Pentecost
You can find all of our latest information, Edith's reflection for this Sunday, our Thursday "Worship for all Generations" and much more by clicking on the following link to our facebook page - Leesfield Parish
There will also be a link here to the online Churches Together in Lees and District joint service for Pentecost on Sunday so please do join us!
Today we celebrate Pentecost, and we will really miss our usual traditions on this day - no bands today, no walking, no gathering in St Thomas’ church for our worship with our fellow Christians in this area – coordinated by the Churches Together group. Perhaps we only really appreciate things when they aren’t there any more? No doubt next year all will return to normal, and the day can be celebrated as it should be. Many people have been accessing our emails and Facebook communications. People are grateful, but most say they miss being able to get together in our churches. I hope once things do return normal, attendance will increase as people realise church can’t be taken for granted. One real positive of the recent difficulties has been the determination, imagination and ingenuity shown by so many in keeping our community going, by keeping in touch, caring for each other and helping out wherever possible. Thank you to those who have been helping to support church financially in these challenging times. It may be some time before we are able to have collections and fundraise so any help you can give is much appreciated.
Edith
Our first hymn for today is "Come Holy Ghost our Souls Inspire" - the lyrics aren't displayed for this, but it's so beautiful and so right for Pentecost that it had to be included.
Our Bible Reading for today -
Language is such an important thing… that seems such an obvious thing to say! Most of us have watched as young children acquire the skill of communicating – it starts very early on, long before the child can actually speak. But once real spoken words are used the range of people who can be communicated with widens well beyond immediate family members.
Most of us will, at times, have known the frustration of not being able to understand what another person is saying, or of not being able to make ourselves understood. Most obviously when we travel to other countries. The Acts story of the day of Pentecost is a richly satisfying reversal of Babel. Remember the story of the Tower of Babel? – briefly, the people became very arrogant and thought they were equal to God. God’s response was to scatter them and give them many different languages so they couldn’t communicate with each other.
At Pentecost, the scattered people of God come together, and, well, we are familiar with the reading from Acts, the story of the coming of the Spirit. Familiarity does lessen the impact of the tale, but it must have been very dramatic. The apostles are gathered together. The place is large and public – we know because they were joined by hundreds of others. They are probably in one of the temple courtyards. When suddenly they hear a powerful gale, like the mighty desert wind. The wind is a symbol of the great gale of God’s spirit pouring out upon them. They are swept by fire from heaven. The disciples are inspired and purified by the Holy Spirit of God. From this day forward they will be burning people- alight with the love of Christ and on fire with his love for the world. Amazing things happened then, and amazing things continue to happen with the power of the Spirit.
St Paul, in his writing to the Galatians, listed the fruits of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Our world could certainly do with more of each of those! So let us celebrate the Spirit’s presence with each one of us. Let us share what the Spirit brings to each of us so that the whole community may grow in the knowledge and love of God. And let us live as those who belong to a new and different kind of world in which the markers of status and privilege mean nothing among us, because God has poured out the Holy Spirit on all flesh, and all have been blessed with the gift of the spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes it cannot be contained, and if we pray for it we may be surprised where it comes!
And it isn’t only the individual Christian, but the whole community, that needs the Spirit’s help in our weakness. Today is regarded as the birthday of the church, so let’s celebrate!
Our second hymn for today is the classic Pentecost hymn - "Breathe on me Breath of God"
Today's Prayers -
And our final hymn is "This is the Day"
