Service Sheet for Sunday 30th November 2025 – First Sunday of Advent
Celebrant:Fr Benjamin Drury
Preacher: Deacon Christine Saccali
Welcome to our Liturgy of Holy Communion (Sung Mass)
Processional: 501 (the choir will sing the Advent Prose (Rorate Coeli))
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 122
Gradual: 15 (St. Stephen) The Lord will come and not be slow
Offertory: 11 (Veni Emmanuel) O Come, O come, Emmanuel!
Communion: 17 (St. Botolph) When came in flesh the incarnate Word
Recessional: 13 ( Jena (altered)) O quickly come, dread judge of all
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 (2: 1-5)
The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In the days to come the mountain of the Temple of the Lord shall tower above the mountains and be lifted higher than the hills. All the nations will stream to it, peoples without number will come to it; and they will say:
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Jacob
that he may teach us his ways
so that we may walk in his paths; since the Law will go out from Zion,
and the oracle of the Lord from Jerusalem.’
He will wield authority over the nations and adjudicate between many peoples; these will hammer their swords into ploughshares, their spears into sickles. Nation will not lift sword against nation, there will be no more training for war. O House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
The Word of the Lord: Thanks be to God
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 122: I rejoiced when I heard them say: “Let us go to God’s house”.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
And now our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem. (Response) It is there that the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord.
For Israel’s law it is,
there to praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the thrones of judgement of the house of David. (Response)
For the peace of Jerusalem pray: ‘Peace be to your homes!
May peace reign in your walls,
in your palaces, peace!’ (Response) For love of my brethren and friends
I say: ‘Peace upon you!’
For love of the house of the Lord
I will ask for your good. (Response)
A reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans (13: 11-14)
You know ‘the time’ has come: you must wake up now: our salva-
tion is even nearer than it was when we were converted. The night is almost over, it will be daylight soon – let us give up all the things we prefer to do under cover of the dark; let us arm ourselves and
appear in the light. Let us live decently as people do in the daytime: no drunken orgies, no promiscuity or licentiousness, and no wran- gling or jealousy. Let your armour be the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Word of the Lord: Thanks be to God.
Gospel acclamation: Alleluia, alleluia!
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy
and give us your saving help. Alleluia!
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
+ A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew (24: 37-44)
Glory to you, O Lord.
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘As it was in Noah’s day, so will it be when the Son of Man comes. For in those days before the Flood
people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept all away. It will be like this when the Son of Man comes. Then of two men in the fields one is taken, one
left; of two women at the millstone grinding, one is taken, one left. ‘So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your mas-
ter is coming. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to
break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not ex- pect.’
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.
Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time
of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty, to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer Collect; First Sunday in Advent)
Church Open: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Services: Unless noted, liturgies are followed by refreshments
Wednesday 3rd December: 10 a.m.; Low Mass
Saturday 6th December: 6 p.m.; Choral Evensong & Benediction
Sunday 7th December: 10 a.m.; Sung Mass (Advent II)
Monday 8th December: 7 p.m.; Low Mass (Immaculate Conception)
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 for Christmas boxes for seafarers: leaflets are available.
Please refer to the notice board for the dates and times of Advent and Christmas services.
The Friends of St. Paul’s: please speak to Dimitris Ramantanoglou about becoming a Friend of St. Paul’s Church.
Study group & pilgrimage walking group: details from Fr. Benjamin
Donate electronically by scanning the QR cod
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
Home tel.: 210 72 14 906
Assistant Chaplain: Deacon Christine Saccali: 697 737 7655 Church of Sweden: Fr. Bjorn Kling: 694 6072428
Facebook @AnglicanAthens www.anglicanchurchathens.gr
saintpaulsathens.bsky.social
No Comments