Thursday Morning Sunday after Christmas

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE BIRTH OF OUR LORD
Safro
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
O Christ our God,
may we rejoice with Mary your Mother and Joseph your
chosen one,
and thank, glorify, adore and exalt you on the memorial
of your birth.
May we sing with the angles:
“Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth and good
will to men,”
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.

PSALMODY
FIRST PRAYER
Christ Jesus,
you are Son of the Father from all eternity
and Son of Mary in time.
O God become man, make us like God
and children of your Father through grace.
Make us one with God and each other
through the love which unites us to you,
your Father and your Holy Spirit.
We glorify you,
now and for ever. Amen.
PSALM OF THE DAY
Antiphon:
O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with
your justice, the king’s son.

Psalm 72
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with you justice, the king’s son;

He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.

The mountains shall yield peace for the people,
and the hills justice.

He shall defend the afflicted among the people,
save the children of the poor,
and crush the oppressor.

May he endure as long as the sun,
and like the moon through all generations.

He shall be like rain coming down on the meadow,
like showers watering the earth.

Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more,

May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.

His foes shall bow before him,
and his enemies shall lick the dust.

The kings of Tarshish and the Isles
shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall
bring tribute.

All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.

For he shall rescue the poor man when
he cries out,

and the afflicted when he has no one
to help him.

He shall have pity for the lowly and
the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.

From fraud and violence he shall redeem them,
and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

May he live to be given the gold of Arabia,
and to be prayed for continually;
day by day shall they bless him.

May there be an abundance of grain
upon the earth;
on the tops of the mountains the
crops shall rustle like Lebanon;
the city dwellers shall flourish like
the verdure of the fields.

May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.

In him shall all the tribes of the earth
be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous deeds.

And blessed forever be his glorious name;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen. Amen.

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

Antiphon:
O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with
your justice, the king’s son.

SECOND PRAYER
Lord have mercy on us and save us.
Glory to you, O hidden One,
you were veiled to the cherubim and seraphim
and yet you were revealed to us in a crib,
wrapped in swaddling clothes.
You are the new Adam,
head of a renewed humanity who returned to Adam
his inheritance
and restored to us the glory we enjoyed in paradise.
Filled with hope, let us now celebrate the memory of your birth and we will glorify and thank 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.
D
ay 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.

THIRD PRAYER
Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
Lord,
by your holy birth grant us a time of peace and blessings,
and we will join our voices to those of the angels who sing:
“Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth and good will
to men,”
now and 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 an honor to the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Praise by heaven and earth and its people,
he is the infant of Bethlehem and Son of the Virgin Mary,
the Good One, to whom is due glory and honor this morning,
and all the days of our lives,
now and for ever. Amen.
SEDRO
Son of God,
Word and image of the Father,
his only begotten and well-beloved Son,
you are the infant that neither mind can encompass,
nor the spirit comprehend, wisdom fathom, science know,
nor knowledge reveal.
No description can portray you, O Lord,
no name name you, no language explain you, no lips
pronounce you.
You are higher than the heavens, firmer that the earth and
deeper than the abyss.
Your light is more splendid that the light,
your sun is more brilliant than the sun
and your day more magnificent than the day.
You are the message and messenger,
the good news and the one who brought it,
the prophecy and he who prophesied.
Jacob described you as a lion cub;
Job called you Savior and Isaiah said to you:
“a child is born to us, a son is given to us, upon his
shoulders dominion rests.
They call him: Wonder-Counsellor, mighty God, eternal Father,
Prince of Peace.”
Jeremiah compared you to ray of light,
Micah to the light, and Daniel to a precious Jewel.
You were enveloped by clouds of light, descended into a cave
where no light entered,
and were wrapped in swaddling clothes,
You whom the throne of the cherubim is not able to contain.

Today with angels, we surround your crib and sing:
“Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth and good will
to men,”
With the magi we offer you presents and with the shepherds
give you gifts.
Lord God, Son of the Father and first born of the Virgin,
we ask you to receive our incense (our prayers).
Grant us by your birth the joy and gladness of your vision,
make us children of justice and spiritual holiness adorned with divine virtues.
Freed from the womb of the earth on the day of the resurrection, we will be new born infants, children and heirs.
Then we will enter your kingdom and give you glory an praise,
for ever. Amen.
QOLO
On the day of your birth, Lord, grant holiness to your Church
and salvation to he children, so that they may sing glory to you.
Holy are you, O God, by your birth you saved us from going
astray.
Holy are you, O Strong One, you strengthened your flock and
gave them victory.
Holy are you, O Immortal One, by your life giving birth you
bestowed life on Adam’s children whom sin had condemned to
death.
you who were born in Bethlehem of the daughter of David, have
mercy on us.
ETRO
Glory to you, Son of God,
you became the Son of the Virgin and your delightful fragrance was poured out on the whole world.
Accept our incense and our prayers
that we may rejoice at your birth with our ancestors
who rejoiced at your coming,
and glorify you, your Father and Holy Spirit,
for ever. Amen.

READINGS
MAZMOORO
Today an infant is born to us whose name is “Wonderful”;
he is the Son of God, an infant born in a cave.
From the mountain tops is proclaimed: his name is “Wonderful”, may praise rise to the eternal Son who was born in time.
Here a star has shone on Jacob; a leader has arisen in Israel, the prophets and Scriptures are revealed and fulfilled.
SCRIPTURE READINGS

Safro
A Reading from the First Book of Kings
1 Kings 8: 46-61
“When they sin against you for there is no man who does not sin), and in your anger against them you deliver them to the enemy, so that their captors deport them to a hostile land, far or near, may they repent in the land of their captivity and be converted. If then they entreat you in the land of their captors and say, ‘We have sinned and done wrong; we have been wicked’; if with their whole heart and soul they turn back to you in the land of the enemies who took them captive, pray to you toward the land you gave their fathers, the city you have chosen, and the temple I have built in your honor, listen from your heavenly dwelling. Forgive your people their sins and all the offenses they have committed against you, and grant them mercy before their captors, so that these will be merciful to them. For they are your people and your inheritance, whom you brought out of Egypt, from the midst of an iron furnace. “Thus may your eyes be open to the petition of your servant and to the petition of your people Israel. Hear them whenever they call upon you, because you have set them apart among all the peoples of the earth for your inheritance, as you declared through your servant Moses when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD.” When Solomon finished offering this entire prayer of petition to the LORD, he rose from before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands outstretched toward heaven. He stood and blessed the whole community of Israel, saying in a loud voice: “Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel, just as he promised. Not a single word has gone unfulfilled of the entire generous promise he made through his servant Moses. May the LORD, our God, be with us as he was with our fathers and may he not forsake us nor cast us off. May he draw our hearts to himself, that we may follow him in everything and keep the commands, statutes, and ordinances which he enjoined on our fathers. May this prayer I have offered to the LORD, our God, be present to him day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and of his people Israel as each day requires, that all the peoples of the earth may know the LORD is God and there is no other. You must be wholly devoted to the LORD, our God, observing his statutes and keeping his commandments, as on this day.”

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.