Radiance of the Father’s Splendor

The radiance of the Father’s splendor,
the Father’s visible image,
Jesus Christ our God,
peerless among counselors,
Prince of Peace,
for our sake became like a slave:
in the womb of Mary the virgin,
without assistance from any man,
he took flesh.…

Enable us, Lord,
to reach the end of this luminous feast in peace,
forsaking all idle words,
acting virtuously,
shunning our passions,
and raising ourselves above the things of this world.

Bless your church,
which you brought into being long ago
and attached to yourself
through your own life-giving blood.
Help all orthodox pastors, heads of churches, and teachers.

Bless your servants, whose trust is all in you;
bless all Christian souls,
the sick, those tormented by evil spirits,
and those who have asked us to pray for them.

Show yourself as merciful as you are rich in grace;
save and preserve us;
enable us to obtain those good things to come which will never know an end.

May we celebrate your glorious birth,
and the Father who sent you to redeem us,
and your Spirit, the Giver of life,
now and forever, age after age.
Amen.

Source: A Syriac Christmas liturgy

Source of this version: http://www.faithandworship.com/early_Christian_prayers.htm#ixzz4DB92AvUk
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

After “Prince of Peace” the original has the lines: “Father of the world to come, /
the model after which Adam was formed,”