These are Pentecost Sunday resources gathered from a variety of sources and 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!

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There are three ways you can use these resources.

First, you can join us for worship in person. We have resumed worship and will continue this coming Sunday, May 31, at 11:00 am EEST at the Tabernacle of the Church of St Thomas, Kefalas. 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. Those of you were were there last week and are coming again, please remember to return with your hymn book, psalter, and service booklet! Oh, and maybe wear RED!

Second, you can join us via ZOOM. We will livestream the service at the Tabernacle 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 . For those joining from a distance the Order of Service can be downloaded here: Easter Holy Communion 2020; The Order of Service will be shared on Zoom, as will the hymns.

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

As an alternative, you might watch the service at 11:00 am EEST / 9:00 am BST for Thy Kingdom Come, an ecumenical prayer movement. The two Archbishops of the Church of England, along with Pope Francis and others, will be leading the liturgy.

Read

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

• Acts 2:1-21 or Numbers 11:24-30*
• Psalm 104:25-35, 37*
• 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 or Acts 2:1-21*
• John 20:19-23 or John 7:37-39*

At St Thomas’s Kefalas we will use the ones with the asterisks.

Reflect

As usual, I will upload my sermon as a separate post after the service sometime on Sunday afternoon.

In the meantime, here is a recording of the Rev Canon Leonard Doolan of St Paul’s, Athens, preaching about Pentecost.

Pray

Collect

God, who as at this time taught the hearts of your faithful people
by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit:
grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgement in all things
and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort;
through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour,
who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

(or)

Holy Spirit, sent by the Father, ignite in us your holy fire;
strengthen your children with the gift of faith,
revive your Church with the breath of love,
and renew the face of the earth,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Intercessions (H1)

We pray for God to fill us with his Spirit.

Generous God, we thank you for the power of your Holy Spirit.
We ask that we may be strengthened to serve you better.
Lord, come to bless us and fill us with your Spirit.

We thank you for the wisdom of your Holy Spirit.
We ask you to make us wise to understand your will.
Lord, come to bless us and fill us with your Spirit.

We thank you for the peace of your Holy Spirit.
We ask you to keep us confident of your love wherever you call us.
Lord, come to bless us and fill us with your Spirit.

We thank you for the healing of your Holy Spirit.
We ask you to bring reconciliation and wholeness
where there is division, sickness and sorrow.
Lord, come to bless us and fill us with your Spirit.

We thank you for the gifts of your Holy Spirit.
We ask you to equip us for the work which you have given us.
Lord, come to bless us and fill us with your Spirit.

We thank you for the fruit of your Holy Spirit.
We ask you to reveal in our lives the love of Jesus.
Lord, come to bless us and fill us with your Spirit.

We thank you for the breath of your Holy Spirit, given us by the risen Lord.
We ask you to keep the whole Church, living and departed,
in the joy of eternal life.
Lord, come to bless us and fill us with your Spirit.

Generous God,
you sent your Holy Spirit upon your Messiah at the river Jordan,
and upon the disciples in the upper room:
in your mercy fill us with your Spirit,
hear our prayer, and make us one in heart and mind
to serve you with joy for ever. Amen.

For the Church

• Remember Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury & Primate of All England, and Robert Innes & David Hamid, our Bishops here in the Diocese in Europe, and for Stephen Cottrell as he prepares to become the Archbishop of York.
• We especially give thanks for John Sentamu in his ministry as Archbishop of York and Primate of England since 2005, and we pray for blessings upon him and his family as he moves into retirement.
• In the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Prayer Cycle we remember the churches and peoples of Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Eswatini (Swaziland).
• In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer and on this we Anglican Communion Sunday we pray for the Anglican Church of Melanesia and The Most Revd Leonard Dawea, the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Melanesia and Bishop of Temotu.
• In the Prayer Diary of the Diocese in Europe we give thanks for
  • the Church of Norway, with whom we are in communion through the Porvoo Agreement;
  • our fellowship with the French Lutheran and Reformed Churches (Reuilly Common Statement); and
  • our partnership with the Church Mission Society (“CMS”).

For Governments:

• Στην Ελλάδα προσευχόμαστε Αικατερίνη Σακελλαροπούλου, Πρόεδρος, και Κυριάκος Μητσοτάκης, Πρωθυπουργός (In Greece we pray for Aikaterini Sakellaropoulou, President, and Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister).
• In the UK we remember our Sovereign Lady Elizabeth II, Supreme 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.

Sing