Showing posts with label Pentecost B. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pentecost B. Show all posts

Sunday, May 23, 2021

Pentecost: Let Us Consider the Holy Spirit

Day of Pentecost   May 23, 2021
Acts 2:1-21  Psalm 104: 25-35,37
Romans 8:22-27  John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15





Today is the feast of Pentecost, fifty days after the day of the resurrection and it is a day which is associated with the "coming out" event of the Holy Spirit of God.

There are many insights which we can ponder on the feast of Pentecost, but I would like to highlight several from the appointed Bible readings for today.

I like the reading from the Psalm on Pentecost.  The poet refers to God like someone who really enjoys a creative hobby.  God creates all of the variety of beings in the world and God creates the great Leviathan for the sports of it, for the frolic in delight.  And the Spirit is the renewing creative force of the play of God.  You and I can appreciate the play, the sport, the frolic of the vast diversity in the world of the creatures.  We are bird watchers, whale watchers and we love National Geographic Nature shows.  We are thoroughly entertained by the beautiful diversity of nature, and the fact that we are entertained in wonderment at our world must be evidence that God created in delight, in playfulness and in wonder.  Today is a day of pondering the personal force everywhere in the manifold diversity of creation, the personal force of the Holy Spirit.  I do hope that each of us know the Holy Spirit in our lives, through wonder, delight, sport, and playfulness.  In playfulness we need to awaken the eternal child within us, being ever born again, even as we face all of the not-so-playful clashes and competition in life of conflicting systems of nature and human selfishness.  In church we often have a "prelude," which literally means before the "play or playfulness" begins.  Our liturgy is to be a holy playfulness inspired by the Holy Spirit who inspires us to wonder at God because we can be in wonder with all that is created.

Another insight that we have this day is the fact that the Holy Spirit is the aging power of the universe.  We are not finished yet; we've not yet grown up.  As Paul writes, "creation is in labor pains."  Labor pains are very ambiguous since no pain is pleasant, but the payoff of labor pains is a new child coming into one's life.  The Spirit is the power of continuous new births of new moments in time.  The Spirit is known through hope and hope is always focused on what is not yet.  Hope is focused upon growing up.  And St. Paul says that our bodies are the location in which the Holy Spirit can pray.  The prayers of the Spirit are often wordless, they are deep sighs and groans, they are the birth pangs for being renewed into the next occasions of our lives.  Let us accept that we are not yet finished and the Spirit within us is proof of the birth process.

Next, the feast of Pentecost is about unity in diversity called harmony.  The Good News about God and Christ can be spoken in all languages.  Harmony is the diversity of separatist egos submitted to the order of being together.  Does individual identity change over time?  Are we the same person we were at the age of two or sixteen?  Yes and no.  Change has brought many differences in the phases of our lives, but we are in some essential way still one and same person.  The Spirit is the sustaining guarantor of Unity across distance and time.  In the Spirit we are One with the soaring bird and the blooming flowers; in the Spirit we can be One with people all over the world and with people of different ethnic backgrounds, and with people who lived before us and who will live after us.  On Pentecost, we celebrate the Spirit as the essence of e pluribus unum.  When we want our own personal style and language and race to replace Spirit as what unifies us, we can fall into fascism.  The Holy Spirit is the great unifier and orchestrator of harmony.  And the Holy Spirit is saying to us today, "Yes you can be yourself in your unique individual gifts, as long as you are checking your egos to blend to the common good."  May we let the Holy Spirit as Profound Unity, melt our egos so that we see the beauty of making room for everyone.

Finally, according to the Gospel of John, the Holy Spirit is the best lawyer that anyone can have.  "When the Holy Spirit, the Advocates comes...."  you know that your case in this life is being made.  Great you say, "now that I have the best lawyer, I should be winning all of my cases.  Then why do I often seem to be losing?"  The Holy Spirit isn't about individual winning issues in ego disputes.  The great Advocate the Holy Spirit is like the advocate that the suffering Job cried out about:  "I know that my redeemer, my advocate lives and this advocate will my case in this life and in the world to come."

You and I and can know the Holy Spirit as our Advocate for the foundation of our esteem, which is the graceful sense of personal worth in this life and the life to come.  Let us give the Holy Spirit, our lawyer, a dollar today, so that we have this holy Attorney on retainer, to help us make the case for the personal and special meaning of our lives in the middle of some very personal histories and circumstances.

Come Holy Spirit, let us know the unity of harmony in diversity.  Let us know the wonder of delightful play.  Let us accept that we are not yet finished but our growth pangs are labor pains for the birth of hope's children.  Holy Spirit, come and be our advocate today to make our case before God, to make the case of our esteem and integrity to ourselves and to the communities within which we live.

Come Holy Spirit, Come.  Amen.

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Sunday School, May 23,2021 The Day of Pentecost B

Sunday School, May 23, 2021   The Day of Pentecost B


Theme:

Meanings of Pentecost

Pentecost is fifty days after Easter

Anglicans call it Whitsunday or “White” Sunday, called that perhaps because of the white robes worn by the candidates for baptism.

The English Church, retains the color white for Pentecost while the Episcopal Church and other churches use the color Red for Pentecost, symbolizing the red flames of the tongues of fire that is reported in the Pentecost event.

The tongues of fire seem to appear on the disciple in Jerusalem and the disciple began to speak about Christ in other languages.

This means that the message about Christ can be translated into all languages and all people can be united by the One Spirit of God even though all people are different in many ways.

Pentecost is a celebrate of our unity, perhaps, better called a “harmony.”  It is how God’s love is lived and expressed among people who have many differences.

When Jesus left this world, he reminded us that God’s Holy Spirit was with us to let God’s presence be known to us.

Sermon:
Many churches have a musical instrument with big pipes.  This instrument is called a pipe organ.  A pipe organ is made up of lots of pipes.  A pipe is just like a whistle.  You blow air through the pipe and it makes a sound.  But each pipe makes a different sound.  And when they play together, it like having an entire band all within the cabinets.  Some of the pipes can been seen and many are hidden and cannot be seen.
  To make the pipe organ work there has to be a powerful fan which can blow air through tubes and into chests so that when the holes under each pipe are opened the air blows the pipe and makes the sounds.
  Today, is the Day of Pentecost.  It is a day when we celebrate that God is known as the Holy Spirit.  We say God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The word Spirit means Wind or breath.  Take a deep breath and blow.  Can you see your breath?  No.  But how do you know it is there?  You can feel it blow against your hand.  Can you see the wind?  No.  But can you see the wind blow the branches of a tree?  Yes.
  The Holy Spirit is like the wind and breath.  We cannot see God but we can see the effects of God in our world.  When we see love and kindness and beauty we know that God’s Spirit is present. 
  When a pipe organ is played there is one wind that plays all of the different sounds of the pipes.
  This is how we can understand God’s Spirit.  There is one Spirit of God who lives in each of us, but each of us are different and each of us have different things that we can do to make this world a better place.
  Today, we are baptizing Bishop.  It is like we are adding a new pipe to the wonderful pipe organ of God.
  Today, we know that the life of God’s Spirit is in Bishop and he is going to make some wonderful sounds with all of the good things which God will do with his life.  And he joins all of us as pipes in the great pipe organ of God with the Wind of God Spirit blowing through us.
  And so each of is like a different pipe in this great pipe organ of God.  Let us be thankful today that each of us is special and different.  But let us also be thankful that God’s Spirit is in us to help us make beautiful music together as we live together to love and care for one another.  Amen.


Intergenerational Family Service with Holy Eucharist
May 23, 2021: The Day of Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Glory be to God on High, Creating Spirit, Every Time I Feel the Spirit

Liturgist: Alleluia, Christ is Risen.
People: The Lord is Risen Indeed.  Alleluia.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.
And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.
Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song:  Glory be to God on High,     (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 70)
Glory be to God on high, alleluia.  Glory be to God on high, alleluia.
Praise the Father, Spirit, Son, alleluia.  Praise the Godhead, three in one, alleluia.
Sing we praises unto thee, alleluia, for the truth that sets us free, alleluia.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.
People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray
O God, who on this day 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 judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Litany of Praise: Chant: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia
O God, you have made us! Alleluia
O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia
O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia
O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia
O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia
O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A reading from the   Letter to the Romans

We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God



Let us read together from Psalm 104

You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; * and so you renew the face of the earth.
May the glory of the LORD endure for ever; * may the LORD rejoice in all his works.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:
For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!
For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!
For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!
For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!
For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!
For work and for play. Thanks be to God!
For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!
For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!
For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.
   Thanks be to God!


Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus said to his 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 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."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.
People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.
Since God is so great and we are so small,
We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.
We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and
     resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.
We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is
     welcome.
We believe that Christ is kind and fair.
We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.
And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve us forever.  Amen.

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.
For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.
For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.
For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.
For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.
For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Youth Liturgist:          The Peace of the Lord be always with you.
People:                        And also with you.

Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering

Offertory Song Spirit of the Living God, (Renew # 90)
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.  Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me. Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me.  Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Spirit of the living God, move among us all; Spirit of the living God, make us one in love: humble, caring, selfless, sharing— Spirit of the living God, fill our lives with love.

Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist
Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of heaven.”
All become members of a family by birth or adoption.
Baptism is a celebration of birth into the family of God.
A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.
The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you
And also with you.

Lift up your hearts
We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 
Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

All may gather around the altar

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;
You have made us in your image
And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:
Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.
And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph
And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.
Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat
  the bread and drink the wine, we can  know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as  
  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.


And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. Sanctify us so that we may love God and our neighbors.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in our future.

Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ.  May we forever live with praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory
 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,


Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)
Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.
Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.
As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.
But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.
Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.
Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread
Celebrant:       Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration


Communion Song: Creating Spirit, Holy Lord  (Renew! # 283
Creating Spirit, holy Lord, the gentle breeze, the mighty wind, with warmth and pow’r and graciousness in grace refashion heart and mind.
O comforter of all who toil, gift from the fountain head of light, O Spirit of all love and fire, anointing chrism of all might.
 

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;
We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.
And His Presence has been known to us.
We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers
    and sisters in Christ.
Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the
     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,
As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: Every Time I Feel the Spirit, (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 48)
Refrain: Every time I feel the spirit moving in my heart, I will pray.  O every time I feel the spirit moving in my heart I will pray.

1-On Pentecost day, the Spirit came.  The people praised with joyous tongues.  The Spirit came to everyone.  Jews and Gentiles, all the same. Refrain
2-God’s Spirit lives, within the church.  He gives us gifts to build us up.  God’s Spirit fills us with his love.  O blessed Spirit, heavenly dove.  Refrain

Dismissal:   

Liturgist: Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.  Alleluia!  Alleluia!
People: Thanks be to God!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!


Sunday, May 20, 2018

Is Jesus Translatable and Does He Have a Future?

Day of Pentecost   May 24, 2015
Acts 2:1-21  Psalm 104: 25-35,37
Romans 8:22-27  John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
Lectionary Link
Today is Whitsunday, and probably more people were in Virtual Church on the Eve of Whitsunday than have ever actually been in church.  The Eve of Whitsunday occasion was of course the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and the American actress, Meghan Markle.  And with the wedding and the FA Cup on the same day, one could say that Britannia Ruled the Waves again, the air waves of world public attention. The world watched the wedding and such a wedding is what we can actually be unified about.  I don't think that this wedding will bring an errant colony back into the United Kingdom, but it was an Anglican witness to the feast of Pentecost which we observe today.  I'm not even referring to the fiery sermon of our Presiding Bishop Michael.  I did feel sorry for the wedding guests who probably were not accustomed to such sermon energy; it's hard to keep a stiff upper lip when your jaw has fallen on the floor.

The liturgy, the music, the fiery sermon were all very special and unique but the liturgy was a distinct Anglican witness to the feast of Pentecost.  How so?  The liturgy was taken from the Common Worship, which has been a Book of Common Prayer Supplement for the Church of England since the year 2000.  One could notice the use of  more contemporary English language in liturgical forms for the Marriage Service.

The Book of Common Prayer is a historic and public event of the recovery of one of the original impulses of the Feast of Pentecost.  How so?

For many years, the Western Christian Church was trapped by limiting the public prayers of the church to an uncommon language for the people of England, Latin.  Latin was for the clergy and the scholars and in the church, the liturgy was "performed" on behalf of people who did not understand what was being said.

On the day of Pentecost, fifty days after Easter, a mighty statement of universality was proclaimed.  What was this great statement of universality?  It was demonstrated that the message of the love of God in Jesus Christ could be translated into all of the known language of the world.  The message of Christ was not just for those who been born in the Hebrew language tradition; the message of Christ was to be made known and accessible to everyone in the world.

When the Book of Common Prayer came to be used in 1549, it represented a recovery of the Holy Spirit of Pentecost.  With Common Prayer, we celebrate that God's life accessible to everyone.  The name of Jesus, Emmanuel, means God with us and if God is with us God communicates with us in ways that we can understand and in the languages of our understanding.   And we today, continue in the Pentecost tradition as found in our Book of Common Prayer.  But we do not use the Book of Common Prayer as a way to establish these prayers as exclusive prayers.  They are model prayers in our English language to encourage us to make at all times and all places our prayers common and natural to the ways in which we've been taught to offer our very best communication with God and each other.  We don't have our wonderful Book of Common Prayer as the exhaustive prayers of the church; they are model prayers for our corporate use and they are meant for us to be inspired to speak prayers in ways that are common to us when we prayer in private or when together.

Pentecost means that the love of God in Christ is translatable to everyone in this world.  And it our Pentecostal ministry to live our lives in such Holy Spirit inspired ways that we translate the meaning of the love of Christ to the people whom we meet.  This is our Pentecostal duty.

What else does Pentecost mean for us today?  The words of Jesus in John's Gospels tells us what Pentecost means?  It means that even though Jesus left this world, he would still have an endless future in this world.  What did the church of the Gospel of John understand Jesus to be saying to them? "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.... 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.....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."  Why did the Gospels get written?  Why did the letters of Paul and the other New Testament writers get written?  Because through the Holy Spirit, the message of Jesus Christ continued to be made known in the world.   The future of God the Father and God the Son is guaranteed because of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is the inner personal constitution of Christ as God's Word from the Beginning and God's word from the beginning keeps being transmitted and perpetuated into every new generation of people.  The Holy Spirit is the transhistorical presence and reality of Christ.  God the Father and Jesus Christ have a future in our lives because of the reality of the Holy Spirit.

Today on Pentecost Sunday, you and I are invited to "get in the Spirit."  And we literally can't do that, why?  Because the Spirit is God's Omni-presence that we always already live in because God is the Container of all life.  We "get" in Spirit by recognizing that God already contains us.  Getting into the Spirit means we give up alienation from God.  Letting the Spirit get into us means that we intentionally accept the apparent work of God's Spirit leading us into the fruits of love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, patience, faith, self-control and humility.


Let us today, as we begin the season of Pentecost determine to translate the love of God in Christ into the languages of the life styles of the people who are brought into our lives.  And let us accept the Holy Spirit as the future of Jesus Christ in our world and also as our continuing future with God beyond our earthly lives.  Amen.


Saturday, May 19, 2018

Sunday School, May 20, 2018 The Day of Pentecost B


Sunday School, May 20, 2018   The Day of Pentecost B

Theme:

Meanings of Pentecost

Pentecost is fifty days after Easter

Anglicans call it Whitsunday or “White” Sunday, called that perhaps because of the white robes worn by the candidates for baptism.

The English Church, retains the color white for Pentecost while the Episcopal Church and other churches use the color Red for Pentecost, symbolizing the red flames of the tongues of fire that is reported in the Pentecost event.

The tongues of fire seem to appear on the disciple in Jerusalem and the disciple began to speak about Christ in other languages.

This means that the message about Christ can be translated into all languages and all people can be united by the One Spirit of God even though all people are different in many ways.

Pentecost is a celebrate of our unity, perhaps, better called a “harmony.”  It is how God’s love is lived and expressed among people who have many differences.

When Jesus left this world, he reminded us that God’s Holy Spirit was with us to let God’s presence be known to us.

Sermon:

You notice today that we have a new musical instrument in our church.  It is called a pipe organ.  A pipe organ is made up of lots of pipes.  A pipe is just like a whistle.  You blow air through the pipe and it makes a sound.  But each pipe makes a different sound.  And when they play together, it like having an entire band all within the cabinets.  Some of the pipes can been seen and many are hidden and cannot be seen.
  To make the pipe organ work there has to be a powerful fan which can blow air through tubes and into chests so that when the holes under each pipe are opened the air blows the pipe and makes the sounds.
  Today, is the Day of Pentecost.  It is a day when we celebrate that God is known as the Holy Spirit.  We say God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The word Spirit means Wind or breath.  Take a deep breath and blow.  Can you see your breath?  No.  But how do you know it is there?  You can feel it blow against your hand.  Can you see the wind?  No.  But can you see the wind blow the branches of a tree?  Yes.
  The Holy Spirit is like the wind and breath.  We cannot see God but we can see the effects of God in our world.  When we see love and kindness and beauty we know that God’s Spirit is present. 
  When a pipe organ is played there is one wind that plays all of the different sounds of the pipes.
  This is how we can understand God’s Spirit.  There is one Spirit of God who lives in each of us, but each of us are different and each of us have different things that we can do to make this world a better place.
  Today, we are baptizing Bishop.  It is like we are adding a new pipe to the wonderful pipe organ of God.
  Today, we know that the life of God’s Spirit is in Bishop and he is going to make some wonderful sounds with all of the good things which God will do with his life.  And he joins all of us as pipes in the great pipe organ of God with the Wind of God Spirit blowing through us.
  And so each of is like a different pipe in this great pipe organ of God.  Let us be thankful today that each of us is special and different.  But let us also be thankful that God’s Spirit is in us to help us make beautiful music together as we live together to love and care for one another.  Amen.




St. John the Divine Episcopal Church
17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Family Service with Holy Eucharist
May 20, 2018: The Day of Pentecost

Gathering Songs: Glory be to God on High, Creating Spirit, Every Time I Feel the Spirit

Liturgist: Alleluia, Christ is Risen.
People: The Lord is Risen Indeed.  Alleluia.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.
And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.
Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song:  Glory be to God on High,     (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 70)
Glory be to God on high, alleluia.  Glory be to God on high, alleluia.
Praise the Father, Spirit, Son, alleluia.  Praise the Godhead, three in one, alleluia.
Sing we praises unto thee, alleluia, for the truth that sets us free, alleluia.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.
People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray
O God, who on this day 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 judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Litany of Praise: Chant: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia
O God, you have made us! Alleluia
O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia
O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia
O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia
O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia
O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A reading from the   Letter to the Romans

We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God



Let us read together from Psalm 104

You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; * and so you renew the face of the earth.
May the glory of the LORD endure for ever; * may the LORD rejoice in all his works.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:
For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!
For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!
For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!
For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!
For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!
For work and for play. Thanks be to God!
For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!
For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!
For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.
   Thanks be to God!


Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus said to his 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 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."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.
People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.
Since God is so great and we are so small,
We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.
We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and
     resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.
We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is
     welcome.
We believe that Christ is kind and fair.
We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.
And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve us forever.  Amen.

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.
For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.
For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.
For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.
For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.
For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Youth Liturgist:          The Peace of the Lord be always with you.
People:                        And also with you.

Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering

Offertory Song Spirit of the Living God, (Renew # 90)
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.  Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me. Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me.  Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Spirit of the living God, move among us all; Spirit of the living God, make us one in love: humble, caring, selfless, sharing— Spirit of the living God, fill our lives with love.

Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist
Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of heaven.”
All become members of a family by birth or adoption.
Baptism is a celebration of birth into the family of God.
A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.
The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you
And also with you.

Lift up your hearts
We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 
Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

All may gather around the altar

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;
You have made us in your image
And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:
Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.
And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph
And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.
Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat
  the bread and drink the wine, we can  know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as  
  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.


And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. Sanctify us so that we may love God and our neighbors.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in our future.

Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ.  May we forever live with praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory
 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,


Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)
Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.
Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.
As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.
But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.
Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.
Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread
Celebrant:       Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration


Communion Song: Creating Spirit, Holy Lord  (Renew! # 283
Creating Spirit, holy Lord, the gentle breeze, the mighty wind, with warmth and pow’r and graciousness in grace refashion heart and mind.
O comforter of all who toil, gift from the fountain head of light, O Spirit of all love and fire, anointing chrism of all might.
 

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;
We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.
And His Presence has been known to us.
We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers
    and sisters in Christ.
Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the
     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,
As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: Every Time I Feel the Spirit, (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 48)
Refrain: Every time I feel the spirit moving in my heart, I will pray.  O every time I feel the spirit moving in my heart I will pray.

1-On Pentecost day, the Spirit came.  The people praised with joyous tongues.  The Spirit came to everyone.  Jews and Gentiles, all the same. Refrain
2-God’s Spirit lives, within the church.  He gives us gifts to build us up.  God’s Spirit fills us with his love.  O blessed Spirit, heavenly dove.  Refrain

Dismissal:   

Liturgist: Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.  Alleluia!  Alleluia!
People: Thanks be to God!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!



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