For use by the Laity at home
Sunday 22nd December 2024
Sunday before the Nativity of Our Lord
Forefeast of The Nativity of Christ
The whole service may be prayed by an individual.
If more than one person is present, one of them is designated ‘Reader’ and says or chants the text in normal type. The others respond with the text in bold.
Or the rôle of Reader could be shared.
The mark + indicates that the Sign of the Cross is made here.
All stand
+ Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: have mercy on us. (x3)
In the Paschal Season say instead:
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down Death by death;
and upon those in the tombs bestowing life! (x3)
+ Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; both now and for ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for your name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy. (x3)
+ Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
+ Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name; your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
+ Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us, and save us. Amen.
The Typical Psalms and The Beatitudes
Psalm 102
Bless the Lord, my soul. Blessed are you, Lord.
Bless the Lord, my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, my soul, and forget none of his benefits.
He forgives all your iniquities; he heals all your diseases.
He redeems your life from corruption and crowns you with mercy and compassion.
He satisfies your desire with good things; your youth will be renewed like an eagle’s.
The Lord performs deeds of mercy and judgement for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses, his wishes to the children of Israel.
The Lord is compassionate and merciful, long-suffering and full of mercy.
He will not always be wrathful, nor will he be enraged for ever.
He has not dealt with us according to our iniquities, nor rewarded us according to our sins.
For, like the height of heaven above the earth, the Lord has made his mercy prevail over those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has he taken our sins from us.
As a father takes pity on his children the Lord has taken pity on those who fear him.
For he knows of what we are made; has remembered that we are but dust.
As for man, his days are but as grass, he will blossom like a flower of the field.
For when a wind has passed over it, it will be no more and will know its place no longer.
But the mercy of the Lord is for ever and ever upon those who fear him.
And his justice is upon their children’s children,
Upon those who keep his covenant, who remember his commandments and do them.
The Lord has prepared his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the Lord, all you his Angels, powerful in strength, who perform his word and listen to the voice of his words.
Bless the Lord, all you his Powers, his Ministers who do his will.
Bless the Lord, all you his works. In every place of his dominion, bless the Lord, my soul!
Lord, have mercy. (x12)
+ Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us, and save us. Amen.
+ Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit …
Psalm 145
Praise the Lord, my soul. I shall praise the Lord while I live;
I shall sing to my God as long as I exist.
Do not trust in rulers and in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation.
His breath shall go out of him, and he shall return to his earth;
On that day all his thoughts shall perish.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob;
His hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them,
Who keeps truth forever, who executes justice for the wronged, who provides food for the hungry.
The Lord frees those bound. The Lord restores those broken down.
The Lord gives wisdom to the blind. The Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord keeps watch over strangers. He shall adopt the orphan and the widow, but he shall destroy the way of sinners.
The Lord shall reign for ever: your God, Zion, to all generations.
… both now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Only begotten Son and Word of God, being immortal, you condescended for our salvation to take flesh from the holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary and, without change, became man. Christ, our God, you were crucified and conquered death by death. Being one of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit: save us.
Lord, have mercy. (x12)
+ Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us, and save us. Amen.
The Beatitudes
In your kingdom remember us, Lord, when you come in your kingdom.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after justice, for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for justice’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.
Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
The Epistle and Gospel are said, not chanted. The Prokeimenon and Alleluias are omitted.
The Epistle
The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Hebrews.
By faith Abraham settled as a foreigner in the promised land. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise, for he was awaiting the city with foundations whose designer and builder is God. … What more shall I say? For time would fail me to speak at length about Gideon or of Barak and Samson and Jephthah, or of David and Samuel and the prophets. Through faith they overcame kingdoms. They laboured for righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped from the edge of the sword, grew strong out of weakness, became powerful in battle, put to flight foreign armies. Women received their dead by resurrection, and others were beaten to death, not accepting deliverance so that they might gain a better resurrection. Others were tested by mockery and scourgings, yet others by shackles and imprisonment. They were stoned; they were sawn in two; they were subjected to ordeals; they were put to the sword. They went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, tormented. The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and were in caves and holes in the ground. All these through faith received a testimony, but they did not receive the promise because God had already provided something better for us, so that they would not attain perfection without us.
Hebrews 11:9-10,32-40
The Gospel
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew.
A scroll of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Rehoboam was the father of Abijah. Abijah was the father of Asa. Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was the father of Joram. Joram was the father of Uzziah. Uzziah was the father of Jotham. Jotham was the father of Ahaz. Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amon. Amon was the father of Josiah. Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylon exile. After the Babylon exile Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel. Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud. Abiud was the father of Eliakim. Eliakim was the father of Azor. Azor was the father of Sadoc. Sadoc was the father of Achim. Achim was the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the father of Matthan. Matthan was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph. He was the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus who is called Christ. Therefore all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, and from David until the Babylon exile there are fourteen generations, and from the Babylon exile until the Christ there are fourteen generations. The birth of Jesus Christ was like this. When his mother Mary was promised in marriage to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her betrothed, being a righteous man and not wanting to make an example of her, intended to send her away quietly. While he was considering these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, you need not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for what is conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son and you will give him the name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this has happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: ‘Behold a virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him Emmanuel,’ which means ‘God with us.’ On waking from sleep Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. He took his wife but had no intercourse with her until she gave birth to her son, the firstborn, and given him the name Jesus.
Matthew 1:1-25
The heavenly choir praises you saying: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth; heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Come to him and be enlightened and your faces shall not be ashamed. The heavenly choir praises you saying: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth; heaven and earth are full of 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 saying: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth; heaven and earth are full of your glory.
… both now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
The Creed
I believe in one God, Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages. Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one essence with the Father; through him all things were made; for our sake 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 also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; he rose again on the third day, in accordance with the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father; 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 Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with Father and Son is together worshipped and glorified; who spoke through the Prophets. And in one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church; I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins; I await the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come. Amen.
The Penitential Prayer
Forgive, remit, pardon, O God, our sins, both voluntary and involuntary, in deed and word, in knowledge and ignorance, committed by night and by day, in mind and thought. Forgive us them all, for you are good and the lover of mankind.
The Lord’s Prayer
+ Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name; your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
+ Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us, and save us. Amen.
Kontakion
For the Preparation for the Nativity in Tone 3
On this day the Virgin Maid goes to the cave to give birth to the pre-eternal Word in an ineffable manner. Dance for joy, all the inhabited earth, on hearing. Glorify along with Angels and with the shepherds him who willed that he appear as a newborn child, the pre-eternal God.
Lord, have mercy. (x40)
The Prayer of the Hours
At every time and at every hour, in heaven and on earth worshipped and glorified, Christ God, long-suffering, great in mercy, great in compassion, loving the just and merciful to sinners, calling all to salvation by the promise of the good things to come; do you, Lord, yourself accept our entreaties at this hour, and direct our lives to your commandments. Sanctify our souls, purify our bodies, correct our thoughts, cleanse our ideas and deliver us from every distress, evil, and pain. Wall us about with your holy Angels, that protected and guided by their host we may reach the unity of the faith and the knowledge of your unapproachable glory; for you are blessed to the ages of ages. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. (x3)
+ Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
More honourable than the cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim, who without corruption gave birth to God the Word, truly the Mother of God, we magnify you.
+ Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy upon us and save us. Amen.
Psalm 33
I will bless the Lord continually; his praise will always be in my mouth.
My soul will be praised in the Lord; let the meek hear it and rejoice.
Magnify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord and he heard me, and delivered me from all my afflictions.
Come to him and be enlightened, and your faces will not be ashamed.
This poor man cried and the Lord heard him, and saved him from all his afflictions.
The angel of the Lord will encamp round those who fear him, and deliver them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed the one who hopes in him!
Fear the Lord, all you his holy ones, for those who fear him never want.
The rich have become poor and gone hungry, but those who seek the Lord will not be deprived of any good.
Come, children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Who is there who wants life, loves to see good days?
Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are on the just, and his ears towards their supplication.
The Lord’s face is set against those who do evil, to destroy their memory from the earth.
The just cried and the Lord heard them, and delivered them from all their afflictions.
The Lord is close to those who are broken-hearted, and will save the humble in spirit.
The afflictions of the just are many, but the Lord will deliver them from them all.
The Lord guards all their bones; not one of them will be broken.
The death of sinners is evil, and those who hate the just will go astray.
The Lord will rescue the souls of his servants, and no one of those who hope in him will go astray.
The Apolytikia
For the Resurrection in Tone 1The stone had been secured with a seal by the Jews, and a guard of soldiers was watching your immaculate body. You rose on the third day, O Lord and Saviour, granting life unto the world. For this reason were the powers of heaven crying out to you, O Life-giver: Glory to your resurrection, O Christ; glory to your kingdom; glory to your dispensation, only One who loves mankind.
For the Forefeast of the Nativity in Tone 4
Be ready, Bethlehem: Eden is open to all. Prepare yourself, Ephratha, for now from the holy Virgin the Tree of Life has blossomed forth in the cave. Her womb has proved a true spiritual Paradise in which is found the divine saving Tree, and as we eat from it we shall all live, and not die as Adam did. For now Christ is born to raise the image that once was fallen.
For the Righteous Ones of the Old Covenant in Tone 2
Great are the accomplishments of faith, for the Three Holy Youths rejoiced as they stood in the fountain of flames as if beside still waters, and the Prophet Daniel appeared to shepherd to the lions as if they were sheep. By their prayers, O Christ God, save our souls.
For Saint Constantine the Patron of the Parish in Tone 8
Constantine, who is your Apostle among kings, O Lord, having witnessed with his own eyes the sign of your Cross in heaven, and like Paul having accepted your call without human intervention, entrusted the royal city to your hands, delivering it with safety for all time by the intercessions of the Theotokos; you who alone are the lover of us all.
The Theotokion
It is truly fitting to bless you, Theotokos, ever-blessed and all-blameless, and Mother of our God.
+ More honourable than the cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim; you who without corruption gave birth to God the Word, very Mother of God, we magnify you.
The Dismissal
+ Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy and save us. Amen.
In the Paschal Season say instead:
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down Death by death;
and upon those in the tombs…
…bestowing life!