Home Church Pentecost Sunday May 23, 2021 Rev. Karen Hollis

Home Church Pentecost Sunday May 23, 2021 Rev. Karen Hollis

We acknowledge these lands upon which we worship are the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.

Preparing the Space Around Us

Whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here! Welcome if you are gathering on zoom or if you are worshipping at home with the bulletin. We are one community and all part of the body of Christ. I invite you to prepare the space around you so that for the next hour you can be fully in this worship experience, not to keep out the realities of the world, rather to focus us in the midst of it all on God. If you need to go and get something or shift something around you, feel free.

Preparing the Space within Us

Let us prepare now the space within us for a time of worship. I invite you to sit quietly, perhaps with feet on the floor, taking a couple of deep breaths and bring yourself into this moment. Open yourself to the presence of God who is with us and within us . . . as you intentionally open yourself to God, open yourself also to what you need from this time of worship. 

Greeting   - Bruce Prewer
One:    The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, 

            and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

All:      And also with you     

One:    Pentecost comes when the Spirit chooses;

All:      then like a mighty rushing of wind, like tongues of fire, 

            the Spirit whom Jesus sends will lead us into all truth.

One:    May the glory of God endure forever!

            May God find joy in all creation!

All:      I will sing to God as long as I live! 

            I will sing praises as long as I have being!

Opening Prayer   - Bruce Prewer, edited

Awesome God, we approach you with the liberty of the richly blessed. Enlighten our minds to perceive you, and enlarge our capacity to receive you, that being together in one place on this day of Pentecost may see us possessed by that whole-iness which inspires your church into the future. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!

Hymn: Come, O Spirit, Dwell Among Us   -  VU #198

1 Come, O Spirit, dwell among us,

come with pentecostal power;

give the church a stronger vision,

help us face each crucial hour.

Built upon a firm foundation,

Jesus Christ, the cornerstone,

still the church is called to mission

that God's love shall be made known.

 

2 We would raise our hallelujahs

for the grace of yesteryears;

for tomorrow's unknown pathway,

hear, O God, our humble prayers.

In the church's pilgrim journey

you have led us all the way,

still in presence move before us,

fire by night and cloud by day.

 

3 Come, O Spirit, dwell among us;

give us words of fire and flame.

Help our feeble lips to praise you,

glorify your holy name.

God, all holy, Son and Spirit,

three in one: what mystery!

We would sing our loud hosannas

now and through eternity.

Prayer of Confession  -  UCC Worship Ways      

One:    Spirit of God, our prayers often ask You to be present in our lives and in our world.  But we confess that we are terrified that You  might actually show up. 

All:      We remember the stories of You appearing as a burning bush, and then Moses and Sarah leaving everything familiar  behind.

One:    We remember the stories of You kindling the imagination of the prophets, and then each putting their lives on the line.

All:      We remember the stories of You igniting courage within Shiphrah and Puah, Deborah and Esther, Elizabeth and Mary,  and then each challenging the status quo.

One:    We remember the stories of You sparking action within the early Church, compelling them all to embrace something  completely foreign and new.

All:      We confess, Dear Spirit, we are afraid You will call us to move outside our comfort zones. We are afraid You will  kindle a passion within us we will be unable to ignore. We are afraid that You will rearrange our lives beyond          recognition.  Forgive us for the fears that have been holding us back from inviting You truly into our lives…

Silent prayer of confession

Assurance of Grace 

Beloved people of God, find comfort in the news that the Spirit of God may be a formidable force, but She moves alongside people and equips those who are open to the work ahead. Do not fear, rather trust in God!

Peace of Christ 

When we are gathered together, Christ’s peace is always among us – let us share with each other the peace Christ brings! Please unmute yourself as we say together:

            A-M:    The Peace of Christ be with you!

            N-Z:     And also with you!

First Reading: Acts 2:1-21 (NRSV)    -   George Westarp

Listen for the word of God to you this morning . . .

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.'

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b (Voices United)  - Tim Leadem

O God, how manifold are your works!

With Wisdom at your side you made them all; 

the earth is full of your creatures

There lies the great and mighty Sea, 

teeming with living things both great and small.

       Upon it sail the ships, and there is Leviathan, 

       the monster you made to play in it.

All these look to you, to give them their food in due season.

       What you give them they gather up. 

       When you open your hand, you fill them with good things.

But when you hide your face they despair. 

When you take away their breath, they die, and return to dust.

       But when you send out your spirit, they live again, 

       and you renew the face of the earth.

May your glory, O God, endure forever.

       May you rejoice, O God, in your works.

When you look at the earth it trembles,

       when you touch the mountains they smoke.

I will sing to God as long as I live.

       I will praise my God while I have being.

Gospel Reading -  Tim Leadem              

One:          God be with you.          

All:        And also with you

One:      The Good News of Jesus Christ according to John

All:        Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15

“When the Companion comes, whom I will send from the Father—the Spirit of Truth who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me. You will testify too, because you have been with me from the beginning. But I have said these things to you so that when their time comes, you will remember that I told you about them. “I didn’t say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go away to the one who sent me. None of you ask me, ‘Where are you going?’ Yet because I have said these things to you, you are filled with sorrow. I assure you that it is better for you that I go away. If I don’t go away, the Companion[a] won’t come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will show the world it was wrong about sin, righteousness, and judgment. He will show the world it was wrong about sin because they don’t believe in me. He will show the world it was wrong about righteousness because I’m going to the Father and you won’t see me anymore. He will show the world it was wrong about judgment because this world’s ruler stands condemned. “I have much more to say to you, but you can’t handle it now. However, when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you in all truth. He won’t speak on his own, but will say whatever he hears and will proclaim to you what is to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and proclaim it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine. That’s why I said that the Spirit takes what is mine and will proclaim it to you.

One:    This is the Gospel of Christ; 

All:      Praise be to Jesus Christ

Reflection:                          

Silent Reflection                                   

Affirmation of Faith  -  Iona

Let us affirm our faith . . . 

We believe in God above us, Maker and Sustainer of all life, 

of sun and moon, of water and earth, of male and female. 

We believe in God beside us, Jesus Christ, the word made flesh, 

born of a woman, servant to the poor, tortured and nailed to a tree. 

A man of sorrows, he died forsaken. 

He descended into the earth to the place of death. 

On the third day he rose from the tomb. 

He ascended into heaven to be everywhere present, 

and His kingdom will come on earth. 

We believe in God within us, the Holy Spirit of Pentecostal fire, 

life-giving breath of the church, spirit of healing and forgiveness, 

source of resurrection and of eternal life. Amen

Prayers of the People  -  Karen Hollis

One:     Come Holy Spirit

All:      Hear Our Prayer

Lord’s Prayer    -  Ecumenical Version

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, 

and the glory are yours

now and for ever. Amen.

Offering                                        

Offering Prayer Let us pray . . .                                             

 

Hymn: Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness   -  VU #375

1 Spirit, spirit of gentleness,

blow through the wilderness, calling and free,

Spirit, spirit of restlessness,

stir me from placidness, wind, wind on the sea.

2 You moved on the waters, you called to the deep,

then you coaxed up the mountains from the valleys of sleep;

and over the eons you called to each thing;

“Awake from your slumbers and rise on your wings.”

3 You call from tomorrow, you break ancient schemes.

From the bondage of sorrow all the captives dream dreams;

our women see visions, our men clear their eyes.

With bold new decisions your people arise.

4 Spirit, spirit of gentleness,

blow through the wilderness, calling and free,

Spirit, spirit of restlessness,

stir me from placidness, wind, wind on the sea.

The Christ Church Gabriola Covenant

Gracious and Loving God,

We, Christ Church Gabriola, followers of Jesus Christ in a shared Anglican and United Church ministry, covenant as a community with You:

to WORSHIP You

•     with openness to the movement of Your Spirit, by using inclusive language, musical diversity, creativity, and the grounding we have in our traditions

to CONNECT with each other and our neighbours

•     by welcoming and integrating into our community all persons as Your children

•     by lovingly supporting each other as we grow in Christ, creating opportunities to connect with each other in fellowship 

•     by finding ways to become more multi-generational

•     by sharing the good news of Your love with everyone

to LEARN AND GROW together

•     by developing our faith through scripture studies, prayer and other spiritual practices

•     by exploring the Christian tradition and a range of theological studies

•     by informing ourselves about issues of social and ecological justice

•     by using respectful communication

•     by examining issues from multiple perspectives

•     by offering to the wider community opportunities to safely engage in conversations about matters important to life, faith and the world

and to SERVE our community and the world

•     by living in love and justice, and by working for the well-being of the earth and its inhabitants

•     by serving the island community through offering our own resources, collaborating with other agencies, and drawing on our connections with the wider community

•     by listening and responding to a changing world, recognizing its needs so we know how to serve

We covenant as a community in Christ’s name. Amen.

Blessing  -   Iona Community

If you are with another person, you’re invited to bless each other, taking every other line.

One:      The Creator’s blessing be yours on your road, on your journey,  guiding you, cherishing you.

N-Z:       The Son’s blessing be yours, wine and water, bread and stories,  feeding you, challenging you.

A-M:      The Spirit’s blessing be yours, wind and fire, joy and wisdom,           comforting you, disturbing you.

All:        The Angel’s blessing be yours, on your house, on your living, guarding you, encouraging you. Let us walk together, a community on a journey, sustained in God’s blessing. Amen!

One:      Let us go now in peace to love and serve the Lord.

All:        Thanks be to God! Alleluia!