Pentecost Sunday – 23/05/21

Acts 2:1-21

Psalm 104:25-35

Romans 8:22-27

John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15  

 

Alleluia! Christ is Risen.

The Lord is Risen Indeed. Alleluia!

 

Good morning, welcome to all on this day of Pentecost! 

It is a privilege and honour to share in worship with you today.

May his grace and peace be with you.

May he fill our hearts with joy! 

 Morning Prayer:

The Gathering of the Community

We gather recognizing that we live, work, and play in the traditional lands of the Coast Salish People, Cowichan Tribes. 

We continue to commit ourselves to the work of reconciliation and relationship building with our First Nations neighbours.          

Today we hold up in prayer the Front-line Workers, in particular today those in our grocery stores and pharmacies.

Call to Worship:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful;

and kindle in us the fire of your love.

O come let us worship!

 

Hymn

She comes sailing on the wind,

her wings flashing in the sun;

on a journey just begun, she flies on.

And in the passage of her flight,

her song rings out through the night,

full of laughter, full of light, she flies on.

 

Silent waters rocking

on the morning of our birth,

like an empty cradle waiting to be filled,

and from the heart of God

the Spirit moved upon the earth,

like a mother breathing life into her child.  

 

Many were the dreamers

whose eyes were given sight

when the Spirit filled their dreams with life and form.

Deserts turned to gardens,

broken hearts found new delight,

and then down the ages still 

she flew on. (Refrain…)    

 

Introductory Responsory

God’s love has been poured into our hearts.

We dwell in him and he in us.

Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name;

Make known his deeds among the peoples.

Sing to him, sing praises to him,

And speak of all his marvellous works.

Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God almighty,

Who was and is and is to come!

 

Proclamation of the WORD:

1st Reading: Acts 2:1-21

It is now 50days since the Resurrection.

Many pilgrims have come to Jerusalem for the Festival of Weeks.

Luke, the author of Acts, tries to describe the coming of the Holy Spirit,

but all he can say is what it is like.

Divinity, to some extent, is beyond our experience and comprehension.  

 

2nd Reading:  Romans 8:22-27

Paul has written that living the Christian life involves suffering, but that this is minuscule compared to the certain hope of future glory.  Now we are “in bondage to decay” – to committing sinful acts – and await the “revealing of the children of God”.   

He likens our duress to the pain of child-birth.  

Psalm 104: 25-35

There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small.

There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time.

When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.

When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.

When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.

May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works—

he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord.

But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more.

Praise the Lord, my soul.  Praise the Lord.

O god of eternal light,

heaven and earth are the work of your hands, and all creation sings your praise and beauty.

As in the beginning, by your Spirit, you gave life and order to all that is,

so by the same Spirit redeem us and all things,

through Christ our Lord.  Amen.    

 

The Gospel: John 15.26-27, 16.4b-15

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

The Holy Gospel according to John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15

Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ

"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 judgment:

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 judgment, 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:  -The Ven. Brian Evans

May the words of my lips and meditations of our hearts be ever acceptable to you, O Lord. Amen.

WAITING

A few years ago I discovered  this:  I never get tired of listening to this Easter meditation by S.M. Lockridge (1913-2000), pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego from 1953 -1993.

It’s Friday, Jesus is praying,

Peter’s a sleeping

Judas is betraying ,

But Sunday’s comin

It’s Friday, Pilate’s struggling

The council is conspiring

The crowd is vilifying

They don’t even know

That Sunday’s comin’  

It’s Friday.  The disciples are running

Like sheep without a shepherd

Mary’s crying

Peter is denying

But they don’t know

That Sunday’s a comin’  

It’s Friday. The Romans beat my Jesus

They robe him in scarlet

They crown him with thorns

But they don’t know

That Sunday’s comin’  

 

It’s Friday.

See Jesus walking to Calvary

His blood dripping

His body stumbling

And his spirit’s burdened

But you see, it’s only Friday

Sunday’s comin’  

 

It’s Friday.  The world’s winning

People are sinning

And evil’s grinning  

 

It’s Friday. The soldiers nail my Savior’s hands

To the cross

They nail my Savior’s feet

To the cross

And then they raise him up

Next to criminals  

 

It’s Friday,

But let me tell you something

Sunday’s comin’  

 

It’s Friday.  The disciples are questioning

What has happened to their King

And the Pharisees are celebrating

That their scheming

Has been achieved

But they don’t know

It’s only Friday

Sunday’s comin’  

 

It’s Friday.  He’s hanging on the cross

Feeling forsaken by his Father

Left alone and dying

Can nobody save him?

Ooooh.  It’s Friday

But Sunday’s comin’  

 

It’s Friday

The earth trembles

The sky grows dark

My King yields his spirit

 

It’s Friday

Hope is lost

Death has won

Sin has conquered and Satan’s just a laughin’  

It’s Friday

 

Jesus is buried

A soldier stands guard

And a rock is rolled into place

 

But it’s Friday

It is only Friday

Sunday is a comin’!            

 

Waiting, possibly one of the most annoying events in our life.

Just the other day Flo and I were discussing the length of wait, with all due respect, at the medical office. I am sure most have had this experience.

This past month or so, it has been first the wait to book your Covid Vaccine, then the wait for the day and then the wait at the clinic.

The best part is in 99% of the cases, once you get to the clinic --- there is no wait.          

 

What I hear people say with a sense of unbelief: “I got there and we just went straight in, really no wait!”          

 

We are getting more impatient as a society. We have become an instant society – thanks, I believe, created by electronic communications.          

 

I love this little humorous story I read this week:

A woman tells of trying to get a table at a very popular and very busy restaurant.

She approached the hostess and asked quite brusquely, “Will it be long?”

The hostess kept writing in her hostess book, so the woman leaned closer and asked again a little more firmly, “Will it be long?”

Without looking up, the hostess said, “About 10 minutes.”

A few minutes later, the woman heard this announcement over the speaker:

“Willette B. Long, your table is ready.

Willette B. Long, your table is ready!”           

What about waiting?  What about waiting for the Advocate Jesus promised us last week, actually last Thursday?

Can you imagine--if I was to call the assembly together on Thursday and say, just wait here for 10 more days, until I give you this special gift.          

I am sure I may hear: Willette B. Long……          

 

According to a study in Holland the average length of time we are prepared to wait for the next word – or the answer -  is about 4 seconds.          

Stating all it takes is 4 seconds of silence in a conversation for people to drift away.

They say after 4 seconds feelings of anxiety, exclusion, incompatibility, and awkwardness begin to set in.          

I know from personal experience, although I have never timed it, when ever I have used silence in a sermon, I do know how uncomfortable people soon appear.          

Our Bible passage today doesn’t tell us how long the disciples waited, in fact they did not even know what they were waiting for!   Can you imagine that?

Yet they waited--they went to Jerusalem, gathered in the temple and prayed.

[Note: The good part is there would have been a full food service available to them.]          

The Good News is, they waited and it paid off. They received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:2-4.

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 

Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.          

 

Who was there?

The disciples.

Their brothers. 

Matthias. 

The women – totally out of the norm for that time in history. 

And I am sure a whole lot of other “hangers-on”, otherwise known as groupies.

This tells us something of the importance of the occasion.          

Jesus gives us this special gift, we might say in place of himself.  He gives us not only a motivating gift, it is also a gift of encouragement and  stimulation.          

Jesus gives us a gift to lead us in his absence:

To lead us in sharing, taking the Gospel, the GOOD NEWS of Christ, to the world.

 

It is said there are 3ingredients requisite:

1. POWER.

Jesus says to the disciples--wait until you are clothed with power from on high.          

- AND WOW, when that day came, following Peter’s sermon 3000 souls were added to the kingdom.          

- with this new gift, we have the gift of confidence and courage.

(Reading in preparation for the upcoming study sessions, beginning on Monday morning, I have learned church growth is directly linked to a congregation’s attitude.)   

 

2. PURPOSE.

There is a great praise Hymn:   

Draw the Circle Wide.

Draw it wider still,

Let this be our song

No one stands alone!

Standing side by side,

Draw the circle,

 

Draw the circle wide.  It is said when Mother Teresa was asked what the biggest problem in the world today responded: “The biggest problem in the world today is that we draw the circle of our family too small. We need to draw it larger every day.”          

What wisdom then, what wisdom standing to this day.

When we listen to the issues of the world there is no doubt, we need to draw our circle wider, wider still.

 

3. GOD’s PRESENCE.          

One of the best examples of this living with purpose comes to us from “The Lady of the Lamp.”

Florence Nightingale cared for the soldiers in the Crimean War in the 1850’s. She is credited not only as being a social reformer, but also the founder of modern nursing. 

She once said: “If I could give you information of my life, it would be to show how a woman of very ordinary ability has been led by God, in strange and unaccustomed paths, to do in His service what He has done in her.

And if I could tell you all, you would see how God has done all, and I nothing.

I have worked hard, very hard, that is all; and I have never refused God anything.”

 

Back to our Scriptures for today.

Those gathered were just ordinary men and women, not unlike you and I.

God chose to bless them with God’s power.

God, I believe, has chosen each of us today to receive his power.  It is our duty now not to refuse what God has requested.          

Just like the community so long ago, we do not stand alone, we stand together as a community of believers who have also been clothed from on high to do his will.          

As I said in my Thursday reflection this week:  to hammer out justice, danger, warning and love between our sisters and brothers.          

There is no more waiting.  

Thanks be to God,

Amen   

 

Hymn

Breathe on me, Breath of God,

fill me with life anew,

that I may love the way you love,

and do what you would do.    

 

Breathe on me, Breath of God,

until my heart is pure,

until my will is one with yours,

to do and to endure.  

 

 Breathe on me, Breath of God,

so shall I never die,

but live with you the perfect life

for all eternity.    

 

Affirmation of Faith:

Let us confess the faith of our baptism, as we say:

 

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit

and born of the Virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again.

He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.  Amen.    

 

Prayers of the People

The Spirit that God gives us is no cowardly Spirit.

Let us pray to be strong, loving, and wise in furthering the Gospel of Christ.

Our invocation today is: 

Come, Giver of Life!

 

To the church as it heralds the gospel of salvation:

Come, Giver of Life!

 

To the leaders of nations as they address the issues of life and death:

Come, Giver of Life!

 

To the parents who seek your wisdom in guiding their children:

Come, Giver of Life!

 

To those who safeguard citizens through police and fire protection agencies:

Come, Giver of Life!

 

To all who pray for healing in time of illness   In our Parish we pray for: 

Ray & Gail C., John R., Steve M., Geoff E., Daryl & Sue G. 

Come, Giver of Life!

 

To those who serve your people as religious leaders, teachers and theologians.

We pray for: Anna our Bishop, Rev. Brian, Rev. Ted, & . Heather,

Rev. Susan Hermanson & Rev. Cindy Corrigan - Saint Philip, Cedar.

Bishop Lincoln McKoen - Territory of the People. 

Come, Giver of Life!

 

To those who work to improve the quality of life for the most needy.

Come, Giver of Life!

 

To all who dedicate their time in the healing professions:

Come, Giver of Life!

 

To us as we gather in prayer at this table of life:

Come, Giver of Life!

 

God, giver of every worthwhile gift,

we praise you for the world’s salvation.

May the Spirit enlighten our hearts,

inspire our prayers,

and unite us to Christ,

in whose name we invoke

your saving grace.  Amen.  

 

Collect of the Day:

Almighty and everliving God, who fulfilled the promises of Easter by sending us your Holy Spirit

and opened, 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 Lord’s Prayer:

As our Saviour Christ has taught us, we are bold to say:

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name,

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,

for ever and ever.   Amen.  

 

Hymn:

I feel the winds of God today; 

today my sail I lift,

though heavy oft with drenching spray

and torn with many a rift;

if hope but light the water’s crest, 

and Christ my bark will use,

I’ll seek the seas at his behest, 

and brave another cruise.    

 

If ever I forget your love 

and how that love was shown,

lift high the blood-red flag above; 

it bears your name alone.

Great pilot of my onward way, 

you will not let me drift;

I feel the winds of God today,

today my sail I lift!

 

The Blessing:

The peace of God, which passes all understanding,

keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God,

and of his son Jesus Christ, our Lord;

and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

be among you and remain with you always.

 

Dismissal

Let us go in peace to love and serve God and our neighbour.

Thanks be to God.   Alleluia!   

 

Hymn:  Spirit of the Living God …