Sermon preached on All Souls Sunday – 5 November 2023

Revd. Fr Terry Hemming – St Paul’s Athens

I have a confession to make I am an agnostic. There are lots of things I don’t know and there are lots of things I think I can’t know. It’s true of science – I love what we are learning about black matter but I shall never have the maths to understand it fully – it’s true of life and of the life to come. I am sure of the life to come but what it will be like I do not know and I suspect if I did would not have the language to explain it.

Therefore I am treading on holy ground when I talk of the life to come and of those whom we love but now worship on a different shore.

Jesus taught that there was a life to come.

You will remember there were two groups who had difficulties with Jesus. The Pharisees and the Sadducees. They had a large argument because the Sadducees had a spirituality which was only for this life. The Pharisees firmly believed in a resurrection. You will remember how Paul, brought up a Pharisee, used this when he was accused of preaching against the Hebrew Scriptures.

This is something we repeat in our creed every week for as Paul wrote, 1Cor. 1619 “For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. And if Christ is not raised your faith is vain/useless; you are still in your sins. Then they also who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished”.

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Service for All Souls – 5 November 2023

Α warm welcome to Fr. Terry Hemming and his wife Ruth, from Hampshire, who will be with us until January. Welcome to St. Paul’s Athens especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens.   There are Communion books for children available for use.  There is coffee in the garden after the Liturgy. St. Paul’s has internet – ask the sidespersons for the password.

The presiding priest this morning is Fr. Terry Hemming, who is also preaching, the deacon is Deacon Christine Saccali

Entrance Hymn

Introit: Introit: 327 (Grafton) Christ, enthroned in highest heaven (verses 1, 4, 5, and 6)

Priest:    Blessed be the Kingdom of God

All:         Now and for ever

Priest:    Our help is in the name of the Lord

All:         Who has made heaven and earth

Priest:    The Lord be with you

All:          And also with you

The priest then welcomes the people of God and the Deacon leads us into Confession

Grace, mercy and peace

from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ

be with you

All   and also with you.

Deacon We run the race set before us, surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Therefore let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which clings so closely, bringing them to Jesus in penitence and faith.                            (A short period of stillness and silence)

Deacon:                 Your raise the dead to life in the spirit.

Kyrie eleison              All: Kyrie eleison

Deacon:                 You bring pardon and peace to the broken in spirit.

                           Christe eleison          All: Christe eleison

Deacon:                 You make one by your Spirit the torn and divided.

                           Kyrie eleison             All:  Kyrie eleison

Absolution: Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

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Sermon for the Feast of All Saints – 29th October 2023

Fr Leonard Doolan – St Paul’s Athens

The Sermon on the Mount – we imagine Jesus atop a small mountain somewhere beside the Sea of Galilee. He looks out over those who have gathered to hear his words, most of them sitting below him on the slopes of the mount. He preaches as if he were high above everyone else, like a preacher in a lofty pulpit.

This may be picture that requires correction. A visit to the site beside the sea indicates that this even was not so much a pulpit experience, but rather a theatre experience. Jesus treats his location like it was a Greek or Roman theatre – a sort of Galilean Epidavros. He sits below them, like the protagonist of a Greek play, with his audience ranged in front of him spreading upwards. Like any good classical theatre, we know the effect of how a single voice carries to the very back row, to the ‘one and sixpence’ cheap seats furthest from the action. Whether front row or back row, no one is cheated of the performance. This we can imagine being the setting for Jesus and his Sermon on the Mount.

Alternatively, each of these sayings of Jesus could be part of a collection – a collection of sayings gathered together by the gospel writer from across the rich teaching material of our Lord and hung together like a string of pearls – each a pearl of great price. Also plausible, but I prefer to imagine Jesus at the centre stage of a dramatic event.

The Sermon on the Mount – also known as The Beatitudes, a name derived from the Latin word beatus, which is the Latin Vulgate translation of the Greek New Testament word μακάριος – the introductory word to each of the stanzas of the teaching.

Some contemporary translations have preferred to translate this word as ‘happy’ – ‘Happy are the meek’ etc etc. Indeed we should be happy if we are blessed – in sense of being inwardly glad – ‘I was glad when they said unto me, we will go into the house of the Lord (Psalm 122) from Psalm 122, made familiar to us not so long ago as it was sung to Hubert Parry’s tremendous musical setting as Charles III entered Westminster Abbey for his coronation.

But the word ‘happy’ just doesn’t quite cut the mustard. The Archbishop of Athens and All Greece is referred to as Makariotatos, from this word makarios, and rendered into English as ‘Your Beatitude’. I don’t think I would dare to have an audience with him at the Archbishopric Residence and greet his as ‘Your Happiness’.

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Service for All Saints Sunday – 29th October 2023

Welcome to St. Paul’s Athens especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens. Fr. Leonard, the Area Dean, will preside and preach. Nelly Paraskevopoulou will assist. In our Liturgy today we are also giving thanks for the life of the Revd. Edward Wetherall (Fr. Ted) who died aged 94 in Tolo on September 26th. May he rest in peace.

Entrance Hymn             

1. Oh, when the saints Go marching in Oh, when the saints go marching in

Oh how I want to be in that number, When the saints go marching in

2. Oh, when the drums begin to bang Oh, when the drums begin to bang

I want to be in that number,  When the saints go marching in

3. Oh, when the stars fall from the sky Oh, when the stars fall from the sky

I want to be in that number, When the saints go marching in

4. Oh, when the trumpet sounds its call, Oh, when the trumpet sounds its call

I want to be in that number When the saints go marching in

5. Oh, when the saints go marching in Oh, when the saints go marching in

I want to be in that number, When the saints go marching

Priest:    Blessed be the Kingdom of God

All:         Now and for ever

Priest:    Our help is in the name of the Lord

All:         Who has made heaven and earth

Priest:    The Lord be with you

All:          And also with you

The priest then informally welcomes the people and leads the opening prayer for the departed as we pray with thanksgiving for Fr. Ted.

Father in heaven, we thank you because you make us in your image and give us gifts in body, mind and spirit. We thank you now for Ted and what he meant to us and so many people as a faithful priest and friend. As we honour his memory, make us more aware that you are the one from whom comes every perfect gift, including the gift of life eternal through Jesus Christ.

All:  Amen

Nelly now leads us into our confession:

We run the race set before us, surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Therefore let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which clings so closely, bringing them to Jesus in penitence and faith.                            (A short period of stillness and silence)

Nelly:                 Your raise the dead to life in the spirit.

Kyrie eleison              All: Kyrie eleison

Nelly:                 You bring pardon and peace to the broken in spirit.

                           Christe eleison          All: Christe eleison

Nelly:                 You make one by your Spirit the torn and divided.

                           Kyrie eleison             All:  Kyrie eleison

Absolution: Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

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Sermon preached at the Harvest Festival at the Kokotos Winery – 22nd October 2023: DEUTERONOMY 8: 7-18, LUKE 12: 16-30.

Deacon Christine Saccali

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts always be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord our redeemer Amen

Well, we’ve already sung the all-essential harvest hymn We Plough the Fields and Scatter, we remember from harvest festivals of years gone by, with gusto but actually how connected are we all to the land and the food it produces to sustain us? How do we connect to God our Creator through Rogation and planting and harvesting process?

Have a look at the beautiful poster below by Hannah Dunnet, an artist and writer of reflections, this picture is inspired by fields in Yorkshire. A picture paints a thousand words. She incorporates scripture verses into her pictures. I can look at them for ages. I particularly love the contrast of the planted and fallow areas here and the lie and curve of the land. Do come up and study it for yourselves later.

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Service for Harvest Festival at Kokotos Estate – 22nd October 2023

The presiding priest is Fr. Bjorn Kling, the deacon is Deacon Christine Saccali, who is also preaching.

Opening hymn

1. We plough the fields, and scatter
   the good seed on the land,
   but it is fed and watered
   by God’s almighty hand:
   he sends the snow in winter,
   the warmth to swell the grain, Refrain:
   the breezes, and the sunshine,                    All good gifts around us
   and soft, refreshing rain.                               are sent from heaven above;
   then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,
   for all his love.
2. He only is the maker 3. We thank thee then, O Father,
   of all things near and far; for all things bright and good,
   he paints the wayside flower,    the seed-time and the harvest,
   he lights the evening star;                       our life, our health, our food.
   the winds and waves obey him,            Accept the gifts we offer
   by him the birds are fed;              for all thy love imparts,
   much more to us, his children,   and, what thou most desirest,
   he gives our daily bread. [Refrain]        our humble, thankful hearts. [Refrain]

Priest: Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

All:  and also with you.                (The priest welcomes everyone)

Deacon: God’s whole creation groans.  We confess our sin in penitence and faith.

Consider the birds of the air; they do not sow or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Lord have mercy.

All: Lord have mercy

Deacon: Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they do not toil or spin, yet even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Christ have mercy.

All: Christ have mercy

Deacon: How little faith we have. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Lord have mercy.

All: Christ have mercy.

(The priest then pronounces the words of Absolution)

May the God of love and power forgive you and free you from your sins, heal and strengthen you by his Spirit, and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord.   Amen.

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Sermon for the 19th Sunday after Trinity – 15th October 2023: Matthew 22. 1-14

Reader Nelly Paraskevopoulou – St Paul’s Athens

May I speak in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

Matthew 22. 1-14 

Weddings are happy festive occasions. In many parts of the world they are actually huge, impressive productions, ranging from the traditional to the magnificent. Greek weddings are always important family occasions,.  Weddings also have an interesting symbolic character, mainly focused on fertility with the newly-wed couple at the centre.

In this case though, things go completely wrong and the atmosphere is anything but festive. Servants are slain, a city is burned, and a hapless guest is punished in a terrible way for not wearing the right kind of clothes. Definitely not a wedding anybody would want to attend.  However this parable from the Gospel of Matthew contains an important message, which we are asked to understand. The closing words ‘many  are ‘called’ but few are ‘chosen’. The ‘chosen’ ones being those who met certain pre-requisites. What can these pre-requisites be?

Parables describe situations through stories. Often they may seem exaggerated, but this is just the way Jesus used to reach the hearts and minds of his listeners. The wedding is actually the Kingdom of Heaven. Some were admitted, others were thrown into outer darkness.

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Service for the 19th Sunday after Trinity – 15th October 2023

Welcome to St. Paul’s Athens especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens.   There are Communion books for children available for use.  There is coffee in the garden after the Liturgy. St. Paul’s has internet – ask the sidespersons for the password.

The presiding priest this morning is Fr. Bjorn Kling, the Assistant is Reader Nelly Paraskevopoulou, who is also preaching

Entrance Hymn

Introit: 271 (Hyfrydol) Alleluya, sing to Jesus

Priest: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

 All:     Amen

Priest: The Lord be with you

All:      And also with you

The priest then welcomes the people of God and the Assistant leads us into Confession.

Silence

Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed.

We have not loved you with our whole heart.

We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.

In your mercy forgive what we have been,

Help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be;

That we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God.

Amen.

Absolution: May the God of love and power forgive you and free you from your sins, heal and strengthen you by his Spirit, and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord.   Amen.

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us, you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen

Collect:  Let us pray  (remain standing as the priest prays the Collect of the Day)

O GOD, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee; Mercifully grant, that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

First Reading Isaiah 25.1-9  (please sit)

O Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
For you have made the city a heap,
the fortified city a ruin;
the palace of foreigners is a city no more;
it will never be rebuilt.
 Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
cities of ruthless nations will fear you.

 For you have been a refuge to the poor,
a refuge to the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.
When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm,
     the noise of foreigners like heat in a dry place,
you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds;
the song of the ruthless was stilled.

 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
 And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the covering that is spread over all nations;
     he will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
 It will be said on that day,
“See, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

Reader: This is the word of the Lord.

             All:         Thanks be to God.

Psalm:   Responsorial  Psalm: 530 (Psalm 42/43) As the running deer seeks the flowing brook

.           2^nd Reading     Philippians 4. 1-9

 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.  Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion,^[a] help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my coworkers, whose names are in the book of life.

 Rejoice^[b] in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.^[c]  Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about^[d] these things. As for the things that you have learned and received and heard and noticed in me, do them, and the God of peace will be with you.

Reader: This is the word of the Lord.

All:         Thanks be to God.

Gospel Hymn 370 (Falcon Street) Help us, O Lord, to learn

Gospel Reading      Matthew 22. 1-14 

Assistant:      Your word, O Lord, is a lantern to our feet, and a light to our path. Alleluia.

All (sung):  Alleluia            

Assistant:     The Lord be with you

All:              and also with you

Assistant:     Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Matthew

All:              Glory to you, O Lord

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying:  “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.  He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come.  Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’  But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business,  while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them.  The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’  Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad, so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Assistant:         This is the gospel of the Lord

All:                  Praise to you, O Christ

Sermon   Reader Nelly Paraskevopoulou (Please sit)

Creed   (Please stand)

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father: through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.  Amen.

Intercessions:  (kneel or sit) Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer 

Peace:  The Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of justice, love and peace.

Priest:   The peace of the Lord be always with you.

All:        And also with you.

Offertory Hymn     411 (Song 20) My Lord, my Life, my Love

                                          (The Collection will be taken)

Priest: Be present, be present Lord Jesus Christ, our risen high priest: make yourself known in the breaking of bread.  Amen.

The Great Thanksgiving Prayer ( Please remain standing for this)

Priest:  The Lord be with you

All:        and also with you

Priest:  Lift up your hearts

All:        We lift them to the Lord

Priest:  Let us give thanks to the Lord our God

All:        It is right to give thanks and praise

Priest:  All glory and honour be yours always and everywhere, mighty creator, ever-living God. We give you thanks and praise for your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, who for love of our fallen race humbled himself, was born of the Virgin Mary by the power of your Spirit, and lived as one of us. In this mystery of the Word made flesh you have caused his light to shine in our hearts, to give knowledge of your glory in the face of Jesus Christ. In him we see our God made visible and so are caught up in the love of the God we cannot see. Therefore with all the angels of heaven we lift our voices to proclaim the glory of your name and sing our joyful hymn of praise:

All:  Holy, holy, holy Lord God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of

        your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of

        the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Priest: How wonderful the work of your hands, O Lord! As a mother tenderly gathers her children you embraced a people as your own. When they turned away and rebelled
your love remained steadfast.  From them you raised up Jesus our Saviour, born of Mary,
to be the living bread, in whom all our hungers are satisfied.  He offered his life for sinners
and with a love stronger than death he opened wide his arms on the cross. On the night before he died, he came to supper with his friends, and taking bread, he gave you thanks.
He broke it and gave it to them, saying: Take eat: this is my body which is given for you, do this in remembrance of me.

At the end of supper, taking the cup of wine, he gave you thanks, and said: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

Assistant:        Christ is the bread of life

All:                 When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus, until you come in glory.

Priest: Father, we plead with confidence his sacrifice made once for all on the cross: we remember his dying and rising in glory, and we rejoice that he prays for us at your right hand. Pour out your Holy Spirit as we bring before you these gifts of your creation; may they be for us the body and blood of your dear Son. As we eat and drink these holy things in your presence, form us in the likeness of Christ, and build us into a living temple to your glory. Remember Lord your Church in every land. Reveal her unity, guard her faith, and preserve her in peace with our Bishops Robert and David and all the congregations of this diocese; bring your church at the last with the Holy Mother of God, Paul, and all the saints to the vision of that eternal splendour for which you have created us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, by whom and with whom and in whom, with all who stand before you earth and heaven, we worship you in songs of everlasting praise;

All: Blessing and honour and glory and power be yours for ever and ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer:  (to be prayed in the language of your own choice)

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Priest: We break this bread to share in the body of the risen Christ.

All:      Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.

Sung:  Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.

            Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.

            Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, grant us peace.

Priest: Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Blessed are those who are called to his supper.

All:      Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but speak the word only and I shall be healed.

All baptized Christians may come forward to receive the body and blood of Christ. If you wish you may receive a blessing. Please let the Sides-people guide you forward.  

Communion Hymn:   302 (Song 1) O Thou, who at thy Eucharist didst pray

Post Communion Prayer:  Let us pray     (please stand)

Holy and blessed God, you have fed us with the body and blood of your Son and filled us with your Holy Spirit; may we honour you not only with our lips but in lives dedicated to the service of Jesus Christ our Lord.

All: You have opened to us the Scriptures, O Christ, and you have made yourself known in the breaking of bread. Abide with us, we pray, that blessed by your royal presence, we may walk with you all the days of our life, and at its end behold you in the glory of the eternal Trinity, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Notices

Harvest festival on 22^nd October at Kokotos Estate

During the vacancy Deacon Christine Saccali is the acting Chaplain

Morning prayer on Wednesdays 18^th October at 10 a.m

Mid-week Eucharist on 25^th October, with Fr. Bjorn Kling presiding

You can join our prayer connect group on Tuesdays at 09.00 on Zoom, the link can be found on the website  

POS- the church has a POS machine, so donations and payments can be done by debit or credit card.

Opening The Doors—Our exciting new history book is now available at a cost of €10.00. It is a lasting legacy to the presence of the Anglican Church here in Athens.

Weekly Giving—If you would like to make your weekly giving to the church by our envelope scheme (which we would like to encourage) please speak to Nelly Paraskevopoulou.

Table Top Sales; There is often a Greetings a card stall and a second hand book stall in the gardens after the liturgy. Please do look out for them.

Anyone who wants to join the team of Side Persons is welcome, see the Church Wardens .

Post Communion Hymn: : 435 (St Gertrude) Onward, Christian soldiers

Priest:       The Blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be with you all, evermore. Amen.
Assistant:    Go in peace to love and serve the Lord

            All:             in the name of Christ Amen

Deacon Chris:  Day Off – Friday   697 737 7655

Swedish Church: Fr. Bjorn  694 6072428

The Anglican Church in Greece (including St. Paul’s) is self – financing, and receives no income other than from the generosity of those who worship here. We are a legal body and we pay tax. Our tax number is 997073090. If you wish to donate direct to our bank (IBAN) the account with Piraeus Bank is:  The Anglican Church in Greece, St. Paul’s Athens  GR 820172 0500 0050 5008 6327 479 Swift code is  PIRB GRAA

Liturgical Material Copyright of the Archbishops’ Council 

www.anglicanchurchathens.gr

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Liturgy of the Word for the eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, 8th October 2023

Welcome to St Paul’s Athens,   especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens.

Please join us after the service for refreshments in the garden. St. Paul’s has internet – ask for the password.

The worship is led by Deacon Christine Saccali.  Cosmo Murray from Mazi Housing project will be presenting his  charity work.

Entrance  Hymn Introit:  239 (Slane) Lord of all hopefulness

Minister:  Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you

           All:            and also with you.

Minister:  O Lord, open our lips

          All:            and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Minister: Give us the joy of your saving help

          All:            and sustain us with your life-giving Spirit.

Prayers of Penitence

Minister:   Jesus says, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. So let us turn away from our sin and turn to Christ, confessing our sins in penitence and faith.

All: Lord God, we have sinned against you;

       we have done evil in your sight.

       We are sorry and repent.

       Have mercy on us according to your love.

       Wash away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin.

       Renew a right spirit within us  and restore us to the joy of your salvation;

       through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Minister:  May the Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins, and restore us

in his image to the praise and glory of his name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All:            Amen

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My Journey of faith – Cees Van Beek

St Paul’s Athens – 24th september 2023

When Nelly asked me a few weeks ago if I would like to share my journey of faith in lieu of a regular sermon, I have to admit my initial reaction wasn’t immediately positive.

Not only because it’s a vulnerable and rather scary thing to do, standing here on the pulpit in front of the congregation, sharing your innermost thoughts and experiences.

It was also a sort of imposter syndrome that held me back.

Did I actually have a journey? Isn’t it more of a messy ride, with a good amount of wrong turns and detours as well?

And what about that other, even more pretentious word, ‘faith’? Surely, I try to go to church every Sunday, I love the Anglican liturgical and musical traditions, and I was raised by very devout parents.

But what about my own faith? Don’t I have too many questions and doubts for it to even be inspiring to others?

But then I read the story of Jonah that we just heard.

If ever there was a strange journey of faith! To sum up: a disobedient prophet rejects his divine commission, is cast overboard in a storm and swallowed by a great fish, rescued in a marvellous manner, but then complains to God when He doesn’t carry out the destruction He had threatened.

My journey will be slightly less spectacular I can reveal, but I do feel a bit more comfortable now to share mine.

So buckle up and bear with me.

****

In the family I grew up in, faith – or at least religion – was omnipresent.

Me, my 6 siblings and my parents went to a strict Dutch reformed church twice a Sunday. We would attend Sunday school afterwards, and stay home the rest of the day reading, making music or playing board games.

Playing with the neighbours’ kids, going for a bike ride or doing anything else frivolous was not allowed on Sunday, the Day of the Lord!

During the week, we would go to an equally strict reformed secondary school, for which we had to bike 40 minutes one way, come rain or shine. Girls were not allowed to wear trousers, and skirts had to have a decent length (if not, they would be provided with a very unfashionable, but very decent skirt by the concierge).

After each meal, my father or mother would read a Bible passage, and especially my mother often stressed that you can’t really call yourself a Christian if you didn’t model your life after Christ’s example. I will never forget the weeks where an Afghan refugee family would sleep on the floor in our living room because their asylum application had been denied and they had nowhere else to stay.

Someone who deserves special mention is my maternal grandfather, after whom I’m named. His was a deep faith, a true kindness, a mischievous sense of humour, and an unconditional love for his children and  grandchildren. He and my dear grandmother prayed daily for us. What a blessing that was. He was to me a real holy man, in the true sense of the word. To quote C.S. Lewis in his letter to Mary Shelburne in 1953, “How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing … it is irresistible. If even ten per cent of the world’s population had it, would not the whole world be converted and happy before a year’s end?”.

Not everything was smooth sailing though.

The narrow-mindedness of the Calvinist church I grew up in became increasingly suffocating. The very negative views that my church held about homosexuality didn’t help either. I increasingly felt drawn to more inclusive churches in which the Gospel message of salvation wasn’t filtered through a rigid dogmatic system, but was preached fully and abundantly.

In 2007, I found a lovely and welcoming church community in Rotterdam: St Mary’s Anglican and Episcopal Church. That’s how I became Anglican, and that’s why I’m standing here today.

***

What has this journey taught me over the years? Let me share with you 3 insights that are important to me.

1. The comfort of baptism

When we enter this church, the first thing we encounter is the baptismal font. And that’s for a reason. We need to be constantly reminded of our baptism as the outward and visible sign of God’s grace.

To me, that’s profoundly comforting. God’s grace towards us doesn’t start with us, our efforts, our righteousness, our (often failing) attempts at living a life of integrity and holiness.

No, God takes the initiative. He is there first and choses us, not the other way around.

The French Reformer John Calvin said it beautifully in 1536: “There is no doubt that all pious folk throughout life, whenever they are troubled by a consciousness of their faults, may venture to remind themselves of their baptism, that from it they may be confirmed in assurance of that sole and perpetual cleansing which we have in Christ’s blood.”

That abundance and generosity of God’s grace is something that the workers in the Vineyard in the Parable from the Gospel reading today still had to learn. We can hear it when they grumble about equality as they remind the landowner of the burden they bore.

We all love God’s grace – until it doesn’t line up with our expectations of fairness. Jonah wanted to see Nineveh’s downfall to satisfy his own sense of justice.

But God’s ways are not our own, and our sense of what is fair is not necessarily what is fair in God’s Kingdom.

2. The value of inclusion

Inclusion is a word that is thrown around a lot these days. Often times, when we say that a church community is or should be ‘inclusive’, what we actually mean is ‘diverse’.

Diversity is about the factual makeup of our community – demographics such as gender, ethnicity, age or sexual orientation to name just a few.

Inclusion on the other hand is the practice of making sure that people feel ‘included’, embraced, valued, and safe.

Diversity is the ‘what’, inclusion is the ‘how’.

The Church of England has fortunately made great progress in this regard.

For me personally, that means a great deal.

To quote the pastoral letter of the Bishops of the Church of England from January this year:

“We are united in our desire for a church where everyone is welcome, accepted and affirmed in Christ. With joy we cherish and value the LGBTQI+ members of our churches and celebrate the gifts that each brings as a fellow Christian. We are united in our condemnation of homophobia. We commit ourselves – and urge the churches in our care – to welcome same-sex couples unreservedly and joyfully.” [END OF QUOTE]

Not everybody in our church community here in Athens might fully agree with that, and I understand.

But what I do hope, is that we can find common ground in a firm determination to fight prejudice and stigma on any ground. And that we will treat each other with empathy and respect, recognising that we are all God’s children, regardless of who we are or whom we love.

3. The beauty of holiness

The third lesson is something that I would call the ‘beauty of holiness’, and that Oliver so eloquently described a few weeks ago. Liturgy, music, tradition.

They can lift us up when we are down, they can provide us with the words when we can’t find any.

When our heart is full, or maybe empty, the old hymns, with their profound wisdom and poetry, are the wings that can make our souls fly.

“There’s a wideness in God’s mercy,

Like the wideness of the sea;

There’s a kindness in His justice,

Which is more than liberty.”

A kindness and mercy that Jonah needed to be reminded of, that the workers in the vineyard needed to be reminded, and that we all need to be reminded of.

Or another favourite of mine that we will sing as today’s Offertory:

“Jerusalem the golden,

With milk and honey blest,

Beneath thy contemplation

Sink heart and voice oppressed.

I know not, O I know not,

What joys await us there,

What radiancy of glory,

What bliss beyond compare.”

***

In conclusion.

I recently came across an interesting survey that was conducted worldwide about which sentences we humans like to hear the most. The top 3 was:

1. I love you;
2. I forgive you;
3. Supper is ready.

That is exactly what church is about. That is what God – through Christ – is about.

He loves us. He forgives us. And he shares Himself in Holy Communion.

However messy or inconsistent our own journeys of faith may be, may He be our daily compass.