St Clement Church Pentecost Community Service
Good morning
Today we celebrate Pentecost – when the Holy Spirit came to the disciples after Jesus had finally left them.
From being a group of unsure, bewildered, frightened men, they flung open the door and faced the world speaking in foreign languages.
What could the Holy Spirit do with us, this Pentecost?
With love to you all
Liz
Let us pray
O Lord Jesus Christ who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of the Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to us that You may perfect in our souls the work of Your grace and love. Amen
We say together
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy.
Amen
Hymn: 139 Come thou Holy Spirit, come
Prayer of Penitence
Almighty God, who sent the promised Holy Spirit to fill disciples with willing faith: we confess that we resist the work of your Spirit among us, that we are slow to serve you and reluctant to spread the good news of your love.
God, have mercy on us.
Forgive our divisions and by your Spirit draw us together.
Create in us a desire to do your will and be your faithful people for the sake of your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Amen
Collect for Pentecost
God, who as at this time taught the hears 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
Readings:
Ezekiel 37. 1 - 14
Acts 2. 1 - 21
Hymn: 138 Come Holy Ghost our souls inspire
Gospel: John 15. 26 -27, 16. 4b - 15
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord’)
Jesus spoke 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 have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them.
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 truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare 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.’
(This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.)
Reflection
I don’t know about you, but at Pentecost I find all the readings, Ezekiel, Acts and John a good read! Both the readings from Ezekiel and Acts paint very vivid pictures – I can see them, can you?
The transformation in the apostles from being terror struck and hiding away from the world, to men going out to face whatever the future holds is a miracle, but they had little idea of the hardships and persecution that they were going to face. To go through it all, they would need the Holy Spirit to guide them, comfort them, to be Christ’s presence among them.
But the reading from Acts is not our Gospel reading because it refers to a time after Jesus has finally left the disciples.
So, what about the reading from John – Jesus’ final words to His disciples before He prays for them. Jesus doesn’t leave a carefully constructed list of things to do after He’s gone, or step-by-step instructions on how to do them. He tells them He is leaving, and that once He is gone, the Advocate will come to be with them.
I wonder, can you think of someone who told you a truth about yourself that was difficult, uncomfortable, or painful to hear. Maybe it made you angry or defensive. Maybe it hurt your feelings. Maybe you wondered how she or he could be your friend and say that kind of thing. But later you began to recognise the truth of what was said and you realised just what a friend they were. Who has done that for you?
What about a time when you couldn’t stand up for yourself. Maybe you didn’t have the strength, the courage or confidence. Maybe grief and loss had broken your heart. Maybe you were tired, disillusioned, or even afraid and you really didn’t know up from down. Who was the one who came and stood by you, held you up and lent you his or her strength and faith?
Most of us, are ‘older’ folk, and perhaps we now feel that we are expected to be the ones to whom others turn, but I suspect, like me, you too have many days when you remember the wisdom figure in your life, your go-to person, when you were lost and confused, when you needed to regain your centre and balance. The person with whom you could share your innermost thoughts and they would be there for you – and let’s be honest, no matter what age we are, we still need those people to walk beside us.
Think about those individuals who were there for you when there was a falling out or issues at school – the teacher who inspired you or just gave you a ‘kick-up-the backside;’ the person who didn’t laugh at the heartbreak of a broken romance; maybe your mother or father who wouldn’t accept your attitude over something or expected better from you; your friend whom you laughed with, cried with, fell out with but who never abandoned you. Who was it who turned up at the darkest times and was there so you weren’t alone?
These and a thousand others just like them are the kind of people I’m asking about. Who are those people for you? In what ways did they show up? What did they say that you will never forget? What did they do that made a difference? What are the things about them for which you will be forever grateful?
All of the events and the people involved that you recall in your life are Pentecost stories. Listen and you’ll hear in them the ‘native language’ of speaking about God.
You’ll hear the rattling of dry bones coming together, ‘bone to bone’ that we heard in Ezekiel.
In today’s Gospel Jesus talks about the coming of the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth. What if each of the stories that you and I can remember is about advocacy, truth telling? What if those people were our Advocates? What if the Advocate, in whatever ways she or he shows up, comes not to advocate to another on our behalf but to advocate to us on our own behalf?
They are truth tellers for us. They call us more deeply into our real selves. They are the ones who transform and change our lives. Sometimes that means they create conflict, disequilibrium, or speak uncomfortable truths. Other times they comfort, encourage or console. Either way, they are guiding and accompanying us into life and more life.
They don’t seek any gain for themselves. Rather, they invest themselves in us for us. They are the wind of change that blows through our valley of dry bones. They rehydrate the dry and desiccated marrow of our lives.
They keep us accountable to ourselves not only for what we have done and left undone but also for all the possibilities that lay before us. They remind us that we are not a dead end. They open us to our future by helping us to ‘see visions’ and ‘dream dreams.’
No matter what our age, we are on a constant journey of becoming our truer selves. And we need others to do that. We need advocates, truth tellers, and marrow re-hydrators, to stand with and beside us. No one does this life alone. Regardless of what you’ve been told or come to believe, there is no such thing as a self-made man or woman. Someone has stood by them. And someone has stood with you and me.
Who are those people for you? Picture their faces. Call out their names. Offer your thanksgiving. And then, open yourselves to the next one coming to you.
Pentecost is the promise that today, someone is standing with you whispering in your ear, knocking at the door of your heart, and taking you by the hand, to “bring you back to the land of” yourself.
When the one on whom all your hopes are pinned, is gone, what then? In order to embrace the unknown future that lies ahead of them, the disciples have to be willing to let Jesus go. But it isn’t just the first disciples who have to be willing to change. The story of Pentecost is not about what happened way back in first century Jerusalem. When the Spirit comes, the Spirit keeps coming. Holding onto the familiar and comfortable just isn’t possible when the Spirit comes.
The Spirit is here today and tomorrow and the next day - but remember, the Spirit of Truth, the Advocate, can appear in many guises. Who is it, today?
Amen
Let us declare our faith on this the day of Pentecost
Do you believe and trust in God the Father,
Source of all being and life,
the one for whom we exist?
We believe and trust in him.
Do you believe and trust in God the Son,
who took our human nature,
died for us and rose again?
We believe and trust in him.
Do you believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit,
who gives life to the people of God
and makes Christ known in the world?
We believe and trust in him.
This is the faith of the Church.
This is our faith.
We believe and trust in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen
Hymn: 137 Come down, O Love divine
Intercessions
The Spirit of God unites us as a people and enables us to pray and intercede for the needs of others.
As we gather-together in God’s love, we offer our prayers and thanksgiving to the Father for the sake of the Son and through the Holy Spirit.
Mighty God, breathe your power into the Diocese of Truro and to each of its individual churches – we especially ask your blessing on our church here at St Clement. Empower all those who minister to us with the gifts that your Holy Spirit makes available. Give them wisdom in their decision making and the ability to have a deep understanding of the way that actions taken are in accordance with your will.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Creator God, help us to be constantly aware of the world’s needs and problems. Give the leaders of the world the courage to oppose sin and tyranny that there may be a greater unity among nations seeking to halt the threat of war and terrorism, and that the common good of all humanity be served by their decisions and actions.
We pray for our Royal family: for King Charles that he may return to full health, for Queen Camilla, for the Prince of Wales and for his wife Katharine that she too may return to full health. We pray also for the other members of the family as they bear an increased workload.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Father God, we thank you for the gift of hospitality and all the opportunities that we have, to share food and fellowship with our families, friends, and neighbours.
We thank you that we live in Cornwall, such a beautiful part of the United Kingdom – may we welcome those who come to visit our county for their holidays.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Merciful Father, we pray for the gift of healing to restore those who are sick, injured or suffering. We pray for those who are lonely, hungry, homeless or afraid.
We especially remember at this time:
We pray for: Ken and Reverend Diane, May, Susan, Lauren, Lynda, Barrie and Sandra, Pam and David, Terry and Dot, Margaret, Maureen, Alison and Rob, Jan, Anita and Stephen, Michael and Patricia, Jeremy, Stella, Alison, Linda, William, Callum and Elaine, Jay, Andy, those known to each of us and those who have no one to pray for them.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer
Merciful God, your love reaches beyond the grave. We remember all those who have lost their lives in mindless acts of violence; those dying in wars, those dying from the lack of basic nutrition; those dying because nobody seems to care. At the end of our days on earth be with us and with those we love and with those whom we love and who have gone before us. We pray for all those who have recently died; give to the departed the perfect joy of your eternal love and to those bereaved by their passing the comfort of your perfect love.
We remember those whose year’s mind occurs this week.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Faithful God, as we go out into the world, we pray that this Pentecost may bring our Diocese and our Church community a renewed sense of unity with all Christians around the world. May we use the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given us to spread the good news and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ with acts of faith, hope and love.
Merciful Father: accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen
Gathering our prayers and praise into one, let us pray with confidence as our risen Lord has taught us.
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
Pentecost by Michael Guite
Today we feel the wind beneath our wings
Today the hidden fountain flows and plays
Today the Church draws breath at last and sings
As every flame becomes a Tongue of praise.
This is the feast of fire, air, and water
Poured out and breathed and kindled into earth.
The earth herself awakens to her maker
And is translated out of death to birth.
The right words come today in their right order
And every word spells freedom and release
Today the gospel crosses every border
All tongues are loosened by the Prince of Peace
Today the lost are found in His translation
Whose mother-tongue is Love, in every nation.
The Peace
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit.
The Peace of the Lord be always with you.
Hymn: 140 Holy Spirit, come, confirm us
Blessing
Go out into God’s world filled with the spark of the Holy Spirit.
Let love guide your action.
Listen for the Spirit of Truth.
Spread the peace of Christ and live your life in His name.
Amen