March 26 / April 8 Sixth Wednesday of Great Lent Leavetaking of the Annunciation / Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel (Vespers with Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, sung on Tuesday)

Lord I Call..." Tone 1

v. (10) The righteous will surround me; for You will deal bountifully with me.

Tone 1 Idiomelon (from the Lenten )

O my soul, you were clothed in the divinely-woven purple of self-mastery, the fine linen of incorruption, but you have mocked your own dignity. You made sin your wealth and pleasure, and looked down with scorn upon your brothers, as the rich man who despised poor Lazarus. But that you may not be chastised with him be poor in spirit, and cry to the Lord Who was humbled for your sake: "You wore the purple of mockery before Your Crucifixion, and, for my sake, You were nailed to the Cross, deliver me from eternal shame, O Christ,// and clothe me in the robe of Your Kingdom!"

v. (9) Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice.

Tone 2 (from the Lenten Triodion, by Joseph) (Joseph of Arimathea)

Ruled by many passions, weakened by all the assaults of the Evil One, my heart lies shamefully in the tomb of slothfulness, crushed with senselessness as with a stone. O Savior, by your life-bearing Cross, You gave life to those who were in hell. Awaken me, and give me life,// so that in fear, I may glorify Your divinity!

1 v. (8) Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.

At the prompting of the Evil One, I have always loved the riches of corrupting pleasure, and without conscience I have delighted in vanity. I have despised my mind when it groaned like Lazarus and hungered for the food of God. O Word, deliver me in Your tender mercy from the flames to come,// that I may glorify You, O Lover of mankind!

v. (7) If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You.

Tone 3 (from the Lenten Triodion, by Theodore)

Today Lazarus has died; Bethany laments for him. But You, O Savior, shall raise him from the dead, giving us an assurance of Your awesome Resurrection, of the death of hell, and of Adam's restoration.// Therefore we sing Your praises.

v. (6) For Your name's sake I have waited for You, O Lord, my soul has waited for Your word; my soul has hoped on the Lord.

Tone 4 (from the , for the Feast)

In the sixth month, the Archangel was sent to the pure Virgin; and with his greeting "Rejoice," he announced the good news that the Deliverer was to come forth from her. Therefore, having received the salutation with faith, she conceived You, the pre-eternal God, // Who were well-pleased ineffably to become man// for the salvation of our souls.

2 v. (5) From the morning watch until night, from the morning watch let Israel hope on the Lord.

The heard a voice that she knew not, for the Archangel addressed to her the words of glad tidings; therefore, accepting the salutation with faith, she conceived You, the pre-eternal God. And so, rejoicing exceedingly, we too cry aloud to You: “O God made flesh from her without change,// grant peace to the world, and great mercy to our souls!”

v. (4) For with the Lord there is mercy and with Him is plenteous redemption, and He will deliver Israel from all his iniquities.

Behold, our restoration has now been revealed to us: in a manner beyond understanding, God is united to mankind; at the voice of the Archangel, delusion is destroyed, for the Virgin receives joy; things of the earth have become heaven; and the world is freed from the ancient curse. Let creation rejoice exceedingly and sing with voices of praise:// “O Lord, our Maker and Deliverer, glory to You!”

v. (3) Praise the Lord, all nations! Praise Him, all peoples!

Tone 1 (from the Menaion, for the Archangel) (O all-praised martyrs)

Gabriel, the greatest of the spiritual powers, shining with heavenly brightness, who with the Hosts on High gazes upon the light of the Three-fold Sun, came to the Virgin and announced to her the good news of the divine and awesome mystery,// and he intercedes for our souls.

v. (2) For His mercy is abundant towards us; and the truth of the Lord endures for ever.

The great mystery till then unknown to the Angels and hidden from all eternity has been confided to you alone, O Gabriel; and you have come to Nazareth and entrusted it to her who alone is pure.// Pray with her that our souls be granted peace and great mercy!

3 v: (1) He makes His Angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire. (Ps 103/104:4)

Gabriel, ever filled with light, who do the will and fulfill the commands of the Ruler of All, Leader of the Angels, most excellent, preserve those who honor you with love,// pray that our souls be granted peace and great mercy!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Tone 6 (for the Feast, by John the Monk)

The Archangel Gabriel was sent from heaven, to announce to the Virgin the good news of her conceiving. And coming to Nazareth, he was filled with wonder at the miracle, and reasoned within himself: “How is it that He Who dwells on high, Whom none can comprehend, is to be born of a Virgin? How is He, Whose throne is Heaven and Whose footstool is the earth, to be contained in the womb of a woman? He upon Whom the six-winged Seraphim and the many-eyed Cherubim are not able to gaze is well-pleased to be made flesh from her at a single word. It is the Word of God Who is to come. Why then do I hesitate, and not say to the Maiden: ‘Rejoice, O Lady, full of grace, the Lord is with you! Rejoice, pure Virgin! Rejoice, Bride without Bridegroom! Rejoice, Mother of the Life!// Blessed is the Fruit of your womb!’”

Tone 4 Prokeimenon

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Ps 110/111:10)

v: I will give thanks to You, Lord, with my whole heart: in the council of the upright and in the congregation. (Ps 110/111:1)

4 Reading from Genesis (31:3-16) Genesis 31:3-16 (Vespers, 1st reading) 3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.”

So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock,

and said to them, “I see your father’s countenance, that it is not favorable toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me.

“And you know that with all my might I have served your father.

“Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me.

“If he said thus: ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: ‘The streaked shall be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked.

“So God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me.

“And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted.

“Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.’ “And He said, ‘Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. ‘I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.’”

Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house?

5 “Are we not considered strangers by him? For he has sold us, and also completely consumed our money.

“For all these riches which God has taken from our father are really ours and our children’s; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it.”

Tone 4 Prokeimenon

He is merciful, full of compassion, and righteous. (Ps 111/112:4b) v: Blessed is the man who fears the Lord: he will delight greatly in His commandments. (Ps 111/112:1)

(Vespers, 2nd reading, Theotokos)

Reading from Exodus (3:1-8)

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.

Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”

So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”

Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.

“So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites 6 #3 Reading from Proverbs (8:22-30) (Theotokos)

22 “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old.

23 I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth. 24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills, I was brought forth; 26 While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, Or the primal dust of the world. 27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there, When He drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28 When He established the clouds above, When He strengthened the fountains of the deep, 29 When He assigned to the sea its limit, So that the waters would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth, 30 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him,

(The Little Litany and the Trisagion follow, and the rest of the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom ...)

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Tone 4 Prokeimenon

From day to day proclaim the salvation of our God! (Ps 95/96:2)

v: Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! (Ps 95/961)

Epistle Hebrews 2:11-18 (Theotokos)

Tone 1 Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

v: He descends like rain upon the fleece, like raindrops that water the earth. (Ps 71/72:6)

v: May His Name be blessed for ever; may His Name continue as long as the sun! (Ps 71/72:17)

Gospel Luke 1: 24-38 (Theotokos)

(Instead of “It is truly meet …,” we sing:)

The Hymn to the Theotokos O earth, announce good tidings of great joy: O heavens, praise the glory of God!

Since she is a living Ark of God let no profane hand touch the Theotokos. But let the lips of believers unceasingly sing to her, praising her in joy with the Angel’s song: “Rejoice, O Lady, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”

Communion Hymn

The Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. (Ps 131/132:14) Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

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