Service Sheet for Sunday 14th December - Third Sunday of Advent - St. Paul’s Anglican Church

09/12/2025

Service Sheet for Sunday 14th December – Third Sunday of Advent

Celebrant Fr. Benjamin Drury

Welcome to our Liturgy of Holy Communion (Sung Mass)

Processional: 12 (Winchester New) On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry

Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 146

Gradual: 14 (St. Thomas) The advent of our God

Offertory: 7 (Little Cornard) Hills of the north, rejoice

Communion: 16 (Wachet Auf ) Wake, O wake! with tidings thrilling

Recessional: 443 (Gopsal) Rejoice, the Lord is King

All are welcome to stay for refreshments after the liturgy.

Please remember that the chaplaincy in Athens neither receives funding from the British Government nor from the Church of

England. All donations are, therefore, very gratefully received.

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (35: 1-6, 10)

Let the wilderness and the dry-lands exult, let the wasteland rejoice and bloom, let it bring forth flowers like the jonquil, let it rejoice and sing for joy. The glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it, the splendour of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of the Lord, the splendour of our God.

Strengthen all weary hands, steady all trembling knees and say to all faint hearts, ‘Courage! Do not be afraid. ‘Look, your God is coming, vengeance is coming, the retribution of God; he is coming to save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf un- sealed, then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy for those the Lord has ransomed shall return.

They will come to Zion shouting for joy, everlasting joy on their faces; joy and gladness will go with them and sorrow and lament be ended. The Word of the Lord: Thanks be to God

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 146: Come, Lord, and save us.

It is the Lord who keeps faith forever,

who is just to those who are oppressed.

It is he who gives bread to the hungry,

the Lord, who sets prisoners free, (Response) It is the Lord who gives sight to the blind,

who raises up those who are bowed down, the Lord, who protects the stranger

and upholds the widow and orphan. (Response)

It is the Lord who loves the just

but thwarts the path of the wicked.

The Lord will reign for ever,

Zion’s God, from age to age. (Response)

A reading from the Letter of James (5: 7-10)

Be patient, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. Think of a farmer: how patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the autumn rains and the spring rains! You too have to be

patient; do not lose heart, because the Lord’s coming will be soon. Do not make complaints against one another, brothers, so as not to be brought to judgement yourselves; the Judge is already to be seen waiting at the gates. For your example, brothers, in submitting with patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

The Word of the Lord: Thanks be to God.

Gospel acclamation: Alleluia, alleluia!

The spirit of the Lord has been given to me.

He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor. Alleluia! The Lord be with you. And also with you.

+ A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew (11: 2-11)

Glory to you, O Lord.

John in his prison had heard what Christ was doing and he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for someone else?’ Jesus answered, ‘Go back and tell

John what you hear and see; the blind see again, and the lame walk,

lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised to

life and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor; and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.’

As the messengers were leaving, Jesus began to talk to the people about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No? Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Oh no, those who wear fine clothes are to be found in palaces. Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet: he is the one of whom scripture says:

‘Look, I am going to send my messenger before you;

he will prepare your way before you.

‘I tell you solemnly, of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the king- dom of heaven is greater than he is.’

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you, O Christ

The setting of the Nicene Creed is on page 562 in the New English Hymnal.

O Lord Jesu Christ, who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee: Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen. (BCP Collect; Third Sunday in Advent)

Church Open: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Services: Unless noted, liturgies are followed by refreshments

Sunday 14th December: 6 p.m.; All-Age Carol Service (see below)

Wednesday 17th December: 10 a.m.; Low Mass & Rosary Sunday 21st December: 10 a.m.; Sung Mass (Advent III) Wednesday 24th December: 10 a.m.; Low Mass

Wednesday 24th December: 6 p.m.; Nine Lessons & Carols Wednesday 24th December: 11:30 p.m.; Midnight Mass (Sung) Thursday 25th December: 10 a.m.; Sung Mass (Christmas Day)

All-Age Carol Service this evening (14th December) at 6 p.m.: mulled wine and panettone served; five euro contribution (no charge for children)

Bishop’s Advent Appeal: Al-Ahli Anglican Hospital, Gaza; details on how to donate are to be found on the notice board, or may be had from treasurer Nelly Paraskevopoulou.

Mission to Seafarers collection: details from Nelly Paraskevopoulou. Study group & pilgrimage walking group: details from Fr. Benjamin

Donate electronically by scanning the QR code