ST ANDREW’S  CHURCH                 PENTECOST

JUNE  5^th  2022         

 

LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• St. Andrew's welcomes you to this Pentecost Sunday worship service may the Spirit of God descend on us all with glory and power, for the sake of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
• Thank you Rev. Shirley Cochrane for leading our worship today, may God inspire your words and bless them to the instruction of our hearts, guiding us to a deeper living relationship with Christ.
• Our Loonie Offering this month will go to the High School Careers Program to help those who wish to pursue apprenticeships in the trades. To get more info please see the "Recent Posts" to the right of your screen.

 

CALL TO WORSHIP

The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

Praise and glory to you, Spirit of God, our comfort and strength.

Let us sing praises to God as long as we live;
Praise and glory to you, Spirit of God, our comfort and strength.

May our worship be pleasing to God, ever Three and ever One.
Let us praise the LORD!

 

HYMN                384 – O Breath of life,

 

O Breath of life, come sweeping through us,
Revive Your church with life and power.
O Breath of life, come, cleanse, renew us,
And fit Your church to meet this hour.

 

O Wind of God come bend us, break us

Till humbly we confess our need;

Then in your tenderness remake us

Revive, restore for this we plead

 

O Breath of love, come breathe within us,
Renewing thought and will and heart;
Come, Love of Christ, afresh to win us,
Revive Your church in every part.

 

O tongues of fire come rest upon us,

So we may speak your word aright;

Kindle the flame of love among us;

Equip your church to spread the light

 

PRAYER of ADORATION

Holy God, from our scattered lives we gather to praise you, With joyful hearts, we celebrate the work of your Spirit. At the dawn of creation, you sent your Spirit to bring life. Over the centuries, your Spirit called your servants to proclaim your love and justice. Through the flames of Pentecost, your Spirit gave birth to the church with energy and wonder. Today, your Spirit is at work in the world, bringing renewal and hope here and everywhere. Transform us by your Spirit this to become more faithful followers of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Hear us now as we pour out our hearts in confession…

 

UNISON PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Almighty God,

you poured out your Spirit to guide your disciples,

and empower your church with gifts for ministry.

We confess we often resist the Spirit’s guidance.

The challenge to change makes us uncomfortable.

We overlook the gifts others can offer

and fail to live out Christ’s love for the world.

Forgive us, O God. Send your Holy Spirit to us again

to open our minds and hearts to the challenges in ministry

you set before us in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

Hear and believe this promise of the good news: If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation.  The old life has passed away and new life has begun. Know that in Jesus Christ, you are forgiven! You are set free to live life anew in the power of the Spirit. Amen.

 

THE PEACE

 

HYMN      400 –  Spirit of the living God

 

SCRIPTURE READINGS

 

Psalm 104:24-34,    page 941

²⁴ How many are your works, Lord!  In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
²⁵ There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number—  living things both large and small.
²⁶ There the ships go to and fro,  and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

²⁷ All creatures look to you  to give them their food at the proper time.
²⁸ When you give it to them,  they gather it up;
when you open your hand,  they are satisfied with good things.
²⁹ When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
³⁰ When you send your Spirit,   they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.

³¹ May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works—
³² he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

³³ I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
³⁴ May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the Lord.

 

Acts 2:1-21                  page  1692

 1.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.”

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.’

SERMON          The official Birthday of the Church

In the name of the Father  Son , and Holy Ghost

 

Have you ever told ghost stories around a campfire ? I spent countless hours  at campfires  with  girl guides and boy scouts of  various ages  and  invariably the ghost story hour  showed up. I  didn’t tell the stories -  not my thing !  I did have one ghost song which sooner or later during camp fire  would be requested. No matter  how often it was heard  -  they always  wanted it again. No worries  - I’m not about to sing it for you

 

However this isn’t a story about ghosts. Rather  its a true story. A relaying of unexpected events within a room full- actually a city full of people who became witnesses - an experience that defied all reality, a recorded testimony about an unexplained, uncanny manifestation of a Spirit. This not only spooked those present but changed their lives completely. A phenomenon so weird that it startled an entire city and started an entire movement.

 

I can’t say it was a “dark and stormy night,” because the report says it happened in the day. Did the room get dark? Did the lights go out? We don’t know that part. We do know that a number of those gathered were talking together casually in one of the rooms when suddenly a huge, reverberating sound filled the entire house. It sounded like the “howling of a fierce wind” –like a twister, loud, low, and deep. A sound to shake the shutters.

 

Then what looked like blinding flames of light lit upon each head of those gathered there, lighting up their faces in a bright, fiery, eerie glow, Suddenly their bodies were infused with a Spirit, causing them to speak in languages not their own. A phenomenal, supernatural occurrence that couldn’t be explained. It filled the room, and it filled them all....

 

Now when I was a little kid , the  church always  referred to the third person of the Trinity as  the Holy Ghost.  We still do  when  we sing the Doxology.  Somewhere along the line though , the church changed the name “Ghost” to “Spirit “

 

Jesus has told the disciples that they will take up Jesus’ ministry of witness once they have been empowered by the Spirit, first in Luke 24:48-49 and then again in Acts 1:1-8. We often speak of the “witness” the disciples are to embrace as simply their verbal proclamation of the good news. However  the witness the Spirit activates is to the very arrival of the Kingdom of God among them (Acts 1:3), and not just for Israel, but for all of humanity ( 1:6-8).

This is why Luke presents as integral to the early believer’s testimony, the very same kind of counter-cultural community Jesus initiated among his disciples. Theirs is a Spirit-baptized ministry of word and deed that continues Jesus’ work of establishing the reign of God “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (1:8). Simply put, the disciples are to pick up where Jesus left off. As with Jesus, their witness to the Kingdom unfolding among them will soon elicit deadly animosity from those who zealously guard the status quo.

Because you can’t be what you haven’t seen, let’s focus our imagination on what God has done in order to recognize what God is doing. The legends of our faith, storied in Scripture, provide a memorial that will never forget God’s presence, promise, and peace. Long before Jesus fed the hungry and welcomed outsiders, Pentecost provided such a memorial.

The feast of Pentecost was one of three annual Jewish celebrations which the men of Israel came to Jerusalem to worship at the temple. It was a time when Jews would gather from around the world, coming to the homeland to offer sacrifices to God. No man could appear empty handed. The Jews of that day were proclaiming that they had become all that God desired, fulfilling his purpose and claiming his promises. What a fitting foreshadowing of the New Testament Day of Pentecost!

Originally, a harvest festival, Shavuot ,as it was  known as, was not connected to any historical event in Israel. Later, the day came to be known as the Feast of Weeks and was used to commemorate the giving of the Law to Moses at Mount Sinai, but from the record of the Torah, the events did not fall on the same day. Shavuot was simply a reminder for the community to offer thanks for the Creator-Covenanting God for a fruitful summer harvest—a first-fruits celebration. It was that reason that brought the first-century followers of practices of the ancient Israelites together in Jerusalem. If ever there was a moment when the people would ask for deliverance in a time of trouble, this was the day

The commotion surrounding Pentecost didn’t go unnoticed.. In a divided culture of caste and class, when people come together to report that same story, people take notice.

In the shadow of the public execution of a healer, hope-builder, and harbinger of hospitality, Pentecost was neither a time of  lament nor loss. Pentecost was not a call to revolt or revival. In the moment where God seemed inconsequential, incompetent, or inconceivable, the people all heard in their own languages that God was powerfully active in human history. In the commotion, the most consistently understandable report was of the mighty things God had been doing. What the day of Pentecost was all about, was glorifying God for providing daily bread, quenching thirst, and making possible the healing of the land. When God shows up, God provides. When God provides, there is plenty..

The “good news” was rather difficult news for Jesus’ disciples and many of his followers to initially wrap their heads around—and for good reason. There simply was no precedent in Israelite tradition - at least none that we are aware of- for the notion that God’s messiah would be crucified. In fact, this was counter-intuitive to the extreme. The Messiah was to cast down the Romans and their elite allies from their lofty thrones, and banish their oppressive ways, not fall victim to them!

Thus it is no surprise that the primary activity Luke attributes to the risen Jesus is helping his disciples make sense of this very strange good news.

 

It’s interesting that some of the people who were passing by reached the conclusion that the apostles must have been drunk. This tells us something about the spirit of excitement and joy that prevailed on that day. The joy and enthusiasm could not be hidden.  As we read the long list of nations, we realize that a language barrier existed. God wanted each of them to hear the message in his own language, He performed a miracle, and gave the apostles the gift of tongues so that they could communicate His message.  From this vantage point, we begin to glimpse what God yet will do.

Now  our  reading today  only  speaks to the  hour  when  Peter  talks to the  crowd gathered in front of the disciples.  We  can  imagine that as  the  news  spread,  more and more folks  joined the crowd. This may  be when the other  disciples  began to disperse  through  the gathering  crowds  and began  their  own conversations.  The action  did not  end there though.  In the verses penned in Acts 2: 37-42  we get a great deal more of the story

Now when they heard this, they were cut to their heart, and said unto Peter and  the other apostles, “ Brothers  what shall we do? Peter replied “ Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you, and  your children, and to all that are far off, for all whom the Lord our God shall call”. With many other words  he warned them and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation”. Those who accepted his message were baptized: and about  three thousand were added to their number that day They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

The result of the Holy Spirit’s work on the day of Pentecost established a unique, growing fellowship of believers. On that day, there were 3,000 new converts, and suddenly the apostles and the new converts shared a new kind of fellowship that had never been shared before. They received the message that Christ was crucified for their sins and that through faith in Christ their sins could be forgiven. They repented of their sins and were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. They were forgiven and received the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Church became a visible reality on the day of Pentecost.. The text  details the kind of community emerging from Pentecost and characterizing the life of the early church. The world changed after Pentecost because of the Church’s influence on the world   I say again ---- The world changed after Pentecost because of the Church’s influence on the world

Pentecost brought such unspeakable joy that it could not be hidden. The people were glowing with excitement and bubbling with power.  all could see it was God who brought the Church into being, and it is His Church, not ours. It is essential for us to realize that. The Church may never be the most popular institution in the world, because the Church goes counter to popular culture. You see, God wants the Church to stand for the truth, to be unshakable in our presentation of the Gospel, because the Church belongs to God. It is His Church, not ours. The mission is His to determine, and ours to carry out. When we bear witness to the saving power of Christ, we must rely on the Spirit to empower our efforts.  Jesus said, ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.’  There is no witness without the Spirit’s power. It is the Spirit, who works in the mouth of the witness- who works in the ear of the sinner. -who works in the heart of the believer.  We have the great privilege of bearing witness to Jesus,  by waiting on the Spirit of God.

For the people of God, when we gather together in one place, the story we tell, in our own languages, is the Spirit bearing witness to God’s deeds of power. From this vantage point, we begin to glimpse what God yet will do.  We want to hear the story  over and over just  like the repeated campfire  song

An interesting insight is that the scriptures never refer to the fire of the Holy Spirit as a threat - as a danger - or as something to be feared -  but always  as a gift for our ENCOURAGEMENT. For our RENEWAL and REVITALIZATION.

The invitation is laid out for all of us today. The fire of the Holy Spirit is offered to all of us. We are all encouraged to invite God into our lives; to invite God into our hearts. We are encouraged… to see the fire. Not  as a danger to be feared, but as reward to be accepted. Christ invites you into the fire today.  AMEN

HYMN                399  Spirit , Spirit of  gentleness

 

Refrain:

Spirit, Spirit of gentleness, blow through the wilderness,

calling and free,  Spirit, spirit of restlessness, stir me from placidness,

Wind, Wind on the sea.

 

1. You moved on the waters, you called to the deep,

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

and over the aeons you called to each thing:

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

Refrain:

2. You swept through the desert, you stung with the sand

and you goaded your people with a law and a land;

and when they were blinded with their idols and lies,

then you spoke through your prophets to open their eyes.

Refrain:

3. You sang in a stable, you cried from a hill;

then you whispered in silence when the whole world was still;

and down in the city you called once again,

when you blew through your people on the rush of the wind.

Refrain:

 

4. You call from tomorrow, you break ancient schemes;

From the bondage of sorrow the captives dream dreams;

our women see visions, our men clear their eyes;

With bold new decisions your people arise

Refrain:

 

OFFERING

Pentecost celebrates the gifts of the Spirit poured out on the Church, preparing Christ’s followers to serve him. Our offering today will build up the ministry and mission of Christ’s Church here and everywhere in his name.

 

DOXOLOGY

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

Praise him all creatures here below

Praise him above ye heavenly host.

Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost

 

OFFERTORY PRAYER

Spirit of grace and power, bless the gifts we offer today so that they may accomplish surprising things in Jesus’ name. Equip each of us, and all of us together, to proclaim the Good News with grace and power in ways we have not yet dreamed possible. Amen.

 

HYMN   534  All who hunger    verses    1 & 2

 

1 All who hunger gather gladly; holy manna is our bread.
Come from wilderness and wand’ring. Here in truth we will be fed.
You that yearn for days of fullness, all around us is our food.
Taste and see the grace eternal. Taste and see that God is good.

2 All who hunger, never strangers; seeker, be a welcome guest.
Come from restlessness and roaming. Here in joy we keep the feast.
We that once were lost and scattered in communion’s love have stood.
Taste and see the grace eternal. Taste and see that God is good.

HOLY COMMUNION

 

Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Le t us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

 

THE APOSTLE’S CREED                  # 539           all stand

 

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
born of the Virgin Mary.

suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
and He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

 

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving  

 

It is right, our duty and our joy, to give you thanks and praise, God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. In the beginning your Spirit moved over the face of the waters; you formed us in your image and breathed into us the breath of life. When we wandered from your ways, your love remained steadfast. Your Spirit came upon prophets and teachers,  They called your people to return to your ways of faithfulness. In every age, your Spirit inspired us to seek after you. Therefore, with your people from all places and times, and with the whole creation, we proclaim your greatness and sing your praises:

 

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might,

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

 

Holy God, blessed is your Son, Jesus Christ. At his baptism in the Jordan,

your Spirit descended upon him, declaring him your Beloved.

With your Spirit upon him, he turned away from temptation.

You anointed him to preach good news to the poor,

and announce that the time had come when you would save your people.

Through his suffering, death and resurrection,

you gave birth to your Church and welcomed us in by water and the Spirit.

When Jesus ascended, he promised to be with us always.

Remembering your history with us throughout all generations,

we take this bread and this cup, and proclaim the mystery of faith:

 

Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.

 

Gracious God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts of bread and wine. May they be for us the communion in the body and blood of your Son, Jesus Christ. Receiving them in faith, may we be made one with him and he with us. Nourish us with his love, so that we may proclaim your goodness and serve you faithfully.

Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

all honour and glory are yours, Almighty God, now and forever. Amen.

 

BREAKING OF THE BREAD

At the last meal Jesus had with his disciples he took bread, blessed it, broke it and said “ This is my body given for you – do this in remembrance of me”

Then he took the cup, gave thanks and said  “ This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for  you  For I tell you, I will not drink again  of the fruit of the vine  until the Kingdom of God comes “

 

DISTRIBUTION

 

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Loving God,  you renew us at  your table with the bread of life May this food strengthen us in love and help us to  serve you in each other  May we be filled with the power  of his endless life  now and forever  AMEN

 

HYMN   534  All who hunger    verses   3

 

3 All who hunger, sing together,
Jesus Christ is living bread.
Come from loneliness and longing.
Here in peace we have been fed.
Blest are those who from this table
live their days in gratitude.
Taste and see the grace eternal.
Taste and see that God is good.

 

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

 

Wind of the Spirit, blow through us on this day of Pentecost. Re-awaken our love for God and strengthen our fellowship as we gather after the challenges of the pandemic. Let your flames warm our hearts with trust in Jesus Christ and hope for the future he will create. Dare us to do great things in his name.

 

Wind of the Spirit, blow through us and renew our energy to serve you in Christ’s Church .Open our eyes to recognize needs for ministry and mission in changing times. Open our hearts to welcome newcomers and meet those we don’t yet know. Open our hands to share in the tasks that need doing, and open our lips in prayer and praise.

 

Wind of the Spirit, blow through us and give us new understanding for those whose lives seem so different from ours, and for those facing situations we’ve never encountered.

For those with whom we’ve disagreed and for those whose values challenge our expectations.

For problems and challenges we face at home or in the community  and for the complex issues we face in your world.  Comfort all who have faced the horror  of  mass shootings  and loss of  those whom they  love. Again we earnestly pray for  cessation of the war in Ukrain  and including  the oppression and violence  in so many places and peoples in this world.  Bring healing for places in the world facing conflict  and for the creation struggling for life itself

 

Wind of the Spirit,  blow through us and bring us healing and peace for all who face pain or illness, discouragement or disappointment.  Bring healing for all who know sorrow, sadness or grief ….

who face stress and pressure …..

those whom we have named before  you  ……

and those whom we lift to you in silence ………….

 

Wind of the Spirit,. Blow through the General Assembly meeting this week and inspire the debates and decisions of the commissioners. We pray for the Moderator, commissioners, and young adult and student representatives who gather to discern God’s will for the church as it serves in the world. We pray that all those participating in the online 2022 General Assembly feel a strong sense of God’s presence, and that the Holy Spirit blesses the Assembly with the gifts of wisdom and love. We give  you thanks  that you hear the  prayers of our hearts  and in your wisdom your will is done.

 

Blow through our whole church and refresh us as your faithful people as together we say the words Jesus taught us:

 

THE  LORD’S PRAYER

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.  Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

 

HYMN                382 Spirit of God descend upon my heart

 

1. Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
   Wean it from earth; through all its pulses move.
   Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art,
   And make me love Thee as I ought to love.
2. I ask no dreams no prophet ecstacies                                                                            No sudden rending of the veil of  clay                                                                            No angel messenger, no opening skies                                                                        But take the dimness of my soul away.
3. Hast Thou not bid me love Thee, God and King?                                                          All, all Thine own, soul, heart and strength and mind.                                              I see Thy cross; there teach my heart to cling:                                                         Oh, let me seek Thee, and, oh, let me find!
4. Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh;                                                                Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,                                                                 To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh;                                                              Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.
5. Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,                                                             One holy passion filling all my frame;                                                                          The baptism of the heav’n-descended Dove,                                                            My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.

BENEDICTION

Let us go forth into the world  rejoicing in the power of the Spirit remembering  who you are and to whom you belong  and amy the grace of God, the love of Christ, and the comfort of the holy Spirit  be with you today and always

 

CLOSING SONG

Take O take me as I am; summon out what I shall be

set your seal upon my heart and live in me

Take O take me as I am; summon out what I shall be

set your seal upon my heart and live in me