Service for the sixth Sunday after Trinity - 7th July 2024 - St. Paul’s Anglican Church

06/07/2024

Service for the sixth Sunday after Trinity – 7th July 2024

Welcome to St Paul’s Athens, especially if you are here for the first time or visiting Athens.

Please join us after the service for refreshments in the garden.

The worship is led by Licensed Reader Nelly Paraskevopoulou

Entrance Hymn: All ye who seek a comfort sure 63

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: Jesus says, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. So let us turn away from our sin and turn to Christ, confessing our sins 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 123

Response

Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy.

To you I lift up my eyes,

To you that are enthroned in the heavens.

As the eyes of servants look to that hand of their master,

Or the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,

So our eyes wait upon the Lord our God,

Until he have mercy upon us.

Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,

For we have had more than enough of contempt.

Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of the arrogant,

And of the contempt of the proud.

First Reading : Ezekiel 2. 1-5

He said to me: “O mortal stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you.” And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. He said to me, “Mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet among them.

At the end of the reading:

Reader: Hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

All: Thanks be to God.

Minister: Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead.

All: And Christ shall give you light.

Minister: You have died and your life is hid with Christ in God.

All: Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead.

Minister: Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.

All: And Christ shall give you light.

Minister: When Christ our life appears you will appear with him in glory.

All: Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.

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 to remember his 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 Breathe on me breath of God 342

Second Reading Mark 6. 1-13

He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown and among their own kin and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff: no bread, no bag, no money in their belts, but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

Reader: This is the word of the Lord.
All: Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon (Please be seated) Nelly Paraskevopoulou

The Apostles’ Creed (please stand)

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

Collect:

O GOD, who hast prepared for them that love thee such good things as pass man’s understanding: Pour into our hearts such love toward thee, that we, loving thee above all things, may obtain thy promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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 peace of the Lord be always with you

All: and also with you

Hymn: Be thou My Vision 339 (During this hymn the collection will be taken)

Notices

Final hymn 235 Forth in thy Name O Lord I go

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.

Fr Benjamin Drury Home tel : 210 72 14 906; email anglican@otenet.gr

Deacon Chris: Day Off – Friday 697 737 7655

Swedish Church: Fr. Bjorn 694 6072428

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

Liturgical Material Copyright of the Archbishops’ Council

Notices:

-Church History and Guidebook ‘Opening Doors’ available for sale. €10,00 a copy, –Tuesday Morning Zoom Prayer Connect – see the website for details

-Community Connect Coffee Mornings , July 11th, 10.30-12.30 in the Church Garden ask Anne Dedes for info.

-please look after your personal belongings as thieves are known to operate in this area

–A POS is available so you can make your Sunday donation by card-

-Check out our new contactless card reader if you would like to make a donation

-A QR code is below, you can donate simply by scanning it.