The Holy Eucharist: Rite Two
The Word of God:
Celebrant: Alleluia, Christ is Risen
People: The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen
Glory to God in the highest,
And peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
Almighty God and Father,
we worship you; we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
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.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen
Celebrant: The Lord be with you,
People: And also with you.
Celebrant: Let us pray.
ALMIGHTY God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
The Lessons:
A Reading: Acts 2:1-21
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filed 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 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 you sons and your daughters shall prophesy. And your young men shall see visions, and you 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.
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Psalm 104: 25-35, 37
25. Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great.
26. There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
27. These all look to you to give them their food in due season.
28. When you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are
filled with good things.
29. When you hide your face, they are dismayed” when you take away their breath,
they die and return to their dust.
30. When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of
The ground.
31. May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works-
32. Who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and
they smoke.
33. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I
Have being.
34. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
35. Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord!
Second Reading: form 1 Corinthians 12: 3b-13
Therefore, I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says, “ Let Jesus be cursed” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord and there are a variety of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
Gospel John 20: 19-23
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again ,”Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on then and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.
SERMON
Prayer For The Day
Eternal and loving God, on this day you poured out on your people the gift on the Holy Spirit, so that every race and nation may come to know you as Father, and Jesus Christ as Lord. May the Holy Spirit forever bind us together in perfect love, give us right judgment in all matters, strengthen us to do your will, and finally bring us to our eternal home in Light everlasting Amen.
Pentecost was known as the Feast of weeks, when the communities offered thanksgiving for the early grain harvest. By the first century, Pentecost had become a commemoration of the giving of the Law to Moses on Mr. Sinai, celebrating the fifty days after Passover.
The followers of Jesus were gathered in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost when God’s empowering Spirit came upon them, accompanied by tongues of fire setting on each one to the followers. The disciples or anyone else who have been granted thee gifts, they are not to be kept for themselves but to be shared with others and fining the love of God, which we are called to
We are to share God’s word not with just those that are like us and think the way we think. The Holy spirit at Pentecost reminds us of our responsibility to share our gifts and love with those that are different from us. God empowers us to stand up and bring the gifts of the Spirit by crossing cultural, social and language barriers.
It is hard to pay attention to God at times like these, the virus has surrounded us with pain and suffering, lack of companionship, having to keep our distance from others. God is still with us and working in the world right now. Psalm 104 gives us places to go to be remined of the peace, the great sea and the loving things too many to number, creatures both small and great. God is working in the midst of the grief and joy of life. It is okay if we cannot always see God in a situation. It is okay to be upset. God still meets us in this place.
In the letter to the Corinthians Paul reminds his readers that it is the gift of the Spirit that “Jesus is Lord.” The church is created by the Spirit, which gives its members the faith to believe. We are also reminded we are intended to be in community with one another deeply living into our relationship with God and with each other. By sharing of everyone’s gifts of the Spirit knits together the Body of Christ.
Many of us have been subject to doubt on occasions. The story of “Doubting Thomas.” Jesus implores Thomas not to let doubt get the better of him. Thomas was not the only disciple that had trouble believing in Christ’s return. It is not whether we are going to be subject to doubt, but instead, what are we going to do about it? When we are out in the world forgiving others, loving others, and spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ – we are not letting doubts get the better of us. We Have been empowered to struggle with doubts and still be the loving rejoicing, forgiving, disciples Christ called us to be.
Rev. Kathyleen Funk
Nicene Creed:
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen
.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he roe again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again glory to judge the living and the dead,
And his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord. The giver of live.
Who proceeds from the father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead.
and the life of the world to come. Amen
Prayers of the People
Form II
I ask your prayers for God’s people throughout the world; for our Bishop(s)__________; for this gathering; and for all minister and people.
Pray for the Church.
I ask your prayers for peace; for goodwill among nations; and for the well-being of all people.
Pray for justice and peace.
I ask your prayers for the poor, the sick, the hungry the oppressed, and those in prison.
Pray for those in any need or trouble.
I ask your prayers for all who seek God, or a deeper knowledge of him.
Pray that they may find and be found by him.
I ask your prayers for the departed {especially_______)
Pray for those who have died.
I ask your prayers for _______.
I ask your thanksgiving for _______.
Praise God for those in every generation in whom Christ has been honored {especially_______ whom we remember today}.
Pray that we may have grace to glorify Christ in our own day.
Lord, hear the prayers of thy people; and what we have asked faithfully, grant that we may obtain effectually, to do glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen