppressed.
It is he who gives bread to the hungry,
the Lord, who sets prisoners free,
the Lord who gives sight to the blind,
who raises up those who are bowed down,
the Lord, who protects the stranger
and upholds the widow and orphan.
It is the Lord who loves the just
but thwarts the path of the wicked.
The Lord will reign forever,
Zion’s God, from age to age.
Now and ever and forever. Amen.
Hymn of the Incarnation
O only-begotten Son and Word of God, who, being immortal, deigned for our salvation to become incarnate of the holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, and became man without change; you were also crucified, O Christ our God, and by death have trampled Death, being One of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit, save us.
Troparia at the Beatitudes
In your kingdom, remember us, O Lord, when you come in your kingdom.
12. Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11. Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
10. Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
9. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
8. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
(Tone 8) Remember us, O Christ, Savior of the world, as you remembered the thief on the cross, and make us all worthy of your heavenly kingdom, only merciful One.
7. Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God.
– Adam, hear and rejoice along with Eve, because he who stripped both of you naked and took us captive by deceit, has been overcome by the cross of Christ.
6. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
– O our Savior, when you were willingly nailed to the cross, you delivered us from the curse of Adam, and since you are merciful, you restored the image and the dwelling in Paradise.
5. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
-Today Christ rose from the grave, granting incorruption to all the faithful. He ushers in joy for the myrrh-bearers after the passion and resurrection.
4. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
– Rejoice, you wise myrrh-bearing women, the first to see Christ’s resurrection. You announced to his apostles the restoration of the whole world.
3. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.
– Apostles, friends of Christ, you have been shown to be future sharers of his throne in glory, to stand before him with confidence on our behalf. As his disciples, intercede for us.
2. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
– Trinity without beginning, inseparable Essence, Co-enthroned Unity, equal in honor, O Nature and Kingdom beyond all beginning, save those who praise you in faith.
1. Now and ever and forever. Amen.
– Rejoice, spacious land of God! Rejoice, ark of the New Covenant! Rejoice, golden Jar from which the heavenly Manna has been given to all
Prokeimenon, Tone 8:
Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them.
Verse: God is known in Judah; in Israel his name is great.
Epistle: 2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1.
Leader: A reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians.
Brothers and Sisters: What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said: “I will live with them and move among them, and I will be their God and they shall be my people. Therefore, come forth from them and be separate,” says the Lord, “and touch nothing unclean; then I will receive you and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of God.
Alleluia, Tone 8: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Verse: Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord; let us acclaim God our Savior.
Verse: Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving, and let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
Leader: A reading from the gospel of the holy apostle and evangelist Luke. (Luke 5:1-11)
Response: Glory to you, O Lord, glory to you.
Leader:
At that time: While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.
Response: Glory to you, O Lord, glory to you.
Then:
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
now and ever and forever. Amen.
Remember us, O Lord,
when you come in your kingdom.
Remember us, O Master,
when you come in your kingdom.
Remember us, O Holy One,
when you come in your kingdom.
The heavenly choir praises you and says,
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts;
heaven and earth are filled with your glory.
Look towards him and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed.
The heavenly choir praises you and says,
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts;
heaven and earth are filled with your glory.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
The choir of holy angels and archangels, with all the heavenly powers, praises you and says,
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts;
heaven and earth are filled with your glory.
Now and ever
and forever. Amen.
Profession of Faith
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, the only-begotten, born of the Father before all ages. Light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in essence with the Father; through whom all things were made. For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven and was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried. He rose on the third day according to the scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he is coming again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Creator of Life, who proceeds from the Father. Together with the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified; he spoke through the prophets. In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I profess one baptism for the remission of sins. I expect the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Remit, pardon, and forgive our transgressions, voluntary and involuntary, in deed and in word, with knowledge and in ignorance, in thought and in desire, by night and by day, forgive them all, O God, for you are good and love us all.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Leader: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us.
Response: Amen.
Kontakion, Tone 8:
Rising from the grave, you raised the dead. You lifted up Adam and Eve rejoice in your resurrection. The whole world celebrates your resurrection from the dead, O Most Merciful One.
Lord, have mercy. (Twelve times)
Leader: Most holy Trinity, Consubstantial Power, Indivisible Kingdom, Cause of all good things, look favorably upon me, a sinner, at this present hour. Take away all the defilement of my mind and enlighten my understanding that I may always praise, glorify, and say:
Response: One is holy, one is Lord Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen
The Leader bows his head and together with the faithful makes a spiritual Communion praying aloud:
O Lord, I believe and confess that you are truly Christ,
who came into the world
To save sinners of whom I am the first.
Although I cannot be a partaker now of your mystical supper, O Son of God.
Come at least spiritually into my heartby Your Divine Grace
for the healing of my soul and body.
For I will not reveal your mystery to your enemies,
Nor will I give you a kiss as did Judas,
But like the thief I profess to you:
+ Remember me, O Lord, when you come in your kingdom.
+ Remember me, O Master, when you come in your kingdom.
+ Remember me, O Holy One, when you come in your kingdom.
O Lord, I also believe and profess, that this,
Which I would receive, and which is now here present with us in Mystery,
Is truly your most precious Body, and your life-giving Blood,
Which, I pray, I may one day receive again
For the remission of all my sins and for life everlasting. Amen
Then immediately:
Psalm 33
I will bless the Lord at all times,
his praise always on my lips;
In the Lord
my soul shall make its boast
The humble shall hear
and be glad.
Glorify the Lord with me.
Together let us praise his name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me;
from all my terrors he set me free.
Look towards him and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called, the Lord heard him
and rescued him from all his distress.
The angel of the Lord is encamped,
around those who revere him, to rescue them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good.
He is happy who seeks refuge in him.
Revere the Lord, you his saints.
They lack nothing, those who revere him.
Strong lions suffer want and go hungry
but those who seek the Lord lack no blessing.
Come, children, and hear me
that I may teach you the fear of the Lord.
Who is he who longs for life and many days,
to enjoy his prosperity?
Then keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn aside from evil and do good;
seek and strive after peace.
The Lord turns his face against the wicked
to destroy their remembrance from the earth.
The Lord turns his eyes to the just
and his ears to their appeal.
The just cried out and the Lord heard them,
and rescued them from all their distress.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted;
those whose spirit is crushed he will save.
Many are the trials of the just,
but from them all the Lord will rescue them.
He will keep guard over all their bones,
not one of their bones shall be broken.
Evil brings death to the wicked;
those who hate the good are doomed.
The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants.
Those who hide in him shall not be condemned.
More honorable than the cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim; who, a virgin, gave birth to God the Word, you, truly the Theotokos, we magnify.
Leader: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.
Response: Amen.
Closing Hymn:
When walking by the lakeside, there the Master saw two boats.
At his request, the owner Simon sailed him out from shore.
There seated, Jesus taught the crowds, then said, Put out to sea;
Cast your nets one time more, the works of God you’ll see.
The nets were full to breaking, and they dragged their catch to land.
Then Simon said, “ Leave me, Lord, for I’m a sinful man.
The Lord replied, “Be not afraid. From this time on, you’ll see
Your catch will not be fish, but men! Leave all and follow me.
Text: J. Michael Thompson. Melody: Pod tvoj pokrov / We hasten to your patronage (traditional)

Filed Under: Events, Liturgical Services, Videos

Matins for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost. Tone 8

September 26, 2020 By Fr. John R.P. Russell Leave a Comment

Click here to watch this on YouTube (live stream begins at 8am on Sunday, September 27th, 2020)

Sunday Matins Booklet

Matins Propers for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost – Tone 8 (abbreviated)

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Great Vespers for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost. Tone 8. Holy Martyr Callistratus

September 26, 2020 By Fr. John R.P. Russell Leave a Comment

Click here to watch a video of this service on our YouTube channel (Live stream will begin September 26th at 4pm)

The Order of Great Vespers

Vespers Propers for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost. Tone 8. Holy Martyr Callistratus & his Companions

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Decree of Completion of Dispensation from Attending Divine Liturgy

September 21, 2020 By Fr. John R.P. Russell Leave a Comment

 

 

Filed Under: Decrees

Sermon on Mark 8:34-9:1

September 20, 2020 By Fr. John R.P. Russell Leave a Comment

Do you see that the kingdom of God has come with power? (Mark 9:1) Jesus said to the multitude with his disciples, “There are some standing here who will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”

I can tell you, almost with certainty, that everyone who was standing there has by now tasted death. I do not say that they are dead! Our God is not the God of the dead, but of the living! And he is their God! I say, rather, that they have tasted death. Just as Jesus Christ himself has tasted death and yet is not dead.

Jesus is not wrong here. He has not miscalculated the day of the second coming, as many modern doomsday prophets often do. This is not what Jesus has done. So, if he is not wrong, and all who was standing there have tasted death, then it can only mean that the kingdom of God has already come with power and some who were standing there have seen it.

So I ask you again, have you seen the kingdom of God? Remember that the reign of God is forever and ever. When the kingdom of God comes, it does not then retreat away again. If the kingdom of God has come already in the lifetimes of those who lived with Jesus, then it must be that the kingdom of God persists now today. But the kingdom of God is among us and the kingdom of God is within us (Luke 17:21). So I ask you again, have you seen the kingdom of God that has come with power?

Who is the king of glory? The Lord Jesus. Who is the king of kings? Jesus Christ! Who is the Lord of hosts? Our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ.

It is no earthly politician, neither this candidate nor that candidate, that is Lord of heaven and earth. Jesus Christ alone rules over all and he is King and God of all.

As citizens of this country, it’s important for us to vote. But, if we love our country, there’s something even more important. It’s even more important for us to pray. How often we pray for our civil authorities in almost every liturgical service, and rightly so.

St. Peter teaches us: “Honor everyone. Love the brethren. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” (1 Pet 2:17). Yes, even the emperor, he says. Even Nero, who would slaughter Christians and use their burning bodies as torches to light his dinner parties. Yesterday I saw a Christian confess on Facebook that he would not pray for Ruth Bader Ginsberg. As Christians we pray for everyone, even those opposed to us.

It is prayer for them and for all that can truly bring needed change, which is metanoia – repentance – the change of heart. Change of policy unaccompanied by change of heart yields precious little fruit. This coming Thursday is a National Day of Prayer and Fasting for God’s mercy on our land and the healing and conversion of our hearts. Consider joining in.

Who would Jesus vote for? Would he vote at all? I have no idea. But do we even care? Vote your conscience. But if you leave your conscience unformed by prayer to the one true king and Lord, it will lead you astray. It will be malformed. You’ll be like the wooden puppet Pinocchio before he got his conscience in the form of a cricket. Your decisions will be immature and inadvisable. Pray before you vote. Pray while you are voting. Pray for whoever wins the election, whether or not you voted for them.

I know it’s not November and that maybe I should save all this for then, but today Jesus Christ is talking about the kingdom of God! And I follow his schedule. Because I’m living in his kingdom.

Yes, I am an American. I found that out real fast the moment I visited foreign country. When I went to Germany in my early twenties it became very quickly clear to me that my Americanness was written all over my face. And that it came out in all of my mannerisms and habits and that there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. It is an aspect of our identity, where we we’re from, it shapes us. So, yes, I like most of you am an American. But God forbid that I should make that my primary identity. That I should put that first. If my first identity is not in the Lord, I am lost. Indeed, it is for his sake and the Gospels, that we are to lose our lives if we intend to save our lives (Mark 8:35))

What does it mean for us to lose our life for Christ’s sake and the Gospels? For some, it means just that. Many of those Jesus was speaking to would soon after his death and Resurrection begin to join the ranks as martyrs. And martyrdom has persisted into our own day. Just one example among many is the Coptic Orthodox martyrs beheaded by the Islamic State five years ago in Libya. If we are not prepared and willing to act as they did in that kind of situation, then we are not yet truly followers of Jesus Christ. He calls us to lose our life for his sake and the Gospels. Now remember that the gospel is a gospel of life not of death. It is for life that we are losing our lives. Jesus is the life. For nothing else would it be worthwhile after all to lay down our lives. But this is the pearl of great price and we eagerly and willingly sell everything else we have to buy it.

Some of us, on the other hand, do not have the opportunity to die in the flesh by those persecuting Christ and his Church. Does this mean that we are lost? Because we have had no chance to lose our life Jesus and his gospel? Don’t worry, we will have that chance in one way or another

This is in fact the vocation of every Christian. We must take up our own cross. We will discover our own way to lay down our lives. Every vocation – being married or being unmarried, being laity or clergy – is a vocation of martyrdom of one kind or another. Each vocation is to give witness, which is what the word martyr means. And each is a way of giving up our whole lives for the love of others.

This is what Christ does on the cross. He lays down is life for the love of others, for the love of us, and for the love of all. It is on the cross, which we continue to exalt today, that the coming of his kingdom is realized.

We know that Pilate ordered it to be written and posted above Christ on his cross, “Jesus of Nazareth the king of the Jews”. It’s interesting to note that in iconography, this is not what we find on the cross of Christ. Rather, it says here, Ό Βασιλεύς της Δόξης – the king of Glory. Pilot likely did not consider Jesus to be glorious in this moment. He likely failed to see the kingdom of God come in power here. He did not regard of a cross as the throne of the most high King. He thought of it rather as something he could threaten the king with. When, in fact, it is his throne. And here he is enthroned as king of glory. And some who stood there before when he was preaching and heard him say that there was some standing there who would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God which has come in power. They looked, and they remembered, and they saw exactly that. That in this moment of supreme weakness and humiliation, was the power of the coming of God to be exalted. By them and us until this very day.

Those of us who do not yet see the kingdom of God, are like pilot who failed to recognize the king standing before him. It isn’t that to the kingdom of God is not among us. It is that we do not see it. It is present and it is invisible. As invisible as it was when Jesus hung on the cross. It looked to be his defeat, but in fact it was his victory. The same continues on and on. The saints of God and his martyrs and those who give testimony and witness to him by their lives laying down their lives both literally and figuratively. We have seen the self-sacrificial love of Christians, I hope. If we have not, we have not yet met Christians. And if we have, we have seen the kingdom of God, and power. The cross gives us power to seek God where God is not. Or where God seems not to be. The cross gives us the power to see the kingdom of God. And to live in the kingdom of God. Even now. Live first of all as citizens of the Kingdom. Let’s make that our identity above all things and l et the cross inform how we see things and all the decisions that we make. May all our decisions be cruciform.

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