Prayers of the People: Wind and Fire and Peace ~ Pentecost! RCL Yr C

For Sunday, June 8, 2025, Readings: Acts 2:1-21, Psalm 104:25-35, 37; Romans 8:14-17, 

John 14:8-17, (25-27)

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     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. Bless the Lord, O my soul. [Psalm 104:31, 35]

   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]

      The word Pentecost is derived from a Greek word meaning “fiftieth.” In Judaism, Pentecost is the holiday of Shavuot [shah-voo-oat] or The Festival of Weeks, celebrated seven weeks, or the 50th day, after the first seder of Passover. It commemorates the wheat harvest in Exodus, and also 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, called to keep the Commandments whose giving on Mt. Sinai we may also commemorate on this day and reaffirm 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 again, to re-experience our sense of faith as it is filled with Wind and Fire and Peace again, from and in the Spirit – to be renewed, amazed and astonished!  We have the Spirit within us, and God’s grace, and the love and Salvation of Christ for just the merest wanting of it. Let us rejoice and be glad and joy-filled, and alive in it! Bless the Lord, O my soul!

        *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. As the ashes of Ash Wednesday open us to the season of reflection and repentance in Lent, the soul-fire of Pentecost reignites our faith and fervor, restored and renewed in Christ to carry his message forward in our everyday thoughts, words, and actions.

LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
 
Leader:  ~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, infuse us, your children, with the fire of your Spirit and the Peace of Christ. Strengthen us to bear witness with you, to inhale the rush of your heavenly breath, rejoice in Your Presence, and bless you with the work of our souls.

 
                                             Spirit of the Living God
    RESPONSE:              Fall afresh on us
 
~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, impel us to speak in the language of your Truth to the leaders of this Earth, this Country, and this Community, on behalf of those crying in the wilderness of lethal poverty, merciless injustice, faithless intolerance, and crushing despair. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
 
                                            Spirit of the Living God
                                            Fall afresh on us
 
~ Abba, Redeemer, Advocate, relieve the fevers of critical illness, depression, or other desperate circumstance, 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, instill Your care and comfort into the hearts of those who grieve, 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, un-trouble our hearts as you amplify our Spirit-given abilities, that together with those chosen to lead us in Your Church, we may be steadfast in our journey. As you release us from fear, may the actions of our lives sing as praise to the you, O Lord our God. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
                                                                                        

                                            Spirit of the Living God
                                            Fall afresh on us
                                                                                                        
The Celebrant adds:  Lord of Enduring Glory, 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 forever.  Amen.

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