Portions of the Akathist to the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-called

Kontakion 1

Standing in spirit upon the summit of the hill where his right hand raised up a cross,
with hymns let us praise the most glorious Andrew, the First-called Apostle of Christ,
the preacher of the Holy Gospel,
the divinely inspired enlightener of the Russian land;
and to him, as the first of the followers of the Church,
the first of all to follow after Christ,
let us cry out in compunction:

Rejoice, O Andrew, First-called Apostle of Christ!

Ikos 1

An angelic herald of Christ,
the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world,
 were you, O Apostle Andrew,
and you abide with him forever in Heaven. 
Wherefore, look upon the hymns offered to you here,
and in that you are rich in the grace of God,
grant us goodly discourse, that we may cry out to you:

Rejoice, morning star which has shown forth upon us from the city of Bethsaida!

Rejoice, brother of the preeminent Peter and equal to him in honor!

Rejoice, disciple of the great Forerunner of Christ!

Rejoice, first among the Apostles, you were called to the apostolic ministry by the Lord himself!

Rejoice, you cried out to the others with joy: “Come, we have found the longed-for Messiah!”

Rejoice, you lead us also to him!

Rejoice, you zealously spread the glad tidings of Christ among the nations!

Rejoice, you willingly gave yourself over to torments and crucifixion for his sake!

Rejoice, O Andrew, First-called Apostle of Christ!

Kontakion 2

“Master, where do you dwell?” you asked the Savior of our souls, O Andrew;
all the days of your life you loved the Messiah whom you had found,
and brought your elder brother to him. 
Wherefore, never cease to draw us, your younger brethren, to him also,
that following in your steps, we may cry out with you to God: 

Alleluia!

Ikos 2

Perceiving in you the flame of faith and love, O holy Andrew,
the Lord found you with your brother on the Lake of Gennesaret as a fisherman,
casting your net into the deep; and he said to you, “Come after Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  
And straightaway you followed him and with the divinely inspired Word of Christ, as with a net, you fished for men;
and we who have been ensnared by you to salvation, cry out to you:

Rejoice, you were taught the skill of spiritual fishing by the Lord himself!

Rejoice, you were tempest-tossed with the other disciples on the same lake
 and saved by faith in the Lord who rebuked the winds and the sea!

Rejoice, you acquired great faith when you saw the most wondrous feeding of the five thousand with five loaves of bread!

Rejoice, you received as a gift from the Lord the ability to heal every infirmity and every sickness!

Rejoice, a voice from Heaven was heard because of the Greeks who were brought by you to see Christ!

Rejoice, on the Mount of Olives, things to come at the end of the world were revealed to you!

Rejoice, like a star in the constellation of the Apostles you shine celestial effulgence upon us!

Rejoice, you were like a comet traversing the Heavens, shedding rays of grace divine!

Rejoice, O Andrew, First-called Apostle of Christ!

Kontakion 3

As a faithful friend of Christ and having enjoyed the Master’s hospitality
and the table of immortality in the upper room on Zion,
with the rest of the Apostles you beheld your Lord and God,
and from him you received the Holy Spirit,
 that you might bind and loose the sins of men.  
And again, in that same upper room on Zion,
abundant grace of the promised Spirit was poured forth upon you in tongues of fire. 
Wherefore, all the tribes of Israel marveled at how you spoke of the mighty words of God in their own language, chanting: 

Alleluia!

Having received from the Lord the commandment to preach the Gospel to all creation,
you went about many cities and lands, O Apostle Andrew,
calling the people to the knowledge of the true God and baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 
And with them, we also have been vouchsafed by the grace of baptism.
Wherefore, we address hymns of thanksgiving to you:

Rejoice, faithful proclaimer of the wonders of Christ!

Rejoice, clarion-voiced herald of the Holy Gospel!

Rejoice, abolisher of the worship of idols!

Rejoice, instiller of true piety!

Rejoice, through your discourse, men are brought to regeneration by water and the Spirit!

Rejoice, through you the faithful partake of the banquet of immortality!

Rejoice, husbandman who tended well the vineyard of your Master!

Rejoice, your bloodshed for your Lord was like wine for the faithful to gladden their hearts!

Rejoice, O Andrew, First-called Apostle of Christ!

Ikos 5

Having spread your nets from the Sea of Galilee to the Black Sea
and having taught the Faith all around the seacoast with your proclamation,
you took yourself to the land of Scythia, O First-called one,
planting the Cross of Christ everywhere as a token of our salvation. 
Wherefore, we also though the last of peoples, heeding your proclamation and commemorating your struggles, cry out to you:

Rejoice, you in Nicaea subdued wicked lawbreakers and slayed a most evil dragon!

Rejoice, you planted the Cross of Christ  in the midst of that city as a forerunner of the God-bearing Fathers twice assembled there!

Rejoice, through you the light of Christ shone forth in Asia and Pontus!

Rejoice, your apostolic staff opened the foothills of the Caucasus to the light of Christ!

Rejoice, the darkness of Cimmeria was enlightened!

Rejoice, with streams of living water has the whole world been watered!

Rejoice, the breath of the All-holy Spirit blew forth from you apostolic mouth!

Rejoice, multitudes were drawn to the Christian Faith1

Rejoice O Andrew, First-called Apostle of Christ!

Ikos 6

On the Mount of Olives, with the other disciples, O Andrew, you once asked your Master:
“Tell us, what shall be the sign of your coming?”  
And on the hills of Kiev, as an instrument of the grace of the Holy Spirit,
you foretold the future glory of that place. 
And having been vouchsafed the mercies foretold us, we cry out to you with compunction:

Rejoice, from Mount Zion you brought the law of the Gospel to us!

Rejoice, as an Apostle of God, you hastened to us on the waters of Voristhena!

Rejoice, you bestowed upon that river the grace of the Jordan for our baptism!

Rejoice, you set the Cross of our salvation upon the hills of Kiev!

Rejoice, you foretold an abundant outpouring of the grace of God through it!

Rejoice, you prophesied that a great city and many churches would one day stand in that place!

Rejoice, the mercy of God has descended upon the site of your prophecy!

Rejoice, he let fall his loving-kindness upon the city you foretold!

Rejoice, O Andrew, First-called Apostle of Christ!