Sunday Matins

Matins (Gk. órthros; Slav. útrenya) is the principal morning worship service of the Christian Church. As celebrated in the Byzantine Rite, it combines:

a service of prayers for rulers and those in authority (the “Royal Office”, originally celebrated in monasteries under Imperial patronage); this office is usually omitted in parish celebrations
a nocturnal vigil consisting of psalms and Scripture readings
a service of praise, sometimes called Lauds, and including Psalms 148-150 and the hymn, “Glory to God in the highest”
Matins has three principal themes: repentence for our sins and offences; meditation on the history of salvation; and praise of God. On Sundays, hymns are added which focus on the Resurrection of Christ and the events that surrounded it. On feast days, hymns for the feast are sung, and the icon of the feast may be enthroned and venerated.

In the Great Russian tradition, and in Greek monasteries, Matins for Sundays and feasts is often combined with Vespers (or Compline) to form the All-Night Vigil. In Greek and Ruthenian parish churches, Matins is usually celebrated as a separate service in the morning.

(For historical reasons, Matins has sometimes been “anticipated” on the previous evening of afternoon, perhaps in response to the celebration of Vespers or the Presanctified Liturgy early in the day.)
Outline of the service
Sunday Matins and Festal Matins
The following table shows the parts of the service for Sunday Matins and for Festal Matins. (Festal matins is celebrated on those weekdays, Monday thrrough Saturday, on which the Polyeleos is apppointed to be sung.)

Sunday Matins Festal Matins
The Royal Office (usually omitted in parishes):
Blessing by priest: “Blessed is our God…”
Psalms 19 and 20
Trisagion, etc., and the Lord’s Prayer
Troparion and kontakion of the Cross
Litany, “Have mercy upon us, O God”
Blessing by priest: “Glory to the holy, consubstantial, life-giving and undivided Trinity”
The Hexapsalmos, of “Six Palms” of Matins:
Psalms 3, 37, 62, 87, 102, 142
Litany of Peace
“The Lord is God”, with verses
Appointed troparia of the Sunday or feast
First reading from the Psalter
Small litany
Sessional hymn
Second reading from the Psalter
Small litany
Sessional hymn
Either the Polyeleos (Psalms 134-135), or
Psalm 118 Polyeleos (Psalms 134-135)
Evlogitaria of the Resurrection:
“Hosts of angels”, with refrains
Small litany
Hypakoe Exaltation of the feast
Small litany
Sessional Hymn
Gradual Hymns in the tone of the week Gradual Hyms in Tone 4
Prokeimenon
“Let everything that lives and that breathes”, with verses
One of the eleven Resurrection Gospels
Hymn, “Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ” Matins Gospel of the feast
Psalm 50, with troparia
Deacon’s prayer, “O Lord, save your people”
“Lord, have mercy” (12)
THE CANON:
Odes 1 and 3
Small litany
Sessional hymn (or kontakion)

Odes 4, 5, and 6
Small litany
Kontakion and Ikos

Odes 7 and 8
Canticle of the Theotokos (“My soul magnifies the Lord”), with refrains
Ode 9
“It is truly proper”
Small litany
“Holy is the Lord, our God”, with verses
Hymn of Light corresponding to the Sunday Resurrectional Gospel Hymn of Light of the feast
The Praises: Psalms 148-150
Stichera of Sunday, ending with sticheron corresponding to the Sunday Resurrectional Gospel, and the theotokion, “You are truly most blessed, O Virgin Theotokos” Stichera of the feast
The Great Doxology (“Glory to God in the highest”)
Trisagion
One of two Sunday troparia, depending on the tone of the week Troparion of the feast
Litany of Supplication
Blessing by priest
Dismissal
On certain feasts, and when a feast falls on a Sunday, some changes to the above are made; consult the Typikon.