Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, May 19, 2024)
Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.
This Sunday is the Day of Pentecost. On this Sunday many churches celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus’ disciples in fulfillment of his promise and the birth of the Church.
In a number of denominations, it is one of four traditional baptismal Sundays in the church year. The other three are Easter Sunday, All Saints’ Sunday, and the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord (the First Sunday after the Epiphany).
In some Christian traditions, those which practice the rite of confirmation, young people and adults who were baptized at an early age make a public declaration of their faith in Jesus Christ on this Sunday and receive the prayers of the church with the laying on of hands.
This Sunday’s message is about how to experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s presence and power.
The section of the service in brackets [ ] may be omitted.
GATHER IN GOD’S NAME
Open this link in a new tab to hear Jubilate Hymn’s modernized version of Henry W. Baker’s “O Holy Spirit, come to bless (O Holy Ghost, thy people bless).”
1 O Holy Spirit, come to bless
your waiting church, we pray:
we long to grow in holiness
as children of the day.
2 Great Gift of our ascended king,
his saving truth reveal,
our tongues inspire his praise to sing,
our hearts his love to feel.
3 O come, creator Spirit, move
as on the formless deep;
give life and order, light and love,
where now is death or sleep.
4 We offer up to you, O Lord,
ourselves to be your throne,
our every thought and deed and word
to make your glory known.
5 O Holy Spirit, Lord of might,
through you all grace is given:
grant us to know and serve aright
one God in earth and heaven.
The Lord be with you
The Lord bless you.
The word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart.
If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord,
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
Faith comes from what is heard,
and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen’s “Glory to God” from Beneath the Tree of Life.
Glory to God, glory to God,
glory to God in the highest,
and peace to God’s people,
peace to God’s people,
peace to God’s people on earth.
1 Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Glory to God, glory to God,
glory to God in the highest,
and peace to God’s people,
peace to God’s people,
peace to God’s people on earth.
2 Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father,
receive our prayer.
Glory to God, glory to God,
glory to God in the highest,
and peace to God’s people,
peace to God’s people,
peace to God’s people on earth.
3 For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father.
Glory to God, glory to God,
glory to God in the highest,
and peace to God’s people,
peace to God’s people,
peace to God’s people on earth.
Let us pray.
Silence.
Almighty God,
who on the day of Pentecost
sent your Holy Spirit to the apostles
with the wind from heaven and in tongues of flame,
filling them with joy and boldness to preach the gospel:
By the power of the same Spirit
strengthen us to witness to your truth
and to draw everyone to the fire of your love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2, verses 1–21
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! 9Here 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!” They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.
But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”
Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this. These people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o’clock in the morning is much too early for that. No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:
‘In the last days,’ God says,
‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on my servants—men and women alike—
and they will prophesy.
And I will cause wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below—
blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
The sun will become dark,
and the moon will turn blood red
before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.’*
Silence.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Sirley Erea Murray’s “As the Wind Song.”
1 As the wind song through the trees,
as the stirring of the breeze,
so it is with the Spirit of God,
as the heart made strangely warm,
as the voice within the storm,
so it is with the Spirit of God.
Never seen, ever known
where this wind has blown, bringing life,
bringing power to the world,
as the dancing tongues of fire,
as the soul’s most deep desire,
so it is with the Spirit of God.
2 As the rainbow after rain,
as the hope that’s born again,
so it is with the Spirit of God,
as the green in the spring,
as a kite on a string,
so it is with the Spirit of God,
making worlds that are new,
making peace come true,
bringing gifts, bringing love to the world,
as the rising of the yeast,
as the wine at the feast,
so it is with the Spirit of God.
A reading from Paul’s Letter to the Romans, chapter 8, verses 22–27.
For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
Silence.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Alanna Glover, Liv Chapman, and Philip Percival’ “Breath of God.”
Intro
Breathe on me, Breath of God
Fill me with life anew
That I may love what you would love
That I may do what you would do
Fill me with life anew
That I may love what you would love
That I may do what you would do
Verse 1
Breathe on me, Breath of God
Fill me with life anew
That I may love what you would love
That I may do what you would do
Chorus 1
Holy Spirit fill us, guide our wandering hearts
Fix our eyes on Jesus, evermore
To adore him
Verse 2
Breathe on me, Breath of God
Until my heart is true and pure
Until with you I have one will
As long as life and love endure
The Holy Gospel according to John, chapter 15, verses 26–27, and chapter 16, verses 4–15.
Glory to you, O Lord.
“But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.
Yes, I’m telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember my warning. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was going to be with you for a while longer.
“But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgement. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgement will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.
“There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’
Silence.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
You may have heard charismatic or Pentecostal Christians talking about “baptism in the Holy Spirit,” a secondary experience which sets those who have this experience apart from other Christians and which is accompanied by speaking in tongues and other “sign gifts” as these abilities are described. Whether it is their intention, the emphasis that they place on this experience tends to leave other Christians feeling like they are missing out on something and worse—they are second-class Christians. But as the late Michael Green points to our attention in his book, Baptism, belief in what is also known as “Spirit baptism” is based upon a misinterpretation of several passages of the New Testament. These passages are descriptive and were not meant to establish a precedent.
What Green basically says in his book is that repentance, faith, and the gift of the Holy Spirit are not separate experiences. They are joined to each other. If the Holy Spirit was not present in our lives, we would not recognize the seriousness of our spiritual condition and our need for a Savior, much less have faith to put in Jesus Christ. It is the Holy Spirit who is the agent of God’s grace and who quickens us to spiritual life. We experience what may be described as a spiritual birth as well as a physical birth.
“Why then do not we experience the sign gifts and other manifestations of the Holy Spirit which other Christians are experiencing?” For most Christians it is what Green describes as “a case of possessing our possessions.” He explains:
I like the story of an old lady in the Australian gold rush who was disappointed in her search and settled down on in a simple house on a small plot of land. Years later, a vein of gold was found under her house, and she mined it and became a rich woman. She had possessed the gold all along, but she was unaware that she was heir to such riches. Later on, she came to enjoy what she had a title to all the time.
We have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, but we have not awakened to his presence and power in our lives. When we do awaken to the Holy Spirit’s presence and power, we experience a new dimension in our spiritual lives. We experience God's presence and power in fresh and new ways. This awakening is a work of God’s grace. It is something which we can desire and for which we can pray. This does not make it any less a work of God’s grace. Rather it shows our openness to experiencing the fullness of God’s presence and power in our lives, our willingness to possess what is already ours.
When we prevent the Holy Spirit from working in our hearts or showing himself in our actions, we “quench” the Holy Spirit. We suppress or stifle the Holy Spirit by rejecting what he is doing or ignoring it. This may explain why we do not experience the fullness of God’s presence and power in our lives. We are not letting the Holy Spirit make his presence and power known in the way that he wants to.
As well as quenching the Holy Spirit, we can also “grieve” the Holy Spirit. We cause the Holy Spirit “to feel sorrow, pain, unhappiness, or distress.” Among the ways that Christians can grieve the Holy Spirit are by being prideful, treating other people as inferior to themselves or less important than themselves; being unkind and unpleasant, even cruel, toward others; being easily annoyed by other people’s mistakes; and picking quarrels and causing disagreements. We also distress the Holy Spirit when we persist in our old way of life; tell lies and half-truths; cheat and steal; are foul-mouthed and verbally abusive; harbor anger and other bad feelings toward others; and are unforgiving and vengeful.
Both quenching the Holy Spirit and grieving the Holy Spirit can keep us from enjoying the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s presence and power in our lives. If we desire to experience the fullness of God’s presence and power and a new dimension in our spiritual lives, we need to first examine ourselves to see if we are quenching the Holy Spirit or grieving the Holy Spirit in any way and take steps to remove these obstacles. We need to be willing to surrender all the areas of our life to God. We also need to seek God’s help in prayer, to admit our need for his presence and power in our lives. These actions will not automatically bring about a change in our spiritual life. They, however, will show that we are open to experiencing the fullness of God’s presence and power and entering a new stage of our relationship with him.
What is keeping you from experiencing the fullness of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in your own life? What are you going to do about it?
Bear in mind that God gives himself to us in the person of the Holy Spirit to enable us to do what pleases him. What pleases God is that we achieve his aims for us. Among those aims is that we build each other up and that we become more like Jesus Christ in our character and our deeds. It is to ends like these that God makes his presence and power known in our lives.
Silence.
Open this link in a new tab to hear James E. Seddon’s “The Spirit Came as Promised.”
1 The Spirit came, as promised,
in God's appointed hour;
and now to each believer
he comes in love and power:
and by his Holy Spirit,
God seals us as his own;
and through the Son and Spirit
makes access to his throne.
2 The Spirit makes our bodies
the temple of the Lord;
he binds us all together
in faith and true accord:
the Spirit in his greatness,
brings power from God above;
and with the Son and Father
dwells in our hearts in love.
3 He bids us live together
in unity and peace,
employ his gifts in blessing,
and let base passions cease:
we should not grieve the Spirit
by open sin or shame;
nor let our words and actions
deny his holy name.
4 The word, the Spirit's weapon,
will bring all sin to light;
and prayer, by his directing,
will add new joy and might:
be filled then with his Spirit,
live out God's will and word;
rejoice with hymns and singing,
make music to the Lord!
Living together in trust and hope, we confess our faith.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
God has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
Therefore. Let us be reconciled to God and to one another.
Silence for reflection and self-examination.
Gracious God,
Have mercy on us. In your compassion forgive us our sins.
known and unknown, things done and left undone.
Uphold us by your Spirit so that we may live and serve you in the newness of life,
to the honor and glory of your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The almighty and merciful Lord grant us pardon, forgiveness, and remission of our sins. Amen.
[Sisters and brothers, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace.
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
And also with you.
Those present may greet one another with a gesture of peace, using these or similar words: Peace be with you.]
As God’s people called to love one another,
2 When unto the church You came
It was not in Your own but Jesus' name.
Jesus Christ is still the same
He sends the Holy Spirit.
Let us go in peace. Let us serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Fill me with life anew
That I may love what you would love
That I may do what you would do
Chorus 1
Holy Spirit fill us, guide our wandering hearts
Fix our eyes on Jesus, evermore
To adore him
Verse 2
Breathe on me, Breath of God
Until my heart is true and pure
Until with you I have one will
As long as life and love endure
Chorus 2
Holy Spirit fill us, guide our wandering hearts
Fix our eyes on Jesus, evermore
Holy Spirit fill us, guide our wandering hearts
Fix our eyes on Jesus, evermore
Holy Spirit fill us, guide our wandering hearts
Fix our eyes on Jesus, evermore
To adore him
Verse 3
Breathe on me, breath of God
So shall I never die
By your side forevermore
To live with you the perfect life
To adore him
Verse 3
Breathe on me, breath of God
So shall I never die
By your side forevermore
To live with you the perfect life
Chorus 2
Holy Spirit fill us, guide our wandering hearts
Fix our eyes on Jesus, evermore
Holy Spirit fill us, guide our wandering hearts
Fix our eyes on Jesus, evermore
Holy Spirit fill us, guide our wandering hearts
Fix our eyes on Jesus, evermore
To adore him
To adore him
The Holy Gospel according to John, chapter 15, verses 26–27, and chapter 16, verses 4–15.
Glory to you, O Lord.
“But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.
Yes, I’m telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember my warning. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was going to be with you for a while longer.
“But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgement. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgement will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.
“There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’
Silence.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
How to Experience the Fullness of the Holy Spirit’s Presence and Power
You may have heard charismatic or Pentecostal Christians talking about “baptism in the Holy Spirit,” a secondary experience which sets those who have this experience apart from other Christians and which is accompanied by speaking in tongues and other “sign gifts” as these abilities are described. Whether it is their intention, the emphasis that they place on this experience tends to leave other Christians feeling like they are missing out on something and worse—they are second-class Christians. But as the late Michael Green points to our attention in his book, Baptism, belief in what is also known as “Spirit baptism” is based upon a misinterpretation of several passages of the New Testament. These passages are descriptive and were not meant to establish a precedent.
What Green basically says in his book is that repentance, faith, and the gift of the Holy Spirit are not separate experiences. They are joined to each other. If the Holy Spirit was not present in our lives, we would not recognize the seriousness of our spiritual condition and our need for a Savior, much less have faith to put in Jesus Christ. It is the Holy Spirit who is the agent of God’s grace and who quickens us to spiritual life. We experience what may be described as a spiritual birth as well as a physical birth.
“Why then do not we experience the sign gifts and other manifestations of the Holy Spirit which other Christians are experiencing?” For most Christians it is what Green describes as “a case of possessing our possessions.” He explains:
I like the story of an old lady in the Australian gold rush who was disappointed in her search and settled down on in a simple house on a small plot of land. Years later, a vein of gold was found under her house, and she mined it and became a rich woman. She had possessed the gold all along, but she was unaware that she was heir to such riches. Later on, she came to enjoy what she had a title to all the time.
We have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, but we have not awakened to his presence and power in our lives. When we do awaken to the Holy Spirit’s presence and power, we experience a new dimension in our spiritual lives. We experience God's presence and power in fresh and new ways. This awakening is a work of God’s grace. It is something which we can desire and for which we can pray. This does not make it any less a work of God’s grace. Rather it shows our openness to experiencing the fullness of God’s presence and power in our lives, our willingness to possess what is already ours.
When we prevent the Holy Spirit from working in our hearts or showing himself in our actions, we “quench” the Holy Spirit. We suppress or stifle the Holy Spirit by rejecting what he is doing or ignoring it. This may explain why we do not experience the fullness of God’s presence and power in our lives. We are not letting the Holy Spirit make his presence and power known in the way that he wants to.
As well as quenching the Holy Spirit, we can also “grieve” the Holy Spirit. We cause the Holy Spirit “to feel sorrow, pain, unhappiness, or distress.” Among the ways that Christians can grieve the Holy Spirit are by being prideful, treating other people as inferior to themselves or less important than themselves; being unkind and unpleasant, even cruel, toward others; being easily annoyed by other people’s mistakes; and picking quarrels and causing disagreements. We also distress the Holy Spirit when we persist in our old way of life; tell lies and half-truths; cheat and steal; are foul-mouthed and verbally abusive; harbor anger and other bad feelings toward others; and are unforgiving and vengeful.
Both quenching the Holy Spirit and grieving the Holy Spirit can keep us from enjoying the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s presence and power in our lives. If we desire to experience the fullness of God’s presence and power and a new dimension in our spiritual lives, we need to first examine ourselves to see if we are quenching the Holy Spirit or grieving the Holy Spirit in any way and take steps to remove these obstacles. We need to be willing to surrender all the areas of our life to God. We also need to seek God’s help in prayer, to admit our need for his presence and power in our lives. These actions will not automatically bring about a change in our spiritual life. They, however, will show that we are open to experiencing the fullness of God’s presence and power and entering a new stage of our relationship with him.
What is keeping you from experiencing the fullness of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in your own life? What are you going to do about it?
Bear in mind that God gives himself to us in the person of the Holy Spirit to enable us to do what pleases him. What pleases God is that we achieve his aims for us. Among those aims is that we build each other up and that we become more like Jesus Christ in our character and our deeds. It is to ends like these that God makes his presence and power known in our lives.
Silence.
Open this link in a new tab to hear James E. Seddon’s “The Spirit Came as Promised.”
1 The Spirit came, as promised,
in God's appointed hour;
and now to each believer
he comes in love and power:
and by his Holy Spirit,
God seals us as his own;
and through the Son and Spirit
makes access to his throne.
2 The Spirit makes our bodies
the temple of the Lord;
he binds us all together
in faith and true accord:
the Spirit in his greatness,
brings power from God above;
and with the Son and Father
dwells in our hearts in love.
3 He bids us live together
in unity and peace,
employ his gifts in blessing,
and let base passions cease:
we should not grieve the Spirit
by open sin or shame;
nor let our words and actions
deny his holy name.
4 The word, the Spirit's weapon,
will bring all sin to light;
and prayer, by his directing,
will add new joy and might:
be filled then with his Spirit,
live out God's will and word;
rejoice with hymns and singing,
make music to the Lord!
Living together in trust and hope, we confess our faith.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
God has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
Therefore. Let us be reconciled to God and to one another.
Silence for reflection and self-examination.
Gracious God,
Have mercy on us. In your compassion forgive us our sins.
known and unknown, things done and left undone.
Uphold us by your Spirit so that we may live and serve you in the newness of life,
to the honor and glory of your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The almighty and merciful Lord grant us pardon, forgiveness, and remission of our sins. Amen.
[Sisters and brothers, rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace.
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
And also with you.
Those present may greet one another with a gesture of peace, using these or similar words: Peace be with you.]
As God’s people called to love one another,
let us pray us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus,
and for all people according to their needs.
We pray for the Church throughout the world, for all who serve Christ.
Silence.
and for all people according to their needs.
We pray for the Church throughout the world, for all who serve Christ.
Silence.
God of mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray all who will be baptized or confirmed or both on the Day of Pentecost , for all new believers, for those who do not yet believe.
Silence.
God of mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for all the nations on the Earth, for their leaders, for those in authority in every land.
Silence.
God of mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for those in sorrow, need, sickness or any other trouble.
Silence.
God of mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for our community, our families and friends, and ourselves.
Silence.
God of mercy,
hear our prayer.
Those present may offer their own petitions.
hear our prayer.
We pray all who will be baptized or confirmed or both on the Day of Pentecost , for all new believers, for those who do not yet believe.
Silence.
God of mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for all the nations on the Earth, for their leaders, for those in authority in every land.
Silence.
God of mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for those in sorrow, need, sickness or any other trouble.
Silence.
God of mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for our community, our families and friends, and ourselves.
Silence.
God of mercy,
hear our prayer.
Those present may offer their own petitions.
Silence.
God of mercy,
hear our prayer.
We give thanks for the faithful departed, especially for those who recently have died.
Silence.
God of mercy,
hear our prayer.
All these things and whatever else you see that we need grant us, O God,
for the sake of Christ who died and rose again, and now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
Let us pray with confidence in the words our Savior gave us.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
Open this link in a new tab to hear Chris Kipling’s “May God’s Bless Be Upon You Now.”
May God’s blessing be upon you now
May you know of his great love for you
May God’s blessing be upon you now
Right where you are
May God’s blessing be upon you now
May you know of his great love for you
May God’s blessing be upon you now
Right where you are
[Instrumental interlude]
May God’s blessing be upon you now
May you know of his great love for you
May God’s blessing be upon you now
Right where you are
Right where you are
Open this link in a new tab to hear Jane Clowe and Betsy Clowe’s “Wind, Wind, Blow on Me.”
Wind, wind, blow on me;
Wind, wind, set me free;
Wind, wind, my Father sent
The blessed Holy Spirit.
1 Jesus told us all about You
How we could not live without You
With His blood the power bought
To help us live the life He taught.
God of mercy,
hear our prayer.
We give thanks for the faithful departed, especially for those who recently have died.
Silence.
God of mercy,
hear our prayer.
All these things and whatever else you see that we need grant us, O God,
for the sake of Christ who died and rose again, and now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
Let us pray with confidence in the words our Savior gave us.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
Open this link in a new tab to hear Chris Kipling’s “May God’s Bless Be Upon You Now.”
May God’s blessing be upon you now
May you know of his great love for you
May God’s blessing be upon you now
Right where you are
May God’s blessing be upon you now
May you know of his great love for you
May God’s blessing be upon you now
Right where you are
[Instrumental interlude]
May God’s blessing be upon you now
May you know of his great love for you
May God’s blessing be upon you now
Right where you are
Right where you are
Open this link in a new tab to hear Jane Clowe and Betsy Clowe’s “Wind, Wind, Blow on Me.”
Wind, wind, blow on me;
Wind, wind, set me free;
Wind, wind, my Father sent
The blessed Holy Spirit.
1 Jesus told us all about You
How we could not live without You
With His blood the power bought
To help us live the life He taught.
Wind, wind, blow on me;
Wind, wind, set me free;
Wind, wind, my Father sent
The blessed Holy Spirit.
Wind, wind, set me free;
Wind, wind, my Father sent
The blessed Holy Spirit.
2 When unto the church You came
It was not in Your own but Jesus' name.
Jesus Christ is still the same
He sends the Holy Spirit.
Wind, wind, blow on me;
Wind, wind, set me free;
Wind, wind, my Father sent
The blessed Holy Spirit.
Wind, wind, set me free;
Wind, wind, my Father sent
The blessed Holy Spirit.
3 When we're weary You console us;
When we're lonely You enfold us;
When in danger You uphold us
Blessed Holy Spirit.
When we're lonely You enfold us;
When in danger You uphold us
Blessed Holy Spirit.
Wind, wind, blow on me;
Wind, wind, set me free;
Wind, wind, my Father sent
The blessed Holy Spirit.
4 Set us free to love each other;
Set us free to live for others
That the world the Son might see
And Jesus' name exalted.
Wind, wind, blow on me;
Wind, wind, set me free;
Wind, wind, my Father sent
The blessed Holy Spirit.
Wind, wind, set me free;
Wind, wind, my Father sent
The blessed Holy Spirit.
4 Set us free to love each other;
Set us free to live for others
That the world the Son might see
And Jesus' name exalted.
Wind, wind, blow on me;
Wind, wind, set me free;
Wind, wind, my Father sent
The blessed Holy Spirit.
Wind, wind, blow on me;
Wind, wind, set me free;
Wind, wind, my Father sent
The blessed Holy Spirit.
Wind, wind, set me free;
Wind, wind, my Father sent
The blessed Holy Spirit.
Let us go in peace. Let us serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Comments
Post a Comment