A prayer of approach:
Father God, we thank you for sending your Holy Spirit at Pentecost. So vibrant God, call us afresh today, to a new vision of your kingdom, to a new understanding of your purposes, to a new knowing of how best to serve you, to a new appreciation of your presence with us, to a new awareness of all that you would have us do, as your people in this world today. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
StF 385 Holy Spirit, We Welcome You.
Holy Spirit, we welcome you
Holy Spirit, we welcome you!
Move amongst us with holy fire
As we lay aside all earthly desire
Hands reach out and our hearts aspire
Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, we welcome you!
Holy Spirit, we welcome you
Holy Spirit, we welcome you!
Let the breeze of your presence flow
That your children here might truly know
How to move in the Spirit’s flow.
Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, we welcome you!
Holy Spirit, we welcome you
Holy Spirit, we welcome you
Please accomplish in me today
Some new work of loving grace, I pray
Unreservedly – have your way,
Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, we welcome you!
Prayer of confession
Sometimes we try and build ourselves into a tower, cutting ourselves off from others,
forgetting that we need them too.
Forgive us, great and glorious God,
and break down our barriers.
Sometimes we turn away from people of other cultures, just because they’re different.
Forgive us…
Sometimes we cling on to our own prejudices,
and don’t see diversity as a blessing.
Forgive us…
Lord of every language under the sun,
you understand our every word.
But, more than that,
you read the thoughts of our hearts.
You forgive us our sins, whoever we are,
and whatever we may have done.
Lord of every language under the sun,
we rejoice in your forgiveness.
Amen.
Bible Readings
John 14:9-17, 25-27
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit
15 ‘If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you for ever – 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
Acts 2:1-21
The Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost
2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs – we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!’ 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, ‘They have had too much wine.’
Peter addresses the crowd
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ‘Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 ‘“In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Prayers of thanksgiving
Abba Father, your power and love is so enormous. It’s hard to take it all in.
Thank you for creating us, all so wonderful and all so different.
We thank you that you created us all in your image, for your glory.
Thank you for the Holy Spirit, who fills and unites our hearts.
Amen.
Prayers of intercession
Holy God, we feel overwhelmed and helpless as we see and hear and feel the pain of the Holy Land, Ukraine and Russia. We pray for families there and all who are bereaved, fearful, homeless, and hungry, who are suffering because of the ongoing wars.
Holy Spirit, be with them today.
We pray, Holy Spirit, for all who lack confidence. For parents struggling to meet the needs of their families. Holy Spirit, be with them today. For children struggling with their work at school. For teachers struggling to meet the demands of the day.
Holy Spirit, be with them today.
For young people who feel misunderstood…
For young adults struggling to find their place in the world. Holy Spirit, be with them today. For carers trying to support and comfort those who are vulnerable.
Holy Spirit, be with them today.
For the frail, facing diminishing strength and loss of identity. Holy Spirit, be with them today. For all people struggling to be who they truly are. Holy Spirit be with them – and us – today.
Amen.
The Lord's Prayer
Please use the version that you prefer
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.
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.
Time to reflect:
God calls and empowers us in many ways so we need to be alert in order to recognise that God is calling us today.
So how ready are we to hear and receive messages from God via the Holy Spirit, and with the strength of the Holy Spirit act on them?
We hear about the events of Pentecost as the Holy Spirit is given to individuals in all their diversity. Those gathered from the surrounding nations hear God’s good news being declared in their own languages. Peter addresses the crowds, telling them that what they have seen is a fulfilment of Joel’s prophecy that God’s Spirit will be poured out on all people.
We are individuals with our own gifts, passions and personality traits, but we are united by our faith in God and a common vision. Do we recognise gifts in each other and bring them together to present something beautiful to God?
The disciples are together, praying, and God comes and blows them away, turns them inside out and fills them with life! But this is not just a private experience: it draws a crowd. From day one, the Church existed for others and not just itself; the Church faced outwards into the world not inwards into itself. The Holy Spirit didn’t just anoint the leaders but filled each and everyone in the room (there were 120 or so there). And the Holy Spirit then pushed the disciples out of their comfort zone into the world to speak to any and every one in languages they understood.
What began upstairs behind locked doors spilled out into the streets of the crowded city. And the ensuing rumpus ended with a baptismal service. Note that the list of countries in 2:5-11 is a picture of the Holy Spirit bringing down the barriers that divide people. all people, all languages, all hearing what God is doing. But all these people, in Jerusalem for the festival, will be scattered back to the communities from which they came. These crowds report hearing the good news in their own language.
Often, we think of the miracle of Pentecost as the gift of tongues, so the disciples could speak about what God is doing. But maybe it is more about hearing. The miracle is that everyone heard this good news in their own language, in a way that they could understand and respond to. How do we in our own language reach out to the world around us?
As Peter unpacks what has happened, it starts with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on everyone and ends with signs in the heavens. What Peter is seeing here is the end of a world of division and antagonism, and the start of the new world where a diverse body of people is gathered by the gospel of Jesus and the power of his Spirit.
In John 14,
Jesus draws our attention to the close link between what he says and what he does. Philip’s perfectly reasonable question (v.8) elicits a response that tells us two vital truths. The first is that if we have seen Jesus, we have seen God. This is a vital New Testament theme reinforced in virtually every text: to encounter Jesus is to encounter God. And the second is that the words and works of Jesus communicate the same thing: that he has come to reveal who God is.
But in order to help the disciples make sense of this, Jesus is going to send the Holy Spirit, who will live in the followers of Jesus to remind us of what we believe and to give us the power to live for Jesus in a difficult world. But above all, he will bring the peace of God into our hearts and communities. Just what Peter is getting at in Acts seeing an end of a world of division and antagonism, and the start of the new world where a diverse body of people is gathered by the gospel of Jesus and the power of his Spirit.
Let’s pray that we will deepen our relationship with God in Jesus Christ, and that we may be on fire with the Holy Spirit, not just today as we celebrate Pentecost, but for the whole of our lives.
StF 394 – Spirit of God unseen as the wind.
Spirit of God, unseen as the wind,
gentle as is the dove;
teach us the truth and help us believe,
show us the Saviour’s love!
You spoke to us long, long ago,
gave us the written word;
we read it still, needing its truth
through it God’s voice is heard. Chorus
Without your help we fail our Lord,
we cannot live His way;
we need Your power, we need Your strength,
following Christ each day. Chorus
A going out prayer:
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for making me. Thank you for the talents and skills you give me. Thank you, Jesus, for showing us what God is like. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for giving us the power to go and tell others. Lord call us, guide us, and strengthen us in your service by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
