Category Archives: Pentecost

Easter, Pentecost

Readings and Sermon for Pentecost Sunday

“LIFE  IS AN INTOXICANT NO AMOUNT OF MORE MUNDANE inebriates  — faster, deeper, more alluring, more captivating – can possibly equal.  The problem is that for life to become its own exhilarant, we must learn to live it consciously, to live it in deeply, to live it to the brim, beyond the visible to the meaningful.  Somehow, in the midst of the purely natural, we must become aware of what is more than simply natural, we must cross the line between matter and spirit, between time and timelessness.  We must allow one to become the other so that the gifts of neither may be lost, so that the electricity of each can be released in us.”

 Joan Chittister, The Liturgical Year, page 170

Collect for Whitsunday

O God, who on this day taught the heart of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit:  Grant us by the same spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Acts 2:1-21 . . . the story of the Holy Spirit filling the apostles and empowering them to share the message of the gospel with people of different languages
Psalm 104: 25-37 . . . the wonders of the world created and renewed by the Lord’s Spirit
Romans 8:12-17. . . when we are moved by God’s spirit, we become God’s children and heirs with Christ
John 14: 8-17 . . . Jesus tells his disciples that in him the Father has been revealed, and he promises the gift of another Counselor, the Spirit of truth, to be with them

Will Willimon preaches, and asks the question: “How do we get to know God?”  Through Jesus!  “How do we continue getting to know God and God’s will for us and the world?”  Through the Holy Spirit! But what does the Holy Spirit do? Listen as Willimon unpacks this passage and shares with us the good news that we are not alone in this world!

 

 

Pentecost

The Day of Pentecost

Aside
The role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church.

 Collect: Day of Pentecost

O God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit:  Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our LORD, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Acts 2:1-21 . . . the Holy Spirit fills the community of believers with the boldness to proclaim “God’s deeds of power.

Psalm 104:25-35, 37 . . . Within the scope of the universe God has taken the chaos of the watery planet and turned it into a dwelling place for humankind and creatures of the earth.

Romans 8:22-27 . . . Paul details how, through a diversity of gifts, the Holy Spirit creates one Church, the Body of Christ.

John 15:26-27; 16: 4b-15 . . . Jesus promises his followers the guidance, comfort and power of the Holy Spirit.

Rev. Rachel May, Pastor of Boulevard United Methodist Church in Richmond, Virginia, preaches a sermon for Pentecost Sunday called “The Two ‘Theys'”

Pentecost

The Day of Pentecost

Aside
The arrival of God’s Spirit at Pentecost

Collect: The Day of Pentecost: Whitsunday

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, forever and ever.  Amen.

Acts 2:1-21 . . . God’s Spirit, poured out on the disciples, astonishes and empowers the community

Psalm 104:25-35,37 . . . An invocation to the creator of creation

1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 . . . Paul explains that we come together to worship and serve in the Holy Spirit.

Readings from John . . . Jesus comes to his friends and breathes on them the Spirit of peace and forgiveness.

The Rev. Courtney Stamey, winner of our Pentecost Preaching Contest, shares her winning sermon, “What Did You Say?” based on Acts 2:1-21. Rev. Stamey is a Pastoral Resident who splits her time bi-vocationally between First Baptist Church, Greensboro, NC, and Peacehaven Community Farm