Sunday Worship 24th May

 Sunday Worship - Pentecost

Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish as we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost (also known as Whit Sunday). 

Our Service of Holy Communion this morning is at our neighbouring church of St John the Baptist, Hey at 9.15. 

We will then hold a traditional Whit Walk from St John's, around Lees, to St Thomas' Church for the Churches Together in Lees and District joint Service for Pentecost at 12 noon.

All are welcome to join us - full details are shown in the Notices section below.

If you are unable to attend in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.

Our first hymn this morning is "Breathe on me, Breath of God"

Today's Bible Readings

John 7:37-39                Rivers of Living Water

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.

Acts 2:1-21

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 where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 

And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." 

All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine."

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

`In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams.

Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit;

and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist.

The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'"

Reflection

Do you remember the way Whitsuntide or Pentecost used to be celebrated in Lees? When I first came to the Oldham as a young man, (just a few years ago), one of my colleagues at the bank where I worked invited me to Lees for Whit Sunday. I was ‘blown away’ - not by the sudden rush of a sound like the rush of a violent wind from heaven, but by the sense of occasion as dozens and dozens of people assembled to march around the village. Assembled to pay witness and celebrate this Holy Festival to commemorate the coming of the Holy Spirit – the advocate that Jesus had promised to empower his followers to spread the gospel and build his Church on earth. 

There were people of all ages from the very young Rainbows, Beavers  and Sunday School to the active members of the Mother’s Union and right up to the elder parishioners who continued to serve the parish after decades of service in many varied lay roles.  

But it wasn’t just an excuse for a jolly good get together, it was truly an occasion to show off our Christian identity. And it wasn’t just our church! As the proceedings continued, we were joined by congregations and families from all of the neighbouring churches, not only from the Church of England but all the other local denominations as well as we worshipped together in joy and harmony. 

Whether everyone knew it or not, we were celebrating that first occasion where ‘God poured put his Spirit upon all flesh’ and where more than 3,000 people were baptised.

Whether it is on Pentecost Sunday or any other day of the year, we too are called to embrace the power of the Holy Spirit, to proclaim the Gospel and share our belief and faith with others. We repeatedly hear messages that the Church is withering but we cannot just wait and hope that the pews will suddenly fill up. What we need is power, the power only God’s Spirit can give, the power to speak the name of Jesus out in our community.  We need to courageously harness the Spirit and be openly proud of our faith, as a Gospel-sharing church that loves the world as God does.

Sadly, over the years the Whit Sunday walks have dwindled and are a shadow of their former glory. This year, thanks to brilliant teamwork by representatives of both parishes, we are trying to re-energise and build the numbers of folk involved, starting with a service and procession from St. John Hey, to Zion Methodist and then to St. Thomas church and the local streets. It may not all happen this year, but if you are able, why not join us for some or all of this act of witness, as we celebrate the glory of God and His son Jesus. Let the power of the Holy Spirit fill you anew and also inspire new believers to be open to the power of the Spirit. If you are not able to join us, why not come to your doors and give us a hearty cheer and a wave, join us in our songs of praise and invite the Holy Spirit into your life. 

Never underestimate the power of the Spirit – after my first Whit Sunday in Lees, I started coming to St. Thomas’ church and later married the wonderful person from the bank who invited me to my first Whit Sunday parade.              Paul

Our Prayers

Heavenly Father, we come before You with a hungry heart, 

asking for a fresh outpouring of Your Holy Spirit upon our lives. 

Fill us with Your presence and power and let Your Spirit overflow in us afresh every day, 

empowering us to share your Gospel with those who have yet to know You. 

Amen

Today's final hymn is "Walk in the Light"

Notices

Here are the full details of our Pentecost Celebrations

Finally, the following announcement was made in St Thomas', St Agnes' and St John's churches last week -

The Bishop of Manchester is pleased to announce the appointment of the Reverend Kirsten Stott as incumbent of Hey, John the Baptist and the Parish of Leesfield.

Please pray for Kirsten as she prepares to continue her vocational and missional journey with the parishes where she has been serving as curate-in-charge, and for the benefice as they prepare for this new stage.

We don't have a date yet for Rev Kirsten's Licensing Service, but we're all really looking forward to this next wonderful stage in the life of both parishes.