Sermon preached on Pentecost Sunday – 28th May 2023 (Year A):ACTS 2:1-21, 1 CORINTHIANS 12:3b-13, JOHN 7:37-39

Deacon Chris Saccali – St Paul’s Athens

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

We start where we left off two weeks ago talking about the Holy Spirit, ascension has intervened we have been praying the great novena – the nine days between Ascension and Pentecost  reflecting on the initiative of Thy kingdom Come. Here what Pope Francis had to say on 15^th May in his daily missive, journey with the Pope.

‘ The Holy Spirit wants to stay with us : he is not a passing guest who comes to pay us a courtesy visit. He is a companion for life , a stable presence. He is Spirit and presence. He is spirit and desires to dwell in our spirits. He is patient and stays with us when we fall.He remains because he truly loves us ,  he does not pretend to love us, and then leave us alone when things get difficult.No. he is faithful.He is transparent., he is authentic.’

My only quibble with this inspiring text is the pronoun HE used to describe the Holy Spirit. To aghio pneum, a, a neuter noun in Greek, but it is often thought of as feminine. Think of the worship song the Enemy of Apathy whose first line goes,’ She sits like a bird brooding on the waters….’ Referring to the Spirit long before the existence of the world. The Old and New testament are full of references to the Holy Spirit as a consistent presence from Creation to new creation.

You can decide for yourself how to best describe the Spirit of the three person Trinity, along with all the descriptions we heard two weeks ago such as Advocate, Comforter and Paraclete. And we may need to consider how our leanings and feelings change throughout our age, stage of life and circumstances.

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Service for Pentecost Sunday – 28th May 203

Welcome to St. Paul’s Athens especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens.  We have a POS facility so you can make a donation by card. There is coffee in the garden after the Liturgy. The church history and guide book ‘Opening Doors’ will be on sale – €10,00. You can use the POS to purchase this as well as cash. Fr. Leonard is in Crete this weekend for the Souda Bay Commemoration.

The presiding priest this morning is Fr. Bjorn of the Swedish Church. The deacon and preacher is the Revd. Christine Saccali.

Entrance Hymn:    364 God is love  (tune Blaenwern 408)

Priest:  Alleluia! Christ is risen

All:       He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Priest: The Lord be with you

All:       And also with you

The priest then welcomes the people of God and then the deacon 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.

Gloria:      Glory to God in the highest, peace to his people on earth. Glory to God in the highest, 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, have mercy on us, you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive, 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) 

God, who as at this time taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgement in all things and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

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Sermon for Ascension Sunday – 21st May 2023:

Fr Leonard Dolan – St Paul’s Athens

I have just had a remarkable experience visiting the Seven Churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. St. John, thrust into exile on the island of Patmos, has visions – a revelation – part of which are Christ-centred ‘messages’ or letters to the Seven Churches of the area we now would call Asia Minor. Be careful – these are not congregations gathered in a church building, but little fragile groups of people that might just be called a ‘community’ in seven very significant cities in that part of what is now Turkey.

In Smyrna, Izmir, we have two churches – St. John the Evangelist, and a small neo-classical church in the Bornova district that has some superb stained glass windows. I mention this because we have have some members of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers with us this morning. If you visit this church you will be enthusiastic by the superb stained glass window, especially the one with all the imagery of the ‘Christ of the Seven Churches. This window was made Kempe, the great stained glass window expert, influenced by William Morris.

Smyrna, Ephesus, Pergamum, Colossae, Laodicea, Sardis, Philadelphia; all well established cities of the Graeco-Roman Empire with theatres, libraries, Council Chambers, baths, public latrines, houses, and other civic buildings including temples to the pan-theistic Gods.

All these cities have citizens who don’t have a religion as such as we would understand it – they simply worship whoever is the emperor. This is the pagan world. Those who stood out were the Jews – they worshipped a God who was not the Emperor – and they made no recognition of the immense temples erected to the Gods of the pagan Greek or Roman culture.

Ephesus, one of the seven cities, had a temple to the Goddess Artemis. This was one of the wonders of the ancient world. We know about this, not only from the message of the Book of Revelation, but because St. Paul wrote a Letter to the Christian Community there.

What we also know is that many of the little communities of new Christians had emerged from Judaism, the religion of the Jews. This is not unusual – why should it be, as Jesus was a Jew. We were honoured on our visit to Smyrna, or Izmir, to be guided around the three main synagogues of the present day city, all of which are very historic.

‘Hear what the Spirit says to the churches’. The message in each of the Seven missals has a common thread – emphasized by our very able guide, Fr. James, our priest in Izmir – First there is a greeting that speaks of some attribute of Christ; second an acknowledgment that Christ ‘knows’ that church; thirdly that any good things are acknowledged; but then there is a rebuke and a counselling; and finally that there is a victorious Christ.

The church community is encouraged to ‘stand out’ from its pagan context; to refuse conformity to the prevailing pagan spiritual powers. In essence to reject and be distinct – to have a different identity to what has been inherited. This is an important challenge, and is no different to us now as Christians. How are Christians distinct in the world?

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Audio Sermon for Ascension Sunday – 21 May 2023

Fr Leonard Doolan – St Paul’s Athens

Service for Ascension Sunday, 21st May 2023 – 7th Sunday of Easter

Welcome to St. Paul’s Athens especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens. Welcome to members of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers (City of London) visiting Athens for a few days. After the Liturgy we gather in the church garden for coffee and refreshments. You can make a donation by card – we have a POS.

The presiding priest and preacher this morning is The Revd. Canon Leonard Doolan, Senior Chaplain. The Assistant is Angelos Palioudakis.

Entrance Hymn    453  Stand up, stand up for Jesus!

Priest: Alleluia! Christ is risen

 All:     He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

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

Silence

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

Kyrie eleison

All:             Kyrie eleison

Assistant: Lord Jesus, you forgive us our sins.

Christe eleison

All:            Christe eleison

Assistant: 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 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

              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) 

Risen, ascended Lord, as we rejoice at your triumph, fill your Church on earth with power and compassion, that all who are estranged by sin may find forgiveness and know our peace, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

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EPISTLE TO THE ATHENIANS SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR A – 14 May 2023 : ACTS 17:22-31, PETER 3:13-22, JOHN 14:15-21

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

Here we are at St Paul’s Athens just up the road from the Areopagus – Mars Hill, where Paul, yes St Paul, made his famous speech we heard in Acts, the compulsory reading from the lectionary today. What does that mean for modern Athenians, members of St Paul’s and pilgrims and visitors today? I still find that sight of that rock incredible after over forty years living here. There is an exhibition of a series of photos taken there over the last 150 years featured in the current edition of the airport magazine. I often wonder what kind of epistle St Paul would have written to the Athenians.

We can get some clues from looking again at the speech, although it is hard to tell whether his famous words are a triumph or disaster of Evangelism preached from the rock that was where the ancient legal Court of Appeals was.

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Service for the 6th Sunday of Easter – 14th May 2023

Welcome to St. Paul’s Athens especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens.  Please stay for refreshments in the church garden after the Liturgy. You can download the service on a device – ask for the password. You can make your donation by card – we have a POS.

The presiding priest this morning is Fr. Bjorn Kling, the Church of Sweden pastor, and the deacon and preacher is Deacon Christine.

Entrance Hymn    237  Morning has broken

Priest:    Alleluia! Christ is risen

 All:        He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

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.

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 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, the only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sing 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 glory of God  the Father.  Amen. Amen

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

Risen Christ, by the lakeside you renewed your call to your disciples: help your Church to obey your command and draw the nations to the fire of your love, to the glory of God the Father.  Amen.

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Sermon preached by Fr. Leonard on Sunday 7th May, to mark the Coronation of King Charles III

Those worshipping in St. Paul’s today will see that the hymns have tunes named after the four nations that constitute the United Kingdom – Crimmond from Scotland, Londonderry for Northern Ireland, Cwm Rhondda and Blanwaern from the great hymn singing country of Wales, and to represent England a hymn tune known as Westminster Abbey.

Tens of millions of eyes worldwide would have become familiar with Westminster Abbey as the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla (as she now is) unfolded. It may now be the best known church in the world, ranking alongside St. Peter’s basilica in Rome.

The Abbey has so many extraordinary features – the Shrine of St. Edward the Confessor; the burial place of so many kings and queens; the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior; Poets’ Corner where some of the greatest literary giants are remembered.

The Abbey is also home to a staggering array of other memorials to well -known people, celebrities in their own day. I would like to take you to just one such memorial in particular; that of the great 17^th Century musician, Henry Purcell. Dido and Aeneas, The Fairy Queen, Come ye sons of art, Hail! Bright Cecilia, the Funeral Sentences and literally dozens and dozens more compositions. He was a 17^th Century superstar and he would have had his own fan club as celebrities do today, just not on the same social media.

His memorial stone in the Abbey makes interesting reading, and perhaps points us to something that will enlighten us on the weekend of a King’s coronation. This is how the memorial reads:

Here lyes HENRY PURCELL, Esqr. who left this life and is gone to that blessed place where only his harmony can be exceeded.

These words celebrate a musician at the very top of his game – one might think that no music could be more sublime – yet he has passed to a place where even his music is exceeded – in tune with heaven, and the chorus of the angels and Archangels and all the heavenly host as they glorify the majesty of God.

These memorial sentiments direct us to a right balance in the aftermath of yesterday’s national (UK) celebration of monarchy, with its elaborate religious ceremony.

St. Paul’s Athens congregation is a diverse congregation and we have members who would have been glued to the TV screen yesterday, through to those for whom, understandably, there might not even be muted interest. Such is life’s rich complexity.

Wherever we are on that spectrum I would like to suggest at least two things that we might learn from yesterday’s Coronation ceremony, things that we would be wise to heed and understand.

The first point is this. Purcell’s memorial words assist us with this, and I will put it plainly. King Charles III’s majesty is exceeded by that of our heavenly King, the King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s. However, we need to be a little more analytical.

One of the most solemn moments in the Coronation ceremony is that of the Anointing with the Oil of Chrism. This is a moment so solemn that it is done out of public view a moment when an earthly King is anointed in a sacramental act – in reality not so much a hidden secret, but rather a mystery; a mystery that is announcing something profound about the alchemy of humanity sharing in the glory of God. In His anointing there is an anointing of God’s people.

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Audio Sermon for Coronation Sunday, 5th Sunday after Easter – 7th May 2023