nativity service - english

8/3/2019 Nativity Service - English

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The Service Book of the Nativity

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church



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THE ORDER OF THE BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOR

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,one true God;

Glory be to Him, and may His grace and mercy be upon us forever. Amen .

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, by whose glory, the heavenand earth are filled, Hosanna in the Highest.

Blessed is He, who has to come, and is to come, in the name of theLord; Glory be to Him in the Highest.

TRISAGION (QAUMA)Holy art thou, O God!Holy art thou, Almighty,Holy art thou, Immortal,

† Crucified for us, Have mercy on us. (Repeat Thrice)

Lord, have mercy upon us,Lord be kind, and have mercy,Lord accept Thou our office

And our entreaties, Have mercy on us.

Glory be to Thee, O God!Glory be to Thee, O Creator,Glory be to Thee, O Christ,

The King who dost pity, sinners Thy servants.Barekmor

THE LORD’S PRAYER Our Father who art in heaven, – hallowed be thy name, - Thy

kingdom come, - Thy will be done on earth, - as it is in heaven. Giveus this day our daily bread, - and forgive us our trespasses, - as weforgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, -but deliver us from the evil one. + For Thine is the kingdom, - thepower and the glory, - forever and ever. – Amin



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HAIL MARY Hail Mary, full of grace, - our Lord is with thee. Blessed are thouamong women, - and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, - pray for us sinners, - now and at all times, -and at the hour of our death. -Amin.

Hymn for the Procession(l’Thumo d’Haimonootho/Eeshenumee Marthyan Markum)

The Virgin – has begotten The Wonder-ful, the Prince 1 Let us behold Him – Who is be-fore time

The Old, the – Ancient of DaysIs wrapped in – Swaddling clothes,He who was born of – the Virgin-Mary

Behold the – Almighty One,

He who weighs - the mountains, Was carried on the – arms of the - maiden

Behold, He – who nourishes The hungry – is himself Like a babe sucking – milk from His - mother

The Son wi – thout beginning

Desired a – beginning He came to be born – yet is e-ternal

The righteous – of ancient days The daughter - of David The Holy Virgin – is beauti-fully named

Ezekiel – of the exileCalled Mary – a closed gateSolomon knew her – as the sealed – fountain

1 Isaiah 9:6



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David spoke – of a city Of seedless herb – the Christ,

Who became provi-sions for all - nations

At the co-mmemorationOf the The-otokos, 2

The Blessed Virgin, – creation - sings praise

The whole cre-ation sings praise To the Son – of the Good, Who dawned from her and – loosed us from – the curse

He dis-solved the judgment andBrought us back - to the place

Whence we were expelled – back to Par-adise

By His blood – all the nations

Are redeemed – and the ChurchRejoices in Him – and Mary sings praise

OPENING PRAYER

Priest: Shubho… Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to theHoly Spirit.

People: May His mercy and compassion be upon us, weak and sinful,in both worlds forever, Amin.

Priest : Make us worthy, O Lord God, to hallow You with the holy seraphim without investigation; to bless You with theblessed cherubim without hesitation; to glorify You with

the exalted powers without hindrance; to adore You withthe heavenly hosts without blame; to exalt You with theinnocent shepherds unceasingly; to worship You with thediscerning wise men steadfastly; and to rejoice in You, with

2 Greek – God-Bearer, or Yoldath Aloho in Syriac



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Mary who bore You; eternally; Now and always, foreverand ever.

People: Amin.

Quqlion 3 (Tone 1 – “See the Royal Daughter Stand”)

Priest : The Lord spoke to Me, You are my SonHalleluiah – Halleluiah

This day have I bego-tten You

People: Ask of Me and I shall giveHalleluiah – Halleluiah

The nations for Your in-heritance

Priest : The uttermost parts of the earth for your possessionHalleluiah – Halleluiah

You shall shepherd them with a rod – of iron.

People : You shall shatter them like a potter’s vesselHalleluiah – HalleluiahNow therefore be wise - O you kings Barekmor

Shub’ho…M e n ola m … .

EqboIn Bethlehem, Christ was bornFrom the east, the Magi came

They inquired, “Where is the King, Whom we have come to worship?”

Deacons: Stoumen Kalos, Kurieleison

3 Taken from Psalm 2:7-10



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PROMEON

Priest: Let us all pray and beseech the Lord for grace and mercy.

People: O merciful Lord, have mercy upon us and help us.

Priest: Glory and thanksgiving, praise and adoration, andunceasing exaltation truly at all times and all hours, may weascribe unto You, O Lord.

Glory to the Eternal Child Who, for our salvation, wasincarnate of the Virgin full of grace; Whose coming wasforetold by the prophets; Whose mysterious conception

was announced by the angel Gabriel; Whose good tidings were proclaimed by the Apostles; for Whose worship theMagi came in haste; by Whose glory the shepherds wereillumined; and by Whose manifestation the world hasgained life; to Him be glory, honor, and majesty at this

time of the celebration of the Nativity, and at all festivals,times, season and all the days of our life.

People: Amin

(Incense is placed)

SEDROPriest: Who can adequately praise Your redemptive and life-giving

incarnation, O Christ, our God? When You beheld ourhuman race, pulled down from its high estate, completely doomed to destruction and reduced to corruption, You,Eternal Son of the Eternal Father, dwelt in the Holy

Virgin’s womb, and after nine full months You were bornto her in the flesh miraculously. You arose and came forthfrom her, by birth, true God and true man. You were notknown by two but from two natures united into one,divinity and humanity, and were professed in one nature

without separation and intermixture. You preserved Yourmother’s virginity without harm and after Your divine birthfrom her You kept her a virgin free from stain. A divine



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Child, You were born of her miraculously, and on theglorious day of Your birth, the whole creation was filled

with gladness and exaltation for You made a heaven out of the earth once again, with the angels and men joinedtogether. The manger in which You were lying wassurrounded by the angelic hosts who were praising andsaying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,tranquility, and good hope for the sons of men.” The fiery seraphim agitated their wings. The shepherds, whoreceived the mysterious tidings from the angels, wentquickly to the grotto of Bethlehem to be assured of whatthey had heard and they went forth preaching the goodtidings. The company of the prophets were rejoicing in

Your life-giving birth because their prophecies have cometo be true. The angel, in the likeness of a star, appeared tothe Magi. When they saw You, they worshipped You; thenthey offered their threefold gifts to the great King and God

Who was born in the flesh. Mary, the Blessed Mother, was

offering You praise, adoration and loving hymns. Joseph,the righteous man from Nazareth, treated Your mother with homage and respect, honoring her vigilantly as thebearer of God, for through her he was worthy to be calledthe father of Your humanity, without marriage andconjugal relations. Therefore, we, Your sinful servants,

who have been made worthy to celebrate the festival of Your birth in the flesh, beseech Your loving-kindness notto remember our transgressions forever. Remember, OLord, how our thoughts are bent to evil and enter not intojudgment with us, for by Your incarnation You havedelivered us from the tyranny of the adversary, but makeus worthy, through Your loving-kindness, to partake of that blessed feast which is enriched in divine virtues and toenter the glory which has been prepared for the perfect sothat we may join the ranks of the blessed and thecongregation of Your saints and with them offer eternaland everlasting praise to You, Your Father and Your Holy Spirit, Who is blessed, life-giving and consubstantial with

You now and always, forever and ever.



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People: Amin

Priest: From God may we receive remission of debts andforgiveness of sins of both worlds forever and ever.

People: Amin

Qolo(Kookoyo – T one 1)

On this day of Your birth, O Son of Most High – God The heaven, the earth, and all creation re-joiceHeaven’s hosts cry–glory be to God

Angels declare–peace be on the earth The shepherds and the Magi present gifts to – HimNations, races, and all generations sing - praise

Halleluiah – Your birth gives us lifeBarekmor

Shub’ho…M e n ola m … .

Bless’d Virgin, Mother of God, the Theoto-kosMay your memory be a blessing unto – us

Answer requests–of those who are nearHeed petitions–of those who are far

Seek help for the sick, depressed, and for the tem-pted Your prayer and supplication be for us mer-cy

Halleluiah – May your prayers help usM oriyo rahem a la in w adara in

Boutho of Mor Jacob of Sarug We sing, we sing, we sing, we sing, Halleluiah As the shepherds in Bethlehem sang praise to Him

Come, O wise man see the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothesMarvel for all creation is sustained by Him



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See Him in the manger with His human body Whereas He rules the heights and depths with His Father As the virgin was giving Him milk like a babeHe was sending rain and dew for crops of the land

If you should possess a soul that is filled with faithLet your mind take wings to see Him in heav’n and earth

We praise, we praise, we praise, we praise, Halleluiah As the shepherds in Bethlehem sang praise to Him

*Zamar zamar zamar wemar Halleluiah Akhmo d’zam-ruy ro-awotho bhaw Bethelehem

*Hallel hallel hallel wemar Halleluiah Akhmo d’hallui ro-awotho bhaw Bethelehem 4

PAULINE EPISTLE

T huba yk Id tho (Tone 1)Paul the Blessed Saint, The Lord’s Apostle said:If one come to preach to youOther doctrine than we knew,Be he man or angel bright,Curs’d be he in Church’s sight;Doctrines all diverse arise,Shooting up with many lies;Bless’d is he who first and last

Trusts God’s truth and holds it fast

Deacon: The lesson from Epistle of Saint Paul to the Hebrews Ahai Barekmor

People: Glory be to the Lord of the Apostles and His mercy beupon us forever.

4 The first and last stanzas of the Boutho in Syriac



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Hebrews 1: 1-12

My brethren, from of old God spoke to our Fathers by theprophets in every manner and in all ways; and in theselatter days He has spoken to us by His Son Whom He hasappointed heir of all things, and by Whom also He madeall the worlds. For He is the brightness of His glory andthe express image of His being, upholding all things by thepower of His word; and having, through His own person,cleansed our sins, He then sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; and He is altogether greater than theangels, just as the name He has inherited is a moreexcellent name than theirs. For to which of the angels hasGod at any time said: You are My Son, this day have Ibegotten You? And again, I will be to Him a Father andHe shall be unto Me a Son. And again, I will be to Him asa Father and He shall be to me a Son. And again, when hebrought the first begotten into the world, He said: Let all

the angels of God worship him. And of the angels He saidthus: Who makes His angels spirits; His ministers aflaming fire. But of the Son He said: Thy throne, O God,is forever and ever; the scepter of Your Kingdom is arighteous scepter. You have loved righteousness and hatediniquity; therefore, God, even Your God, has anointed You

with the oil of gladness more than Your fellows. Andfrom the very beginning You have laid the foundations of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Your hands.

They shall pass away but You shall endure; and they allshall wear out like a garment. And as a cloak, You shallfold them up and they shall be changed, but You are thesame and Your years shall never end. Ahai Barekmor

THE HOLY GOSPELHulolo (Canticle)

Halleluiah – Halleluiah – Halleluiah The – Lord has said to Me You are My – SonOn – this day I have be-go-tten You – Halleluiah 5

5 Psalm 2:7



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Deacon: With calmness, reverence, and with sober minds…

St. Luke 2: 1-20

Priest: And as it happened in those days that there went outa decree from Caesar Augustus to take a census of all the people inhis empire. This first census took place during the governorship of Quirinius in Syria. And every man went to be registered in his owncity. Joseph also went up from Nazareth, a city of Galilee, to Judea,to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem because he was of thehouse and family of David, with his betrothed, Mary, while she was

with child, that they might be registered there. And it came to pass while they were there that her days to be delivered were fulfilled, andshe gave birth to her first born son; and she wrapped him inswaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger because they had noroom where they were lodging. Now there were some shepherds inthat region and they were watching their flocks at night. And behold,the Angel of God came to them and the glory of the Lord shone

over them; and they were seized with a great fear. And the angel saidto them: Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy, which will be to all the world. For this day is born to youin the city of David, a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord. And this is asign for you: You will find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothesand lying in a manger. And suddenly there appeared with the angel aheavenly host, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace, and good hope for men.

(At this point, the fire is lit and all present sing the Gloria):

(Syr iac) Tesh’buhatho – l’Aloho bamrawme Al ar’o – Shlomo wShaino - wSabro ToboL’abenai nosho

(English)Glory be – to God in the Highest

And on earth – peace, good-will, and – good hope for theSons of – mankind



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(Then the priest shall conclude the reading of the Gospel)

Priest: And it came to pass when the angels departed from themand went to heaven, that the shepherds spoke to one another saying,Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened as theLord has shown to us. And they came hurriedly and found Mary and

Joseph and the Babe laid in a manger. When they saw that, they made known the word which was spoken to them concerning theBoy. And all who heard it were amazed at the things which werespoken by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying andpraising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been toldthem. Pea ce be to you a l l .

Priest: O Lord, Jesus Christ, close not the door of Thy mercyupon our faces …

People: We confess we are sinners, have mercy upon us. O Lord,

Thy love for us didst make Thee to come to us from Thy place, thatby Thy Death, our death might be abolished. Have mercy upon us. Amin.

HymnThubayk Ofrath/Bethelehem Vazhi Pokumbol

Blessed are you E-phratha 6 You are the mother - of kings

Out of you came forth – the Lord The Lord Who is King – of Kings

It was Micah, the – prophet Who spoke and brought good – tidings…

6 Ephratha refers to Bethlehem. It is an Aramaic word which means ‘thefruitful.’ Bethlehem is also an Aramaic word which means ‘the house of bread.’



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…Of Him who is be-fore timeHis age is beyond - knowledge

Blessed be your eyes – that wereFirst before to be-hold Him

He made you worthy - to seeHim when He was man-ifest

You were the first to – receive The origin of – gladness

Isaiah, see the – VirginConcerning your pro-phecies

Emmanuel dwelt – in her And sucked milk like an – infant

Come, behold Him and – rejoice Together with the – prophets

For He has come and – fulfilled The visions of all – seers

HymnHo Q’tleelu b’Messrain/Manavavalsalane

Blessed be Your – first birth, O Lord Which we comme-morate this day

In this month of – lengthy nights, anEver-lasting – bright day has dawned

The splendor of – the kings of earth, Their festivals, - have passed away

Your day, O Lord – is eternalBy it our sins – have been absolved



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EXALTATION OF THE CROSS

The East

Priest: Shubho… Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to theHoly Spirit.


Priest: Make us worthy, O Lord God, to honor Your birth from the Virgin Mary, to adore in our souls the blessed memory of Yoursupernatural birth in the flesh, and to exalt Your life-giving Cross

with veneration. We beseech You to regenerate us, spiritually, indaily fruitful works that are pleasing unto You. Protect us from allharm under the arms of Your holy Cross, our Lord and our God,forever.

People: AminEqbo

In the cave of BethlehemIs the Lord of creation.From the east, the Magi came

To honor Him at His birth. Therefore, faithful, praise the LordExalt Him unto ages.

Maze’qonootho (Loudly Intoned Prayer)On this day the Son of God

Was born in Bethlehem, andHe has fulfilled the signs andIllustrations of prophets,

They who prophesied of Him.

Therefore we honor His birth And we venerate His Cross. Therefore we beseech and say:Kurieleison, Kurieleison, Kurieleison



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The West

Priest: Shubho… Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the

Holy Spirit.


Priest: Only begotten, Who alone was born of the only, ever-virginMary, make Your light to shine forth in our souls and may we be

worthy to cry out with the angels, saying: Glory to God in the highest,and peace on earth and good will to mankind, our Lord and our God.

People: Amin.

Eqbo Without transformation He Was incarnate of Mary,

The bless’d Virgin full of grace.He remains in His Father’sBosom for eternity.

To Him we praise without endFor He alone is glorious.

Maze’qonoothoOn this day, the angels broughtGood tidings to the shepherds,Saying a Savior is bornIn the cave of Bethlehem.

The nations rejoice this day And adore His glorious Cross Therefore we beseech and say:Kurieleison, Kurieleison, Kurieleison



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The North


Holy Spirit.


Priest: Gladness and exultation were granted to the heavenly hosts,and peace, tranquility and good hope to those who dwell on earth. By

Your birth from the Virgin, O Christ our God, the anger separating Adam from the Father was dissolved. Grant us, our Lord, that wemay rejoice in Your feast and set us free from all manner of anger,our Lord and our God.

People: Amin.

Eqbo Your soul was magnified and,Mary, your Spirit rejoicedIn the Lord Who is your Lord.

You are the bearer of God Your virginity He keptEven after He was bornGod the Word took flesh of you

Maze’qonoothoOn this day, a child was born.His name is the Wonderful.He is God the Wonderful,

Who showed Himself like a babe. All creation worships Him

And adores His saving Cross; Therefore we beseech and say:Kurieleison, Kurieleison, Kurieleison



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The South


Holy Spirit.


Priest: O Son and Word of the eternal Father, Who, of His ownfree will, came to birth, and kept His mother’s virginity intact after

His birth; grant us to recognize without any doubt that You are trueGod. Grant us the peace and tranquility which comes from You, with preservation from all harm, our Lord and our God.

People: Amin.

Eqbo

This day of Nativity, The heavenly hosts proclaimedPeace and good-will on the earthGlory be to God on high

And good hope for all mankind

Maze’qonoothoBy Your Cross, our Lord Jesus

And by Your mother’s pray-ers,Make to cease all afflictions.Remove from us rods of wrath.Make peace and tranquility Dwell in the earth’s four corners

Therefore we beseech and say:Kurieleison, Kurieleison, Kurieleison



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THE BLESSING OF THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE WORLD

The East

Priest: He Whom the angels ministerPeople: Holy art Thou, O God

Priest: He Whom the cherubim bless

People: Holy art Thou, Almighty Priest: He whom the seraphim sanctify People: Holy art Thou, Immortal. Sinners, with repentance, entreatsaying, O Thou Who wast crucified for us, have mercy upon us.

The West

Priest: He Whom the fiery hosts praisePeople: Holy art Thou, O God

Priest: He Whom the spiritual beings magnify People: Holy art Thou, Almighty

Priest: He Whom the mortals worshipPeople: Holy art Thou, Immortal. Sinners, with repentance, entreatsaying, O Thou Who wast crucified for us, have mercy upon us.

The North

Priest: He Whom the heavenly beings glorify People: Holy art Thou, O God

Priest: He Whom those between exaltPeople: Holy art Thou, Almighty

Priest: He Whom the earthly beings glorify People: Holy art Thou, Immortal. Sinners, with repentance, entreatsaying, O Thou Who wast crucified for us, have mercy upon us.



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The South

Priest: Lord, Have mercy upon usPeople: Lord, be kind and have mercy Priest: Lord, accept our offices and our entreaties and have mercy upon us

People: Glory be to Thee, O GodPriest: Glory be to Thee, O CreatorPeople: Glory be to Thee, O Christ the King, who dost pity Hissinful servants. Barekmor

Our Fa ther, Who a r t in hea ven…

(Here the whole congregation shall recite the Lord’s Prayer)

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