Service Sheet for Sunday 27th September 2026 – Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Celebrant Fr. Malcolm Bradshaw
Sung Mass for the twenty-sixth Sunday in ordinary time
Processional: 352 (Diademata) Crown him with many crowns Resp. Psalm: Ps. 25
Gradual: 393 (Mannheim) Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us
Offertory: 398 (All Souls) ‘Lift up your hearts!’ We lift them, Lord, to thee
Communion: 307 (Divine Mysteries) Sweet Sacrament divine
Recessional: 420 (Thornbury) O Jesus, I have promised
All are welcome to stay for refreshments after the liturgy.
The Mass setting is Sir James Macmillan’s ‘St. Anne’s Mass’
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel (18: 25-28)
The word of the Lord was addressed to me as follows: ‘You object, “What the Lord does is unjust.” Listen, you House of Israel: is what I do unjust? Is it not what you do that is unjust? When the upright man renounces his integrity to commit sin and dies because of this, he dies because of the evil that he himself has committed. When the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding and honest, he
deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die.’
The Word of the Lord: Thanks be to God.
Resp. Psalm: Ps. 25: Remember your mercy, Lord.
Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach me: for you are God my saviour. (Response)
Remember your mercy, Lord,
and the love you have shown from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth.
In your love remember me,
because of your goodness, O Lord. (Response)
The Lord is good and upright.
He shows the path to those who stray, He guides the humble in the right path,
He teaches his way to the poor. (Response)
A reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Philippians (1:20-24, 27)
If our life in Christ means anything to you, if love can persuade at all, or the Spirit that we have in common, or any tenderness and sympathy, then be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. That is the one thing which would make me completely happy. There must be no competition among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be self-effacing. Always consider the other person to be better than your-
self, so that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead. In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus:
His state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself
to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are;
and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross.
But God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names
so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld,
should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every tongue should acclaim
Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The Word of the Lord: Thanks be to God.
Gospel acclamation: Alleluia, alleluia! If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him. Alleluia!
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
+ A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew (21: 28-32)
Glory to you, O Lord.
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people, ‘What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, “My boy, you go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not go,” but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, “Certainly, sir,” but did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will?’ ‘The first’ they said. Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.’
The Gospel of the Lord: praise to you, O Christ.
Lord, we pray thee that thy grace may always prevent and follow us, and make us continually to be given to all good works; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP Collect: Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity)
Church Open: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Services: Unless noted, liturgies are followed by refreshments Wednesday 30th September: 10 a.m.; Low Mass
Sunday 4th October: 10 a.m.; Sung Mass
There shall be a short meeting for those who serve refreshments – or those who wish to join the ‘tea rota’ after the service today.
Quiz evening: Friday, 2nd October, at 7:30 p.m., at Apollonos 6.
Please speak to Jean Mertzanakis or Oliver Knight for further particulars.
For the diary: harvest festival at the Kokotos estate (Sunday, 25th October). Please speak to churchwardens Oliver Knight or Lynn Stavrou about reserving a place on the coach.
The Friends of St. Paul’s: please speak to Dimitris Ramantanoglou, or Father Benjamin, about becoming a Friend of the church.
Short prayer booklets (Prime and Compline) are available, please speak to Oliver Knight
Donate electronically by scanning the QR code 
the Church does not receive any funding from the
Church of England or the British Government and is reliant on the goodwill of congregants and visitors. We thank you for your support.
Senior Chaplain: Fr. Benjamin Drury SSC
frbenjamindrury@gmail.com; Home tel.: 210 72 14 906
Assistant Chaplain: Deacon Christine Saccali: 697 737 7655 Church of Sweden: Fr. Bjorn Kling: 694 6072428
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