These are resources meant mainly for The Anglican Church of St Thomas the Apostle, Kefalas, on the island of Crete in Greece, but others may find them helpful!
The Diocese of Europe featured us in their website news this past week – you can read all about it here.

Being alone on Sundays is becoming the short-term normal. It feels strange not to gather for Holy Week. But we are still the Church, so what can we do? We can still read, reflect, pray, and share.

The Collects for Palm Sunday

Almighty and everlasting God,
who in your tender love towards the human race
sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to take upon him our flesh
and to suffer death upon the cross:
grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility,
and also be made partakers of his resurrection;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

(or)

True and humble king,
hailed by the crowd as Messiah:
grant us the faith to know you and love you,
that we may be found beside you on the way of the cross,
which is the path of glory. Amen.

Read (or Listen to) The Lessons for Palm Sunday

The Entry into Jerusalem

The Gospel Reading for the Procession
Psalm 118, which might be chanted in procession.

A post I did a little while ago about Psalm 118.

Readings for the Sunday of the Passion

The Reading from the Hebrew Scripture is Isaiah 40.5-9a.
The psalm is Psalm 31:9-16.
The Reading from the New Testament is Philippians 2.5-11 .

The Passion according to Matthew

You can read the text of the Passion here, or listen to it below,

In the Lutheran Church in Germany in the 18th century people gathered in churches to listen and participate in musical versions of the Passion. This is the origin of one of the greatest pieces of classical music, Johann Sebastien Bach’s St Matthew’s Passion (1727), and you can listen to it below (it is about three hours long). The text, in German with an English translation, can be found here. 

Reflect

Our curate and deacon, the Rev’d Julia Bradshaw, has written a sermon for this Palm Sunday, and you can download a copy by clicking at the right. With palms and scattered garment strowed.

Fr Leonard Doolan of St Paul’s Athens has made available his sermon in both text and audio.
Text: Palm Sunday 2020 Sermon
Audio:

Last year I preached this Sermon.

Pray

Prayers appointed for Palm Sunday

We stand with Christ in his suffering.
For forgiveness for the many times we have denied Jesus,
let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For grace to seek out those habits of sin which mean spiritual death,
and by prayer and self-discipline to overcome them,
let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For Christian people,
that through the suffering of disunity there may grow a rich union in Christ,
let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For those who make laws, interpret them, and administer them,
that our common life may be ordered in justice and mercy,
let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For those who still make Jerusalem a battleground,
let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For those who have the courage and honesty to work openly for justice and peace,
let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For those in the darkness and agony of isolation,
that they may find support and encouragement,
let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For those who, weighed down with hardship, failure, or sorrow,
feel that God is far from them,
let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For those who are tempted to give up the way of the cross,
let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

That we, with those who have died in faith, may find mercy in the day of Christ,
let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

The Trisagion
Holy God, holy and strong, holy and immortal,
have mercy upon us.

Prayers in a Time of Pandemic

There are liturgies and prayers on the Coronavirus pages of the Church of England, and also the Diocese in Europe. This one is very good, and was borrowed by Bishop David Hamid from the Jesuits USA.

Jesus Christ, you travelled through towns and villages “curing every disease and illness.” At your command, the sick were made well. Come to our aid now, in the midst of the global spread of the coronavirus, that we may experience your healing love.

Heal those who are sick with the virus. May they regain their strength and health through quality medical care.

Heal us from our fear, which prevents nations from working together and neighbours from helping one another.

Heal us from our pride, which can make us claim invulnerability to a disease that knows no borders. Jesus Christ, healer of all, stay by our side in this time of uncertainty and sorrow.

Be with those who have died from the virus. May they be at rest with you in your eternal peace.

Be with the families of those who are sick or have died. As they worry and grieve, defend them from illness and despair. May they know your peace.

Be with the doctors, nurses, researchers and all medical professionals who seek to heal and help those affected and who put themselves at risk in the process. May they know your protection and peace.

Be with the leaders of all nations. Give them the foresight to act with charity and true concern for the well-being of the people they are meant to serve. Give them the wisdom to invest in long-term solutions that will help prepare for or prevent future outbreaks. May they know your peace, as they work together to achieve it on earth.

Whether we are home or abroad, surrounded by many people suffering from this illness or only a few, Jesus Christ, stay with us as we endure and mourn, persist and prepare. In place of our anxiety, give us your peace. Amen.

Share

In this chaplaincy (i.e. parish, congregation) we are sharing by e-mail, social media, and the telephone. Please keep doing so!

We also may gather with others outside the chaplaincy by video and live-streaming. Here are some options:

Facebook Video Stream at 11:00 am EEST Greek time (9:00 am BST): Building on the Archbishop of Canterbury and Archbishop of York’s weekly broadcasts which have engaged a large audience, the Palm Sunday broadcast has been recorded by the Bishop of Manchester, David Walker, and the Archdeacon of Manchester, Ven Karen Lund, with Lucy Hargraves from St Peter’s Church in Bolton leading prayers, all from their own homes.

Holy Trinity, Corfu has a link to their Palm Sunday worship. This appears to be a prerecorded service.

Holy Trinity Geneva is doing a service with a Zoom Conference. at 10:30 am CEST (11:30 am EEST, our time here in Greece).

Through Holy Week

The Venerable Dr. Leslie Nathaniel, Archdeacon of the East and of Germany and Northern Europe, has passed on these simple service for prayer During Holy Week; they were devised by Fr Louis Darrant, Chaplain to St Christopher’s Anglican Church on the Costa Azahar in Spain. It is a downloadable PDF: Praying at home in Holy Week.