Then all the lamps and most of the candles in front of the icons are extinguished, and twilight again spreads within the church; the departure of the First Hour begins, read in the midst of silence. This depicts how, after the departure of the Angels, the shepherds, in the middle of the night, went to Bethlehem and, coming hastily, found Mary and Joseph, and the Child lying in a manger (Luke 2:16). And just as there, at the appearance of the Angels, everything was majestic, so, on the contrary, here - they were greeted by the darkness of the cave, the simplicity and squalor of its inhabitants! But after the vision and gospel of the Angel, the Divine Child, in the midst of the misery surrounding Him, seemed to the shepherds even more holy and more kind; - and therefore, they, worshiping Him as their Christ, as if in reward for what this Newborn King of Israel lacked in appearance, hastened to tell His Most Blessed Mother everything they had seen and heard from the Angels.
The first hour consists of three psalms (5, 89, 100), in which believers, calling on God to hear their voice in the morning, express their zeal and joy in the Lord. This prayer, serving as a transition or preparation for the Divine Liturgy, at the same time is completely consistent in content and with the lifting of thoughts and hearts to God, which were excited by the meaning of Matins.
After reading the mentioned psalms and some already well-known prayers used by our Church in all other services, the priest leaving the altar, by the northern door, reads the prayer: Christ, the true Light, enlightening and sanctifying every person coming into the world, etc. - The priest, asking with this prayer for signs of the grace of faith, for those praying, as if to prevent their unbelief, reminds them how shepherds, having given veneration to the born Savior, praising and glorifying God who made them worthy to see His wonderful coming to earth, on the way back to their flocks, publicly announced this event to everyone they met; but in response to their joyful gospel they received only general ridicule and disbelief; for the people of Judah, led by the scribes and Pharisees, expected to meet in the Messiah a king with the greatness of the rulers of the earth, and, based on prophecies pointing to His descent from the tribe of the brilliant King David, they hoped to see in Him a heir worthy in appearance.
In addition, full of trust in the wisdom of their high priests and seeing in them the closest mediators between themselves and God, the people could not admit that it was not them, but simple shepherds, that God wanted to give revelation and announce such an important world event as the coming of the Messiah. The clergy answers this prayer with a victorious song in honor of the Mother of God: the chosen governor is victorious, and the priest, having given a blessing to those praying on behalf of Her and all the Saints, ends the all-night vigil.