Service for the 2nd Sunday in Lent – 5th March 2023
Welcome to St Paul’s Athens, especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens. Nelly Paraskevopoulou is leading the worship and preaching today. Nelly is training to be a Licensed Reader and one of her ‘assignments’ of training is to be left to lead a whole Sunday morning worship. Some people are giving her formal feedback.
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: 453 Stand up! Stand up for Jesus!
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.
The minister then welcomes people informally
Prayers of Penitence
Minister: The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite spirit God will not despise. Let us come to the Lord who is full of compassion, and acknowledge our transgressions 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
Psalm (Green Book 532) Have mercy on us Lord, for we have sinned.
First Reading: Genesis 12, 1-4 (Jean Mertzanakis)
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
Reader: Hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
All: Thanks be to God.
Minister: This is love, not that we loved God
All: but that he loved us and sent us his Son
Minister: He is the sacrifice for our sins
All: that we might live through him
Minister: If God loves us so much
All: we ought to love one another
Minister: If we love one another
All: God loves us
The Benedictus Luke 1, 68-79 (Please stand to say the canticle together)
- Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, who has come to his people and set them free.
- He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour, born of the house of his servant David.
- Through his holy prophets God promised of old to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all that hate us,
- To show mercy to our ancestors, and remember your holy covenant.
- This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
- Free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.
- And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
- To give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of all their sins.
- In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
- 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 63 All ye who seek a comfort sure
2nd Reading: John 3, 1-17 (Terry Kried)
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with that person.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen, yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.
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: Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer. (Virginia Stevens)
Collect: led by the Minister
Almighty God, by the prayers and discipline of Lent may we enter into the mystery of Christ’s sufferings, and by following in his Way may we come to share his glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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
Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us access to his grace. The peace of the Lord be always with you.
All: and also with you
(The Collection will be taken during this hymn, remember you can donate by card after the service)
Hymn: 408 Love divine (1st tune)
Notices: see end pages for the notices
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.
Hymn: 362 Glorious things of thee are spoken
Fr. Leonard’s usual Day Off – Monday and Tuesday
Home tel : 210 72 14 906; email anglican@otenet.gr
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
Notices:
- Confessions – if anyone would like to make a Sacramental Confession before or during Lent, please contact Fr. Leonard.
- Annual Parochial Church Meeting: Sunday 26th March after the Liturgy. Please consider and pray about putting your name forward as a Churchwarden or Council Member. We are particualarly keen to elect one Council member with a heart for the environment who could also be our ‘Local Environmental Officer’.
- Electoral Roll Forms are available – if you are regularly at St. Paul’s please complete one of these and hand it in, preferably a couple of weeks before the Annual Meeting.
- Monthly Giving envelopes – it is never too late to join this scheme. Just ask about it.
- Confirmation: The Bishop of Truro will be with us on March 12th for a local programme. There will also be a Confirmation Service. Potential candidates should contact Fr. Leonard
- Coffee Mornings (now on Thursdays!!!): March 9th, April 13th, May 11th, June 8th, July 13th. These are in the Swedish Centre (Winter time) or Church Garden (Spring and Summer)
- Quiz Nights – these are monthly. Listen out for the dates!
- We are glad to have welcomed you to St Paul’s today but remember you can keep in touch with us wherever you are you are in the world. See our e-mag on the website.
https://www.facebook.com/AnglicanAthens/
@AthensAnglican
Programme of Liturgy for Holy Week and Easter 2023
Sunday 2nd April: 10.00am Palm Sunday Blessing of the Palms and Procession and Holy Liturgy
Wednesday of Holy Week: 10.00 Holy Liturgy
Holy (Maundy) Thursday: 20.00 Holy Liturgy and procession to Altar
of Repose in the church garden
Holy (Good) Friday : 14.00 Liturgy with Veneration of the Cross
Holy Saturday: 20.00 Ceremony of Readings and
Proclamation of the Resurrection
Sunday 9th April:
Easter Sunday 10.00 Liturgy of the Resurrection
(NB Orthodox Pascha is Sunday 16th April)
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