Welcome,
Fellow follower of Christ,
And good morning to you.
This is a prayer from the Orthodox Christian faith,
Designed to connect you with God,
To send him his righteous praise,
And to set you up properly for the day ahead.
And so,
Please make the sign of the cross now,
And repeat after me.
O Lord Almighty,
God of hosts and of all flesh,
Dwelling in the highest,
Caring for the humble,
Searching the reins in the heart,
And clearly discerning the hidden things of men,
O unoriginate and ever-existing light,
With whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Do thou,
O immortal King,
Accept our prayers which we offer to thee,
At this present time from our soiled lips,
Trusting in the multitude of thy bounties.
Forgive us our transgressions,
Which we have committed knowingly or unknowingly,
Whether in word or deed or thought.
Cleanse us from all stain of body and soul.
Grant us to pass through all the night of this present life,
With vigilant heart and sober thought,
Awaiting the coming of the radiant and manifest day of thy only begotten Son,
Our Lord and God and Saviour,
Jesus Christ,
On which the judgment of all men shall come with glory,
When to each man shall be given the reward of his deeds.
May we not fall and become lazy,
But instead have courage that,
Being roused to action,
We may be found ready to enter into the joy and the divine bright chamber of his glory,
Where the voice of those who feast is unceasing,
And the gladness of those who behold the goodness of thy countenance is unending.
For thou art the true light,
Who enlighten and sanctify all things,
And all creation sings thy praise forever.
And now let's have a moment of silence.
And now another prayer,
This time directed towards the Holy Theotokos.
Repeat again after me.
I sing the praises of your grace,
O Lady,
Entreating you to enrich my mind with grace.
Teach me to walk uprightly in the way of Christ's commandments.
Strengthen my vigilance in song and prayer,
Which drive away the despair of sleep.
Free me by your entreaties,
O Bride of God,
For I am bound by sinful garments.
Protect me in the night and in this day,
Delivering me from the enemies who contend against me.
Give life to me who have been deadened by passions.
You that gave birth to the life-giving God,
Enlighten my blinded soul.
You that gave birth to the never-ending light,
O wonderful palace of the Master,
Make me a house of the Divine Spirit.
You that gave birth to the Physician,
Make well the passions of my soul.
Lead me,
For I am bestormed by life to the ways of repentance.
Deliver me from the eternal flames.
Do not show me to be the joy of demons because of my many sins.
We pray to you this morning,
Holy Theotokos.
In the name of your Son,
Jesus Christ.
And ask humbly for your intercession.
And now,
Let's have a moment of silence.
Thank you for joining us this morning,
Fellow follower of Christ.
And blessed be to our great Creator.
Feel his presence this day and pray to him unceasingly.
Always remembering him.
Always giving praise to him.
And leaning on him in your moments of struggle.
Time to pick up your cross,
Dear one,
And face the day.
