Pentecost Sunday

PENTECOST SUNDAY

Call to Worship

The Day of Pentecost is here:
the day when the flames of faith dance in our hearts.
The Day of Pentecost is here:
the day when our babbling speech becomes the Good News for the world.
The Day of Pentecost is here:
the day when compassion is seared into our souls.
The Day of Pentecost is here:
let the people of God rejoice. Alleluia!

posted on the RevGalBlogPals website.  http://revgalblogpals.blogspot.ca/

Prayer

Spirit of life
Fill our emptiness with your fullness

Spirit of power
Stir our hearts afresh

Spirit of love
Touch us, and through us, our neighbour

Spirit of Creativity
Enable and empower the gifts you have given

Spirit of Eternity
Draw us ever deeper into your Kingdom

—posted by John Birch on his Faith and Worship website. 

Prayer of Confession

We confess to you how often our thoughts and motives are confused,
both individually
and when we are together as your people,
and that this confusion has often blinded us
to your interest in our lives.

Break in on our confusion,
and astonish us anew, O God!
Our prayer is that you will claim us again
and silence within us our desire
to always have words for every occasion,
that we might hear the whisper of the wings of your Spirit dove.

In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, we pray.

Amen.

~ from the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand website.

Bible Reading              Acts 2:1-11

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ² 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. ³ Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

⁵ Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶ And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷ Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.”

REFLECTION

Pentecost Sunday. Today is a special Sunday for various reasons. It marks the day when God poured out his Holy Spirit. In the past few weeks, in our gospel readings from John’s gospel, Jesus had been talking about the coming of the Spirit, who he described as ‘another advocate’ (Jn 14:16), the Spirit of Truth (Jn), the ‘Promise of the Father’ (Acts 1:4b). If the expectations of the disciples had been built up, they were not disappointed. When the Spirit came, it was a day that they remembered. It came in a way they could not have even begun to have imagined.

I want to focus on three points that we can take out of the descriptions of the coming of Holy Spirit in Acts 2.

1.   The Declaration of the Scriptures

All along, the scriptures have declared that the Spirit of God has been actively involved in the world.

Right from the beginning of time, during the creation of the universe, we read of the role of the Spirit when everything was a formless void: “and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Gen 1:2).

During the period of Judges, men appointed by God for a special task, from time to time, we read of how the Spirit came mightily on a particular judge, empowering him to boldly carry out the role that God had chosen that judge to do. So for example, we read: “But the spirit of the LORD took possession of Gideon” (Jdg. 6:34) or in the strongman Samson’s life, we read again: “The spirit of the LORD rushed on him, and he tore the lion apart barehanded as one might tear apart a kid” (Jdg. 14:6) . There are many further similar examples of how the Spirit of the Lord comes on various people (Jdg11:29, 15:14). The prophet Isaiah too spoke of a similar experience: “The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me” (Isa 61:1). This is particularly significant because Jesus takes that passage and applies it to himself (Lk 4:18).

All these could be described as ‘specific’ outpourings of the Holy Spirit, on specific individuals for specific roles. However, these specific outpourings all anticipated a universal outpouring of God’s Spirit on all people. The people in Jesus’ day were aware of this fact. Many centuries ago, the prophet Joel had said:

Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

 ²⁹ Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. (Joel 2:28-29)

Further, according to Joel, when this universal outpouring happens, and when people recognize this and accept this, those who call upon the Lord will be saved (Joel 2:32). The truth of this remain the same. Page after page, chapter after chapter, the scriptures consistently declare the universal outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit. Even to this day, whenever we read the scriptures, they declare to us truth of the promise of the Father: God’s spirit is given to all people and in recognizing this and accepting this, we are truly able to call upon the name of the Lord Jesus and be saved.

2.   The Transformation of the Disciples

When the mighty outpouring of the Spirit came upon the disciples, they were immediately transformed. There was a transformation of their attitudes, their thinking, their speaking and their behaviour (in other words, their thoughts, words and actions). All at once they were transformed from being frightened followers to fearless evangelists. Until that time, just after the resurrection of Jesus, whenever we encounter the disciples, they are behind locked doors for fear of the Jews (Jn 20:19b, 26). This because it was perilous to be associated with the crucified Jesus, especially since there were those who opposed the ‘rumours’ that he had risen from the dead. Here they are again, gathered together in one place (Acts 2:1) when the spirit came upon them as a rushing wind (v.2:2b) and tongues of fire (v.3b). 

What happens next is not explicitly stated, but we can imagine that they left their room and went outside because people were able to hear them (v.6) and also because we know Peter stood up to address the crowd (v.14). From this, we know that they were no longer frightened; they did not need to hide indoors any longer. They no longer need to talk in secret about the amazing things they were witnessing. They could come out into the open. They were transformed! They were liberated! The apostle Paul reminds us elsewhere that such freedom is the mark of the Spirit: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor 3:17).

May the Spirit of God continue to transform our lives and liberate us from those attitudes and feelings that cause us to feel bound, locked in. Remember, with God’s Spirit, there can only be freedom and liberation and transformation. The disciples experienced this and so can we.

3.   The Proclamation of the gospel

When we think of the Pentecost event recorded in Acts 2, it is easy to get caught up in understanding the supernatural phenomena – rushing wind, divided tongues of fire, speaking ‘in tongues.’ These phenomena are of crucial importance to that universal outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They confirm that something wonderful and yet inexplicable was happening. The disciples were the immediate recipients of the powerful Spirit of God. And while it is only right for us to be drawn to try and understand these phenomena, they all ultimately point to another crucial phenomenon that we can so easily overlook: the proclamation of the gospel. This is at the heart of the events of that day.

It was not so much that the disciples were speaking in other languages, but that the hearers could understand what was being said. This is what the crowd said: “…in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power” (v.11). Therefore, whatever was happening was not to be seen as an end in itself. The rushing wind, the divided tongues of fire, and the speaking in other languages as the Spirit gave them utterance was to proclaim God’s deeds of power! And we know from what immediately follows what these ‘deeds of power’ were.

In Acts 2:14-36, Peter, now transformed and filled with the Holy Spirit and with power, preaches the first ever recorded sermon that we have. And in summary, this is what he says about Jesus: “you killed him. God raised him. He lives forever. He is Lord!” Again, we go back to the Apostle Paul. When teaching the church in Corinth about the Holy Spirit, he writes: “… no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3b). This is exactly what Peter is doing. He is proclaiming the gospel, that Jesus is Lord, and he does this by the power of the Holy Spirit. And everyone one, although speakers of different languages, can understand what he is saying!

God’s Holy Spirit transforms us and enables us to believe and say with confidence that Jesus is the Lord of our lives and of this world. And when we say this with the conviction that comes from the Holy Spirit, people will hear, people will listen, people will take this message seriously.

Amen

Prayers

Come, O Holy Spirit.
Come as Holy Fire and burn in us,
come as Holy Wind and cleanse us within,
come as Holy Light and lead us in the darkness,
come as Holy Truth and dispel our ignorance,
come as Holy Power and enable our weakness,
come as Holy Life and dwell in us.
Convict us, convert us, consecrate us,
until we are set free from the service of ourselves,
to be your servants to the world. Amen.

by John Henry Newman

*https://buildfaith.org/come-holy-spirit/ 

May the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
bring fire to the earth
so that the presence of God
may be seen
in a new light,
in new places,
in new ways.

May our own hearts
burst into flame
so that no obstacle,
no matter how great,
ever obstructs the message
of the God within each of us.

May we come to trust
the Word of God in our heart,
to speak it with courage,
to follow it faithfully
and to fan it to flame in others.

Pentecost Prayer by Joan Chittister, OSB

*https://buildfaith.org/come-holy-spirit/ 

 Blessing

May the God who breathed life into creation be your delight.
May Christ Jesus give hope to your dreaming,
and may the Holy Spirit, your advocate and supporter,
set your hearts ablaze with a passion for peace.

We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ, our Living Saviour. Amen.

Sunday after the Ascension

Sunday after the Ascension

Call to Worship

Jesus, Son of God, who was lifted into heaven, we worship you with great joy. Jesus. Son of God, raised far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come, we worship you with great joy. Jesus, Son of God, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and whose kingship is one that shall never be destroyed, we worship you with great joy.

From: ttp://www.going4growth.com/downloads/All_Age_Worship_resource_pack_-Jane_Tibbs.pdf

        "The Ascension" 

by Hans Suss von Kulmbach

(1476-1528)

Prayer

Almighty God,
     as we prepare to worship today,
     we ask that you will stretch our imaginations
     to sense the majesty and mystery of your ascension.
     Help us perceive how Jesus' presence in heaven
     can give us confidence in our praying
     and hope for the future.
     Through Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

From: https://worship.calvin.edu/resources/

Prayer of Confession*

Gracious God,

 Forgive us for so often failing

 to grasp the wonder of Ascension,

 for living each day as though it had never been.

 Forgive the smallness of our vision,

 the narrowness of our outlook,

 the weakness of our love,

 the nervousness of our witness,

 our repeated failure to recognize

 the fullness of your revelation in Christ.

 Give us a deeper sense of wonder,

 a stronger faith,

 and a greater understanding of all you have done.

Words of Assurance*

Through his Ascension

Jesus is now set free to be Lord of all:

no longer bound to a particular place or time,

but with us always - able to reach even to the ends of the earth.

Amen

written by Rev Bryce Calder, and posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday.  http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/5981/starters_05_06_11.

Bible Reading              Acts 1:1-11

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning ² until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. ³ After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. ⁴ While staying^[a] with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. “This,” he said, “is what you have heard from me; ⁵ for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with^[b] the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”                                                                       

The Ascension of Christ
Gustave Dore (1832-1883)

 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ⁹ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰ While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. ¹¹ They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been  taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

 REFLECTION

We are familiar with the forty days before Easter. We associate that period with Christ’s temptation in the wilderness. We call it Lent. And then on Easter day, when we celebration the resurrection of Christ, the forty days of Lent become distant memory. But immediately following Easter, there begins another period of forty days that we don’t normally observe, or are even aware of. I’m referring here to  the forty days beginning with the resurrection of Christ and culminating in his Ascension to heaven. Unfortunately, because Ascension Day always falls on a Thursday (when we count forty days from Easter Sunday, we end on a Thusday), it tends to drop off our radar. However, we have a second chance at bring the ascension back into focus as today is, in liturgical terms, ‘the Sunday after the Ascension.’ So what can we learn from the Ascension?

The Ascension is directly related to the sending of the Holy Spirit

Over the past few weeks, we saw that while Jesus told his disciples that he would be ‘leaving’ him, he also assured them that the Holy Spirit would come to them. This is a theme that he continued to teach after his resurrection. In the forty days following the resurrection: “While staying with them, Jesus ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father” (v.4). This ‘promise of the Father’ is the promised Holy Spirit. Remember, Jesus had said to them earlier: “…I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever” (Jn 14:16). Jesus had to go for this promise to become a reality which is why he said to them: “ …it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” (Jn 16:7).

In the teaching of Jesus, it is not possible to separate the giving of the Holy Spirit from Jesus’ ascension into heaven. 

The Ascension challenges our understanding of God

"Ascension" by Michael O'Brien

Immediately before his ascension, the disciples thought that something momentous was going to happen and so they ask: “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” (v.6b). The disciples thought they had it all figured out: This was time! The kingdom which Jesus had been teaching about (v.3c) was going to established! Their nationalistic hopes for Israel would be realized at last. Rome would be overthrown and they would be free! In other words, they thought they knew when it was going to be (is this the time?), they thought they knew who would make it happen (you will restore the kingdom), they thought they knew where it was going to be (Israel).

However, while something momentous was indeed going to happen, it was definitely not as the disciples thought. In fact, Jesus’ response shows how off-track their thought process had been: He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (vs.7-8). Each part of his response was important. 

Firstly, God’s timescale is very different from ours: “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority”. This is something that all of us struggle with at some point in our lives. We like things to happen when we think they should happen, based on our perception and our framework and timescale of how things should unfold in our lives. It is worth noting that we cannot – and should not- attempt to fit God into our timescales. His ways are marvellous and so too is his timing. We are only call to trust and believe, and not try to work things out.

Secondly, the disciples believed the kingdom would be established, and it would it be established by Jesus. Yes, Jesus had preached the coming for the kingdom from the start of his ministry:  “…Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near, repent, and believe in the good news.”  (Mk 1:14b-15), he had taught his disciples to pray for the coming of the kingdom “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt 6:10), and so it was only natural that the disciples thought that Jesus would accomplish this during his earthly ministry.

But completely unexpected to the disciples, Jesus tells tham that the promised Holy Spirit whom he had told them about was coming for them! “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (v.7a). This Spirit would empower them! Further, once this happens, they would become witness to the coming kingdom: “and you will be my witnesses” (v.7b). They thought that Jesus would bring about the Kingdom. Instead, they heard that they would be empowered by the Holy Spirit to do precisely that task. They would become witnesses to the Kingdom! A witness is one who testifies to what he or she has seen. The testimony of a witness is vital to making a strong case, but the witness provides a first hand account, bringing a reliable and credible account to a situation. That was going to be the responsibility to the disciples! 

3.   The kingdom of God was not confined to Israel as they thought (will you restore the kingdom to Israel?” (v.6b)). Rather, the Kingdom of God of which they were to be witnesses, would be established “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (v.6c). Jerusalem, yes, they would have not been surprised by that. But from Judea to the ends of the earth? That was a shock for them. They were not expecting this. Again, they limited the power of God by thinking that his rule would extend only to Israel. Rather, his rule was to the ends of the earth. The Psalmist reminds us that “The Lord is King! Let the earth rejoice” (Ps 96:1). Our God is great big God – we reduce God to the smallness of our minds.

Thanks be to God for the Ascension of Christ. Because of it, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit and called to be witnesses!

Prayers of Intercession

We pray this day:

• For the church, that we may reveal God’s love through our words and actions.
• For those who face persecution on account of their faithful actions.
• For all those who are in need—families, refugees, immigrants, and others who seek a better life—may they find assistance from those who work for their betterment; may we hold them in our prayers.
• That the pandemic may be gotten under control and for those working to find a vaccine.
• For all who need healing at this time, especially from Covid19, that they may be filled with the hope and strength of the Holy Spirit
• For those on the frontlines who are giving of themselves so that others may be helped – doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, EMT, police officers, firefighter, grocers, truckers, hospital and building cleaners, teachers, child care workers, mental health professionals, and countless others.  May they receive your protection as they serve.
• For the sick, especially those whose names are in our hearts, and their caregivers.
• For those who have died. May they celebrate everlasting life in Christ Jesus.
• For those who have lost loved ones to the coronavirus: May God console them and grant them peace.

God our Father, we come to you today, certain that you desire that we do so. We ask you to hear these prayers and all that we hold in the silence of our hearts. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, in the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

* adapted from https://ourladyqueenofmartyrs.org/general-intercessions-for-sunday/

Blessing*

As we begin a new week, may you remember that you have been empowered by the Holy Spirit and called to be witnesses to the Risen Christ.

God be with you and protect you. 

And may the love of God, the grace of Jesus Christ, and the presence of the Holy Spirit encourage and strengthen you as we go. AMEN.

An order of service for 17th May 2020

AN ORDER OF SERVICE

Call to Worship*

God of our lives, we thank you that you are never far from each one of us.
We come into your presence seeking you.
We pray that you will reveal yourself to us; dwell with us;
and abide in us.
We live because of you.
We hope because of you.
In the name of Jesus Christ in whom we live,
and the Spirit of Truth who abides in us, Amen.

Prayer of Confession*

Maker and giver of all, forgive us when we are too preoccupied to notice your presence in our lives:
when we walk through this world and fail to see the wonder of you upholding our lives and all creation;
when we walk through our lives and fail to see you abiding with, within,
and around us;
when we walk through holy moments and fail to savor your presence, instead feeling abandoned in the vast sweep of life as each day rushes at us with its demands.
Open our eyes to your presence, God of love, that we may lean on you— for you uphold all of creationin tenderness and power. Amen.

Words of Assurance*

When Jesus left the disciples, he gave us a promise:
“I will not leave you orphaned!”
For we, his disciples, live in him and he in us—
the presence of God within and around all.
What a promise! Take courage! Take comfort!
Blessed be God!

*from: https://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/5006/worship-elements-may-17-2020 

From The Abingdon Worship Annual edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright © Abingdon Press. 

Bible Reading              John 14:15-21

¹⁵ “If you love me, you will keep^[a] my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,^[b] to be with you forever. ¹⁷ This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in^[c] you.

¹⁸ “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. ¹⁹ In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. ²¹ They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

REFLECTION

Last week’s reading stopped in the middle of Jesus’ farewell speech. After mentioning to the disciples that he was going to be betrayed and then denied and also telling them of his impending death, he talks to them about going away, preparing a place for them and showing them the way to that place, the Father’s heavenly abode.

This week we continue from where that conversation left off. The disciples are still coming to terms with what Jesus had just told them, about him going away and leaving them. They were confronted with a dramatic change in their lives. All that was familiar was going to become unfamiliar. Their routines, their patterns, their familiar order was all going to become chaotic with the departure of Jesus. They were still reeling from this conversation. And seeing this, Jesus continues to comfort them. We learn a vital lesson from this. When we are reeling, we life seems a muddle, when our world seems rocked and shaken, the comforting words of Jesus still ring true -and we can hold fast to those words. So let’s look in more detail at what he said to his disciples, how he comforted them.

The conversation has all the makings of a true farewell speech. He begins by telling them demonstrate their love for Jesus by keeping his commandments: “If you love me, you will keep^[a] my commandments ” (v.15), which he reiterates again a few verse later “They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me” (v.21). It is interesting to note in this regard that in the other gospels where Jesus gives various commandments through his teachings. For example, he says in Luke’s gospel love your enemies (Lk 6:27), turn your other cheek (Lk 6:29), don’t judge others (Lk 6:37a), forgive others (Lk 6:37b), etc. However, in John’s gospel, we see nothing of this. The only command in John’s gospel is the command to love: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (Jn 13:34). Therefore, in v.14, it is this command to love that Jesus is referring to. If their love for Jesus is real, then that love would need be expressed in their love for one another. In doing so they manifest Christ’s love.

After exhorting them to love one another, Jesus says to them: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever” (v.16). In other words, his forthcoming absence has a benefit to it, namely, the gift of the Holy Spirit. The word translated here as ‘advocate’ needs some explanation. The Greek New Testament uses a specific word that we may have heard before: ‘paraclete.’ Many translations of the bible translate this word differently, for example, ‘Helper’ (ESV), ‘Comforter’ (KJV), and one bible, the Douway-Rheims version, leaves the word untranslated and just has ‘Paraclete.’ Although the word is translated differently in the different versions, the meanings are essentially the same. So:

Advocate (NRSV) - a person who puts a case on someone else's behalf.

Helper (ESV) - a person who helps someone else

Comforter (KJV) – a person or thing that provides consolation

All of the above words talk about one who supports and helps, the Greek word ‘Paraclete’ literally means ‘one who comes alongside and calls out [encouragement].’ The imagery is that we when are flagging, when we are struggling, when we are feeling alone, a supporter comes alongside of us, and encourages us in a manner that boosts us, and gives us the strength that we need for the journey. Think of a long distance runner, with their support cheering them on, encouraging them on. When we put this meaning in the context of Jesus’ words, when he says I will send you ‘another paraclete’, there are two things that we should note.

Firstly, by using the word ‘another’, it implies that there was a first. This, of course, must be Jesus, for he came alongside us to encourage us, to bring the love and joy and forgiveness of God to us. When we were struggling, when we lose our way, Jesus is near us and brings God close to us. Jesus now ensures that they have ‘another’ helper when he goes away. We are not alone. We are never alone. This other helper is with us forever.

Secondly, he understood the reality of their experience. Jesus did not minimize what his disciples were feeling. They had heard that he was leaving them. They had heard that one of them would betray him and another would deny him. Their simple routines were going to be disrupted and this was not going to be easy. But he acknowledges their sense of loss and feeling of abandonment. Recognizing this, he says to them: ““I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you” (v.16). An orphan is one who has nobody – no parental figure to care for them, provide for them or protect them. Before the disciples could feel all alone in this world, Jesus assure them they were not being left as orphans. He understood what they were experiencing, the reality of their loss and he provided for them by praying to the Father to give them the Holy Spirit, another comforter, another helper, another encourager.

As we begin to hear plan of easing the lockdown both in this country and around the world, as we enter into a new phase, as we figure out how to cope, how to adjust to life, remember that we have ‘another helper’, God’s very Spirit, within us and around us, not temporarily, but forever, holding us in the eternal and unchanging love of the God who never leaves us. This indeed is what the risen Christ promised to his people before he ascended into heaven: “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20).

Prayers of Intercession*

On this day, we pray:

• for the needs of the world, especially at this time of global pandemic;
• for those who are sick and for all medical personnel and caregivers;
• for research workers and scientists who are working to protect us, provide adequate testing, and to develop a vaccine;
• for essential workers, especially grocers, pharmacists and pharmacy employees, first responders, truck drivers, garbage collectors, delivery personnel, and all who protect us and supply us with our needs;
• for those who are particularly vulnerable to this virus;
• for those who are isolated;
• for those who are anxious;
• for our churches in this time of social isolation;
• for all those who suffer from various other challenges related to the brokenness of our world;
• for all for whom we have been praying in our hearts and minds;
• for those who are dying; and all those who have departed from this life and are at rest.

* © 2020 Church of Saint John the Evangelist (Diocese of Niagara, The Anglican Church of Canada)

Blessing*

Wherever we are, we are in God.
Wherever we are, we are in Christ,
and Christ is in us.
Wherever we are, the Spirit abides with us and in us.
We go forth in peace and hope,
upheld by God in every way.

Let us go forth in faithfulness and trust. AMEN.

*The Abingdon Worship Annual edited by Mary J. Scifres and B.J. Beu, Copyright © Abingdon Press.