♰الْمَجْدُ للهِ! ♰Praise be to God always!♰ܬܶܫܒܽܘܚܬܳܐ ܠܰܐܠܳܗܳܐ! ♰
Entrance Hymn
Zechariah’s Son Looked Out
Syriac: msheeho natareh l’eedtokh
or msheeho natareh l’eedtokh (Abdallah)
Zechariah’s son looked out
at the crowds who came to him.
Longing to be sanctified,
they approached to be baptized.
And when Jesus came, John cried:
“Behold the Lamb, Jesus Son of God!”
He, who takes away all sins,
humbly stood to be baptized.
The Father proclaimed: “This is my beloved Son!”
And the Holy Spirit came from heaven’s heights,
resting on the head of Christ.
Christ, the Light who truly shines
from his Father’s radiant heart,
glowed within the Virgin’s womb
and upon the river banks.
The Church cursed all idols and bowed down to him,
drawn by his great love.
Then in faith the Church proclaimed:
“Lord, the nations praise your name.
You came as the Light who enlightened all the world
and brought back the people who were lost in sin.
You revealed the Trinity.”
Opening Prayers
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
Jesus Christ our Lord, at your divine baptism in the Jordan River, you revealed that you are consubstantial with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Enlighten our minds and our hearts on this day of your great Epiphany. Make us holy by the indwelling of your Spirit, and make us worthy to celebrate this Feast of Lights, so that we may glorify and thank you, your Father, and your Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Prayer of Forgiveness (Husoyo)
Proemion
Let us raise glory, honor, and praise to the one Father, whose voice came from heaven testifying to his beloved Son; and to the only-begotten Son, who is worshipped, whose light radiated upon the river, and who accepted baptism from John, his forerunner; and to the one Holy Spirit, who descended and appeared above the head of the Son. To the Good One be glory and honor, on this feast, and all the days of our lives, and forever. Amen.
Sedro
The earth rejoices in your Epiphany, O Son of God, and the peoples and nations shout for joy on this day of your baptism. You have dawned from the Father and have sanctified baptism for us.
O Church of the nations, proclaim the glory of the Son of God, who became man and was baptized for your sake in the Jordan River, and cry out to him:
Blessed are you, O Christ, Word of God! You willingly emptied yourself and took the form of man. You gave us a pledge of life in the waters of baptism, making us holy and heirs of your kingdom.
Now, O Christ, we ask you, with the fragrance of this incense, to sanctify us through this great Epiphany. Create a new heart in us, make us newborn children of your Father, and pour out forgiveness upon your flock, that we may worship you, glorify your Father, and give thanks to your Holy Spirit, forever. Amen.
Hymn (Qolo)
The King’s Son Willed to Be Baptized
Syriac: bo‘ooto dmor ya‘qoob (Epiphany)
The King’s Son willed to be baptized and went to John.
While yet afar, the waters surged to meet their Lord.
The river rose and spoke of him without a word.
Christ came to bless the waters there to give new life.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
The Spirit flowed and hovered there, above the waves.
His burning flame made waters boil and burn within.
His flame then spread and overflowed at his descent.
The river burst with flames of fire that burned so bright.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
All praise to God the Father, who revealed his Son.
All praise to God the Son, baptized by John’s own hand.
All praise to God the Spirit, who appeared on Christ
and testified: “This truly is God’s Son, most loved.”
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Etro
O Christ, Word of the Heavenly Father, you became man for our sake and were baptized in the Jordan River. You became the way and the door that leads us to the Father. Grant us your grace and mercy, and accept the fragrance of our incense, that we may raise glory and thanks to you, to your Father, and to your Holy Spirit, forever. Amen.
Qadishat Aloho. Qadishat Hayeltono. Qadishat lo moyuto. EtraHam 3alayn.
MsheeHo det'amed men YuHanon, etraHam 3alayn.
You are holy, O God. You are holy, O Strong One. You are holy, O Imortal One.
O Christ, baptized by John, have mercy on us.
قُدُوسٌ أَنْتَ يا الله، قُدُوسٌ أَنْتَ يا قَوِي، قُدُوسٌ أَنْتَ يا مَنْ لا يَموتْ، إِرْحَمْنا
يا مَسِيح الَّذِي اعْتَمَدَ مِنْ يُوحَنَّا، إِرْحَمْنا.
Holy and immortal Lord, sanctify our minds and purify our consciences, that we may praise you with purity and listen to your Holy Scriptures. To you be glory forever. Amen.
Psalm of the Readings
Syriac: ramremain
On this day Christ was baptized;
waters have been truly blessed,
so the children of Adam
may be washed of all their sins.
Hear, O peoples and nations:
waters have been truly blessed!
All on earth, be attentive:
waters have been sanctified!
Lord our God, you accepted
what the just had offered you;
now accept, in your mercy,
our pure sacrifice and prayers.
Epistle
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the . Your blessing, Father.
Glory to the Lord of Paul and the apostles! May the mercy of God descend upon the reader and the listeners and upon this parish and her children forever. Amen.
Brothers and Sisters:
(Titus 2:11-3:7)
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds. Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one look down on you. Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Praise be to God always!
Gospel
Alleluia! Alleluia! No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. (John 3:5) Alleluia!
Before the proclamation of the Gospel of our Savior, announcing life for our souls, we offer this incense and ask for your mercy, O Lord.
Peace be with you.
And with your spirit.
From the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint , who proclaimed life to the world. Let us listen to the proclalation of life and salvation for our souls.
Remain silent, O listeners, for the Holy Gospel is about to be proclaimed to you. Listen and give glory and thanks to the Word of the living God.
The Evangelist wrote:
(Luke 3:15-22)
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done, added to them all by shutting up John in prison. Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
This is the truth! Peace be with you!
Praise and blessings to Jesus Christ, our Lord and God, for giving us his words of life.
