Golden Thread: May 2020

Pentecost

St. Thomas and St. Mary’s

Anglican Churches

Wainwright and Edgerton

May 31, 2020

Opening Sentence

Come, Holy Spirit,

fill the hearts of your faithful;

and kindle in us the fire of your love.

Creator Spirit, By Whose Aid

Creator Spirit, by whose aid

the world's foundations first were laid,

come, visit every pious mind;

come, pour thy joys on humankind;

from sin and sorrow set us free

and make thy temples worthy thee.

O source of uncreated light,

the Father's promised Paraclete,

thrice holy fount, thrice holy fire,

our hearts with heavenly love inspire;

come, and thy sacred unction bring

to sanctify us while we sing.

Plenteous of grace, descend from high,

rich in thy sevenfold energy;

make us eternal truths receive

and practice all that we believe;

give us thyself that we may see

the Father and the Son by thee.

Immortal honour, endless fame,

attend the almighty Father’s name;

The Saviour Son be glorified

who for the world’s redemption died;

and equal adoration be,

eternal Paraclete, to thee.

Greeting

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

And also with you.

Alleluia. Christ is risen.

He is risen indeed. Alleluia.

Jesus Christ, whom we worship, is our crucified, risen and ascended Lord

and we have walked with him through his journey of love.

We have faced the agony of his suffering and death on a cross.

We have rejoiced at his bursting free from the bonds of death.

We have enjoyed his risen presence with us

and his revelation of himself through the breaking of bread.

We have seen his return to the throne before which every knee shall bow

and every tongue confess that this Jesus is Lord.

And now, with the followers of his own time,

we await the coming of the promised Holy Spirit, his gift to his people,

through whom we make Christ known to the world.

Collect

Holy God,

pour out your Spirit to the ends of the earth,

so that your children may return from exile

as citizens of your commonwealth

and our divisions may be healed

by your word of love and righteousness;

for with the same Spirit and the Word incarnate

you are one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Revised Common Lectionary Prayers (2002) alt.

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 equipping,

fill us with your Spirit.

As we long for your empowering,

fill us with your Spirit.

Acts 2:1-21

When the day of Pentecost had come, they 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.

Response

The Lord is here.

His Spirit is with us.

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.

Psalm 104.25-35, 37b

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.

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.

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.

May your glory, O Lord, endure for ever;

may you rejoice in all your works;

you look at the earth and it trembles;

you touch the mountains and they smoke.

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 you;

I will rejoice in the Lord. Hallelujah!

1 Corinthians 12.3b-13

Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‘Let Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

Thanks be to God.

Canticle

I will take you from the nations,

and gather you from all the countries.

I will sprinkle clean water upon you,

and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness.

A new heart I will give you,

and put a new spirit within you,

And I will remove from your body the heart of stone

and give you a heart of ﬂesh.

You shall be my people,

and I will be your God. Ezekiel 36.24-26,28b

The Spirit of God ﬁlls the whole world. Alleluia.

God, Whose Almighty Word

Lord, your almighty Word

Chaos and darkness heard,

And took their flight;

Hear us, we humbly pray,

And where the gospel day

Sheds not its glorious ray,

Let there be light!

Savior, you came to give

Those who in darkness live

Healing and sight,

Health to the sick in mind,

Sight to the inly blind,

Now to all humankind

Let there be light!

Spirit of truth and love,

Life giving, holy dove,

Speed forth your flight!

Move on the water's face

Bearing the lamp of grace,

And in earth's darkest place

Let there be light!

Holy and blessed three,

Glorious Trinity,

Wisdom, love, might;

Boundless as ocean's tide,

Rolling in fullest pride,

Through the world far and wide,

Let there be light!

Alleluia.

Alleluia.

There are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit.

Alleluia.

There are varieties of service but the same Lord.

Alleluia.

We are all brought into one body

by baptism in the one Spirit.

Alleluia. 1 Corinthians 12.4,5;13.3

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.t5hynl0h3t5uj3

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ

according to John.

Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

John 20.19-23

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.

The Gospel of Christ.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Sermon

Pentecost Story

‘Twas the day of the fiftieth, the Sabbath of Sabbaths

when they were all gathered, an annual habit.

They saw their Lord buried then risen then taken;

they had had their hearts broken but now were awakened!

When all of a sudden there ‘rose such a clatter,

the people in town came to see what’s the matter.

The sound of strong winds, tongues dancing of fire,

the gathered ones filled with their true heart’s desire.

With languages, idioms, dialects empowered,

they each found their tongue and they used it that hour.

They each found their tongue and they used it that hour.

And those who had gathered were astonished and wondered,

“What is this strange thing onto which we have blundered?

Are not these folks common, unlearned, unlettered,

how do they speak in the tongues of their betters?

We’ve traveled the world, in Parthia and Rome,

we call Cappadocia and Media our home,

Now these ignorantia are trying to say

that God works in this mysterious way?”

All of them wondered, but some of them thunk,

“These people are babbling because they are drunk!”

“These people are babbling because they are drunk!”

Then Peter stood up and had something to say,

“You know we’re not drunk at this time of the day!”

This thing that is happ’ning, that makes us awoke,

is that very thing that the prophet Joel spoke.

‘In days that are lasting, the true God declares,

I’ll make me a people, a people who dare,

We dare to see visions of justice one day.

We dare to have dreams like my man M.L.K.

We dare new equalities, not classes of old,

we’re benders of genders and breakers of codes!

This thing you see here, how we are behavin’,

is God being present in a world that needs savin.’”

It’s God being present in a world that needs savin.’”

Don’t sit there and wonder how commoners babbleth,

wonder instead that this is true Sabbath!

A people on fire, all Spirit-inspired,

living the true path that God has required,

Led by the one who was unjustly killed,

by hands with violence honed and skilled,

but then he was raised, ‘cause death has no might,

to hold down the one who does what is right.

He is the one who is breathing this breath,

whose Spirit’s unleashed and the world is refreshed.

The Spirit’s unleashed and the world is refreshed.

Nicene Creed

Let us confess our faith, as we say,

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,

eternally begotten of the Father,

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made,

of one being with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation

he came down from heaven:

by the power of the Holy Spirit

he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,

and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;

he suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again

in accordance with the scriptures;

he ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory

to judge the living and the dead,

and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father.

With the Father and the Son

he is worshipped and glorified.

He has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism

for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Spirit Divine, Attend Our Prayers

Spirit divine, attend our prayer,

And make this house your home;

Descend with all your gracious pow'r;

O come, great Spirit, come!

Come as the light; to us reveal

Our emptiness and woe,

And lead us in those paths of life

Where all the righteous go.

Come as the fire and purge our hearts

Like sacrificial flame;

Let our whole soul an off'ring be

To our Redeemer's name.

Come as the dove, and spread your wings,

The wings of peaceful love;

And let your Church on earth become

Blest as the Church above.

Come as the wind, with rushing sound

and Pentecostal grace,

that all of woman born may see

the glory of your fact.

Spirit divine, attend our prayer;

Make a lost world your home;

Descend with all your gracious pow'r;

O come, great Spirit, come!

Prayers of the People

Anglican Communion

Pray for the Anglican Church of Melanesia

The Most Reverend Leonard Dawea –

Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Melanesia

and Bishop of Temotu

Anglican Church of Canada

Diocese of Kootenay

the Right Reverend Doctor Lynne McNaughton

Council of the North

Diocese of Moosonee

The Most Reverend Anne Germond, Bishop

The Most Reverend Fred Hiltz, Assisting Bishop

Diocese of Edmonton

St. Margaret, Edmonton

Tim Chesterton, Rector

Brad Lindseth, Theological Student

Melanie Eriksen, Administrative Assistant

Buyé Diocese

The Archdeacons of the Diocese of Buyé

Paul First Nation

We continue to pray for Burundi and our twinned parishes:

Kabanga and St. Luke’s Bigombo

We also pray for the Canadian Armed Forces serving at home and abroad

We observe a moment of silence as we light our small candles in personal prayer

Generous God, we thank you for the power of your Holy Spirit.

We ask that we may be strengthened to serve you better.

Lord, come to bless us