One can
understand much about a group through their music. I vividly remember the music when I once visited
a Kingdom Hall with some Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Many of their songs could be summed up as, “Jehovah’s mad and he’s gonna
smite you unless you join our organization, cause this is the only safe place. So, convert lots of people, or Jehovah’s
gonna smite you!” I was torn between
bursting out laughing at how ridiculously obvious the Watchtower’s
fearmongering is, or crying because I was surrounded by people who had
swallowed this lie about God being a monster from Whom we need to be saved.
In
Eastern Orthodoxy, our hymnography is also our theology. In it, I am constantly finding songs that
speak of the goodness of God, His love, and the significance of different
biblical and historical events. The
songs essentially are the sermon, and many sermons can be derived from the
songs.
Without
further ado, here are several hymns from Theophany that explain the
significance of Christ’s baptism and what that means to us (none of this was
ever explained to me in my pre-Orthodox days).
Tropar of Theophany – Tone 1:
At Your
baptism in the Jordan, O Lord, worship of the Trinity was revealed, for the
Father’s voice bore witness to You, calling You His beloved Son and the Spirit
in the form of a dove confirmed the truth of these words, O Christ God, Who
appeared and enlightened the world – glory to You. (this hymn is repeated
several times throughout the service)
Kondak of Theophany – Tone 4:
You have
appeared today to the inhabited earth and Your Light, O Lord, has been marked
upon us, who with knowledge sing Your praise. You have come, You are made
manifest, the Light that no man can approach.
The Litija Verses – Bolharsky Tone 4:
He Who
covers Himself with Light as with a garment has deigned for our sakes to become
as we are. Today He is covered by the streams of the Jordan, though He has no
need to be cleansed by them, but through the cleansing that He Himself
receives, He bestows rebirth upon us. Without fire He casts anew, and without
shattering, He refashions; and He saves those who are enlightened in Him,
Christ our God the Savior of our souls.
John the
Baptist saw You draw near, the one Who cleanses by Spirit and by fire the sins
of the world, and he cried aloud in fear and trembling saying: I dare not touch
your Immaculate Head. Instead, O Master, sanctify me by Your Theophany, O You
Who alone loves mankind.
Christ is
baptized He comes out of the waters, and carries up the world with Him. He sees
the heavens opened that Adam has closed against himself and his descendants.
The Spirit bears witness to the Divinity of Christ, for He hastens toward His
creation; and a voice sounds from Heaven for it is from Heaven that He has come
down to give testimony, and He is the Savior of our souls.
Samoholasen Tone 8:
Glory to
the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the
ages of ages. Amen.
Today all
creation is enlightened. Today all nature is glad, things of Heaven and things
upon earth. Angels and men mingle with one another, for where the King is
present there His army also goes. Let us run then to the Jordan. Let us all see
how John baptizes a sinless and uncreated Head. Therefore let us cry aloud with
one accord, echoing the voice of the Apostle: the grace of God that brings
salvation to all men has appeared, shining upon the faithful and granting them
great mercy.
The Aposticha – Samohlasen Tone 2:
Seeing
You, O Christ our God, drawing near to Him in the river Jordan, John the
Baptizer exclaimed: “Why do You, Who are without defilement come to Your
servant, O Lord? In whose name shall I baptize You? Of the Father? But You bear
Him in Yourself! Of the Son? But You are Yourself this Son made flesh! Of the Holy
Spirit? You know that through Your own mouth You give Him to the faithful.” O
God, Who has been manifested, glory to You.
CANTOR:
The sea saw it and fled, Jordan was driven back.
ALL: The
waters saw You, O God, and were afraid. For the cherubim cannot lift their eyes
upon Your glory, nor can the seraphim gaze upon You. But standing by You in
fear, the first carry You and the second glorify You. We proclaim with them, O
merciful Lord: O God Who has appeared to the world, have mercy on us.
CANTOR:
What ailed you, O sea, that you fled? O Jordan that you were driven back?
ALL:
Today the Maker of heaven and earth comes to the Jordan in the flesh. For
baptism the sinless One asks, that He might cleanse the world from the error of
the enemy, He Who is the Master of all is baptized by a servant, and He gives
mankind cleansing through water. Let us cry aloud unto Him: O God Who has
appeared to the world glory to You.
Verse – Tone 6:
Glory to
the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the
ages of ages. Amen.
Seeing
the Sun that came forth from a Virgin, asking for baptism in the Jordan, the
shining Lamb that was born of a barren woman, [John] cried to Him in fear and
joy: Sanctify me, O Master, by Your divine Theophany.
St Simeon’s Prayer:
Now let
Your servant, depart in peace, O Master, according to Your Word. For my eyes
have seen Your Salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all
people. The Light of revelation for the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people
Israel.
The Great Blessing of Water – Stichera –
Samohlasen Tone 8:
The voice
of the Lord upon the waters cries aloud saying: “Come all of you, and receiving
the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of understanding, the spirit of the fear of
God, from Christ Who is made manifest.”
Today the
nature of the water is sanctified and the Jordan is parted in two, it holds
back the stream of its own waters, seeing the master wash Himself. O Christ our
King, You have coming into the river as a man and in Your goodness You make
haste to receive the baptism of a servant at the hands of the forerunner for
the sake of our sins, O God Who loves mankind.
Glory to
the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the
ages of ages. Amen.
At the
voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” You have
come, O Lord, taking the form of a servant, and You Who are sinless ask for
baptism. The waters saw You and were afraid. The Forerunner was seized with
trembling and cried aloud saying: How shall the lamp illuminate the Light? How
shall the servant set his hand upon the Master? O Savior Who takes away the
sins of the world, sanctify both me and the waters.
Prokimen – Tone 3:
The Lord
is my Light and my Salvation, whom shall I fear? Whom shall I fear?
Source: http://www.orthodoxroad.com/hymns-from-the-vigil-service-for-theophany/
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