Service for the 2nd Sunday of Advent – 5th December 2021
St Paul’s Athens
Welcome to all. Our Liturgy is shorter in length and time because today is also our CHRISTMAS BAZAAR. In church please note the distancing rules (1.5m), and the wearing of masks is mandatory in church and around the garden. The presiding priest and preacher is The Revd. Canon Leonard Doolan, Senior Chaplain in Greece.
Entrance Hymn: 3 Come thou long expected Jesus
Priest: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Lord be with you.
All: and also with you
[Lighting of the 2nd Advent Candle
Priest: People of God, be glad! Your God delights in you, giving you joy for sadness and turning the dark to light. Be strong in hope therefore; for your God comes to save. You are God’s children.
All: Lord, make us one in the love of Christ today and forever. Amen]
The priest then welcomes the people of God and the deacon then leads us into Confession.
Priest: When the Lord comes, he will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Therefore in the light of Christ let us confess our sins.
A period of silent stillness follows
Minister: Turn us again, O God our Saviour, and let your anger cease from us.
Kyrie eleison
All: Kyrie eleison.
Minister:Show us your compassion, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.
Christe eleison
All: Christe eleison
Minister:Your salvation is near to those that fear you, that glory may dwell in your land.
Kyrie eleison.
All: Kyrie eleison
Absolution we hear the words of God’s forgiveness to those who are truly penitent
Collect: Let us pray (remain standing as the priest prays the Collect of the Day)
O Lord, raise up, we pray, your power and come among us, and with great might succor us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness we are grievously hindered in running the race that is set before us, your bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit, be honour and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
First Reading (please sit) Malachi 3, 1-4 (Virginia Stevens)
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
Reader: Hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches
All: Thanks be to God.
Hymn: 6 Hark the glad sound
Gospel Reading
Priest: The Lord be with you
All: and also with you
Priest: Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke (Luke3, 1-6)
All: Glory to you, O Lord
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
Priest: This is the gospel of the Lord
All: Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon (Please sit) Sermon available in print and on the website – also recorded
Creed (please stand as we declare our historic faith in the Trinitarian God)
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 and the Son, 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 (Virginia Stevens)
Peace: Our Saviour Christ is the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end. The peace of the Lord be with you always
All: And also with you.
Offertory Hymn 295 Let all mortal flesh (The Collection will be taken)
Priest: Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread to offer. Fruit of the field and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life.
All: Blessed be God for ever!
Priest: Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this wine to offer. Fruit of the field and work of human hands, it will become for us the cup of salvation.
All: Blessed be God for ever!
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
It is indeed right and good to give you thanks and praise, Almighty God and everlasting Father, through Jesus Christ your Son. For when he humbled himself to come among us in human flesh, he fulfilled the plan you formed before the foundation of the world to open up for us the way of salvation. Confident that your promise will be fulfilled, we now watch for the day when Christ our Lord will come again in glory. And so as we join our voices with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven to proclaim your glory for ever praising you and singing:
Sanctus: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest, hosanna in the highest.
Priest: continues until
Praise to you Lord Jesus
All: Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life: Lord Jesus come in glory.
And so, Father… by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever. All: AMEN
The Lord’s Prayer: (you may pray this in your own first 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 Christ
All: Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.
Said: Jesus, Lamb of God, have mercy on us. Jesus bearer of our sins, have mercy on us.
Jesus, redeemer of the world, grant us peace, grant us peace.
Invitation to Holy Communion
Priest: God’s holy gifts for God’s holy people
All: Jesus Christ is holy, Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father
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 Sidespeople guide you forward.
Communion: organ music
Post Communion Prayer: Let us pray (please stand)
All: Father in heaven, who sent your Son to redeem the world and will send him again to be our judge; give us grace so to imitate him in the humility and purity of his first coming that, when he comes again, we may be ready to greet him with joyful love and firm faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Blessing and Dismissal
Priest: Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon you, scatter the darkness from
before your path, and make you ready to meet him when he comes in glory;
and the blessing…
Go in the peace of Christ
All: Thanks be to God.
Fr. Leonard’s usual Day Off – Monday
Home tel : 210 72 14 906; email anglican@otenet.gr
Deacon Chris: 22950 53164: Please avoid contacting Chris on Fridays.
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
Notices: Bishops’ Advent Appeal (check the Diocesan website for more details). We are recommending that during the four weeks of Advent we all collect our 5, 10, and 20 cent coins in jars or containers and hand them to our Treasurer after Christmas. We will then pass onto the appeal via the diocesan account in London. Before handing in your coins you might like to count the money so you know how much you have donated – this year the income will be distributed to parts of Europe that suffered from flooding or fires in the Summer, so Apostoli in Athens is receiving part of it.
- CHRISTMAS BAZAAR: Sunday 5th December beginning at 11.00-16.30. Held in the foyer of the Amphitheatre at the War Museum. All help gladly received! Raffle tickets are now for sale. Fully vaccinated people only will be admitted.
- NIGHT PRAYER during Advent: from 1st -22nd December Night Prayer on Zoom. Please see the website for the Zoom link, or contact Fr. Leonard direct. Please Note – not on Dec 11th & 12th as Fr. Leonard is in Thessaloniki.
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