Service sheet for the Fourth Sunday in Advent – 22nd December 2024

 

St Paul’s Anglican Church Athens

 

Celebrant: Fr. Benjamin Drury

Preacher: Deacon Christine Saccali

Welcome to our Liturgy of Holy Communion (Sung Mass)

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

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 80

Gradual: 1 (Conditor Alme) Creator of the stars of night

Offertory: 188 (Daily Daily) Ye who own the faith of Jesus

Communion: 184 (Beatitudo) Shall we not love thee, mother dear

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 Micah (5: 1-4)

 

The Lord says this:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, the least of the clans of Judah, out of you will be born for me the one who is to rule over Israel;

his origin goes back to the distant past, to the days of old.

The Lord is therefore going to abandon them

till the time when she who is to give birth gives birth.

Then the remnant of his brothers will come back to the sons of Israel.

He will stand and feed his flock

with the power of the Lord,

with the majesty of the name of his God.

They will live secure, for from then on he will extend his power to the ends of the land.

He himself will be peace.

 

The Word of the Lord: Thanks be to God

Responsorial Psalm: (Ps. 80): God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.

O shepherd of Israel, hear us,

shine forth from your cherubim throne. O Lord, rouse up your might,

O Lord, come to our help. (Response)

 

God of hosts, turn again, we implore, look down from heaven and see.

Visit this vine and protect it,

the vine your right hand has planted. (Response)

 

May your hand be on the one you have chosen, the one you have given your strength.

And we shall never forsake you again;

give us life that we may call upon your name (Response)

 

A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews (10: 5-10)

This is what Christ said, on coming into the world:

 

You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation, prepared a body for me. You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin;

then I said, just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book, ‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’

 

Notice that he says first: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations,

the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your

will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second.

And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.

 

The Word of the Lord: Thanks be to God

 

Gospel acclamation: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. I am the handmaid of the Lord:

let what you have said be done to me. Alleluia! The Lord be with you. And also with you.

+ A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke (1: 39-45)

Glory to you, O Lord.

 

(after the Gospel reading):

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

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. (Book of Common Prayer Collect)

 

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

Services: Unless noted, liturgies are followed by refreshments

Sun. 22nd December: 6 p.m. Choral Evensong

Tues. 24th December: 6 p.m. Nine Lessons and Carols Tues. 24th December: 11:30 p.m. Midnight Mass

Weds. 25th December: 10 a.m. Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas)

 

Any person interested in serving during the liturgy this Christmastide

should make themselves known to Father Benjamin or to Oliver Knight

 

Walking Group and Study Group: details from Fr. Benjamin

 

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