These are resources for the Third Sunday after Trinity (Fourth Sunday after Pentecost), June 28, 2020, gathered from a variety of sources and, while assembled mainly for The Anglican Church of St Thomas the Apostle, Kefalas, on the island of Crete in Greece, others may find them useful!

The Sacrifice of Isaac (1966), Marc Chagall, from the Chagall Museum in Nice

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There are several ways you can join in worship this coming Sunday, June 28, 2020.

First, you can join us for worship in person.

• We meet this coming Sunday, June 28, 2020 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!

It appears that God and telecommunications are willing, so you can join us in the worship service via Zoom. Click on the link below, or enter the information at right into your Zoom app: Meeting ID: 850 4483 9927 Password: 010209:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85044839927?pwd=TkQ1cHEzNUNjSjVCNTNJVUJwSkZaQT09

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.

Read

The Church of England Common Worship Lectionary/Revised Common Lectionary readings for this Sunday are: Genesis 22:1-14, Psalm 13, Romans 6:12-23, and Matthew 10:40-42. At St Thomas’s we will use these, omitting the reading from Romans.

Reflect

I will be preaching on the Genesis reading again, and it is, as last week, one of those Texts of Terror. I will post the sermon on Sunday after preaching it.

The Anglican Church of St Paul’s, Athens appears to be observing the Feast of St Peter & St Paul (transferred from June 29; readings here); this is Father Leonard Doolan’s pre-recorded sermon:

Here is a poem cycle meditation on the Binding of Isaac (as it is known in Judaism, in Hebrew, the Akedah) by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat of Congregation Beth Israel, a congregation in western Massachusetts. It is EXCELLENT.

Pray

Collect
Almighty God,
you have broken the tyranny of sin
and have sent the Spirit of your Son into our hearts
whereby we call you Father:
give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service,
that we and all creation may be brought
to the glorious liberty of the children of God;
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)

God our saviour,
look on this wounded world
in pity and in power;
hold us fast to your promises of peace
won for us by your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Intercessions
Biddings
I bid your prayers for:

• Justin Welby, our Archbishop of Canterbury & Primate of All England, and Stephen Cottrell the Archbishop of York and Primate of England;
• Robert Innes & David Hamid, our Bishops here in the Diocese in Europe;
• the churches and peoples of Sudan, South Sudan, and Uganda(World Council of Churches Ecumenical Prayer Cycle);
• the united Church of North India, and The Most Revd Dr Prem Chand Singh – Moderator of CNI & Bishop of Jabalpur (Anglican Cycle of Prayer);
• (from the Prayer Diary of the Diocese in Europe)
  • the Church of Sweden.
  • the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (Turkey), for Patriarch Bartholomew and the autocephalous Orthodox Churches and their leaders.
  • threatened Syrian Orthodox communities in Turkey and for persecuted Christians of all communities in the Muslim world.

• Αικατερίνη Σακελλαροπούλου, Πρόεδρος, και Κυριάκος Μητσοτάκης, Πρωθυπουργός (Ελλάδα) (Aikaterini Sakellaropoulou, President, and Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister (Greece));
• In the European Union
  • 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;
• Elizabeth, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and
  • her government in the United Kingdom led by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
  • her vice-regal representative in Canada, Julie Payette, the Governor General of Canada, and the national government of Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister.

• for the over 9.3 million people infected by the Coronavirus, and for healthcare workers; the families of the 480,000 dead;
• for the unemployed, those who were not working before the pandemic, and those who have been made redundant since it began; and
• for minorities and people of colour demanding justice in the face of ongoing violence and discrimination.

In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father.

Almighty and ever-living God, who by thy holy apostle hast taught us to make prayers and supplications, and to give thanks, for all men: we humbly beseech thee most mercifully to receive these our prayers, which we offer unto thy divine majesty; beseeching thee to inspire continually the universal Church with the spirit of truth, unity and concord; and grant that all they that do confess thy holy name may agree in the truth of thy holy word, and live in unity and godly love.

We beseech thee also to lead all nations in the way of righteousness and peace; and so to direct all kings and rulers, that under them thy people may be godly and quietly governed. And grant unto thy servant Elizabeth our Queen, and to all that are put in authority under her, that they may truly and impartially administer justice, to the punishment of wickedness and vice, and to the maintenance of thy true religion and virtue.

Give grace, O heavenly Father, to all bishops, priests and deacons, especially to thy servants Robert and David our bishops, that they may both by their life and doctrine set forth thy true and lively word, and rightly and duly administer thy holy sacraments.

Guide and prosper, we pray thee, those who are labouring for the spread of thy gospel among the nations, and enlighten with thy Spirit all places of education and learning; that the whole world may be filled with the knowledge of thy truth.

And to all thy people give thy heavenly grace; and specially to this congregation here present, that, with meek heart and due reverence, they may hear and receive thy holy word, truly serving thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of their life.

And we most humbly beseech thee of thy goodness, O Lord, to comfort and succour all them who in this transitory life are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity.

And we commend to thy gracious keeping, O Lord, all thy servants departed this life in thy faith and fear, beseeching thee, according to thy promises, to grant them refreshment, light and peace.

And here we give thee most high praise and hearty thanks for all thy saints, who have been the chosen vessels of thy grace, and lights of the world in their several generations; and we pray that, rejoicing in their fellowship and following their good examples, we may be partakers with them of thy heavenly kingdom.

Grant this, O Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake, our only mediator and advocate. Amen.

Sing