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 Areopagus in Athens from the Acropolis Credit: By O.Mustafin – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17198122

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There are three ways you can use these resources.

First, you can join us for worship in person. The Anglican Church of St Thomas will be having our first worship at the Tabernacle since March 15th this coming Sunday, May 17, 2020. It will be a Holy Communion according to Common Worship. People should come only if they are comfortable with being out and about as the pandemic restrictions are being lifted, and are in good health. For those joining from a distance the Order of Service can be downloaded here: Easter Holy Communion 2020

One advantage we have over almost any other church is that we can roll up the sides of the Tabernacle and effectively be outside. This allows for the breeze to mitigate any issues around being in a confined space.

There will be several restrictions, including:

• Only nine persons (!) may be in the Tabernacle itself, although more can stand or sit outside and participate at a distance.
• Attendees will be asked to wash their hands at the sink in the lavatory and use hand sanitizer. Masks are strongly encouraged.
• The clergy, I and Julia Bradshaw, will be wearing masks, and prior to setting the table and administering communion I will wash my hands with soap and water.
• Chairs are set out at a minimum of 1.5 metres (families and couples who are already in contact with each other may, of course, sit together).
• Communion will be administered only in one kind, the bread; only I as celebrant will partake of the the two elements.
• Singing will be quiet.
• We will hand out books and leaflets – and, assuming that there will be other Sundays when you’ll be attending – we ask that you take them home with you, and bring them back.

Second, you can join us via ZOOM. God and technology willing, we will livestream this at 11:00 am EEST (9:00 am BST for you folk in England). The link is (as last week):
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85044839927?pwd=TkQ1cHEzNUNjSjVCNTNJVUJwSkZaQT09
Meeting ID: 850 4483 9927 Password: 010209 .

The livestream will start about fifteen minutes before.

Since this is all new, there will undoubtedly be something that does not work, or we will change as time goes on. Please bear with us!

Third, you can simply do it all yourself – read the lessons and pray the prayers below, as well as listen to the recorded sermon, with and intersperse it all by clicking on the links to the hymns.

Read

The readings appointed in the Revised Common Lectionary (“RCL”), Year A are

• Acts 17:22-31*
• Psalm 66:7-18*
• 1 Peter 3:13-22
• John 14:15-21*

The optional reading from the Hebrew Bible is Genesis 8:20-9:17. We will be using the readings from Acts, the Psalm, and John.

Reflect

I will be offering a homily in the service on Sunday, and posting it later that day on this blog.

In the meantime, here is this coming Sunday’s sermon from Fr Leonard Doolan, Chaplain of Greater Athens and Apokrisarios of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece.

Pray

Collect
God our redeemer,
you have delivered us from the power of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of your Son:
grant, that as by his death he has recalled us to life,
so by his continual presence in us he may raise us to eternal joy;
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)

Risen Christ,
by the lakeside you renewed your call to your disciples:
help your Church to obey your command
and draw the nations to the fire of your love,
to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Intercessions
H3     Jesus, our exalted Lord, has been given all authority.
Let us seek his intercession that our prayers may be perfected by his prayer.

Jesus Christ, great high priest, living for ever to intercede for us,
pray for the Church, your broken body in the world.

• Remember Justin Welby and John Sentamu, Archbishops of Canterbury & York, and Robert Innes & David Hamid, our Bishops here in the Diocese in Europe.
• In the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Prayer Cycle we remember the churches and peoples of the Indian Ocean Islands: Comoros, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, and the Seychelles.
• In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer we pray for Pray for the Anglican Church of Korea and its primate, The Most Rev’d Moses Nagjun Yoo, Bishop of Daejeon.
• In the Prayer Diary of the Diocese in Europe we give thanks for
  • the Rev’d Frances Hiller in her work as Bishop David’s Chaplain,
  • Bishop David’s ministry as Warden of Readers,
  • Paul Wignall work as Director of Reader Ministry
  • all those training to be Readers in the diocese;
  • Clare Amos, Director of Lay Discipleship
  • the work of the Friends of the Diocese in Europe, and its Secretary,Jeanne French.

Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.

Jesus Christ, King of righteousness,
enthroned at the right hand of the majesty on high,
pray for the world, and make it subject to your gentle rule.

• • • Στην Ελλάδα προσευχόμαστε Αικατερίνη Σακελλαροπούλου, Πρόεδρος, και Κυριάκος Μητσοτάκης, Πρωθυπουργός (In Greece we pray for Aihaterini Sakellaropoulou, President, and Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister).
    • In the UK we remember our Sovereign Lady Elizabeth II, Governor of the Church of England, and her government led by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
    • In Canada we also pray for Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, Her Excellency Julie Payette, the Governor General, and Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister.
    • In the European Union we pray for Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission; Charles Michel, President of the European Council; and Josep Borrell, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy.
    • For government leaders around the world as lockdowns are raised.

Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.

Jesus Christ, Son of Man,
drawing humanity into the life of God,
pray for your sisters and brothers in need, distress, or sorrow.

• • • All those infected by the Coronavirus, and those in intensive care.
    • Health care workers, and all essential workers.
    • Those who are mourning the recently dead, in the midst of the lockdown.
    • Those who have been laid off and have lost income, and whose futures are in peril.
    • Teachers, students, and parents, struggling to learn from home.
    • Families overcome by stress.
    • Refugees, immigrants, migrants, the homeless, and other vulnerable populations.

Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.

Jesus, pioneer of our salvation,
bringing us to glory through your death and resurrection,
surround with your saints and angels those who have died trusting your promises.

• • •  the 308,000 who have died from the Covid-19 pandemic.
    • Among the dead, the physicians, nurses, and health care workers.

Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.

Jesus Christ, Lord over all things,
ascended far above the heavens and filling the universe,
pray for us who receive the gifts you give us for work in your service.

• • • for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11.1-2).
    • for the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.
    • for the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love. (1 Corinthians 13.13).
    • spiritual gifts: prophecy, serving, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, mercy (Romans 12.6-8).

Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.

Jesus Christ,
keep the Church in the unity of the Spirit and in the bond of peace,
and bring the whole created order to worship at your feet;
for you are alive and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Sing