Service of the First Hour - Beetween hours
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Priest: Blessed is our God always, now and forever and to the ages of ages.
Amen.
Glory to You, our God, glory to You.
Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, present in all places and filling all things, treasury of good things and giver of life: come; take Your abode in us; cleanse us of every stain, and save our souls, O Good one.
Amen.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.(3)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, forgive our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Your name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy(3)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. 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.
Priest: For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to ages of ages.
Amen.
Lord, have mercy(12)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Come, let us worship and bow down before God our King.
Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ God our King.
Come, let us worship and bow down before Him, Christ our King and God.
Psalm 45 (46)
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling.
There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has made desolations in the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Psalm 91 (92)
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night,
On an instrument of ten strings, On the lute, And on the harp, With harmonious sound.
For You, Lord, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands.
O Lord, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep.
A senseless man does not know, Nor does a fool understand this.
When the wicked spring up like grass, And when all the workers of iniquity flourish, It is that they may be destroyed forever.
But You, Lord, are on high forevermore.
For behold, Your enemies, O Lord, For behold, Your enemies shall perish; All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil.
My eye also has seen my desire on my enemies; My ears hear my desire on the wicked Who rise up against me.
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,
For the Lord our God is righteous, and there is no injustice in Him.
Psalm 92
The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The Lord is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.
Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, O Lord, The floods have lifted up their voice; The floods lift up their waves.
The Lord on high is mightier Than the noise of many waters, Than the mighty waves of the sea.
Your testimonies are very sure; Holiness adorns Your house, O Lord, forever.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. Glory to you, O God,
Lord, have mercy(3)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.(3)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, forgive our sins. Master, pardon our transgressions. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Your name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy(3)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. 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.
Priest: For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to ages of ages.
Amen.
Troparia
Plagal of the 2nd Tone.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, For we are empty of all defense, As sinners we offer this supplication to You; O Master, have mercy on us.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Lord, have mercy on us, For in You we have put our trust; Be not exceedingly angry with us, Nor remember our many iniquities; But look upon us now as the Compassionate, And deliver us from our enemies; For You are our God, and we Your people, We are all the work of Your hands, And upon Your Name we have now called.
Now and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
The doors of caring do now open unto us, O most blessed Theotokos, So that hoping in you we shall not fail; Through you we may be delivered from adversities, For you are the salvation of the Christian faith.
Lord, have mercy(40)
O Christ our God, who at all times and at every hour, both in heaven and on earth, are worshipped and glorified, long suffering and plenteous in mercy and compassion; who love the just and show mercy to the sinners; who call all men to salvation through the promise of the blessings to come: Do You, the same Lord, receive also our supplications at this present time, and direct our lives according to Your commandments. Sanctify our souls; purify our bodies; set our minds right; clear up our thoughts, and deliver us from every sorrow, evil and distress. Surround us with Your holy Angels so that being guarded and guided by their presence, we may arrive at the unity of the faith and the knowledge of Your ineffable glory; for blessed are You unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Lord, have mercy(3)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim; who without corruption gavest birth to God the Word, the very Theotokos, thee do we magnify.
In the name of the Lord, Father bless.
Priest: May God have compassion on us and bless us; may his face shine upon us and have mercy on us.
Amen.
And we make the three great prostrations, then, with each, we say one verse of the Prayer of Saint Ephraim.
O Lord and Master of my life, do not permit the spirit of laziness and meddling, the lust for power and idle talk to come into me.
Instead, grant me, Your servant, the spirit of prudence, humility, patience and love.
Yes, Lord and King, give me the power to see my own faults and not to judge my brother. For You are blessed unto the ages of ages. Amen.
And after these, twelve other small ones, saying with each,God, be merciful to me, a sinner, and have mercy on me and again great prostration, and the last verse of the above Prayer.
Yes, Lord and King, give me the power to see my own faults and not to judge my brother. For You are blessed unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Prayer of Saint Basil the Great.
God the eternal, the beginningless and endless light, Creator of all creation, source of mercy, ocean of goodness, and unfathomable abyss of philanthropy, let the light of Your face shine upon us, Lord. Shine in our hearts, O intellectual Sun of righteousness, and fill our souls with Your joy, and teach us to always meditate on Your things and to proclaim judgments, and to continually confess to You, our Master and Benefactor. Direct the works of our hands according to Your will, and make us act in ways pleasing and dear to You, so that even through our unworthiness, Your most holy name may be glorified, of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, of the one Godhead and Kingdom, to whom belongs all glory, honor, and worship forever. Amen.
Then we also attach this Prayer of Saint Basil the Great.
He who sends forth the light, and walks, the one who causes the Sun to rise upon the righteous and the unrighteous, upon the evil and the good, He who makes the morning, and illuminates the whole inhabited world. Enlighten also our hearts, Master of all. Grant us on this present day to please You, keeping us from every sin, and every evil deed, saving us from every flying arrow of the day, and from every opposing power, through the intercessions of our All-Immaculate Lady Theotokos, Your incorporeal ministers and heavenly Powers, and all the Saints who have pleased You from eternity. For Yours is the mercy and the saving of us, our God, and to You we send up glory, to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Lord, have mercy(3)
Dismissal
Priest: Glory to You, our God, glory to You.
Priest: May Christ our true God, through the intercessions of His all-pure and all-immaculate holy Mother, the power of the precious and life-giving Cross, the protection of the honorable, bodiless powers of heaven, the supplications of the honorable, glorious prophet and forerunner John the Baptist, of the holy, glorious, and praiseworthy apostles, of the holy, glorious, and triumphant martyrs, of our righteous and God-bearing fathers, (local patron saint); of the holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, as He is good, benevolent, and merciful God.
Priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.
Amen.