In Memoriam
02/08/2020 In Blog News

In Memoriam – John Walter Day

IN MEMORIAM

JOHN WALTER DAY

On Sunday, 26th July, a Service of Thanksgiving, led by Rev. Deacon Christine Saccali, was held at St. Paul’s in remembrance of long-time friend and supporter of the Chaplaincy, John Day. On retirement, and after relocating to Athens, both John and his wife, Katya, attended St. Paul’s for more than 30 years and John was a Churchwarden for many of them, serving first alongside Harry Hill, then Ron Turnnidge and finally Linda Paparsenos – their shared tenure was a long one. As Churchwarden, John was an ex-officio member of the Church Council and his knowledge of the workings, rules and regulations of the church was often called on. After the loss of his wife, Katya, a few years ago, John continued to attend and also to enjoy the social life offered by the church community until his health failed and he became housebound.

 

Tributes were paid, first by Jean Mertzanakis, whose personal memories of John included his love of conversation, his interest in world affairs, his cooking abilities, his love of ‘real English tea’ and ‘real ale’ and his enjoyment of after-church get-togethers with congregation members after the Sunday Service. She ended with a tribute from a member of the congregration now resident in California, who remembered John as a quiet, thoughtful man, always well-dressed, who never spoke without due care and consideration. Linda Paparsenos then outlined his life as a Spitfire pilot in WW2, his career in banking, his life with Katya in Athens and all the social events they enjoyed together – particularly one fancy-dress party where they came in casual clothing, each wearing a pair of antlers, in the role of “Two Old Dears”. Mr. Dennis Wilson then spoke about John’s role as a founding and leading member of the first English-speaking Masonic Lodge in Athens and the valuable role he played in its life as organiser and adviser, held in great respect by all, until ill-health prevented him from doing so. John’s sister-in-law Rania concluded by saying how comforting it was for the family to learn how loved and esteemed John had been by so many people in a life filled with enjoyment and humour here in Greece.

Although singing was not possible due to Covid 19 precautions, organist Christina played “Oh God our help in ages past” and “Guide me o Thou O Great Redeemer”. Friends met afterwards to toast John and remember him with great affection.

 

Jean Mertzanakis

sermon news
01/08/2020 In Sermons & Services

Trinity 8 Sermon 2 August 2020: : Romans 9, 1-5; Matthew 14, 13-21

Fr Leonard Doolan – St Paul’s Athens

 

Jesus feeds the 5000. All four of the gospels record a feeding miracle on a massive scale, though often with the statistics understood in different ways – well, that is the thing with statistics, isn’t it. Sometimes it is 4,000, sometimes 5,000 – sometimes it is just men, other times it is only men recorded, but with a codicil – and women and children as well.

 

Whatever, it is catering on a massive scale with not much of a food supply – many a Greek Mother or grandmother will know the feeling as she creates a tasty meal from almost no ingredients. But this is undersupply on a serious scale. A few loaves, and maybe a few fish, depending on which version you read.

 

Imagine if Jesus were to try and do this in our own time – I guess a fine of €20,000 would be slapped on him, especially if there were no masks, social distancing, and sanitizer, and how much cling film would be needed to wrap each piece of bread before distribution. I am jesting of course – because what we have recorded here in scripture is truly feeding on a miraculous dimension.

 

On the one hand we have the record of the miracle, and it stands for itself; on the other hand we have the joy of how to interpret this. We don’t have a dilemma, by the way. I will not be trying to explain away this glorious miracle, but it in the preacher’s job to give some interpretation for our own context.

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Trinity
24/07/2020 In Blog News

The Anglican Church in Greece Celebrating the Saints (July 26th 2020)

Welcome to our Sunday worship which this morning is a Service of the Word. As July is a month of saints like  Thomas (3rd), Benedict (11th), Margaret of Antioch (20th), Mary Magdalene (22nd), Bridget of Sweden (23rd) , James (25th) and others our worship will focus on celebrating the saints.

 

We are not yet encouraged to sing in our churches because of virus transmission.

 

The preacher this morning is Deacon Christine.

 

Deacon:  Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

All:           and also with you.

Deacon: Our Lord Jesus Christ said; the first commandment is this:  Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There  is no other commandment greater than these. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

     All:         Amen. Lord have mercy.

 

There is a short period of silence, followed by Confession.

All: 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.

Deacon:   May the God of love and power forgive us and free us from our sins, heal and strengthen us by his Spirit, and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord.   Amen.

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sermon news
24/07/2020 In Sermons & Services

Sermon Preached at St Paul’s Athens Sunday 19th July 2020

Dr. Julia L. Shear

 

Take my mind and think through it, take my mouth and speak through it, take our hearts and set them on fire.

 

Two weeks ago, we read to a passage from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans in which he talks about the difficulties of following the law.  I have in mind especially his phrase ‘with my mind, I am a slave to the law of God, but, with my flesh, I am a slave to the law of sin’.  The difficulties of following the law, of course, do not excuse us from working on putting it into practice!  Today, I want to think about what it might mean to put the law into practice on a regular basis.  When I say the law here, I have particularly in mind how it is articulated in one version of the order of service for the Eucharist in the Anglican church.  At the beginning of the service, after the prayer of preparation, we have the summary of the law:

Our Lord Jesus Christ said: the first commandment is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord.  You shall love the Lord your god with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’  The second is this: ‘love your neighbour as yourself’.  There is no other commandment greater than these.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

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17/07/2020 In Blog News

6th Sunday after Trinity (July 19th 2020)

Welcome to St. Paul’s Athens especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens. Hand sanitizing and social distancing is required at the present time. We are advised not to sing. Only the ‘holy bread’ of Communion is being distributed. There is no Sunday School yet, and no refreshments after the Liturgy.

 

Fr. Bjorn Kling, Pastor of the Swedish Church is presiding this morning.

 

Priest:    In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

All:         Amen

Priest:    The Lord be with you

All:         And also with you

 

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

Silence and stillness follows

 

All:  Father eternal, giver of light and grace, we have sinned against you and against our neighbour, in what we have thought, in what we have said and done, through ignorance, through weakness, through our own deliberate fault. We have wounded your love, and marred your image in us. We are sorry and ashamed, and repent of all our sins. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, who died for us, forgive us all that is past; and lead us out from darkness to walk as children of light. Amen.

 

Absolution: Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus 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 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) 

Creator God, you made us in your image: may we discern you in all that we see, and serve you in all that we do; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 

First Reading    (please sit)                                                             Genesis Romans 8, 12-25

So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

 

Reader: This is the word of the Lord

All:         Thanks be to God.

 

As the gospel book is processed the organ will play.

Gospel Reading        (turn towards the gospel book)

Priest:     Alleluia! Alleluia! The word of the Lord endures for ever. The word of the Lord is good news announced to you.  Alleluia!

All:           Alleluia            

Priest:      The Lord be with you

All:            and also with you

Priest:      Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Matthew

(Mt. 13, 24-30, 36-43)

All:            Glory to you, O Lord

He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

At the end of the Gospel

Priest:     This is the gospel of the Lord

All:           Praise to you, O Christ.

 

Homily  (Please sit)  Most sermons are available on the website in printed or audio format

 

Creed   (Please stand)

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, 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:  (please sit)   Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer.

                            (Intercessor Magdalen Imarghiagbo)

 

Peace:  God is love, and those who live in love live in God and God lives in them. Th epeace of the Lord be always with you.

All:        And also with you.

We are then invited us to acknowledge our neighbours but without a handshake.

 

As the altar is prepared the organ will play.

 

(The bread and wine, signs of work and life are brought to the altar and received with the words)

Priest:  Holy God, holy and strong, holy and immortal, give us the bread of everlasting life,

and make us branches of the true vine.

All:       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

Priest:  Priest:  Blessed are you, Lord God, our light and our salvation; to you be glory and praise for ever!  From the beginning you have created all things and all your works echo the silent music of your praise. In the fullness of time you made us in your image, the crown of all creation.  You give us breath and speech that with angels and archangels and all the powers of heaven we may find a voice to sing your praise:

All:   Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Glory be to thee, O Lord most high. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

 

Priest: How wonderful the work of your hands, O Lord! As a mother tenderly gathers her children you embraced a people as your own. When they turned away and rebelled your love remained steadfast.  From them you raised up Jesus our Saviour, born of Mary, to be the living bread, in whom all our hungers are satisfied.  He offered his life for sinners and with a love stronger than death he opened wide his arms on the cross. On the night before he died, he came to supper with his friends, and taking bread, he gave you thanks. He broke it and gave it to them, saying: Take eat: this is my body which is given for you, do this in remembrance of me. At the end of supper, taking the cup of wine, he gave you thanks, and said: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

Priest:     Christ is the bread of life

All:           When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus,

                 until you come in glory.

 

Priest : Father, we plead with confidence his sacrifice made once for all on the cross: we remember his dying and rising in glory, and we rejoice that he prays for us at your right hand. Pour out your Holy Spirit as we bring before you these gifts of your creation; may they be for us the body and blood of your dear Son. As we eat and drink these holy things in your presence, form us in the likeness of Christ, and build us into a living temple to your glory. Remember Lord your Church in every land. Reveal her unity, guard her faith, and preserve her in peace with our Bishop Robert and all the congregations of this diocese; bring her at the last with the Holy Mother of God, Paul, and all the saints to the vision of that eternal splendour for which you have created us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, by whom and with whom and in whom, with all who stand before you earth and heaven, we worship you in songs of everlasting praise;

All: Blessing and honour and glory and power be yours for ever and ever. Amen.  

 

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.

 

Said:    Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us,

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

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

 

Invitation to Communion

 

Priest:  Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Happy are those

who are called to his supper.

All:       Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed

 

All baptized Christians may come forward to receive the body of Christ. If you wish you may receive a blessing. Please let the Sides-people guide you forward.  

During the distribution of Holy Communion the organ will play.

 

Post Communion Prayer:  Let us pray     (please stand)

God of our pilgrimage, you have led us to the living water: refresh and sustain us as we go forward on our journey, in the name of 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

 

Blessing and Dismissal

Priest:     The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in

the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord; and the

blessing…. Amen.

 

Priest:     Go in peace to love and serve the Lord

All:           In the name of Christ. Amen.

 

Next Week’s Readings:  (Deacon Christine with a Service of the Word) Rom 8, 26-end; Mt 13, 31-33, 44-52)

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: 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 income other than from the generosity of those who worship here.

You can now also donate via PayPal.  Click here to donate

 

 

 

sermon news
12/07/2020 In Sermons & Services

Trinity 5 – 12 July 2020 : Romans 8, 1-11; Matthew 13, 1-9, 18-23

Sermon preached in St. Paul’s Athens and for the congregation at Thessaloniki. Revd Canon. L Doolan.

 

The other day we had some water melon – karpouzi. The word it comes from karpos just means fruit generally, and karpoferos means fruitful.

As always with water melon there is the negotiation of all the juicy fruit with the ubiquitous black seeds. A Water melon is indeed fruitful in every sense. Having made on the side of my plate a little collection of the seeds I casually cast them into an unused but soil filled flower pot near me on the balcony of our apartment. I covered them with a bit of the soil and gave them a bit of water. I have to confess I then rather forgot about them, but I didn’t neglect them. Every 2 or 3 days they got a little watering. I am not green-fingered, so I had little or no expectation from my actions.

To my surprise, about a week later, there was suddenly a clump of new seedlings crowded together, with no social distancing, in the centre of the pot. As the seedlings grew and became a bit willowy looking, I gathered up several other pots, all of which had soil in from previous plants that had long since died off. The soil in each of the pots was of varying quality. Some was so dried out it broke into big clumps when I applied the trowel, but more recently filled pots had better quality of soil.

The time came for me to divide up the seedlings before they competed against each other too much for space. I can report that the progress of the seedlings is very variable. Some just didn’t survive the transplant, others look as if they are struggling, a few appear to be doing quite well.

Of course they were different heights and different levels of strength before I planted them out, but the key thing for the growth of all of them was the quality of the soil. The seedlings had an equal amount of sunshine, water and heat, but across the 4 pots the soil was not of consistent quality.

I will tell you if I ever manage to grow a full size karpouzi plant that fruits successfully. Will the karpouzi  plant become karpofero?

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sermon news
04/07/2020 In Sermons & Services

Sermon for the 4th Sunday after Trinity – 5 July 2020: Romans 7, 15-25; Matthew 11, 16-19, 25-end.

Revd Canon Leonard Doolan – St Paul’s Athens

 

Over these last few months and seemingly endless weeks, Deacon Christine and I, between us, have provided worship on Facebook, printed and recorded sermons, a Zoom service on Sunday, followed by a Liturgy at Noon since May 17th, a mid-week Zoom Evening Prayer, a Friday bible study by Zoom,  and phone calls and emails to try and stay connected with our widely spread congregation.

We have done our best! I know that a good number of people have expressed their thanks already. If there have been any failings, we seek your understanding. These have been times that have impacted on everyone, and at all levels, including our emotional and psychological well – being.

There have been surprising successes and achievements during this time, and there have been deep disappointments. The pandemic has brought out the best in some people and the worst in others. It shows the differences in our human characteristics. For some, the strain of the pandemic just reached out to their baser instincts.

We have all tried to negotiate this season to the best of our mixed abilities – and more will be demanded from us, for ‘normal’ is a long way off, and anyway, people speak of a ‘new normal’, realizing that things will not be exactly the same again – indeed some things we must try to ensure are not the same as before., since some human patterns have given the oxygen that this virus needed in order to thrive so dramatically and tragically.

 

We will all want things to be different, yet we will all want things to be the same. It is a dilemma – a human dilemma. St. Paul approaches this dilemma in his letter to the Romans. Paul is surprisingly perceptive, if not shockingly frank, because in addressing his own ethical decision making processes he touches each one of us. What he experiences and describes is what we all experience, and we can each describe it in our own way, with our own narrative.

Paul frames the human dilemma around the law (that is the law that is inherited around the Ten Commandments), the spirit, flesh and the spirit, our human actions and sin.

To try and put it bluntly – no matter how I try to do good, which would always by my first choice, because I am a sinful human being, I will often do something that turns out to be the opposite. I would love always to do good – but there are times when despite my intentions – I will end up doing the opposite.

Can you and I relate to that? I think we probably can, because basically we are good and well intentioned human beings, but it is because we are human beings that we will often fail ourselves. We can hear that phrase that we dread – ‘he meant well’. This usually means that the person has let himself or herself down quite seriously.

 

St. Paul hits it on the head – it is the human condition, capable of aspiring to great and kind things, but capable also of terrible atrocities and cruelty. We can’t always control our own will, so we are dependent on the gracious action of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Shortly afterwards Paul extols life in the Holy Spirit of God, and says, ‘When we cry “Abba”, Father! It is the very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ – if, in fact we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.’ (Rom 8, 16-17).

It would be all too easy for us, who perceive the presence and power of sin with us – and who can identify with that very human dilemma as Paul describes it – to feel that we just can’t win, so why try. You could be lying down in the mud, and you would be facing the wrong way for someone.

Clearly when comparing John the Baptist and Christ we experience this human ambivalence. Jesus tells us that John lived an ascetic life, a life of personal disciplines, and he neither ate nor drank. This evoked the response that he was possessed in some way – so that particular model of life didn’t endear itself to the people. Jesus, on the other hand, referred to in the gospel reading as ‘the Son of Man’ engaged in wedding parties, was invited to dine with people, ate with the ‘low-lifes’, joined in with wealthy pharisees’ supper parties. In some ways he was the life and soul of a party, yet the people wanted to brand him as a glutton and a drunkard.

Neither one model nor the other seemed to satisfy the opinions and prejudices of the people. Neither John nor Jesus could win. So what should we do if we feel the constant inner conflicts that are the natural partners of being human. Easily we could feel crushed and despondent. But no – we cry out ‘Abba, Father’ a cry in the Spirit, for the Spirit.

Words of comfort in this human dilemma ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’ We are not alone; we are never alone; we don’t have to face the dilemmas of frail human life alone, for all our life is lived within the life-giving fellowship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We cry out Abba – we invite the Spirit – we turn our burdens in the direction of the Christ who lived and died for us.

So – take heart. Hold fast to what we know is good about our faith. Live as much as you can in the Spirit and the Spirit will give life. But when we want to do what we would wish to do, but don’t do it because of the sin that is in us – to use St. Paul’s language – walk humbly to Christ and he will receive us as we are, and in his love and grace we will be transformed into the people that God wills us to become.

 

 

Eat & Drink
04/07/2020 In Blog News

4th Sunday after Trinity (July 5th 2020)

Welcome to St. Paul’s Athens especially if you are here

for the first time or visiting Athens. Hand sanitizing and social distancing is required at the present time. We are advised not to sing. Only the ‘holy bread’ of Communion is being distributed. There is no Sunday School yet, and no refreshments after the Liturgy.

 

The presiding priest and preacher is Fr. Leonard. The deacon is The Revd. Deacon Christine Saccali.

 

(At the door)

Priest:    Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit

All:         Blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever. Amen

Priest:    There is one body and one spirit.

All:         There is one hope to which we are called

Priest:    one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

All:         one God and Father of all.

Priest:    The Lord be with you

All:         and also with you.

 

The organ will play for the clergy to enter.

 

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

Silence and stillness follows

 

All:  Father eternal, giver of light and grace, we have sinned against you and against our neighbour, in what we have thought, in what we have said and done, through ignorance, through weakness, through our own deliberate fault. We have wounded your love, and marred your image in us. We are sorry and ashamed, and repent of all our sins. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, who died for us, forgive us all that is past; and lead us out from darkness to walk as children of light. Amen.

 

Absolution: Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

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