Pentecost Sunday: Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13; John 20:19-23 ~ come Holy Spirit

PENTECOST SUNDAY

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentence and prayer:

Pentecost celebrates ‘the great beginning of the Church,’ the day the Holy Spirit first came to confused and frightened disciples. Praise God for this great Gift, and ask for a new outpouring in this, our day.
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Gracious God, send down upon Your people the flame of Your Holy Spirit, and fill Your Church with life and power. May your life-giving Spirit lend fire to our words and strength to our witness. Send us forth to the nations of the world to proclaim with boldness Your wondrous work of raising Christ to Your right hand. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
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Spiritual Song: “Waiting Here for You”

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A Reading from the Book of Acts: Acts ACTS 2:1-11 (NLT)

Pentecost by Jacqui — Pentecost
by Jacqui

On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.

They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are — Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!”
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A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 (NLT)

Let all that I am praise the Lord. O Lord my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and majesty.
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O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.
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But if you turn away from them, they panic. When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust. When you give them your breath, life is created, and you renew the face of the earth.
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May the glory of the Lord continue forever! The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made!
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May all my thoughts be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
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A Reading from the Letters: 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13 (NLT)

So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
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The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
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A Reading from the Gospels: John 20:19-23 (NLT)

That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Intercessions:

Come Holy Spirit we need you; renew the face of the earth:

+ Come with Power to fill the leaders of the Church and to breathe new life into all of God’s people…. Lord, hear our prayers.

+ Come as Spirit of Life and breathe new life and enthusiasm into faith communities around the world…. Lord, hear our prayers.

+ Come as Witness to those who have recently made professions of faith – that they may always know they are children of God…. Lord, hear our prayers.

+ Come as Convicter of sin to all who have fallen short of God’s glory and have gone their own way – that we may repent and return home to the Father…. Lord, hear our prayers.

+ Come as Indwelling Presence to every believer – that we may exhibit the good fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control….. Lord, hear our prayers.

+ Come as Comforter to all to all who are troubled or distressed – that we may find peace and rest for our souls…. Lord, hear our prayers.

+ Come as Counselor to all who are confused and faced with difficult decisions – that we may find guidance and direction…. Lord, hear our prayers.

+ Come as Intercessor to all who are at a loss how to pray – translate the groanings of our spirits into petitions before the throne of grace…. Lord, hear our prayers.

Creator God, Your Spirit breathes Life into us and sustains us. Fill us now to overflowing, and hear the cries of our hearts through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Spiritual Song “Fill Me Now”

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+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Morning Prayer: 7 June – Psalm 104:10-30; Ecclesiastes 3:1-14; Luke 7:31-35 ~ on seasonal wisdom

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Morning readings in June

DESERT FATHERS – The sayings of The Desert Fathers (c. 300 AD) speak for themselves. (For further reading: The Wisdom of the Desert by Thomas Merton.)

Psalm 104:10-30 NLT

You make springs pour water into the ravines, so streams gush down from the mountains. They provide water for all the animals, and the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees.

You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor. You cause grass to grow for the livestock and plants for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth — wine to make them glad, olive oil to soothe their skin, and bread to give them strength. The trees of the Lord are well cared for — the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. There the birds make their nests, and the storks make their homes in the cypresses. High in the mountains live the wild goats, and the rocks form a refuge for the hyraxes.

You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set. You send the darkness, and it becomes night, when all the forest animals prowl about. Then the young lions roar for their prey, stalking the food provided by God. At dawn they slink back into their dens to rest. Then people go off to their work, where they labor until evening.

O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both large and small. See the ships sailing along, and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea.

They all depend on you to give them food as they need it. When you supply it, they gather it. You open your hand to feed them, and they are richly satisfied. But if you turn away from them, they panic. When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust. When you give them your breath, life is created, and you renew the face of the earth.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 NLT

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.

What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him.

Luke 7:31-35 NLT

“To what can I compare the people of this generation?” Jesus asked. “How can I describe them? They are like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends,

‘We played wedding songs, and you didn’t dance, so we played funeral songs, and you didn’t weep.’

For John the Baptist didn’t spend his time eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.”

Reflections

Once Abbot Antony was conversing with some brethren, and a hunter who was after game in the wilderness came upon them. He saw Abbot Antony and the brothers enjoying themselves, and disapproved. Abbot Antony said: “Put an arrow in your bow and shoot it.”

This he did.

“Now shoot another,” said the Elder. “And another, and another.”

Then the hunter said: “If I bend my bow all the time it will break.”

Abbot Antony replied: “So it is also in the work of God. If we push ourselves beyond measure, the brethren will soon collapse. It is right therefore, from time to time, to relax.

Aidan Readings – Aidan of Lindisfarne
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Canticle:

Christ, as a light… illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield… overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

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Peanut Gallery: The general format for Morning Prayer is adapted from the Northumbrian Community‘s Daily Office, as found in Celtic Daily Prayer (see online resources here.) Having completed reading through the Gospel of John, our Scripture readings and reflections will be taken from the Aidan Daily Readings (Celtic Daily Prayer). We will continue with the Aidan readings until Pentecost Sunday, June 8th. On Sundays, I’ll return to the USCCB readings (see online resources here) and various liturgical resources in order to reflect the Church’s worship and concerns throughout the world. Photo illustrations and music videos, available online, are included as they illustrate or illuminate the readings. I will try to give credit and link to sources as best I can.

George Williams Gathers the Original Y.M.C.A. – Christian History Institute Reblog

GEORGE WILLIAMS GATHERS THE ORIGINAL Y.M.C.A. Christian History Institute
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Peanut Gallery: My dad came to Christ through the YMCA in Pawtucket, RI through the witness of a man named Pop Weaver in the 1920’s. That’s when the Y was true to its original mission.

The Y.M.C.A. originally said its one supreme aim was “enthroning Jesus Christ in the hearts of young men.”

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Sir George Williams by John Collier National Portrait Gallery, London — Sir George Williams by John Collier
National Portrait Gallery, London

GEORGE WILLIAMS WAS APPALLED at the way London’s shocking amusements tempted unattached workmen into vice. Their employers cared nothing about them, he wrote. “They were treated as though deprived of mind . . . as though formed only to labor and sleep…without a moment for spiritual or mental culture, without the disposition or even the strength for the performance of those devotional exercises which are necessary to the maintenance of a spiritual life.” He determined to do something about it.

Williams had been a country boy who moved to London for work. Successful in business, he soon rose to the top of his drapery (cloth-sellers’) firm. As a Christian, he labored to bring his fellow employees to Christ. Influenced by American evangelist Charles Finney and by British Quakers, who demanded that the Christian life be lived out in practical expressions and social concerns, he used his growing wealth to support evangelical causes.

Especially, he looked for some way to redirect the energies of young men away from vice and frivolity to useful and noble diversions. On this day 6 June 1844, he gathered twelve men in his bedroom for prayer and spiritual conversation. All but one were his co-workers. This group grew into the Young Men’s Christian Association, or the Y.M.C.A. To fulfill their purpose, they hired a hall and invited fellow-drapers to join them for lectures (which included Gospel talks), exercise, and innocent fun.

Although the founders’ original intent was merely to help employees of drapery houses, they soon extended the idea to any interested young man. It caught fire and became a worldwide movement, with over one hundred and fifty thousand members in Britain alone, half a million in America, and thousands of branches around the world. Prominent philanthropists like Lord Shaftesbury endorsed it. This was an age in which the church was reaching out to the victims of the industrial revolution, and the Y.M.C.A was yet another expression of that concern.

Queen Victoria eventually knighted Williams for service to the nation. The Y.M.C.A. originally said its one supreme aim was “enthroning Jesus Christ in the hearts of young men,” a statement now broadened to “a mission to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all.”

—Dan Graves

Morning Prayer: 6 June – Psalm 111; 1 Samuel 30:21-25; Luke 12:22-34 ~ on Kingdom priorities

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Morning readings in June

DESERT FATHERS – The sayings of The Desert Fathers (c. 300 AD) speak for themselves. (For further reading: The Wisdom of the Desert by Thomas Merton.)

Psalm 111 NLT

Praise the Lord! I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people.

How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them. Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails. He causes us to remember his wonderful works.

How gracious and merciful is our Lord! He gives food to those who fear him; he always remembers his covenant. He has shown his great power to his people by giving them the lands of other nations. All he does is just and good, and all his commandments are trustworthy. They are forever true, to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity.

He has paid a full ransom for his people. He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever. What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has! Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever!

1 Samuel 30:21-25 NLT

Then David returned to the brook Besor and met up with the 200 men who had been left behind because they were too exhausted to go with him. They went out to meet David and his men, and David greeted them joyfully. But some evil troublemakers among David’s men said, “They didn’t go with us, so they can’t have any of the plunder we recovered. Give them their wives and children, and tell them to be gone.”

But David said, “No, my brothers! Don’t be selfish with what the Lord has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us. Who will listen when you talk like this? We share and share alike — those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment.”

From then on David made this a decree and regulation for Israel, and it is still followed today.

Luke 12:22-34 NLT

Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life — whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?

“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

“And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.

“So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.

“Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be….”

Reflections

One of the Elders had finished his baskets and had already put handles on them, when he heard his neighbor saying: “What shall I do? The market is about to begin and I have nothing to make handles for my baskets.”

At once the Elder went in and took off his handles, giving them to the brother with the words: “Here, I don’t need these, take them and put them on your own baskets.”

Thus in his great charity he saw to it that his brother’s work was finished whilst his own remained incomplete.

Aidan Readings – Aidan of Lindisfarne
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Canticle:

Blessing

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

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Morning Prayer: 5 June – Psalm 12; Ecclesiastes 5:10-15; Matthew 5:38-42 ~ on responding to evil

Morning Prayer

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

One thing I have asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory.

Morning readings in June

DESERT FATHERS – The sayings of The Desert Fathers (c. 300 AD) speak for themselves. (For further reading: The Wisdom of the Desert by Thomas Merton.)

Psalm 12 NLT

Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth! Neighbors lie to each other, speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts. May the Lord cut off their flattering lips and silence their boastful tongues. They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content. Our lips are our own — who can stop us?”

The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.”

The Lord’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over. Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed, preserving them forever from this lying generation, even though the wicked strut about, and evil is praised throughout the land.

Ecclesiastes 5:10-15 NLT

Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth — except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!

People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.

There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun. Hoarding riches harms the saver. Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children. We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us.

Matthew 5:38-42 NLT

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow….”

Reflections

Once some robbers came into a monastery and said to one of the Elders: “We have come to take everything that is in your cell.”

And he said: “My sons, take all you want.”

So they took everything they could find in the cell and started off. But they left behind a little bag that was hidden in the cell, the Elder picked it up and followed after them, crying out: “My sons, take this, you forgot it in the cell.”

Amazed at the patience of the Elder, they brought everything back into the cell, and did penance, saying: “This one really is a man of God.’

Aidan Readings – Aidan of Lindisfarne
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