Service for Easter Sunday – 17th April 2022

The Anglican Church in Greece

Happy Easter! Welcome to our Easter Sunday worship. After the Liturgy there is an Easter breakfast in the church garden. Please remember about social distancing and be sensitive to people’s concerns about proximity/mask wearing.

Hymn    112   Jesus Lives!

 

Priest: Alleluia! Christ is risen

All:     He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

 

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

Silence

Deacon: Lord Jesus, you raise us to new life.

Kyrie eleison

All:          Kyrie eleison

Deacon: Lord Jesus, you forgive us our sins.

Christe eleison

All:          Christe eleison

Deacon:  Lord Jesus, you feed us with the living bread.

Kyrie eleison

All:          Kyrie eleison

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.

 

Gloria:  Glory in the highest to the God of heavens:

              Peace to all your people through the earth be given.

              Mighty God and Father, thanks and praise we bring,

              Singing Alleluia! To the heavenly King.

 

              Jesus Christ is risen, God the Father’s Son;

              With the Holy Spirit, you are Lord alone.

              Lamb once killed for sinners, all our guilt to bear,

              Show us now your mercy, now receive our prayer.

 

              Christ the world’s true Saviour, high and holy one,

              Seated now and reigning from your Father’s throne:

              Lord and God, we praise you! Highest heaven adores:

              In the Father’s glory, all the praise be yours!

 

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

God of glory, by the raising of your Son you have broken the chains of death and hell: fill your Church with faith and hope: for a new day has dawned and the way to life stands open in our Saviour Jesus Christ.  Amen.

First Reading    (please sit)                                              Acts 10, 34-43   (Olivier Rabby)

Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

This is the word of the Lord

All: Thanks be to God. Alleluia!

 Gospel Hymn  110   Jesus Christ is risen today

 

Gospel Reading       

Deacon:     Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! The Lord is risen. Alleluia!

All (sung):  Alleluia              

 Deacon:   The Lord be with you

All:            and also with you

 Deacon: Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Luke    (Luke 24, 1-12)

All:          Glory to you, O Lord

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

At the end of the Gospel

Deacon:  This is the gospel of the Lord, Alleluia!

All:           (Sung)  Alleluia

Sermon   (Please sit)                               Most sermons are available on the website

 

Renewal of Baptismal belief 

In baptism, God calls us out of darkness into his marvellous light. To follow Christ means dying to sin and rising to new life with him. Therefore I ask:

Priest: Do you reject the devil and all rebellion against God?

All:      I reject them.

Priest: Do you renounce the deceit and corruption of evil?

All:      I renounce them.

Priest: Do you repent of the sins that separate us from God and neighbour?

All:      I repent of them.

Priest: Do you turn to Christ as Saviour?

All:      I turn to Christ.

Priest: Do you submit to Christ as Lord?

All:      I submit to Christ.

Priest: Do you come to Christ, the way, the truth and the life?

All:      I come to Christ.

 Priest: Do you believe and trust in God the Father?

All:       I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

Priest: Do you believe and trust in his Son Jesus Christ?

All:       I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

             who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

             born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,

             was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.

             On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven,

             he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

             and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

 Priest:  Do you believe and trust in the Holy Spirit?

All:        I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints,

              the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

 

Intercessions: Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer             (Nelly Pareskovopoulou)

 

Peace:  Alleluia! Alleluia! The risen Lord came among his disciples and said, ‘Peace be with you’. Then were they glad when they saw the Lord! Alleluia!

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

All:     And also with you. Alleluia! Alleluia!

 

Offertory Hymn  103  Alleluia      (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

 

The priest then continues singing the prayer to which we all listen with prayerful hearts until

‘for evermore praising you and singing’…

 

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.

 

The prayer continues until the Acclamation:

Deacon:    Jesus Christ is the bread of life, Alleluia!

All (sung): And I will raise you up, and I will raise you up,

                   and I will raise you up on the last day.

Deacon:     Jesus Christ is the cup of salvation, Alleluia!

All (sung): And I will raise you up, and I will raise you up,

                    and I will raise you up on the last day.

At the end of the Thanksgiving Prayer Amen. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

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

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.

 

Invitation to Holy Communion

 

Priest:  Alleluia! Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us

All:       Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia!

 

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

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

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

 

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:  115     Now the green blade riseth.

 

Post Communion Prayer:  Let us pray     (please stand)

God of life, who for our redemption gave your only begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection have delivered us from the power of our enemy: grant us to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live in him in the joy of his risen life; though Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

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 and Easter Song:  Allelu, Allelu, Allelu, alleluia! We’ll praise the Lord.

 We’ll praise the Lord, Alleluia!

 

Post Communion Hymn:  120  Thine be the glory!

 

Priest:     God the Father, by whose love Christ was raised from the dead, open to you who believe the gates of eternal life.

All:          Amen

Priest:     God the Son, who in bursting from the grave has won a glorious victory, give you

joy as you share the Easter faith.

All:          Amen

Priest:     God the Holy Spirit, who filled the disciples with the joy of the risen Lord,

empower you and fill you with Christ’s peace.

All:          Amen

Priest:     And the blessing….

 

Deacon:  Go in the peace of Christ. Alleluia! Alleluia!

All:           Thanks be to God. Alleluia! Alleluia!

 

Next Week’s Readings (Easter 2):  Acts 5, 27-32; Rev 1, 4-8; John 20, 19-31

 

Fr. Leonard’s usual Day Off – Monday  (in emergencies contact Deacon Christine)

Home tel :  210 72 14 906;  email anglican@otenet.gr

Deacon Chris: 22950 53164: Day off – Friday

Swedish Church: contact Fr. Bjorn on  694 607 2428

 

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