Sunday Worship - Pentecost
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Welcome to our Sunday Worship on the Feast of Pentecost. Today we have only one Eucharistic Service in the Parish - 9.15 am at St Thomas' Church. We then assemble at St Thomas' at 11 am for our traditional Whit Sunday walk around Leesfield. At 12 noon, our fellow Christians from around the area will join us at St Thomas' Church for the Churches Together in Lees and District joint service for Pentecost.
Everyone is most welcome to share in our celebration of Pentecost.
If you are unable to be with us in person, you will find today's Gospel reading, a reflection and prayers below.
Our first hymn this morning is "Breathe on me, Breath of God"
Today's Gospel
John 7: 37-39 Jesus Prays for His Disciples
On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Reflection
Instead of the more commonly used Gospel passage for Pentecost, I have chosen the alternative text for the day. It is much shorter but there is still much to be taken from these 2 verses of John’s Gospel.
In our reflection on 12th March we looked at Exodus 17:6 where God had compassion on the Israelites even though they were angry with Him and also Moses. Through His compassion and love, God provided water from the rock of Horeb to quench the thirst of the Israelites in the desert. Jesus was an expert in religious teachings and scripture, so the metaphor of rivers of water flowing would no doubt have resonated with the Jews.
This was not the first time that Jesus has referred to living water; in John 4: 14, Jesus talks with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well and says; "whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
But of course, Jesus is not referring to physical water that we can get from a tap or see in the rivers and oceans, Jesus is referring to Himself. He is not inviting us to fill a glass and drink, He is inviting us to believe in Him, in all that he represents and has to offer when he says; “let the one who believes in me drink”.
Humans are approximately 70% water and without daily water our physical bodies would not survive. But Jesus is not offering to fill us with liquid water, He is offering to fill us with something far more precious. Something that will not just sustain our human bodies but give us eternal life.
Jesus wants us to partake of the gift of the Holy Spirit which He will provide in abundance to those who follow Him and believe in Him. He wants to quench our Spiritual Thirst.
A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Ascension Day, with a lovely service led by Father Phillip Miller. In his sermon, he reminded us that when Jesus ascended in to Heaven to take His place at the right hand of the Father, He also took with Him part of the humanity that He had experienced in His time on earth. Moreover, He left behind something for all of us, a part of Himself.
When He was exalted into heaven and glorified, He received the gift He asked for from the Father. The gift of the Holy Spirit, which He will give freely to all who believe. As we continue to believe in Jesus and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, we can experience how Jesus wants to work through us.
By doing want Jesus wants us to do, by loving and caring for one another, we are sharing what He has left behind with others. We can enable the Holy Spirit to flow through ourselves to others; ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” Paul
Our Prayers
Almighty God, creator of all things,
We ask you to fill us with the gift of the Holy Spirit,
To quench our spiritual thirst.
We pray that we may follow teaching of Jesus,
to love each other and care for our neighbours.
That Your living Water may flow though us
and make the world a better place.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "The Spirit Lives to set us Free (Walk in the Light)"
