Friday Morning Visitation to Elizabeth

FRIDAY Safro (Prayed Friday Morning)
INTRODUCTION

DOXOLOGY
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as we begin and until we conclude.
May mercy and compassion be poured forth upon us in this
world and the next.
O Lord, Our God, to you be glory for ever.
Amen.
OPENING PRAYER
Lord,
great and just Judge,
in the morning of the world to come you will sit in judgment
and repay each one according to his deeds.
Deliver us from shame and confusion,
and invite us to share the joy and exultation of
your blessed ones,
who dwell in indescribable light.
We shall glorify you, your Father and your Holy Spirit,
now and for ever.
Amen.
GREETING
Peace be with the Church and her children.
PRAISE OF THE ANGELS
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace on earth and good will to all.
Praise the Lord all you nations,
glorify him all you peoples,
for steadfast is his mercy toward us,
and the truth of the Lord endures for ever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever.
and peace on earth and good will to all.

FIRST PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
Hope of the living and Harbor of safety,
where all who are weary and troubled by the surging waves and
misfortunes of this world find rest;
grant that we may safely reach your port,
the place of eternal rest,
with all who have been pleasing to you.
Glory to you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for ever.
Amen.
PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

Luke 1: 46-55
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen.

Antiphon:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

SECOND PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
O Good Master and Ruler of all,
your kindness is felt even by evil doers.
Grant that we may always respond to your goodness and
accomplish deeds of justice.
On the day of the great manifestation of your justice,
may we not be cursed;
rather, let your grace surround and protect us.
Glory be to you for ever.
Amen.
NUHRO (HYMN OF LIGHT)
The Light of the just and joy of the upright in Christ Jesus,
our Lord.
Begotten of the Father, he manifested Himself to us.
He came to rescue us from darkness and to fill us with the
radiance of his light.

Day is dawning upon us; the power of darkness is fading away.
From the true Light there arises from us the light which illumines our darkened eyes.
His glory shines upon the world and enlightens the very depths of the abyss.
Death is annihilated, night has vanished, and the gates of Sheol are broken.
Creatures lying in darkness from ancient times are clothed in
light.
The dead arise from the dust and sing because they have a Savior.
He brings salvation and grants us life.
He ascends to his Father on high.
He will return in glorious splendor and shed his light on those gazing upon him.
Our King comes in majestic glory,
Let us light our lamps and go forth to meet him.
Let us find our joy in him, for he has found joy in us.
He will indeed rejoice us with his marvelous light.
Let us glorify the majesty of the Son and give thanks to
the almighty Father, who,
in an outpouring of love, sent him to us, to fill us with
hope and salvation.
When he manifests himself, the saints awaiting him in
weariness and sorrow,
will go forth to meet him with lighted lamps.
The angels and guardians of heaven will rejoice in the
glory of the just and upright people of the earth;
together, crowned with victory, they will sing hymns and psalms.
Stand up then and be ready!
Give thanks to our King and Savior, who will come in great
glory to gladden us with his marvelous light in his kingdom.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

[HYMN]
Either the Hymn, “The Return of Christ” (page 169) or the
Hymn, “Christ the Light” (page 169) may be sung after the
Nuhro.
THIRD PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
Lord,
in your mercy, strengthen us;
by your grace, protect us from harm.
Guard us from sin and help us to dwell in holiness in
your presence.
Then, with David, we shall sing and exclaim:
“You have built your city on the holy mountain;
have mercy, Lord, on your city,
more than on all the dwellings of Jacob.”
To you we shall give glory, for ever.
Amen.
MORNING PSALMS
Psalm 148
Alleluia.
Praise the Lord from the heavens,
praise him in the heights;
Praise him, all you his angels,
praise him, all you his hosts.
Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens.
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he commanded and they were created;
He established them forever and ever;
he gave them a duty which shall not pass away.

Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters and all depths;
Fire and hail, snow and mist,
storm winds that fulfill his word;
You mountains and all you hills,
you fruit trees and all you cedars;
You wild beasts and all tame animals,
you creeping things and you winged fowl.
Let the kings of the earth and all peoples,
the princes and all the judges of the earth,

Young men too, and maidens,
old men and boys,
Praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
His majesty is above earth and heaven,
and he has lifted up the horn of his people.
Be this his praise from all his faithful ones,
from the children of Israel, the people close to him.
Alleluia.
Psalm 149:1-6
Alleluia.
Sing to the Lord a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the Lord loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
Alleluia.

Psalm 150
Alleluia.
Praise the Lord in his sanctuary,
praise him in the firmament of his strength.
Praise him for his mighty deeds,
praise him for his sovereign majesty.
Praise him with the blast of the trumpet,
praise him with lyre and harp.
Praise him with timbrel and dance,
praise him with strings and pipe.
Praise him with sounding cymbals,
praise him with clanging cymbals.
Let everything that has breath
praise the Lord!
Alleluia.
Psalm 117
Praise the Lord, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
For steadfast is his mercy toward us,
and the truth of the Lord endures for ever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen.
Alleluia.

HOOSOYO
PROEMION
Praise, glory and honor to the kind and merciful Lord;
in his divine providence, he cares for all creatures
and lavishes his love on all who invoke him with faith.
Never does he refuse to help those who implore him.
The treasure of his kindness remains open to all who repent.
To the Lord of goodness, is due glory and honor this morning,
and all the days of our lives,
now and for ever.
Amen.
SEDRO
Christ Jesus, our Lord, God and Savior
you are long-suffering, full of grace and truth.
You created us from nothing and gave us life.
After the fall, you redeemed us and made us your children by
holy baptism.
Now we implore your merciful goodness, as we remember all
you have done for us:
your birth, baptism, crucifixion, death and burial,
your resurrection, ascension reign at the right hand
of the Father,
and your return in judgment when you will come in
glory, on behalf of the Father, to judge the living
and the dead.
We beg you to accept from us, poor and sinful servants, these
prayers and supplications.
Hear the call of our weakness and the plea of our repentance.
Lord, do not turn your face from us in anger;
do not let your justice threaten us.
Remember not the faults and shameful sins we have committed;
do not find us guilty at the moment of judgment and do not cast us, who have acknowledged you, into the darkness, with
those who have not known you.
Grant rather, that purified by our tears of penitence we may
escape the moaning and gnashing of teeth, and meet you
with confidence at your Second Coming.
Grant us forgiveness of our sins and faults;
make us worthy of your heavenly joy and place us at your
right hand.

When you see fit to deliver us from this life,
receive us among your holy angels,
in the dwelling place of those who are pleasing to you.
Remember mercifully our parents, brothers and sisters, and
teachers who, in sincere faith, died in your hope.
Together we shall rejoice in your kindness and give glory to you, now and for ever.
Amen.
QOLO
Your Church, which you chose as your spouse from the beginning implores you in tears through the voice of her friends.
Save her children from your anger, as you saved Nineveh, and all will proclaim that you are a merciful God.
Let you right hand raise us up, for we have fallen. Grant us, O Lord, the forgiveness of our sins and accept our incense (prayer).
ETRO
Lord,
in your goodness receive the incense (prayer) we offer you,
as you accepted the incense of your priest, Aaron, and the
fragrance of Noah’s sacrifice.
Drive away from your people all anger, error, dissension, division and trials.
Grant calm and peace to peoples and nations, and security to
the world.
Let your healing power comfort the sick,
protect those who enjoy good health,
and grant the deceased eternal joy with the saints in the
heavenly kingdom.
To you we shall give glory for ever.
Amen.
READINGS
MAZMOORO
At your gate, your Church is in tears, O Good Shepherd;
she implores you, for her children are persecuted for
your sake.

Come to her aid, O God, for she weeps at your gate; she implores you for her children are persecuted for your sake.
In your mercy, you accepted the offerings of the just before us, accept now our praise and receive our prayer.
SCRIPTURE READINGS

A Reading from the Second Book of Samuel
2 Samuel 18: 2-15
David then put a third part of the soldiers under Joab’s command, a third under command of Abishai, son of Zeruiah and brother of Joab, and a third under command of Ittai the Gittite. The king then said to the soldiers, “I intend to go out with you myself.” But they replied: “You must not come out with us. For if we should flee, we shall not count; even if half of us should die, we shall not count. You are equal to ten thousand of us. Therefore it is better that we have you to help us from the city.” So the king said to them, “I will do what you think best”; and he stood by the gate as all the soldiers marched out in units of a hundred and of a thousand. But the king gave this command to Joab, Abishai and Ittai: “Be gentle with young Absalom for my sake.” All the soldiers heard the king instruct the various leaders with regard to Absalom. David’s army then took the field against Israel, and a battle was fought in the forest near Mahanaim. The forces of Israel were defeated by David’s servants, and the casualties there that day were heavy-twenty thousand men. The battle spread out over that entire region, and the thickets consumed more combatants that day than did the sword.

Absalom unexpectedly came up against David’s servants. He was mounted on a mule, and, as the mule passed under the branches of a large terebinth, his hair caught fast in the tree. He hung between heaven and earth while the mule he had been riding ran off. Someone saw this and reported to Joab that he had seen Absalom hanging from a terebinth. Joab said to his informant: “If you saw him, why did you not strike him to the ground on the spot? Then it would have been my duty to give you fifty pieces of silver and a belt.” But the man replied to Joab: “Even if I already held a thousand pieces of silver in my two hands, I would not harm the king’s son, for the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai in our hearing to protect the youth Absalom for his sake. Had I been disloyal and killed him, the whole matter would have come to the attention of the king, and you would stand aloof.” Joab replied,
“I will not waste time with you in this way.” And taking three pikes in hand, he thrust for the heart of Absalom, still hanging from the tree alive. Next, ten of Joab’s young-s closed in on Absalom, and killed him with further blows.

HOOTOMO
GREAT DOXOLOGY
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and joy-filled hope to all.
We praise you, we adore you, we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord and Creator, King of heaven, God the Father almighty,
Lord God, only Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son and Word of the Father,
you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us;
you take away the sin of the world, hear us and receive
our prayer.
You are seated in glory at the right hand of your Father,
for give us and have mercy on us;
For you alone are holy,
you alone are the Lord, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.
At all times, and all the days of our lives, we worship
you and praise your holy and blessed name,
which is and has been from age to age.
Blessed are you, Lord almighty, God of our fathers.
May your name be glorified, praised and exalted for ever.
To you be glory, praise and exaltation, God of all,
Father of truth, with the only Son and the living and Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
Amen.

CONCLUDING PRAYER
O God,
you are before all ages and exist from age to age;
you are resplendent and glorified in unsearchable light;
through your word, you bring forth light and give us a new day.
O radiant Day and source of light,
we glorify you, adore you and offer you praise night and day;
accept our praise and answer our prayer.
Send us your abundant blessings, through the mercy of your
Christ.
To him, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be glory, honor and power,
now and forever.
Amen.