Welcome to our service - 5 June
This service sheet can be used individually or with households.
We would encourage you to say (or even sing) hymns and songs out loud.
Prayers, other liturgy or readings can be said out loud or silently, corporately or individually.
If you are able, we would also like invite you to join us for our main Sunday service, 10am, live on Zoom. Even if you have never been to St Gabriel’s before we would love you to join you. Please get in touch with the vicar Alistair (vicar@saintgs.co.uk) and he will send you the Zoom details.
OPENING
SAY:
Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful people
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the lives of your faithful people
so that we may follow you.
Alleluia, alleluia.
HYMN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92vT62xEV34
Breathe on me, breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that as You love, so I may love,
and do what You would do.
2.Breathe on me, breath of God,
until my heart is pure,
until my will is one with Yours
to do and to endure.
3.Breathe on me, breath of God,
fulfill my heart's desire,
until this earthly part of me
glows with Your heavenly fire.
4. Breathe on me, breath of God,
so shall I never die,
but live with You the perfect life
of Your eternity.
Edwin Hatch (1835-1889)
PRAYER OF PREPARATION
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
CONFESSION
Our God, we come in humility, confessing who and what we are.
We are often unresponsive, for we are afraid. When your Spirit speaks, we turn deaf ears, for we fear what you might call us to do.
Come, Holy Spirit, Come
When your Spirit touches our lips,
we close our mouths,
embarrassed to speak your Word.
Come Holy Spirit, Come.
When the wind of your Spirit blows,
we close the windows of our hearts,
afraid the breeze will disrupt our ordered lives.
Come Holy Spirit, Come.
When the fire of your Spirit touches us,
we quench the flame,
afraid of the new life it might bring.
Come Holy Spirit, Come.
Forgive us, O Lord.
Come Holy Spirit, Come.
ABSOLUTION
May the Father forgive us by the death of his Son
and strengthen us to live in the power of the Spirit all our days.
Amen.
COLLECT
Holy Spirit, sent by the Father,
ignite in us your holy fire;
strengthen your children with the gift of faith,
revive your Church with the breath of love,
and renew the face of the earth,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-QNMJsks74
SPIRIT OF HOLINESS,
Wisdom and faithfulness,
Wind of the Lord,
Blowing strongly and free:
Strength of our serving
And joy of our worshipping;
Spirit of God,
Bring Your fulness to me!
You came to interpret
And teach us effectively
All that the Saviour
Has spoken and done;
To glorify Jesus is all Your activity;
Promise and Gift
Of the Father and Son:
SPIRIT OF HOLINESS...
You came with Your gifts
To supply all our poverty,
Pouring Your love
On the church in her need;
You came with Your fruit
For our growth to maturity,
Richly refreshing
The souls that You feed:
SPIRIT OF HOLINESS...
Christopher Idle.
Copyright © Christopher Idle/Jubilate Hymn
READINGS
Acts 2:1-21 New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs – we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!’ 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, ‘They have had too much wine.’
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ‘Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 ‘“In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
John 20:19-23 New International Version - UK
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’
This the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
TALK written by Alistair Stevenson
Today we are remembering Pentecost – the birth of the Church and the falling of the Holy Spirit on the first disciples in Acts chapter 2. Peter, having been with the disciples in the upper room, stands before a great crowd and preaches the very first evangelistic sermon resulting in one of the most successful alter calls of all time – with 3000 people baptized.
But his whole talk, which is pretty spontaneous and Spirit led, starts in response to the questions of the crowd as to why this small group of ordinary Jewish people were suddenly speaking in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. And his justification is that this was a fulfilment of what was spoken by the prophet Joel – that amazing prophecy that was just read to us.
It is an unbelievable vision for the church!
If I were asked by a crowd in the streets of Sheffield or in the middle of Meadowhall to explain why my friends and I appeared to be behaving in a drunken fashion - I am not sure I would start quoting from the Bible – even the New Testament. But at the time that Peter spoke these words in Jerusalem, there were many people who spent their lives looking for the signs of things that had been promised – prophesies that had been spoken hundreds of years before. Here were a people desperate and eager to see the fulfilment of so many words that had been spoken over them as a people.
So, for Peter to even suggest that this might be the fulfilment of these words – it was a massive statement.
We have to hold onto and recognise the significance of these words and this vision and the way that Peter uses them here in Acts 2. In the Old Testament God revealed himself through a particular person, or action or word – kings, prophets and priest – a few righteous men and women. So, when Joel made this prophecy, he promised something completely radical in the eyes of the Jewish people. God will no longer make himself known to specific people, in specific times and places – now God will make himself know through his Spirit – on all people.
There is a great difference between seeing a mountain from a distance and being on top of the mountain - truly experiences its heights, breadth and depth. Similarly, there is a great difference with seeing a lake from a distance and being immersed in it. And… so there is a huge difference between experiencing God as a distant object of knowledge and being immersed in his presence.
John Piper writes: ‘The picture of a worldwide pouring compels us to think of being soaked and saturated and swept along by the Spirit of God. Joel wanted his readers to anticipate an unmistakable flood-tide of God's presence.’
It is unthinkable that a person could be, as it were, soaked by the presence of the infinite and holy God and not be moved deeply – and not be deeply changed.
Is this how we see are relationship with God? Are we soaked and saturated by His presence?
I just want to pick up on a few aspects of this passage and ask what it might mean for us as a church. I might even go so far as to suggest that this could be a glimpse of the type of people and community that God wants us to be.
Firstly – it is multi –generational.
The passage says: ‘your sons and your daughters, your young and old me’. This outpouring of God’s Spirit isn’t just for one particular generation who might understand who God is better than another. It is for every generation.
One of the reasons that I love St Gabriel’s – and feel truly called to serve here - is that it is a church of all generations. But this is not something that is tolerated – this is something that is celebrated!
Catherine and I are passionate about seeing every generation and every age meet and encounter the Spirit of Jesus. We believe that the Spirit can be experienced at all services and within every type of worshipping styles, whether choral, modern, traditional, all-age, in silence, music and non.
And we want to provide opportunities where young and old, man and women are experiencing the Spirit together.
Secondly, this experience of the Holy Spirit is wholly inclusive.
Joel writes: 'even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my Spirit'. Slaves, at the time Joel was writing, would have represented the outsider, those who were not Jewish, who had no Jewish heritage. Even, the outsider would receive the Spirit of God.
How are we as a church welcoming the outsider? We need to be willing to reach out to those who are different from us. What does this mean for our mission and outreach in some of the other areas of the city?
Finally, it gives us vision and direction.
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
Prophesy, dreams and visions.
In the Lord's Prayer we do exactly the expectation of this verse: - 'may your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.' When we pray this prayer we ask for God's rule and reign to infuse our lives, our church and our world. We ask that we might dream for God's values to be at the heart of who we are. We ask that we might prophesy, or see a glimpse of and then try and reach for a church that is truly living for all those it touches. And we are a visionary people - not willing to be comfortable with the way things are, but instead have a 'holy discomfort' or, as Bill Hybes suggests, a 'holy discontent' a continual ache for lives beyond the ordinary to a place when God is really work - a 'holy discontent' where God breaks the heart of his followers for the injustices of the world. Are we willing to be a visionary people who are always pointing to something more, to something better, ultimately pointing towards Gods Kingdom? Amen
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
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,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand
of the Father,
and 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
O LORD, HEAR MY PRAYER,
O Lord, hear my prayer:
When I call answer me.
O Lord, hear my prayer,
O Lord, hear my prayer:
Come and listen to me.
Jacques Berthier/Taizé.
Copyright © 1982 Ateliers et Presses de Taize (France).
PRAYERS - written by Linda Chambers
Holy Spirit, giver of all good gifts … Come as fire to cleanse and renew us … Come as wind to refresh and uplift us … Come as light into our darkness …
Come, Holy Spirit, come to us now in our different circumstances … Come with comfort to those who are anxious about the present or fearful for the future … Come with strength to those who are unwell or housebound … Come with hope to those who are unemployed, exploited, powerless … Come with love to those who are lonely, neglected, abused … Come with power to equip your Church to share your gifts and serve you in the world.
Lord, hear our prayer.
As we continue in prayer we pray, Holy Spirit, for your help for our troubled world in all its pain and distress. We pray for peace in Ukraine and an end to conflict and destruction. Give strength to those whose lives have been devastated by loss of loved ones, homes or businesses. Strengthen your church in Ukraine to be a beacon of hope and light amidst the darkness.
We pray for an easing of recent tensions between Israel and Palestine and wisdom for the way forward. Look in mercy on the families affected by the Texas school shooting as they grapple with their grief and so many unanswered questions. Bring help and support to those around the world struggling with unpredictable weather patterns of extreme heat, rainfall or drought.
Pause now and ask the Holy Spirit for help with anything you are currently struggling with … Lord, hear our prayer.
We give thanks at this time for all the celebrations around the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. We thank you for Elizabeth our Queen, her example of long and faithful service, her deep sense of vocation, the stability she has brought to the monarchy and to our nation, her life symbolised by duty and sustained by faith …
May she be strengthened to meet the demands upon her and in all things nourished by your Word and example. Grant her your gifts of love, joy and peace as she continues in faithful obedience to you and devoted service to this nation and the nations of the Commonwealth.
Bless all who are in authority under her that they may govern with wisdom and equity, righteousness and peace to the honour and glory of your name.
And help us to follow her example of dedication and to commit our lives to you and to one another.
Lord, hear our prayer. AMEN
LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen
Use the words below to sing or alternatively sing ‘There’s a wind a blowing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6Ve4Hn5v7M
SING:
WIND, WIND, BLOW ON ME,
Wind, wind, set me free,
Wind, wind, my Father sent
The blessèd 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...
2. When we’re weary, You console us;
When we’re lonely You enfold us;
When in danger You uphold us,
Blessèd Holy Spirit.
WIND, WIND, BLOW ON ME...
3. 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...
4. Set us free to love our brothers;
Set us free to live for others,
That the world the Son might see,
And Jesus’ name exalted be.
Jane & Betsy Clowe
Copyright 1974,75 Celebration/The community of celebration
OFFERTORY - Take a moment to consider how you are going to continue to give to the life of the church and support other aid agencies and mission organisations.
SAY:
Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power,
the glory, the splendour, and the majesty;
for everything in heaven and on earth is yours.
All things come from you,
and of your own do we give you.
SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3iB30gCqAc
Lord, the light of your love is shining,
In the midst of the darkness shining,
Jesus Light of the world shine upon us,
Set us free by the truth You now bring us,
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine
Fill this land with the Father's glory,
Blaze, Spirit, blaze
Set our hearts on fire,
Flow, river, flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth Your word Lord
And let there be light.
2 Lord, I come to Your awesome presence
From the shadows into Your radiance,
By the blood I may enter Your brightness,
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine...
3 As we gaze on Your kingly brightness
So our faces display Your likeness,
Ever changing from glory to glory
Mirrored here may our lives tell Your story,
Shine on me, shine on me.
Shine Jesus, shine...
Graham Kendrick (c) 1987 Make Way Music/Thankyou Music
BLESSING
Faithful God, who fulfilled the promises of Easter by sending us your Holy Spirit and made known to every race and nation the way of life eternal: open our lips by your Spirit, that every tongue may tell of your glory;
and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be amongst us and remain with us always.
Amen