The Office of Thanksgiving at the New Year

. Succour us, save us, have mercy upon us and keep us, O God, by thy grace.

Choir. Lord, have mercy.

Calling to remembrance our most holy, undefiled, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Birth-giver of God and ever-virgin Mary, with all the Saints, let us commend ourselves, and each other, and all our life unto Christ our God.

Choir. To thee, O Lord.

Exclamation.

Priest. For unto thee are due all glory, honour and worship, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Choir. Amen.

Then : God is the Lord, and hath revealed himself unto us. Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord.

Verse (Stikh) I : O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious, because his mercy endureth forever.

Verse 2 : All the nations compassed me about, but in the Name of the Lord have I driven them back.

Verse 3 : I shall not die but live, and declare the works of the Lord.

Verse 4 : The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.

And the following Hymns ^ in Tone IV. : We, thine unworthy servants, O Lord, grateful for thy great benefits which thou hast showed upon us, glorifying thee do praise, bless, give thanks, sing and magnify thy loving-kindness, and cry aloud unto thee in humble submissivness : O our Benefactor and our Saviour, glory to thee.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. ( Tone

in.)

O Master, who hast freely vouchsafed thy benefits and gifts unto thine unprofitable servants, zealously resorting unto thee, we offer unto thee thanksgiving according to our strength, and glorifying thee as our Benefactor and our Creator, we cry aloud : Glory to thee, O God most bountiful.

Now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. (Tone II.)

O thou Author of all created things, who hast set the seasons and the years in thy power, bless thou the crown of the year with thy goodness, O Lord, preserving in peace the Emperor and thy city, through the prayers of the Birth-giver of God ; and save us.

Deacon. Let us attend.

Priest. Peace be with you all.

Reader. And with thy spirit.

Deacon. Wisdom ! Let us attend.

Reader. The Gradual (Prvhimen), in the Fourth Tone. I will sin praises unto the Lord who hath dealt bountifully with me, and will sj the Name of the Lord Most High.

Verse {Stikti) : My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. /

Then he readeth the Epistle,

(/ Timothy it. 1-6.) My son Timothy, I exhort thee, thaVfirst of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. For kings and for all that are in authority ; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ ; who gave himself a ransom for all. To him be honour and glory unto ages of ages. Amen. \

Priest. Peace be unto thee.

Reader. And to thy spirit.

Deacon. Wisdom !

Reader. Alleluia, in the Fourth Tone.

Then the Deacon ; And that he will graciously vouchsafe unto us to hear his Holy Gospel, let us pray to the Lord God. Choir. Lord, have mercy. {Thrice*)

Deacon. Wisdom, O believers! Let us listen to the Holy Gospel Priest Peace be with you all. Choir. And with thy spirit.

Priest. The Lesson from the holy Gospel of Luke. Deacon. Let us attend. Choir. Glory to thee, O Lord ; glory to thee.

And immediately the Priest readeth the Gospel.

(Luke iv. 16-22). Then came Jesus to Nazareth, where he had been brought up : and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the plaoe where it was written, The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor ; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.

Choir. Glory to thee, O Lord ; glory to thee.

Then immediately the Deacon saith the following Litany :

“het us all say, with all our soul and with all our mind let us say,

Choir. Lord, have mercy. {Thrice!)

O Lord Almighty, the God of our fathers, we beseech thee : hearken, and have mercy. ft

Have mercy upon us, O God, according to thy great mercy, we beseech thee : hearken, and have mercy. ft

Here follow petitions for the Ruler of the Land and for all the Authorities (Emperor, or King, and Reigning House, or President, according to the elements and nationalities of which the Parish is constituted).

For our Holy Synod {or Patriarch) ; for our Bishop {or Archbishop, or Metropolitan), N. ; for the honourable Presbytery, the Diaconate in Christ ; for all the clergy and the laity. ft

Returning thanks with fear and trembling,- as unprofitable servants, unto thy loving-kindness, O Lord, our Saviour and our Master, for thy benefits, which tfhou hast poured out abundantly upon thy servants, we fall down in worship, and offer unto thee praise as God, and with fervour do cry aloud unto thee : Deliver thou thy servants from all calamities, and in that thou art merciful fulfil thou always the desires of us all, as may be expedient for us, we diligently entreat thee : hearken, and have mercy. ft

That thou wilt bless the crown of the coming year with thy goodness, and quench within us all enmities, discords and civil strife ; that thou wilt give us peace, love steadfast and unfeigned, as also a decorously ordered and virtuous life, we beseech thee, O all-gracious Lord : hearken, and have mercy, ft

That thou wilt not call to mind our innumerable transgressions and evil actions, which we have committed during the year which is past, and that thou wilt not requite us according to our deeds ; but that thou wilt remember us in mercy and bounty, we beseech thee, O tenderly-compassionate Lord : hearken, and have mercy, ft

That thou wilt give rain in due season, both the early and the latter rains, fruitful dew, temperate and healthful breezes ; and that thou wilt illumine with the warmth of the sun, we beseech thee, O all-bountiful Lord : hearken, and have mercy. B

That thou wilt call to mind thy holy Church, and strengthen and establish it, enlarge it, and give it peace, and preserve it unscathed by the gates of hell, and impregnable against all assaults of enemies both visible and invisible forever, we beseech thee, O all-sovereign Lord : hearken, and have mercy, ft

That thou wilt root out and extinguish every blasphemous impiety of the pagan world and speedily destroy its kingdom, and give it into the hand of the right believers, we beseech thee, O all-powerful Lord : hearken, and have mercy, ft

That thou wilt deliver us through the coming year, and all the days of our life, from pestilence, famine, earthquake, flood, hail, fire, the sword, the invasion of enemies, and from civil war, and from all death-dealing wounds, calamity and distress, we beseech thee, O tenderly-compassionate Lord : hearken, and have mercy.

Choir. Lord, have mercy. {Thrice.)

Hear us, O God our Saviour, the hope of all the ends of the earth, and of those who are far off upon the sea; and show mercy, show mercy, O Master, upon us sinners, and be merciful unto us.

For thou art a merciful God who lovest mankind, and unto thee we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages.

Choir. Amen.

Deacon. Again, yet again, on bended knees let us pray to the Lord.

Choir. Lord, have mercy. {Thrice.)

And the Priest readeth the following Prayer:

O Master, Lord our God, the Source of life and of immortality, the Author of all created things both visible and invisible, who hast placed all seasons and years in thy power, and dost direct all things with thy moat-wise and all-gracious providence : We thank thee for thy bounties, which thou hast poured out upon us during our life that is past, and we entreat thee, O all-bountiful Lord ! Bless the crown of the coming year with thy goodness : preserve thy beloved servant, our {in Russia) Sovereign, N., the Emperor of All the Russias; and all the Reigning House. Multiply the days of their life in health unalterable, and grant them progress in all virtues. Bestow thy good things from above upon all thy people, as also health and salvation, and good furtherance in all things. Deliver thy holy Church, this city, and all cities and lands from every evil assault, and vouchsafe unto them peace and tranquillity ; and grant that we may always offer thanksgiving unto thee, the Father who is from everlasting, together with thine Only-begotten Son, and thine allholy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, God glorified in one Essence, and to hymn thine all-holy Name.

% Exclamation.

Glory to thee, O God, our Benefactor, unto ages of ages. Choir. Amen.

Then is sung : Glory be to God on high : {See page 34.) Or t in place of it, the Hymn of St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan :

We praise thee, O God ; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord. All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting. To thee all Angels cry aloud ; the Heavens, and all the Powers therein. To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth ; heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of thy Glory. The glorious company of the Apostles praise thee The goodly fellowship

of the Prophets praise thee. The noble army of Martyrs praise thee. The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee ; the Father of an infinite Majesty; thine adorable, true, and only Son; also the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ. Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father. When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, thou didst humble thyself to be born of a Virgin. When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers. Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father. We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge. We therefore pray thee, help thy servants, whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood. Make them to be numbered with thy Saints, in glory everlasting. O Lord, save thy people, and bless thine heritage. Govern them, and lift them up forever. Day by day we magnify thee ; and we worship thy Name, ever, world without end. Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin. O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us. O Lord, let thy mercy be upon us, as our trust is in thee. O Lord, in thee have I trusted ; let me never be confounded.

And when it isfinished % the Deacon saith ;

Wisdom !

Priest O most holy Birth-giver of God, save us.

Choir. More honourable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, thou who without defilement barest God the Word, true Birth-giver of God, we magnify thee.

Priest Glory to thee, O Christ-God, our hope; glory to thee.

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

Lord, have mercy. {Thrice.) Bless.

Priest. May Christ, our true God, who for our salvation condescended to be circumcised in the flesh, through the prayers of his most holy Mother, and of all the Saints, have mercy upon us and save us, in that he is gracious and loveth mankind

The Deacon then proclaimeth ;

Grant, O Lord, a prosperous and peaceful life, health and safety, and furtherance in all things, as also conquest and victory over his. enemies, unto our most God-fearing Sovereign, N., Emperor of All the Russias, and to all the Reigning House (and to the Ruler of the Land, mentioning him by his title, if it be in a foreign country) : and preserve them for many years.

And the Choir singeth : Many years.