Lazarus Saturday

Date: 23 April 2005 09:38:23

By raising Lazarus from the dead before Your passion,
You did confirm the universal Resurrection, O Christ God!
Like the children with the palms of victory,
We cry out to You, O Vanquisher of death;
Hosanna in the Highest!
Blessed is He that comes in the Name of the Lord!

Troparion

Christ the Joy, the Truth and the Light of all,
The Life of the World and the Resurrection
Has appeared in His goodness, to those on earth.
He has become the Image of our Resurrection,
Granting divine forgiveness to all!

Kontakion

Just before we begin Holy Week, with its sorrow of our Saviour's betrayal and crucifixion, we have a "preview" of the joy of the resurrection with the celebration of the Lazarus Saturday.

At our parish, it is a custom to particularly involve the children today, and many of them participated in the leading of the chanting of the hymns and in reading the Epistle for the day [the Gospel reading is always done by the priest or deacon]. It was wonderful to have the children leading the worship, and it was especially wonderful to see them waving their palm branches as they sang the Troparion above.

A wonderful service, and a wonderful hymn -- straight from Galatians 3:27 -- that is occasionally sung instead of "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us":

As many as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ. Alleluia.