Royal Clock of the Nativity of Christ

Orthodox Prayer Book

Come, let us bow (three times, and bow three times).

Psalm 53

God, in Your name save me, and in Your power judge me. God, hear my prayer, inspire the words of my mouth. As if strangers rose up against me, they were strong and sought my soul, and did not offer God before them. Behold, God helps me, and the Lord is the intercessor of my soul. Evil will turn away my enemy; consume them with Thy truth. I will devour You with my will; let us confess to Your name, O Lord, that it is good. For deliver me from all sorrow, and let my eye look upon my enemies.

Psalm 54

Inspire my prayer, God, and do not despise my prayer. Listen to me and hear me. I was grieved by my sorrow, and troubled by the voice of the enemy, and by the oppression of the sinner. For I have turned away iniquity against me, and in my anger I am at enmity. My heart is troubled within me, and the fear of death attacks me. Fear and trembling came upon me, and darkness covered me. And he said: whoever gives me krill like doves, I will fly and rest. He went away in flight and settled in the desert. I hope for God to save me from cowardice and storms. Flood, Lord, and divide their tongues. For I have seen lawlessness and strife in the city. Day and night will pass over its walls, lawlessness and labor and unrighteousness are in its midst. And from his path there will be no shortage of interest and flattery. As if the enemy had reviled us, I would have suffered slaughter. And even if he hated me, he would rant at me, hiding from him. You are an indifferent human being, my lord and my known one, who has greatly delighted me with food, walking in the temple of God with like-mindedness. Let death come upon her, and let them go down to hell and live, for wickedness is in their dwellings, in the midst of them. I cried out to God, and the Lord heard me. Evening and morning and noon, I will proclaim and proclaim, and he will hear my voice. He will deliver my soul in peace from those who approach me, as if they were with me in the multitude. God will hear and humble them, from the beginning of time. There will be no change for them, as if they did not fear God. He will stretch out his hand for retribution, profaning his covenant. His face was divided by the wrath, and their hearts drew near, making their words softer than oil, and they are arrows. Cast your sorrow upon the Lord, and He will feed you, and will not give the reputation of the righteous forever. You, God, bring them down into the student of decay. Men will not spend half their days with blood and flattery, but Lord, I trust in You.

Psalm 90.

Alive and in the help of the Most High, in the shelter of the heavenly God. Says the Lord: Thou art my protector, and my refuge, my God and my trust, Nan. As if he will deliver you from the snare of the trap, and from the speech of rebellion. His blanket will cover you, and you will hope under His wing. The weapon will circumvent you, His truth; you will not fear from nightly fear, from an arrow flying in the day. From things in the darkness that pass away, from clots and the midday demon. Thousands will fall from your country, and darkness will fall at your right hand, but it will not come close to you. Look with your eyes, and you will see the reward of the sinner. For You, Lord, are my hope; You have made the Most High your refuge. Evil will not come to you, and the wound will not come close to your body. As His angel commanded you, keep you in all your ways. They will lift you up in their arms, and one day they will dash your feet against a stone. Tread on the asp and the basilisk, and cross the lion and the serpent. For I have trusted, and I will deliver, and I will cover, and because I have known my name. He will call to Me, and I will hear, and since I am with him in sorrow, I will erase him, and I will glorify him. I will fulfill the length of days and show him My salvation.

Glory, even now. Hallelujah (three times).

Troparion according to the charter.

If it is fasting, we say this troparion three times: Who on the sixth day and hour was nailed to the Cross, Who in Paradise was boldly sinned by Adam, and tore apart the handwriting of our sins, O Christ God, and save us.

Verse: I cried out to God, and the Lord heard me.

Verse: Evening and morning and noon, I will proclaim and proclaim, and he will hear my voice.

Glory, even now, to the Mother of God: For not the imams of boldness, for our many sins, but You, who were born of You, pray to the Virgin Mother of God, for the Mother’s prayer can do much for the supplication of the Lord. Do not despise the prayers of sinners, O All-Pure One, for He is merciful and can save the mighty Ones who willedly suffer for us.

If there is fasting, the proverb is read, and in the ladder. Also, May Thy compassions soon precede us, Lord, as we are so poor, help us, O God our Savior; glory for the sake of your name, Lord, deliver us, cleanse our sins, for your name's sake. The Holy Trinity, and according to the Our Father, kontakion, according to the rules.

If there is fasting, we say this troparion, voice 2: Having created salvation in the midst of the earth, Christ our God stretched out His most pure hand on the Cross, gathering together all the tongues crying: Lord, glory to Thee.

Glory. We worship the Most Pure Image of You, the Good Ones, asking forgiveness for our sins, O Christ God, by the will of You you deigned to ascend to the Cross, so that by creating them you would deliver them from the work of the enemy. Thus we cry out to You with gratitude: filled with all joy, O our Savior, who came to save the world (great bow).

And now. You are the source of mercy, vouchsafe us mercy, O Theotokos, look upon people who have sinned, as if Thy power has ever been revealed, they trust in Thee: Rejoice, we cry out to Thee, as sometimes Gabriel did, the incorporeal archangel.

Lord have mercy (40). For all time... Lord have mercy (three times). Glory, even now. The most honorable cherub... Bless the name of the Lord, father. For the prayers of the saints, our fathers... And we make three great bows, saying the prayer: Lord and Master to my belly... And one bow. Also, Master God, Father Almighty...

Or, in addition to fasting, let us say this prayer: God and Lord to the powers, and to the Creator of all creation, Who, for the mercy of Thy ineffable mercy, Thy only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, sent down for the salvation of our race, and by His honorable Cross, tearing apart the handwriting of our sins , and thereby exposing the beginnings and powers of darkness. Yourself, Lord, Lover of Mankind, accept these grateful prayers from us sinners, and deliver us from every all-destructive and dark fall from sin, and all those who embitter us, seeking, visible and invisible enemies. Nail our flesh with Thy fear, and do not turn our hearts into the words and thoughts of wickedness, but wound our soul with Thy love, so that we may always look to You, and from You we are guided by light, You, the inviolable and ever-present seeing Light, unceasing confession and thanksgiving to You. we send to the beginningless Father, with the only begotten Son, and with the Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages, amen.

The meaning of the service of the hours

Hours are services dedicated to a specific hour of the day. At this time, an important event took place in the earthly life of Jesus Christ. Services are short. In total, the Orthodox Church allocates four hours: the first, third, sixth and ninth.

1. The first hour is devoted to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from paradise and the trial of the Savior by Caiaphas. Here we remember the dying sufferings of Jesus.
2. The third hour marks the Judgment of Pilate and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.
3. The sixth hour tells about the crucifixion of Christ on the Cross and the fall of our ancestors.
4. The ninth hour is a remembrance of the death on the Cross of our Lord and God Jesus Christ.

The name of the watch is borrowed from Jewish tradition. The Old Testament Jews divided the day into four watches. The name of the watch is taken from there. In our time, the first hour corresponds to 7.00 o'clock. Third - 9.00 o'clock. Sixth - 12.00 o'clock. Ninth hour - 15.00 hours. In addition, now, for the convenience of worship, the hours are tied to longer daily services.

• The first hour towards the end of Matins.
• The third and sixth hours are served before the start of the liturgy.
• Ninth hour for the beginning of Vespers.

Royal clock before Christmas

But in liturgical practice there are great or royal hours before Christmas and not only. They are served during the most important Orthodox holidays. There are three such celebrations in total: Good Friday, Christmas Eve and Epiphany Eve.

They were called great because the services were not only very solemn, but also Lenten. The royal doors are constantly open, the priest is dressed in an epitrachelion and a phelonion. Before the beginning of each hour, censing is performed. Moreover, before the beginning of the first and ninth hours, the priest censes the entire temple, accompanied by a deacon with a burning candle, as if on a polyeleos. Proverbs (Greek parable) are read at each hour. After them the Apostle and the Gospel are read. Stories from the New Testament highlight the event being celebrated. In addition, psalms, prokeimenons, troparia, and kontakion are read and sung. Almost all the words of the prayers of the great hours are dedicated to the holiday:

• Nativity of Christ;
• Baptism of the Lord;
• Passion of Christ.

The royal hours are so called because Byzantine emperors were always present at them. This emphasized not only the liturgical importance of these services, but also their significance for society.

First hour

At the 1st hour, prophecies are read about God and the eternal kingdom of the Savior. The proverb of this hour contains Micah's prophecy concerning Bethlehem. The prediction was not chosen by chance, since this is the birthplace of the eternal King of truth and peace. The Apostle talks about the incomparable superiority and greatness of the Son of God over the Angels. But the Gospel already tells about the conception and birth of Jesus Christ. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.

The Nativity of Jesus Christ was like this: after the betrothal of His Mother Mary to Joseph, before they were united, it turned out that She was pregnant with the Holy Spirit. Joseph, Her husband, being righteous and not wanting to make Her public, wanted to secretly let Her go. But when he thought this, behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: Joseph, son of David! Do not be afraid to accept Mary your wife, for what is born in Her is from the Holy Spirit; She will give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. And all this happened, that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying: Behold, a virgin is with child and will give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel, which means: God is with us. Rising from sleep, Joseph did as the Angel of the Lord commanded him, and received his wife, and did not know her. [How] at last She gave birth to Her firstborn Son, and he called His name Jesus.

Gospel of Matthew, 2 parts, 1:18-25

An angel appears to Joseph in a dream

Third hour

At the 3rd hour the psalms contain a prophecy from King David. Firstly, about the coming salvation of all nations. Secondly, about serving the true God. And thirdly, about the future glory of Zion. The proverb in the words of the prophet Jeremiah says that the Savior of the world is “our God.” The Gospel tells of the journey of Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem. They went on the occasion of the national census. But it was here that Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, was born.

Announcing the birth of Jesus Christ to the shepherds

In those days, Caesar Augustus issued an order to take a census of the entire earth. This census was the first during the reign of Quirinius in Syria. And everyone went to sign up, each to his own city. Joseph also went from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, called Bethlehem, because he was from the house and family of David, to enroll with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.

While they were there, the time came for Her to give birth; and she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. In that country there were shepherds in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Suddenly an Angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were afraid with great fear.

And the Angel said to them: Do not be afraid; I bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all people: for today a Savior has been born to you in the city of David, who is Christ the Lord; and here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly a large army of heaven appeared with the Angel, glorifying God and crying: glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men!

When the Angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said to each other: let's go to Bethlehem and see what happened there, which the Lord told us about. And they hastened and came and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in a manger. When they saw it, they told about what had been announced to them about this Child. And all who heard were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary kept all these words, writing them in Her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, as they had been told.

Gospel of Luke, 5 parts, 2:1-20

Sixth hour

At the 6th hour, prophecies are read about the bringing of gifts and the worship of the peoples to the Savior as God. For example, in the proverb the prophecy of Isaiah is pronounced about the Most Pure Virgin, the Mother of Immanuel. But in the Apostle the divine eternal glory of the Savior is glorified as the son of God. And finally, the Gospel preaches the worship of the Magi to the Divine Child, the King of the Jews.

Shepherds are the first evangelists

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and said, “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews?” for we saw His star in the east and came to worship Him. Hearing this, King Herod became alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him. And, having gathered all the high priests and scribes of the people, he asked them: where should Christ be born? And they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judah, for thus it is written through the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means the least of the provinces of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”

Then Herod, secretly calling the wise men, found out from them the time of the appearance of the star and, sending them to Bethlehem, said: go, carefully investigate about the Child and, when you find it, notify me, so that I too can go and worship Him. After listening to the king, they left. [And] behold, the star that they saw in the east was walking before them, when it finally came and stood over the place where the Child was. Seeing the star, they rejoiced with very great joy, and, entering the house, they saw the Child with Mary, His Mother, and, falling down, they worshiped Him; and having opened their treasures, they brought Him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having received a revelation in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by a different route.

Gospel of Matthew, 3rd part, 2:1-12