For Sunday, June 5, 2022, Readings: Acts
2:1-21, Psalm 104:25-35, 37; Romans 8:14-17, John 14:8-17, (25-27)
When
the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples 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...Divided tongues, as of fire...rested on
each...All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other
languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. [Acts
2:1-4]
You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; and so you renew the face of the earth. [Psalm 104:31]
When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ... [Romans 8:13b-17b]
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me...If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of Truth...he abides in you, and he will be with you...Peace I leave with you...Do not let your hearts be troubled... [John 14:11a, 15-17]
From a Greek
word meaning “fiftieth” is derived the word "Pentecost."
In Judaism, Pentecost is the holiday of Shavuot or The Festival of
Weeks, celebrated seven weeks, or the 50th day, after the first seder of
Passover. It commemorates God's giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai. In
Christianity it is the 50th day, or 7 weeks, after Easter, 10 days after
Christ’s Ascension.
The
disciples of Jesus, perhaps still struggling with their understandings of and
ongoing roles after the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension, gathered
together most likely for the comfortably familiar Shavuot remembrance and
feast. Then, as we are told, suddenly from heaven came a rush of violent
wind and just as suddenly tongues of fire appeared above their
heads and each one immediately began speaking in a different language. From
that moment they were able to spread the word of God in Christ across the world
with the Holy Spirit granting each voice in each language the precise
interpretation of Christ’s saving words and instructions ~ in context of
culture, place, and time, not merely by repetition.
In this fiftieth day from the most recent
celebration of Easter, we are again and always called to know that we are
filled with the Holy Spirit, called to live into the belief in Christ that we
claim or want, and, to keep the Commandments whose giving on Mt. Sinai we may
also commemorate on this day as our life principles.
On this Birthday of the Church*, let us
claim our heritage as children of God and use the language of love to be
as Jesus has shown us to be. Let the teachings of Jesus not only be our
governing rules but also our method and practice of daily living. In our times
of suffering and our times of joy and in our times of everyday routines, let us
breathe deeply and receive the power of the Holy Spirit to un-trouble our hearts
and fill us with the Peace of Christ, the peace that passes all understanding;
the peace of our own spirits that reaches out and gives peace to
another’s.
Today is the day to stop merely knowing the story.
Today is the day to start feeling the blazing fullness of the Spirit – to be amazed
and astonished! We have the Spirit within us and God’s grace and the love
and Salvation of Christ for just the wanting of it. Let us rejoice and be glad
and joy-filled, and alive in it! What else is
faith and this life, for?
*Also
known as the Birthday of the Church, Pentecost marks the official beginning of
the ministry of the Apostles beyond their local area and into the broader
world. The descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of tongues of fire imbued them,
and each of us by extension, with extraordinary gifts to bring the message of
Jesus by word and example into all facets and phases of our Christian life.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, awaken us again to the fire of Your Spirit and the Peace of Christ within us. Un-trouble our hearts that we may feel the rush of heavenly breath, rejoice in Your Presence, and bless You with our souls.
Spirit of the Living God
RESPONSE: Fall afresh on us
~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, inspire us to speak in the language of Your Truth to the leaders of this Earth, this Country, and this Community, as the voices of those crying in the wilderness of poverty, war, intolerance, injustice, and mass shootings. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Spirit of the Living God
Fall afresh on us
~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, cool the fevers of critical illness, despair, or deprivation of those in desperate need, and energize all who give them care and support. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions
Spirit of the Living God
Fall afresh on us
~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, infuse Your care and comfort into the hearts of the mournful, as the souls of all who have reached the shores of Heaven, now rise and dance in Your everlasting joy and glory. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Spirit of the Living God
Fall afresh on us
~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or silently… add your own petitions
Spirit of the Living God
Fall afresh on us
~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, amplify our Spirit-given abilities, that together with those we choose to lead us in Your Church, we may be steadfast in our journey and the actions of our lives sing as praise to the Lord, our God. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Spirit of the Living God
Fall afresh on us
The Celebrant adds: God All-Knowing, guide the Spirit of Pentecost to set our souls ablaze once again, that we may keep Your commandments, do greater works, and live as joint heirs of Your eternal kingdom. We ask through Jesus, our Redeemer Christ, and the Holy Spirit, the Sacred Fire in our souls, who together with You reign as One God, now and for eternity. Amen.
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