Service Sheet for Sunday 21st September 2025 – Feast of St Matthew – Choral Matins

Preacher Deacon Christine Saccali

Welcome to our Liturgy of Choral Mattins
Entrance: 214 (Deus Tuorum Militum) Let the round world with songs rejoice
Psalmody: Psalm 119: 65-72 (pp. 283-284 in the Prayer Book)
First Canticle: (Sheet) (Grosser Gott) Holy God, we praise thy name

Second Canticle: 334 (Old Hundredth) All people that on earth do dwell

Hymn: 189 (Illsley) He sat to watch o’er customs paid
Final: 215 (Harts) Captains of the saintly band
All are welcome to stay for refreshments after the liturgy.
Please remember that the chaplaincy in Athens neither receives no funding from the British Government nor from the Church of
England. All donations are, therefore, very gratefully received.

 

First Lesson: 2 Corinthians 4: 1-6
1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose
heart. 2 We have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways; we
refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the
open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to every
man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is
veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the
god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep
them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who
is the like- ness of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but
Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is
the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in
our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Christ.
The text for the Te Deum [in a metrical paraphrase] is overleaf
Second Lesson: St. Matthew 9: 9-13
9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sit-
ting at the tax office; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose
and followed him.
10 And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors
and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. 11
And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why
does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But
when he
heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician,
but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire
mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but
sinners.”
The homily follows the second lesson. Then the second canticle
(Jubi- late Deo) is sung in a metrical paraphrase, followed by the
Apostles’ Creed on page 12 of the Prayer Book.

 

1. Holy God, we praise thy name!
Lord of all, we bow before thee!
All on Earth thy sceptre claim,
All in Heav’n above adore thee;
Infinite thy vast domain,
Everlasting is thy reign.
2. Hark! the loud celestial hymn
Angel choirs above are raising!
Cherubim and seraphim,
In unceasing chorus praising,
Fill the heav’ns with sweet accord;
Holy, holy, holy, Lord!
3. Lo! the apostolic train
Join thy sacred name to hallow!
Prophets swell the loud refrain,
And the white-robed martyrs
follow,
And from morn to set of sun,
Through the Church the song
goes on.
4. Holy Father, holy Son,
Holy Spirit, Three we name thee,
Though in essence only one,
Undivided God we claim thee;
And adoring bend the knee,
While we own the mystery.
5. Thou art King of glory, Christ!
Son of God, yet born of Mary;
For us sinners sacrificed,
And to death a tributary;
First to break the bars of death,
Thou hast opened Heav’n to
faith.
6.From thy high celestial home,
Judge of all, again returning,
We believe that thou shalt come
On the dreadful doomsday morning,
When thy voice shall shake the
earth,
And the startled dead come forth.
7. Spare thy people, Lord, we
pray,
By a thousand snares surrounded;
Keep us without sin today;
Never let us be confounded!
Lo! I put my trust in thee;
Never, Lord, abandon me.
This metrical setting of the Te-Deum is a translation by C. A.
Walworth (d. 1900) of the paraphrase by Ignace Franz (d. 1790)

 

Collect of the Day:
O Almighty God, who by thy
blessed Son didst call Matthew
from the receipt of custom to be
an Apostle and Evangelist: Grant
us grace to forsake all covetous
desires and inordinate love of
riches, and to follow the same thy
Son Jesus Christ, who liveth and
reigneth with thee and the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.

 

Almighty and everlasting God, give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain that which thou
dost promise, make us to love that which thou dost command;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer
Collect: Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity)
Church Open: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Services: Unless noted, liturgies are followed by refreshments
Wednesday 24th September: 10 a.m.; Morning Prayer (BCP)
Sun. 28th September: 10 a.m.; Sung Mass
Study group & pilgrimage walking group: details from Fr. Benjamin
Harvest Festival: Saturday, 18th October (Kokotos Estate, Stamata)
There is a sign-up sheet in church for those who wish to attend:
please also indicate thereon if you wish to travel with the coach.
Contributions towards the food are needed. Please speak to Lynn
Stavrou.
Christmas Bazaar: Sunday, 23rd November (Caravel Hotel)
Volunteers sought: please speak to either of the churchwardens.
The Friends of St. Paul’s: please speak to Dimitris Ramantanoglou
about becoming a Friend of St. Paul’s Church.
Donate electronically by scanning the QR code;
the Church does not receive any
funding from the Church of England
or the British Government and is reliant
on the goodwill of congregants and visitors.
We thank you for your support.
Priest Chaplain: Fr. Benjamin Drury
frbenjamindrury@gmail.com;
Home tel.: 210 72 14 906
Deacon Christine Saccali : (Day Off: Friday) 697 737 7655

anglican@otenet.gr (Church e-mail address)
Church of Sweden: Fr. Bjorn Kling 694 6072428
Facebook @AnglicanAthens ;    www.anglicanchurchathens.gr
saintpaulsathens.bsky.social