May 24, 2015, the Day of Pentecost

The Day of Pentecost

Water and Flame

Renewal and the Spirit

The Holy Eucharist

The Gathering of the Community

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

               The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

May his grace and peace be with you.

               May he fill our hearts with joy.

We believe St. Paul’s Church is called,

               To show the transforming love

               and justice of God in action.

The Prayer

Almighty God,

to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Responsory

As we wait in silence, / fill us with your Spirit.

As we listen to your word, / fill us with your Spirit.

As we worship you in majesty, / fill us with your Spirit.

As we long for your refreshing, / fill us with your Spirit.

As we long for your renewing, / fill us with your Spirit.

As we long for your equipping, / fill us with your Spirit.

As we long for your empowering, / fill us with your Spirit.

Silence

Collect

Let us pray,

Almighty and everliving God, who fulfilled the promises of Easter by sending us your Holy Spirit and opening to every race and nation the way of life eternal, keep us in the unity of your Spirit, that every tongue may tell of your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Proclamation of the Word

Reading: Acts 2:1-21

A Reading from the Book of Acts

When the day of Pentecost had come, the apostles were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 'In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'"

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church

               Thanks be to God.

Psalm 104:25-35, 37b

Refrain: Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

O Lord, how manifold are your works! in wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Yonder is the great and wide sea with its living things too many to number, creatures both small and great. R There move the ships, and there is that Leviathan, which you have made for the sport of it. All of them look to you to give them their food in due season. You give it to them; they gather it; you open your hand, and they are filled with good things. R You hide your face, and they are terrified; you take away their breath, and they die and return to their dust. You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; and so you renew the face of the earth. R May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; may the Lord rejoice in all his works. He looks at the earth and it trembles; he touches the mountains and they smoke. R I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will praise my God while I have my being. May these words of mine please him; I will rejoice in the Lord. Hallelujah! R

The Holy Gospel: John 15:26-27, 16:4b15

The Lord be with you.

               And also with you.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John

               Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus said to the disciples, "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgement, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you."

The Gospel of Christ.

               Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Sermon

Announcements

Confession and Absolution

The Spirit of the Lord fills the world and knows our every word and deed. Let us then open ourselves to the Lord and confess our sins in penitence and faith.

Silence

Most merciful God,

we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.

Almighty God have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Affirmation of Faith

We say together in faith

Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.

We believe in God the Father,
who created all things:

for by his will they were created
and have their being.

We believe in God the Son,
who was slain:

for with his blood,
he purchased us for God,
from every tribe and language,
from every people and nation.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit:

the Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come!'
Even so come, Lord Jesus! Amen.

cf Revelation 4.8,11;5.9;22.17,20

The Prayers

Prayer for Personal Renewal

Water is brought forward, the bearer saying,

Living water for the renewal of God’s people.

The presider says,

Be with us, Spirit of God;

               nothing can separate us from your love.

Breathe on us, breath of God;

               fill us with your saving power.

Speak in us, wisdom of God;

               bring strength, healing, and peace.

Prayers of the People

We pray for God to fill us with the holy and live-giving Spirit.

Generous God, we thank you for the power of your Holy Spirit. We ask that we may be strengthened to serve you better. In the Cycle of Prayer we pray for…

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. Be with all who serve in your Church, that each one may be faithful and true.

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. Be with political, military and business leaders that their actions will be guided by care for others and this fragile earth.

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. We pray for those we know who are ill at home or in the hospital…

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 – that we may be good and wise stewards of all that you have entrusted us with and bless our parish meeting today that we will be more inclusive, more welcoming to children and families and that our worship will be holy and in accord with your will.

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. We pray that we may be bold proclaimers of the Gospel of the resurrection.

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. We pray for those who have died in you peace…

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.

The presider says,

Do you reaffirm your renunciation of evil?

               I do.

Do you renew your commitment to Jesus Christ?

               I do.

Do you put your whole trust in his grace and love?

               I do.

Blessed are you, sovereign God and eternal lover of all that you created. Daily your Spirit renews the face of the earth, bringing strength out of weakness, hope out of despair and life out of death. By the power of your Spirit, may your blessing rest upon those who renew their Baptismal vows this day. Let this action be a sign of your acceptance and adoption, your equipping and empowering. And we ask that you now sanctify this water by the power of your Holy Spirit and form in each of us the likeness of Christ, that we may witness your astonishing love, and be filled afresh with life in all its fullness.

Blessed be God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

               Blessed be God for ever. Amen.

Those who wish to renew their baptismal vows may come to the font and receive the living water in any way that feels appropriate.

At the end the presider says,

O God of the high heavens, O Christ of the deep earth, O Spirit of the flowing waters; give strength and breathe into your disciple the passion of your love; in the name of Jesus, to whom we commit ourselves. Amen.

Let us bless the Father,

and the Son,

and the Holy Spirit.

Let us praise and bless God for ever.

The Celebration of the Holy Eucharist

Prayer over the Gifts

Let us pray,

Giver of life, receive all we offer you this day. Let the Spirit you bestow on your Church continue to work in the world through the hearts of all who believe. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

Thanksgiving and Consecration Page 78 (BCP)

The Scattering (Mark 4:20)

The Lord’s Prayer Page 85

Prayer after Communion

Let us pray,

Father, may we who have received this eucharist live in the unity of your Holy Spirit, that we may show forth his gifts to all the world. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Commissioning

The Lord is here.

               His Spirit is with us.

Today we have remembered the coming of God’s power on the disciples and we invite that same Spirit to drive us out into the wild places of the world.

Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?

               I will, with God’s help.

Will you persevere in resisting evil and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?

               I will, with God’s help.

Will you proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ?

               I will, with God’s help.

Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbour as yourself?

               I will, with God’s help.

Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?

               I will, with God’s help.

Will you strive to safeguard the integrity of God’s creation, and respect, sustain and renew the life of the Earth?

               I will, with God’s help.

Blessing

May the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

Scattering

Alleluia, alleluia! Filled with the Spirit’s power,

go in the light and peace of Christ.

               Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia!