The Divine Liturgy of the Great Mystery

|Back to St. Xenophon Library | Back to Devotionals |

Counsellor
The Mystery Meal is on the holy table. We come to God in awe and love,
crying aloud with the angels, Holy, Holy, Holy God.

Deacon
Let us pray.

Fellowship
Peace be with us.

Counsellor
Let us lift up praise and meditation to the Spirit.
Yesu our Saviour, Lord over our souls you are a priest according to the
Order of Melchizedek, you taught us the mystery of ages, Mystery of
Mysteries. In ancient times offered by blessed Mithra; of which father
Abraham also took part by the hands of holy Melchizedek; administered by
holy Zoroaster of the Persians; and was delivered over to us by you, Yesu
our Lord, Christ of God. Through your chosen one, twin brother Thomas;
you handed down through the ages this Great Mystery to serve for all
initiates unto remission of sins, wisdom on the Way, humility and strength
to labour in service of God.

Bread, water and wine; body, soul and spirit upon the banquet table of
life.

In the Way of Christ the Spirit is present here.

We beg to be made worthy of the mystery.
By your command, Yesu our Lord, these glorious, holy, life-giving and divine
mysteries are set and ordered on the holy table unto the indwelling of our
Lord, the second time from heaven, the coming of Christ, to whom be glory
at every season forever. Amen.

Fellowship
Amen. Amen. Let us lift up our spirits to the Mercy of God.
Meditation:
God have mercy (x4)
Christ have mercy (x4)
Lord have mercy (x4)
Hallelujah (x4)

Deacon
For N, our +Teacher, all leaders of the church, all the clergy, and all the
faithful of the priesthood in Christ, help us in our weakness by Your mercy,
and make us worthy of Your mysteries.
The lives to offer before You, by this congregation, is Yours for the peace
of the world; as a living and holy sacrifice, and for the prosperity, and for
the aid of the whole of all lands - that we within the Mystic Body of Christ
may be blessed, and filled by Your grace, our God, and Yesu our Lord
forever. Amen.

Counsellor
O Lord, make us worthy of the precious Body and precious Blood your
precious teaching and your mystical Way. Also, make this sacrifice of
ourselves worthy of acceptance on our day of judgment. Amen.

Fellowship
Amen.

Counsellor (+)
May the grace of our Lord Yesu the Saviour, the power of God the Father,
the wisdom of God the Mother, be in communion with our spirits, here, now
and forever.

Fellowship (+)
Amen.
Unto You, Father of all, God above all gods, Spirit of all spirit, we offer
ourselves.

Counsellor
God, give us great humility - impress love, peace and unity upon our
hearts.

O God, Your Energies are worthy to be praised and professed, adored and
glorified by all creatures. For You have created the universes and all that it
contains.
You fill every creature with Your grace, and save humanity by Your
compassionate laws.
O God, numberless holy angels cast themselves down adoring Your
majesty; ministers of fire and spirit bless Your name, and together with
hosts of deities and divine Energies offer adoration to Your supreme power.
Proclaiming and glorifying, they call to each other without ceasing, singing:

Fellowship
Holy, Holy, Holy - O God Almighty
The Call to Worship (stand)

Counsellor
Lift up your thoughts.

Fellowship
Unto You, Creator of all: Father of all spirit, Mother of all soul.
The Invocation

Counsellor
Acts of Thomas 11.42

Bread of life, of which whoever eats remains incorruptible. Bread that fills
the hungry souls with the blessing thereof, you are he that concede to
receive a gift, that you may become to us remission of sins, and that they
who eat you may become immortal. We invoke upon you the name of the
Mother, of the unspeakable Mystery of the hidden powers and authorities of
the Father; we invoke upon you the name of your Lord Yesu.

Let the powers of blessing come, and be established in this bread, that all
the souls which partake of it may be washed from their sins.
The Counsellor signs the bread with the sign of the cross and breaks it.
The Deacon prepares the wine and water.

Counsellor
Our Lord Yesu said: No person drinks aged wine and immediately wants to
drink new wine. New wine is not poured into aged wineskins, for the skins
may break, and aged wine is not poured into new wineskins, for the wine
may spoil. An old patch is not sewn onto a new piece of clothing, for it
would rip apart.
The mystery of this wine and water is an unspeakable and ever new delight
to the spirit. You who are about to partake of this mystery, by the
acceptance in heaven of your initiation, are neither new wineskins nor old
wineskins but are changing according to the grace of God and your
dedication on the Way. This wine is neither new wine or old wine to you but
is changed by the unspeakable power of God according to your need.
Exhortation to repentance

Approach not the holy table with a deceitful mind, holding any matter in
your heart of which you are blinded. As the Donkey witnessed, the demons
delight in sacrifices made by deceitful minds. As it was said:
And they do what they want, sacrificing to demons and bringing them food,
by oils and by wine and water and offering with praises
And the devil itself witnessed as such when it said: (Acts 7:22)
I am refreshed by murders and adulteries and sacrifices made with wine
upon altars; and like you convert human beings to eternal life, so I also
pervert them that obey me to eternal destruction and torment - and you
receive your own and I mine.
Let us thus duly prepare ourselves to come forward and partake of this
mystery with renewed hearts and minds, resolving to commitment on the
Way and to approach the Holy Spirit with a good and humble heart, our
souls open to listen to the voice in Heaven.
Incensation

Deacon
Before we partake of the Holy Mystery given to us as a free undeserved gift,
now being on the holy table for our sake, let us in silence acknowledge our
sins, and grievances to Almighty God and ask for the grace of correction,
and discipline unto repentance.

Each individual briefly examines his\her life in Christ, and makes a silent
confession of sinful thoughts, words, deeds and incorrect priorities,
committed against Gods Plan of the Way, against ones neighbour, and
oneself: each one recommits his or her life to the Way in Christ.
After the time of confession we meditate in song

God have mercy (x4)

Christ have mercy (x4)
Lord have mercy (x4)
Hallelujah (x4)
The Counsellor now Imparts the Absolution. All make the sign of the Cross
making solemn pledge of re-commitment to the Way.(+)

Counsellor
Upon our true repentance - the Spirit, our true God, absolve and remit us of
our sins, and preserve us worthy of these Holy Mysteries, to stand
blameless before our Heavenly Parent at our day of judgment.
And may the grace of the Lord Yesu, Christ and Saviour, and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now, and ever unto the ages of
ages. Amen (+)
The invitation and prayer before Holy Communion (Acts 4:24-26)

Counsellor
Come, O perfect compassion; come, O communion of the Male; come, She
that knows the mysteries of him that is chosen; come, She that have part in
all the combats of the noble athlete; come, the silence that reveals the
great things of the whole greatness; come, She that manifests the hidden
things and makes the unspeakable things plain, the holy dove that bears
the twin young; come, the hidden Mother; come, She that is manifest in her
deeds and gives joy and rest to them that are joined to her - come and
communicate with us in this mystery which we celebrate in Your name and
in the love-feast wherein we are gathered together at Your calling.

Fellowship
+ Amen.

Counsellor
Draw near and receive the Mystery of Mysteries.
Upon receiving the Body from the Counsellor, the communicant is
addressed approximately like this: N, This shall be to you for remission of
sins and eternal transgressions.

Communicant: Amen
Upon receiving the Blood from the celebrant, the communicant is
addressed like this: N, Let this gift be to you for renewed life and inner
silence, and not for judgement and pride.
Communicant: Amen
Meditation (repeat for duration of communion)

Be still and know that I am God (x3)

You are the Lord that healeth me (x3)
In You O Lord, do I put my trust (x3)
You are the Lord that saves my soul (x3)

Deacon
Rise and praise God

Fellowship
Our God, we thank you for this great and wondrous allowance towards us.
We glorify You without ceasing, with unveiled faces within Your Church,
which has been redeemed by the mystical life revealed by Your son, our
Lord Yesu Christ.
We give You glory, honour, thanksgiving and adoration - now and forever.
(+)

Counsellor
O God, transform our corruption into the sweet aroma of Your love. May
Your sweet love purify us from the stain of forgetfulness of our true home:
O Good Shepherd, You went out in search of us and found us when we were
lost, and You were delighted when we were found.
In Your mercy cleanse us of our trespasses and sins, both those which
we know, and those which we do not know, our God and Father, Holy Spirit,
Mother Wisdom - forever.(+)

Fellowship
Songs of praise are offered while priest and deacons perform the Ablution
Upon consuming the Body and the Blood, the Counsellor and Deacon pray:
For that we have received your Body openly, may your power dwell in
us
in
mystery.
May we go forth to meet you joyfully, may we sing glory to you, O Christ
the Hope of our nature, make us worthy, O my Lord, with the robber to
sing glory in paradise, with the just who have fulfilled the will of the
Father. Amen.

Counsellor
God has blessed us, with all spiritual blessings in heaven through Yesu our
Lord, - He has called us to the Heavenly Kingdom, and has taught us and
brought wondrous blessings to us, blessings which never pass away, cease
or vanish.
Yesu our Lord, has promised and assured us in his life-giving Sayings
(106), Whoever drinks from my mouth will be like me and I myself shall be
that person, and what is hidden will be revealed to that one.

May God bless our congregation, guard our company and make our
people glorious, which came and rejoiced in the power of these glorious,
holy, life-giving and divine mysteries.
With the living sign of the cross and the indwelling spirit of our Lord be
sealed and guarded from all harm, hidden and open, now, always and
forever (+).
Go in peace to love and serve God and all neighbours in need.

Fellowship
The measure by which we love our fellow beings, is the measure of our love
or God.
May all go in peace.

Counsellor
Go in peace, show holy love for one another, and serve the Lord. Minister
to all in need. In the Name of God: the Father, the Mother, the spirit within.
+ Amen.
The Divine Liturgy has ended.
Counsellor and deacons exit. Hymns may be sung by those desirous to
remain.