Service Sheet for Sunday 21st December - Fourth Sunday of Advent - St. Paul’s Anglican Church

16/12/2025

Service Sheet for Sunday 21st December – Fourth Sunday of Advent

Celebrant Fr Benjamin Drury

Welcome to our Liturgy of Holy Communion (Sung Mass)

Processional: 11 (Veni Emmanuel) O come, O come, Emmanuel!

Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 24

Gradual: 180 (Ave Maris Stella) Hail, O Star that pointest

Offertory: 33 (Divinum Mysterium) Of the Father’s heart begotten

Communion: 4 (Gabriel’s Message) Gabriel’s message does away

Recessional: 9 (Helmsley) Lo! he comes with clouds descending

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 (7: 10-14)

The Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, ‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or from the heights above.’ ‘No,’ Ahaz answered ‘I will not put the Lord to the test.’

Then Isaiah said:

‘Listen now, House of David:

are you not satisfied with trying the patience of men

without trying the patience of my God, too? The Lord himself, therefore,

will give you a sign.

It is this: the maiden is with child and will soon give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel,

a name which means “God-is-with-us.

”’ The Word of the Lord: Thanks be to God

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 24: Let the Lord enter! He is the king of glory

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, the world and all its peoples.

It is he who set it on the seas;

on the waters he made it firm. (Response)

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?

Who shall stand in his holy place?

The man with clean hands and pure heart,

who desires not worthless things. (Response)

He shall receive blessings from the Lord

and reward from the God who saves him.

Such are the men who seek him,

seek the face of the God of Jacob. (Response)

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans (1: 1-7)

From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus who has been called to be an apostle, and specially chosen to preach the Good News that God promised long ago through his prophets in the scriptures.

This news is about the Son of God who, according to the human nature he took was a descendant of David: it is about Jesus Christ our Lord who, in the order of the spirit, the spirit of holiness that was in him, was proclaimed Son of God in all his power through his resurrection from the dead. Through him we received grace and our apostolic mission to preach the obedience of faith to all pagan nations in honour of his name. You are one of these nations, and by his call belong to Jesus Christ. To you all, then, who are God’s beloved in Rome, called to be saints, may God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send grace and peace.

The Word of the Lord: Thanks be to God.

Gospel acclamation: Alleluia, alleluia!

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel,

a name which means ‘God-is-with-us’. Alleluia!

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

+ A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew (1: 18-24)

Glory to you, O Lord.

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was

betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Jo-

seph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity,

decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and

said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy

Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus,

because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through

the prophet:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel,

a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’ When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to

his home.

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, raise up (we pray thee) thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our

sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered in running the

race that is set before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speed- ily help and deliver us; through the satisfaction of thy Son our

Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be honour and glory, world without end. Amen. (BCP Collect; Fourth Sunday in Advent)

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

Services: Unless noted, liturgies are followed by refreshments

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) Friday 26th December: 10 a.m.; Low Mass (St. Stephen)

Sunday 28th December: 10 a.m.; Sung Mass (Holy Family)

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

Any who are interested in serving at mass (acolyte, thurifer &c.) should speak to Father Benjamin, or Oliver Knight.

Donate electronically by scanning the QR code