Zoom service for the Third Sunday in Lent – 4th April 2021
Western Easter is celebrated today. We have permission from our bishop to follow the Greek calendar date for Easter (this year only) so today is Lent 3. Καλή Σαρακοστή. After the worship we can have a short chat together.
The Sunday worship login remains the same until the end of April. Always double check for information on our website.
Deacon Christine will lead the worship today and Nelly Paraskevopoulou will preach. Melissa Dixon will ‘respond’ on our behalf. Christina Antoniadou is playing the keyboard. Please see ‘Chat’ on the day, to see the pieces Christina is playing.
Deacon: Blessed be the Kingdom of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
All: Now and for ever.
Deacon: Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
All: and also with you.
1 The God of Abraham praise, (Tune: Leoni)
who reigns enthroned above;
Ancient of Everlasting Days,
and God of Love;
Jehovah, great I AM!
by earth and heaven confessed;
I bow and bless the sacred name
forever blest.
2 The great I AM has sworn;
I on this oath depend.
I shall, on eagle wings upborne,
to heaven ascend.
I shall behold God’s face;
I shall God’s power adore,
and sing the wonders of God’s grace
forevermore.
3 The heavenly land I see,
with peace and plenty blest;
a land of sacred liberty,
and endless rest.
There milk and honey flow,
and oil and wine abound,
and trees of life forever grow
with mercy crowned.
4 The God who reigns on high
the great archangels sing,
and “Holy, holy, holy!” cry
“Almighty King!
Who was, and is, the same,
and evermore shall be:
Jehovah, Lord, the great I AM,
we worship thee!”
Deacon: Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against him. Let us then renounce our wilfulness and ask his mercy by confessing our sins in penitence and faith.
There follows a short period of silence and stillness
Deacon: Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness and cleanse me from my sin
Kyrie eleison
All: Kyrie eleison
Deacon: Make me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me
Christe eleison
All: Christe eleison
Deacon: Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me
Kyrie eleison
All: Kyrie eleison
Priest: May the God of love and power forgive you and free you from your sins, heal and strengthen you by his Spirit, and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.
Traditionally in Lent we do not sing or say the Gloria
Collect: Let us pray (Collect of the Day)
Eternal God, give us insight to discern your will for us to give up what harms us, and to seek the perfection we are promised in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
First Reading 1 Cor 1, 18-25 (Jennifer Dovellou)
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
This is the word of the Lord
All: Thanks be to God.
1 Lord Jesus, think on me, (tune: St. Paul’s)
and purge away my sin;
from earth-born passions set me free,
and make me pure within.
2 Lord Jesus, think on me,
with care and woe oppressed,
let me Thy loving servant be,
and taste Thy promised rest.
3 Lord Jesus, think on me,
nor let me go astray;
through darkness and perplexity
point Thou the heav’nly way.
4 Lord Jesus, think on me,
that, when the flood is past,
I may eternal brightness see,
and share Thy joy at last.
Gospel Reading
Reader: Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory. Blessed are those who have endured temptation:
they have stood the test and will receive the crown of life.
All: Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory.
Reader: The Lord be with you
All: and also with you
Reader: Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. John (John 2, 13-22))
All: Glory to you, O Lord
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
Reader: This is the gospel of Christ
All: Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon Nelly Paraskevopoulou
Creed
Deacon: Do you believe and trust in God the Father, source of all being and life, the one for whom we
exist?
All: We believe and trust in him.
Deacon: Do you believe and trust in God the Son, who took our human nature, died for us and rose again?
All: We believe and trust in him.
Deacon: Do you believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit, who gives life to the people of God, and makes
Christ known in the world?
All: We believe and trust in him.
Deacon: This is the faith of the Church.
All: This is our faith. We believe and trust in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Intercessions: (kneel or sit) Lord in your mercy; hear our prayer (Intercessor: Josh Barley)
Peace: Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us access to his grace. The peace of the Lord be always with you.
All: And also with you.
You might like to scroll along the gallery of the participants to see who you are sharing the peace with – remember to put your Sunday collection aside or send it by bank transfer. Also – as a special Easter donation you can ‘fill the basket with eggs’ (See website) and you can make a donation for an Easter lily in memory of a loved one (see website)
1 Dear Lord and Father of mankind, (Tune: Repton)
forgive our foolish ways;
re-clothe us in our rightful mind,
in purer lives thy service find,
in deeper reverence, praise.
2 In simple trust like theirs who heard
beside the Syrian sea
the gracious calling of the Lord,
let us, like them, without a word
rise up and follow thee.
3 O Sabbath rest by Galilee,
O calm of hills above,
where Jesus knelt to share with thee
the silence of eternity,
interpreted by love!
4 Drop thy still dews of quietness,
till all our strivings cease;
take from our souls the strain and stress,
and let our ordered lives confess
the beauty of thy peace.
5 Breathe through the heats of our desire
thy coolness and thy balm;
let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm!
The Lord’s Prayer: (to be prayed in whichever language you chose)
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
All: Merciful Lord, grant your people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil, and with pure hearts and minds to follow you, the only God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
1 Forth in your name, O Lord, I go, (tune: Song 34 Angel’s Song)
my daily labour to pursue,
you only, Lord, resolved to know
in all I think or speak or do.
2 The task your wisdom has assigned
here let me cheerfully fulfill;
in all my work your presence find,
and prove your good and perfect will.
3 You may I set at my right hand,
whose eyes my inmost secrets view,
and labor on at your command
and offer all my work to you.
4 Help me to bear your easy yoke,
in ev’ry moment watch and pray,
and still to things eternal look
and hasten to that glorious day.
5 Then with delight may I employ
all that your bounteous grace has given,
and run my earthly course with joy,
and closely walk with you in heaven.
Priest: Christ give you grace to grow in holiness, to deny yourselves, take up your cross and follow him….
Deacon: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
All: In the name of Christ. Amen.
Notices
-
- Easter Cards – Anne Dedes has a supply of her beautiful Easter cards for sale. She will display some each week on the screen. Order direct through Anne please.
- Next Sunday Zoom is the same login address, and right until the last Sunday of April. The order of service is also on the website each week. The church is still closed. Look out for new regulation. We pray for better news as we move through April.
- Saturday Weekly Meditations – 00 on Deacon Chris’s Facebook.
- Easter Eggs in a basket – a lovely project that allows you to make a special Easter donation to St. Paul’s Church. Please see the website for all the details.
- Lent Bible Studies: looking at the Letter to the Galatians. Fridays – April 9th, 16th, 24th. All at 19.00hrs. See Zoom link or contact Fr. Leonard.
- Lent Night Prayer: Wednesdays at 21.00. April 7th, 14th, 21st – Order of Service and Login details will be put on the website nearer the time.
- Celebrating Easter in a time of COVID
- Easter 2021 will be the second Easter in this long period of the COVID pandemic. The Greek Government approaches COVID restrictions and the Church in its own distinct national way. Due to these two factors St. Paul’s Athens will align itself this year with the Greek date for Easter. This is for 2021 only and it is hoped that by celebrating Pascha almost a month later than the western date there will be more favourable conditions for worship in St. Paul’s. We sought permission for this, and the Church Council was unanimous in its vote to make this change. St. Thomas’s Crete, and Holy Trinity Corfu will also follow this practice. Key dates: Palm Sunday April 25th
Holy Thursday April 29th
Good Friday April 30th
Easter Sunday May 2nd
Ascension Day June 10th
Pentecost June 20th
Times of the Liturgy and Zoom services for Greet Week and Easter will be announced and publicized via the Website.
- Fr. Leonard’s usual Day Off – Monday (in emergencies contact Deacon Christine)Home tel : 210 72 14 906; email anglican@otenet.gr
Deacon Chris: 22950 53164: Day off – Friday
Swedish Church: contact Fr. Bjorn on 694 607 2428
The Anglican Church in Greece (including St. Paul’s) is self-financing, and receives no income other than from the generosity of those who worship here. We are a legal body and we pay tax. Our tax number is 997073090. If you wish to donate direct to our bank (IBAN) the account with Piraeus Bank is: The Anglican Church in Greece, St. Paul’s Athens GR 820172 0500 0050 5008 6327 479 Swift code is PIRB GRAA
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