Sermon for the 10th Sunday after Trinity – 13th August 2023: Matthew. 14: 22-33

ordinand Clary Read  – St Paul’s Athens

“May all our hearts be filled with the Holy Spirit, today and always.  Amen

(Sung) Be Still for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One is here

Come, bow before him now, with reverence and fear.
In him no sin is found, we stand on holy ground.
Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here.

I love this hymn because of the atmosphere it creates encouraging stillness and silence to hear God and feel his presence.

In today’s readings, in addition to the wonderful storytelling of Matthew  involving Jesus, waters, storms, disciples and faith, we hear of taking times of silence and aloneness with God.

In our first reading, we hear of Elijah who, being very distressed has retreated to a cave feeling deflated and simply wanting to die at this point.  As I heard one person say recently, he feels like a punctured balloon, deflated and lifeless.  I am sure we can all relate to feeling like that at one time or another.  Elijah is one of the prophets whose ministry is closest to Jesus in respect of amazing miracles of nature happening but at this stage, even though there are some mighty natural events that shout at him on the mountainside, it is not in these that Elijah receives any clear message.  It is not until he hears the sound of sheer silence that the voice of God comes to him and guides him back on his path of faith.

This shows us that prayer is not just talking to God, though, it is about being with God.  Mother Teresa said “If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you. Then you will know that you are nothing. It is only when you realize your nothingness, your emptiness, that God can fill you with Himself. Souls of prayer are souls of great silence.”

In our Gospel reading, Jesus has just performed the miracle of feeding the 5000 and has sent everyone away.  He has even directed the disciples to set out in the boat ahead of him.  He realises that he needs some silence and aloneness to be with his Father.  He had already tried to find space to have time with God earlier in this Gospel but the crowds expected otherwise.  This time, however he succeeds and he finds that time.  I wonder where we can go to get away from the busyness of our everyday lives.  Somewhere without the technology perhaps – not many of those places left anymore. So Jesus makes his way up the mountain where no one will follow.

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Service for the 10th Sunday after Trinity – 13th August 2023

Welcome to St Paul’s Athens,   especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens. The worship is led by Clary Read who is also preaching.

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

Opening Hymn:  : 430 (Old 120th) O Thou not made with hands

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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Sermon preached on the feast of Transfiguration – 6th August 2023: DANIEL 7: 9-10,13-14, LUKE 9:28-36, ( 2 PETER 1: 36-39)

Deacon Chris Saccali, St Paul’s Athens

May the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts always be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord our strength and Redeemer AMEN

Samothraki was our holiday destination this year, oneiro zois, a dream of a lifetime for me as a classicist and biblical scholar. We went with koumbari, friends from UK, the wife also studied at Bristol university in the Classics department. I took with us Diane Farr Loius’ guidebook Travels in Northern Greece. She is well known to many of us as a travel and cookery writer and for her columns in the dear old Athens News.

She writes : Samothraki is almost all mountain, the pre Greek Samos means high, and the area Thraki Thrace; it is full of jagged volcanic black rock. Saos is the highest peak in the mountain range imaginatively called Fengari, moon. It is the highest peak in the Aegean.

Under this shadow is the sanctuary of the lesser Gods which we three visited on our first full day early in the morning before too much heat and visitors struck. There was an Orthodox church dedicated to the Virgin Mary at the entrance by the car park. We went inside. No reference to St Paul there although he was reputed to have landed from Troas near the Ancient site. There is a landing stage nearby but as my koumbaros, a modern Paul remarked, it was more concrete than ancient stones. My husband stays in the car or coffee shop on these expeditions to churches, ruins and monasteries. Despite the wildness of the terrain, Samothraki is a green island with lush vegetation and full of hydrangeas reminding me of childhood holidays with grandparents in the Isle of Wight.

It took several days and searching online with the aid of Google maps to find where a modern tribute to St Paul was built thanks to a Greek American donor from an Evangelical church. It is a well kept secret and people will put you off seeing it, telling you that you cannot visit. We were a pretty determined trio and the gate was open so we walked up to find a glittering mosaic in panels telling of Paul’s story in Acts and his vision to go across to Macedonia to spread the gospel there. There were many director chairs littered around and a lectern made of stone that reveals events are held there. I will post the photos with an article in the next Newsletter.

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Service for The Transfiguration of our Lord – 6th August 2023

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

The worship is led by Deacon Christine Saccali, who is also the preacher

We have a POS – you can make your donation to St. Paul’s by card. Please come to coffee in the garden after the Liturgy. Follow the service sheet online – wifi password gu5uX8mmtgb8egak

Opening Hymn Introit: 234 (Ratisbon) Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies

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: When Christ appears we shall be like him,

because we shall see him as he is.

As he is pure,

all who have grasped this hope make themselves pure.

So let us confess our sins that mar his image in us.

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

Psalm     540 I Will Bless Your Name Forever, My God and King 

First Reading:      Daniel 7.9-10,13-14 (Jennifer Dovellou)

As I watched,
thrones were set in place,
and an Ancient One^[a] took his throne;
his clothing was white as snow
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames,
and its wheels were burning fire.
¹⁰ A stream of fire issued
and flowed out from his presence.
A thousand thousands served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him.
The court sat in judgment,
and the books were opened.

As I watched in the night visions,

I saw one like a human being^[a]
coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One^[b]
and was presented before him.
¹⁴ To him was given dominion
and glory and kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not pass away,
and his kingship is one
that shall never be destroyed.

Reader:    Hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

All:            Thanks be to God.

Minister:  Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead

All : And Christ shall give you light

Minister: you have died and your life is hid with Christ in God

All: Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead

Minister set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth

All: And Christ shall give you light

Minister: When Christ our life appears you will appear with him in glory

All: Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light

The Benedictus   Luke 1, 68-79     (Please stand to say the canticle together)

1. Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, who has come to his people and set them free.
2. He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour, born of the house of his servant David.
3. Through his holy prophets God promised of old to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all that hate us,
4. To show mercy to our ancestors, and remember your holy covenant.
5. This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
6. Free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.
7. And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
8. To give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of all their sins.
9. In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
10. To shine on those who swell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be; world without end.  Amen.

Hymn   Gradual: 176 (St. Bartholomew) O Vision Blest of Heavenly Light

Gospel Reading:  (Virginia Stevens)   Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus^[a] took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.  And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.  Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking about his exodus, which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem.  Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep, but as they awoke they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.  Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us set up three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” not realizing what he was saying. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.  Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen;^[b] listen to him!”  When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

Reader:  Hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches
All:          Thanks be to God.         

Sermon   (Please be seated)  

The Apostles’ Creed  (remain  standing)

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 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 God the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. 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: (Virginia Stevens)   Lord in your mercy,  Hear our prayer.       

Collect:   led by the Minister

Father in heaven,

whose Son Jesus Christ was wonderfully transfigured

before chosen witnesses upon the holy mountain,

and spoke of the exodus he would accomplish at Jerusalem:

give us strength so to hear his voice and bear our cross

that in the world to come we may see him as he is;

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

All:  Amen

All: 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.

The Peace      (Please stand)           The Minister will introduce words for the Peace

Christ will transfigure our human body

and give it a form like that of his own glorious body.

We are the body of Christ.

We share his peace.

Hymn:    Offertory: 381 (Ewing)) Jerusalem the Golden

(The Collection will be taken during this hymn, remember you can donate by card after the service)

Notices:

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 .

Hymn:      178 (Carlisle) ‘Tis Good, Lord to be Here

Minister:     Let us say the Grace together:   

The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.   Amen.

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

www.anglicanchurchathens.gr

https://www.facebook.com/AnglicanAthens/

@AthensAnglican

Sermon for the 30th July 2023: 1 Kings 3 5-12

Reader Nelly Pareskevopoulou – St Paul’s Athens

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

In our Old Testament reading today we hear the story of King Solomon’s dream. Solomon was David’s son and was also called Jedidiah (Beloved of the Lord).  He built the First Temple of Jerusalem and is portrayed as wealthy, wise and powerful. He was the second son of David and Bathseba and his name means ‘peace’. He is the biblical king most known for his wisdom and is traditionally considered the author of several biblical books, including Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs.

Sometimes in the Bible, God communicates to people in dreams. Some of them are symbolic (like the dreams in Daniel), and some involve explicit instructions from God. There are 21 dreams mentioned in the Bible, 10 of which occur in Genesis. Six dreamers are kings, one is a woman (Pontius Pilates’ wife) and two of the dreamers are named Joseph.

This dream takes place in Gibeon, which was located north of Jerusalem. The remains of Gibeon are located in the southern portion of the Palestinian village of Al-Jib.  In the dream God asks Solomon what he would like him to give him. A generous question for the young king, with a special meaning as he was not even the heir apparent. One would expect Solomon to ask for something material: luxury, power, a long reign. Instead of which, he shows great wisdom and faith. He praised God’s actions “You have shown great and steadfast love”, humility “I am only a little child” Solomon was only 20 years old at that time.

Solomon also implicitly acknowledges that requests for wordly security would violate previous warnings given both from Moses in Deuteronomy and by Samuel, who emphasize that kings should not accumulate riches. Solomon asks God for ‘an understanding mind to govern you people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?’ Solomon knows that an understanding mind is more valuable than traditional signs of kingship. He also integrates morality and asks for goodness in order to perpetuate God’s sovereignty.

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Liturgy of the Word for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity – 30th July 2023

Welcome to St Paul’s Athens,   especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens. The worship is led by Reader Nelly Paraskevopoulou.

Please come to coffee in the garden after the Liturgy. Follow the service sheet online – wifi password gu5uX8mmtgb8egak

Opening Hymn:  Introit: 336 (Tune: Angel Voices) Angel-voices, ever singing

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

Hymn 433 (Hanover) O Worship the King

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Trinity 7 2023 – Sermon preached in St. Paul’s Athens. The final service of Fr. Leonard as chaplain. Readings: Isaiah 44, 6-8; Romans 8, 12-25; Matthew 13, 24-30, 36-43

Fr Leonard Doolan – St Paul’s Athens

At the start of a forty year ministry you can calculate that there are potentially 2,080 Sundays for sermons to be preached – give or take a few for holidays. The few that you deduct for holidays will be more than counterbalanced by those Sundays when more than one sermon is needed – and then there are all those mid-week occasions, such as principal feasts, or saints days, as well as funerals and weddings. So over a trajectory of 40 years the scope for preaching is infinite – and a challenge to any ordained minister. Stamina is an essential characteristic to survive, and even thrive, in public ministry.

It has been my privilege, and indeed a joy, to be a preacher or God’s faithful people in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, Wotton, Glypton and Kiddington in Oxfordshire, the parishes of the Halesworth Team in Suffolk, The Ifield Team in Crawley, West Sussex, Cirencester in Gloucestershire, and lastly here in Athens and around Greece. In the last few years – even before Covid – I took to sending out my sermons weekly both in printed in pre-recorded form, and I am so grateful for the feedback and response I have had from some people over the years. I feel as if the sermons have indeed been appreciated.

But a priest is not only a preacher – there are all the celebrations at the altar, at the font, with couples getting married, at the deathbed of the dying, at the support of those who mourn. There are endless meetings – many of which have no end result, and a whole range of other duties and obligations too many to name.

So what does a priest do in the last sermon he or she preaches, when the 2,080 other possibilities are no longer on the horizon?

Well, I am going to fall back on the three main foundations that have sustained me for the greater part of my life, even from before ordination, and always I look to the holy scriptures for the inspiration, just as on every other occasion.

Of the foundations the first is God – proto o Theos – as the Greeks would say. I have built everything on the one who is the master-builder, the one to whom the prophet Isaiah directs us,

‘I am the first, and I am the last; besides me there is no god…You are my witnesses! Is there any god besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one.’ Isaiah 44, 6-8.

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Fr Leonard’s Final Audio Sermon, Sunday 23rd July 2023 – St Paul’s Athens