Sermon preached on Sunday 28th June 2026 – Feast of SS Peter and Paul

Preacher: Deacon Christine Saccali

 

PETER AND PAUL  YEAR A  28/06/26

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit AMEN

Do you remember that nursery rhyme Two little dickey birds sitting on the wall, One named Peter, One named Paul? I certainly do from my nana sticking stamp edging ( those were the days ) on two of her fingers as she hid them only to fly them back. I did the same as much as I could with my granddaughter.

Now I am going to tell you a true story of Peter and Paul here in Athens. I am referring, of course, to the Anglican churches in the city. I wonder if you can see any evidence of  a mention of St Peter’s?  Anyone?  There is the plaque dedicated to  Stephen Saunders gunned down over 25 years ago churchwarden of St Peter’s what a time that was for the congregations, the Embassy and of course his family and friends plus the wider and international community.

 

St Peter’s was set up in the eighties to the north in Kifissia when there were many expats and foreign companies in the area. It flourished. That also seems a distant memory now for by the millennium many multinationals had left along with their employees to cheaper European countries to invest and work in. The northern church used to meet in St Catherine’s school until it was closed down about 12 years ago when it was decided to concentrate all our efforts in the centre at St Paul’s.

My vocation emerged from that small group and the wider community in Kifissia first as Reader then with discernment towards ordination and the diaconate. Community Connect was born as outreach in about 2009 and that also flourished and met in several venues in Kifissia a hotel, a taverna and lastly Loida Home for the Elderly until COVID put a stop to that. However, Community Connect Athens is still flourishing and the community of former members of St Peter’s is still a caring one- dwindling and not all able to physically attend church but they still contribute to life at St Paul’s in various ways. We have fond memories of Sherry our former Reader now residing in the very same Loida and being well cared for.

 

I was ordained ten years ago at Petertide here in St Paul’s and as we pray for those being ordained this Petertide in the steps of the first Apostle We give thanks for the two churches of Peter and Paul here in Athens, forever intertwined and for all who attended and built them up. We think of Christine Kypriotou whose funeral was held here last week and who loved St Paul’s.

Peter has always been my favourite disciple because he is loyal, impetuous and blurts out exactly what he is thinking and is on his heart. You are the Messiah. Brave yet foolish. Wobbly as he tries to walk on water and yet firm as Petros the Rock on which the church is built. He holds the Keys to the Kingdom.

There is another visible sign of Peter and Paul here We have a lovely icon of Peter and Paul here  this beautiful icon commissioned for the church donated and work of iconographer    Yiannis Kotrotsos.  You can look at it afterwards  along with the plaque. The icon always reminds me of how closely these two saints are celebrated and embraced. It also reminds me of the bible verse from Psalm 81 ‘mercy and truth have met together righteousness and peace have kissed each other’. Despite Peter and Paul’s different backgrounds,  ministries and vocations, imprisonment and death Christ is the common factor . Serving their Lord is life giving freedom and that is true today and down the ages for all of us here in Athens and for all Christians. That is why I have asked for The Servant Song toi be sung after Communion.

 

It is not difficult to understand how this church was named for St Paul, is it ? For we are fortunate to have the Areopagus just down the road on the slopes of the Acropolis. We are doubly blessed to be visited by many people from all over the world on a pilgrimage in the steps of St Paul. Pilgrimage is a buzz word at the moment . Do look at the Church of England Everyday Faith App and their reflections on Holy Places and People. As I live a long way from St Paul’s and have  health issues which impede my mobility I can’t come in as much as I would like or join in the Walking group a merry band of pilgrims. I do participate online however very gratefully with our Congregation of St Thomas Kefalas in Crete and beyond. At the moment. we are discussing Pilgrimage based on members’ personal experience and using resources supplied by Church of England Pilgrim Places Holy Lives. We remember fondly Michael Counsel who served here during the Olympics and at both St Peter’s and St Paul’s.  He wrote a book entitled Journey of the Apostles which many of us own.

 

Have you ever been on a pilgrimage?  Actually all our discipleship and Christian life is a journey of faith and more about the travelling the basic plodding putting one foot in front of the other rather than the destination. Always keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. We don’t have to walk the Camino or do anything ambitious just something meaningful to our lives and circumstances. Thinking of my ten year anniversary of ordination coming up I am using a labyrinth ( hand held) to figure where God is leading and accompanying me at this time. When I started training towards Ordination in Norfolk in England, which personally was such an unknown route, county and step,  I began with a visit to Mother Julian’s cell in the city of Norwich and I ended with a visit to the anchoress ‘cell too next to the church.   One window looks into the church and one onto the street where pilgrims would come to her for advice. This was all symbolic to me and still is of my ministry both in the church and out in the world.

 

I do hope you  find this summer not only a place of rest and refreshment even if it is a staycation that it may not be static in your faith journey but that you find something symbolic to you to focus on your journey of faith which will help you.  It may be drawing, reading or something else creative like the wonderful exhibition of tapestries touring uk entitled Threads through the Bible made by le artist Jacqui Parkinson. There is so much we can do nowadays virtually assisted by technology without actually travelling from home.

The Apostles Peter and Paul were sent out –  Apostelno means exactly that – and we are on a mission here at St Paul’s in the city and beyond the far flung corners to the forgotten and marginalised to make known the gospel to the world and to take it with us wherever we go  or stay.

Let us end with the Collect for Peter and Paul:

Let us pray Almighty God whose blessed apostles Peter and Paul glorified you in their death as well as their life grant that your Church inspired by their teaching and example and made one by your Spirit may ever stand firm on one foundation, Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.