Service for Palm Sunday – 24th March 2024

Welcome to St. Paul’s Athens especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens.  We will begin outside with the blessing of palm crosses and process into church.  Do stay for coffee in the church garden after the Liturgy.

The presiding priest is Fr Marcus Ronchetti. The deacon is The Revd. Deacon Christine Saccali.

 Liturgy of Palms (in the Garden)

All:  Hosanna to the Son of David, the King of Israel. Blessed is he who comes in the name of      the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Priest:  Behold your king comes to you, O Zion, meek and lowly, sitting upon an ass. Ride on in the cause of truth and for the sake of justice. Your throne is the throne of God, it endures for ever; and the sceptre of your kingdom is a righteous sceptre. You have loved righteousness and hated evil. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.

All:   Hosanna to the Son of David, the King of Israel. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Priest: Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, during Lent we have been preparing by works of love and self-sacrifice for the celebration of our Lord’s death and resurrection. Today we come together to begin this solemn celebration in union with the Church throughout the world. Christ enters his own city to complete his work as our Saviour, to suffer, to die, and to rise again. Let us go with him in faith and love, so that, united with him in his sufferings, we may share his risen life.

The people hold up palms or branches while this prayer is said by the priest

God our Saviour, whose Son Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem as Messiah to suffer and to die; let these palms +  be for us signs of his victory and grant that we who bear them in his name may ever hail him as our King, and follow him in the way that leads to eternal life; 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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Service for Passion Sunday – 17th March 2024

Welcome to St. Paul’s Athens especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens. There is coffee in the garden after the liturgy.

The presiding priest and preacher is Fr. Marcus Ronchetti. The deacon is Deacon Christine Saccali.

At the door (please turn)

Priest:    Give us true repentance; forgive us our sins of negligence and ignorance and our

deliberate sins: and grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit to amend our lives

according to your holy word.

All:           Holy God, holy and strong, holy and immortal, have mercy upon us.]

Entrance Hymn    62 (Herzliebster Jesu) Ah, holy Jesu, how hast thou offended

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

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

Silence and stillness follows

Deacon: We confess to you our selfishness and lack of love: fill us with your Spirit.

Kyrie eleison

All:          Kyrie eleison

Deacon:  We confess to you our fear and failure in sharing our faith: fill us with your Spirit.

Christe eleison

All:          Christe eleison

Deacon: We confess to you our stubbornness and lack of trust: fill us with your Spirit.

Kyrie eleison

All:          Kyrie eleison

Absolution:  Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you your sins, and bring you to everlasting life.  Amen.

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

Most merciful God, who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ delivered and saved the world: grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross we may triumph in the power of his victory: through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

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Service for the 4th Sunday in Lent – 10th March 2024

Mothering Sunday

Welcome to St. Paul’s. If you are visiting, or here

for the first time please do stay behind for coffee

in the church garden after the Liturgy. Today we celebrate Mothering Sunday.

Presiding Priest and preacher: Fr. Marcus Ronchetti      

Deacon: Revd Deacon Christine Saccali

Entrance Hymn  381 (Ewing) Jerusalem the golden

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

Welcome

Words by Jonny Baker, taken from the book: ‘The Hospitality of God’ by Michael Perham

Deacon:        All are invited, all are included

All are made welcome, none are excluded

This is the table of Christ

Come if you’re young, come if you’re old

Come if you’re broken, come if you’re whole

Come if you’re weary of the trials of life

This is the table of Christ.

Introduction

The priest welcomes everyone and introduces the service – all are invited to receive Holy Communion.

Confession

There will be a short moment of silence as we bring to mind our wrongdoings

Deacon:        Lord, you are gracious and compassionate:

Lord, have mercy.

All:                  Lord, have mercy.

Deacon:        You are loving to all and your mercy is over all your creation:

Christ, have mercy.

All:                  Christ, have mercy.

Deacon:        Your faithful servants bless your name and speak of your glory:

Lord, have mercy.

All:                  Lord, have mercy.

Absolution   (as we hear the words of God’s forgiveness)

May Almighty God, who sent his Son into the world to save sinners, bring you his pardon and peace.

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Service for the Third Sunday in Lent- 3rd March 2024

SERVICE FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT – 3rd MARCH 2024

Welcome to St. Paul’s Athens especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens.  Please stay and have coffee after the liturgy. 

The presiding priest and preacher is Fr Marcus Ronchetti. The deacon is Deacon Christine Saccali.

Entry Greeting  

Minister: Give us true repentance; forgive us our sins of negligence and ignorance and our deliberate sins: and grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit to amend our lives according to your holy word.

All:             Holy God, holy and strong, holy and immortal, have mercy upon us.

Entrance Hymn    74 (Stockton) O for a heart to praise my God

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

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

Silence and stillness follows for a few moments

Deacon:    We confess to you our selfishness and lack of love: fill us with your Spirit.

Kyrie eleison

All:             Kyrie eleison

Deacon:    We confess to you our fear and failure in sharing our faith: fill us with your Spirit.

Christe eleison

All:             Christe eleison

Deacon:    We confess to you our stubbornness and lack of trust: fill us with your Spirit.

Kyrie eleison

All:             Kyrie eleison

Priest:       May Almighty God, who sent his Son into the world to save sinners, bring you his pardon and peace.

All:             Amen.

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

Eternal God, give us insight to discern your will for us, to give up what harms us, and to seek the perfection we are promised in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

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Service for the Second Sunday of Lent – 25th February 2024

Welcome to St. Paul’s Athens especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens.  Please stay and have coffee after the liturgy. 

The presiding priest and preacher is Fr Marcus Ronchetti. The Assistant is Lay Reader Nelly Paraskevopoulou

Entry Greeting  

Minister: Give us true repentance; forgive us our sins of negligence and ignorance and our

deliberate sins: and grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit to amend our lives

according to your holy word.

All:             Holy God, holy and strong, holy and immortal, have mercy upon us.]

Entrance Hymn     445 (Petra) Rock of ages, cleft for me

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

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

Silence and stillness follows for a few moments

Assistant: We confess to you our selfishness and lack of love: fill us with your Spirit.

Kyrie eleison

All:             Kyrie eleison

Assistant: We confess to you our fear and failure in sharing our faith: fill us with your Spirit.

Christe eleison

All:            Christe eleison

Assistant:  We confess to you our stubbornness and lack of trust: fill us with your Spirit.

Kyrie eleison

All:             Kyrie eleison

Priest:       May Almighty God, who sent his Son into the world to save sinners, bring you

his pardon and peace.

All:             Amen.

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

Almighty God, by the prayer and discipline of Lent may we enter into the mystery of Christ’s sufferings, and by following his Way may we come to share in his glory; through Jesus Christ our

Lord.  Amen.

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Notes for contemplation from the Sermon for the First Sunday in Lent -18th February 2024

Fr. Marcus Ronchetti – St Paul’s Athens

• The Gospel, representation of the Trinity – This is my Son with whom I am well pleased.
• Blessings Abound
• Then into the Wilderness. Thinking, being tempted, focussing. How best to share what he has, what he knows, who he is? Decides to tell stories, and in so doing changes the world.
• Stories mean stuff. They convey truths and take us deeper into all of our relationships. So here are a couple for you as we begin Lent.

• Stop car to watch beautiful sunset. Sense of awe and wonder, and you focus on God.
• Time passes. Car, shopping, ready meals, crap tv, mind numbing! bookface / tictoc. Gossip with friends about your other friends, and before you know it you are making judgements.
• Why do I let myself get spun out to the edges of my enjoyment and fill my time with ‘Stuff, when I absolutely know where there is Bliss.

• Inherit a beautiful mansion. Brilliant specifications, beautifully furnished and decorated. Big four poster beds, wonderfully appointed kitchen etc etc. Go and look – absolute joy – but you don’t have keys.
• Live in a tent round the back.
• Weekend, BBQ friends and relatives come and look. Beautiful.
• Ladder up to look in the bedroom windows. Wow. So nice. Yes, well I like it – but i don’t have the keys.
• Later on, speaking to your Spiritual director or whoever. And you tell them all about it. They say, what do you mean you don’t have the keys. You live in the mansion. Oh, I am not worthy to even think about living in there. But you do. Confusion. Jesus calls it darkness.
• It is not the real you. Your shadow self. Your ego that drags you down.

The real you is made in the image of God, and he loves you, and continues to love you day by day. Our Lenten task is to accept who we are and how much we are loved and perhaps to try and let go of the things that get in the way

Service for the 1st Sunday in Lent – 18th February 2024

Welcome to St. Paul’s Athens especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens.  Please stay and have coffee after the liturgy. 

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

Entrance Hymn     376 (Kingsfold) I heard the voice of Jesus say

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

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

Silence and stillness follows for a few moments

Deacon: We confess to you our selfishness and lack of love: fill us with your Spirit.

Kyrie eleison

All:          Kyrie eleison

Deacon:  We confess to you our fear and failure in sharing our faith: fill us with your Spirit.

Christe eleison

All:          Christe eleison

Deacon:  We confess to you our stubbornness and lack of trust: fill us with your Spirit.

Kyrie eleison

All:          Kyrie eleison

Priest:    May Almighty God, who sent his Son into the world to save sinners, bring you

his pardon and peace.

All:          Amen.

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

Heavenly Father,

your Son battled with the powers of darkness,

and grew closer to you in the desert:

help us to use these days to grow in wisdom and prayer

that we may witness to your saving love

in Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Service for the Sunday Next Before Lent – 11th February 2024

A very warm welcome to Fr. Marcus Ronchetti and his wife Sandra, who will be with us until April.

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

for the first time or visiting Athens.  After the Liturgy we all gather in the church garden for coffee and refreshments.  The presiding priest and preacher is Fr Marcus Ronchetti. The deacon is the Revd. Deacon Christine Saccali.

Introit: 494 (Nun Danket) Christ is the world’s true Light

Priest:    Blessed be the kingdom of God

     All:         Now and for ever

Priest:    The Lord be with you

     All:         And also with you

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

(A short period of stillness and silence)

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, 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 aways the sin of the world, have mercy on us, 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. In the glory of God the Father. AMEN

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

Almighty Father,

whose Son was revealed in majesty

before he suffered death upon the cross:

give us grace to perceive his glory,

that we may be strengthened to suffer with him

and be changed into his likeness, from glory to glory;

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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Service for Sunday 2nd Before Lent – 3 February 2024

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

for the first time or visiting Athens.  After the Liturgy we all gather in the church garden for coffee and refreshments. 

Presiding Priest:         Fr. Bjorn Kling 

Deacon:  Revd. Deacon Christine Saccali                     

Preacher:  Licensed Reader Nelly Paraskevopoulou

Entrance Hymn:   Introit: 349 (Nativity) Come, let us join our cheerful songs

Priest:    Blessed be the kingdom of God

     All:         Now and for ever

Priest:    The Lord be with you

     All:         And also with you

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

(A short period of stillness and silence)

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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Service for Candlemass Sunday – 28th January 2024

Welcome to St. Paul’s Church. All are invited to come forward to receive bread and wine at the table of Christ. This Feast is properly kept on Feb 2^nd.

Please join us for refreshments after the service.

Presiding Priest:         Fr. Bjorn Kling                               

Deacon & Preacher:  Revd Deacon Christine Saccali

Introit: 156 (Diva Servatrix) Sing how the age-long promise of a Saviour

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

Introduction

Priest:            Dear friends, some 40 days ago we celebrated the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now we recall the day on which he was presented in the Temple, when he was offered to the Fatherand shown to his people. As a sign of his coming among us, his mother was purified, and we now come to him for cleansing. In their old age Simeon and Anna recognized him as their Lord, as we today sing of his glory. In this eucharist, we celebrate both the joy of his coming and his searching judgement, looking back to the day of his birth and forward to the coming days of his passion.

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