Call to Worship
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. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. Acts Chapter 2 verses 17-18
Song: Come down, O Love divine
Prayers
Song: Holy Spirit, how I love you (Spring Harvest 2002)
Holy Spirit, Breath of God,
we praise and adore you as the creative power of love at the root of all existence;
we praise and adore you as the inspiration that fires us to seek the life God wills for us;
we praise and adore you as the source of all our freedom, and the provider of all strengthening comfort;
we praise and adore you as the bringer of unity and peace, in whom we love each other.
Holy Spirit, Breath of God, we praise and adore you.
Amen.
Eternal God,
you give the Spirit that calls us into a relationship as daughters and sons.
Yet, set free, we have continued to live like slaves; called to work with you, we have preferred to bury our talent in the ground; blessed with the vision of your glory, we have remained satisfied with an earthbound faith;
offered the truth of your Gospel, we have clung to the half truths that comfort us;
invited into your light, we have stayed in the shadows.
Yet you are our loving parent still.
In never-ending love, you forgive us, if only we will turn to you and seek you.
We praise and thank you, for your compassion and forgiveness
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Holy Spirit, how I love you (Spring Harvest 2002)
Notices and Offering
Christian Aid Video (5 mins)
Paul Charman meet Mark Wuntoo
Hymn: Colours of Day
Bible Readings The Street Bible - Acts 2: 1-12.
Pic Holy Spirit people
Dance: Holy Sprit - Rain Down
Thought: Transform us!
Talk:
Have you seen this?
Dancing car commerical.
Amazing - say more.
What is it the advetsings are trying to get over to us - that the technology in this car makes it really amazing. It has the power to do amazing thing, to surpas our understanding of a car and leave us awe struck with its ability to perform.
This advert always worried me - because is this not the car Norman drives?
Can you image while Norman is up in Scotland if it suddenly started to behave in this way?
What would he do. Would be do frightened or amazed?
What would you do if your car suddenly did this?
Acted in such a way that was out of character - radically different, daring, almost difficult to believe.
The change that happened to the disciples on ther day of Pentecost has parells with this car - for when the Holy Spirit came upobn them they too were changed.
From frightened man - the brave man
Some who were people of little learning - to people who would make you sit up and listen
From people who were wondering what to do next - to people who couldn't wait to get onwith it.
From timidity - to action
What happened to them really was out of this world!
Jekyll and Hyde
Have you ever read this book.
Its a book about transformation. A book about someone who drank a potion and changed. From a nice mannered doctor into a monster and killer. After a while the effects of tghe potion wore off and the mild manored doctor returned.
Do you think that after a few days the effects of the Holy Spirit wore offf the disciples? Leaving the frightened and timid again?
No - there is nothing that tells us the effetcs of the spirit ever wore off.
The coming of the Holy Spirit changed them forever - not that they always got it right after, not that they were never tempted, and not that they never were frightened again - but the effect of Pentecost was not temporal - it was perminant - and they were changed forever.
Butterfly
More like this! The change that happens to a catterpiller when it bursts out of its cocoon and is a beautiful butterfly. Never again to have to crawl on its belly, able to know freedom and energy that before was only a dream.
When the Holy spirit comes on us - we too know this freedom, this energy. For God pours out his love into our hearts through his Holy Spirit, and that love energises and envigerates us - forever.
Its the Holy Spirit who claims us as Gods children, the Holy Spirit who teaches us what is good and what is bad, its the Holy Spirit who guides us and helps us remember what Jesus has said.
So never again do we have to feel worthless, and defeated - for God loves us, and His spirit constantly reminds us - whatever our circumstance that God loves us and is with us always.
Disciples receive
The disciples received the Holy Spirit in that upper room, but since that time the Holy spirit is with all Gods people.
This moring we are reminded again of the Spirit and challanged to receive again His power, grace and love.
For the problem is - we leak, and need to be refilled with his spirit.
For often we think like Jeykll and Hyde - and not like the butterfly.
The Spirit comes from our God who is faithful - who faithfully come to us and fills us again.
Hymn: Faithful one, so unchanging
(Pic: Holy Spirit pouring out)
Welcome Libby Ellins into membership
This morning it is my privilege to welcome Libby Ellins into membership of Leytonstone United Free Church. Libby having previously been baptised, now desires to come into membership of this fellowship, where she has been worshipping with us for the past few years.
Me:
Libby, in the sight of God and the presence of this congregation - do you declare your faith in the One God, father, Son and Holy Spirit, having found new life in Him, and do you believe that God has called you to serve Christ as part of this local church?
Libby - I do.
Me: Do you commit yourself to love and serve the Lord within this church community and in the world; and being filled with the Holy Spirit, to fulfil your ministry in the Body of Christ.
LIbby: I do
Response of Church: (I invite the church family to stand)
Me; Do we welcome Libby into the family of God and into this local church?
Church family: We do.
Me: Do we promise to love, encourage, strengthen, guide, pray for, and care for LIbby as an equal partner in the Body of Christ?
Church Family: We do
Declaration:
Libby May the God of all grace, who has called you to Christian faith and service, confirm and strengthen us all with the Holy Spirit and keep us faithful to Christ all our days.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I offer you the hand of fellowship and warmly welcome you to the full privileges and responsibilities of membership of this church. May your joining us be a blessing to you and to all of us, and may our one Lord keep us one with all His people for ever. Amen.
As is customary for other servers will welcome you too!
(Present membership Cards)
Communion:
As if this were the only time, And this the only place,
And we the only people, Jesus Christ will meet us.
So - Come to the table of Jesus Christ and partake of this holy feast.,
Come, not because you must, but because you may,
Come, not because you are strong, but because you are weak,
Come, not because you are righteous, but because you sincerely love Christ,
Come, not because you wish to receive the benefits that Christ may bring, but that you wish to be his disciple,
Come, not to express an opinion or to make a statement, But to seek a presence and to pray for a spirit.
Come - for Christ himself wishes to meet with you here.
We hear, and respond to our Lord’s invitation – and so we come, into his Holy presence, around his table - aware of our all frailty, shortcomings and sin. Let us seek his cleansing, forgiveness and refreshment together, in silent prayer. (1 min)
Words of affirmation from John who reminds us that - (1 John 1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Let us together affirm what Christians for century have believed together: A Creed Together:
We believe in God the Father;
from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.
We believe in God the Son,
who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit,
who strengthens us with power from on high.
We believe in one God;
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.
As an act of unity - let us share the peace together. We would usually do this by reaching out to those near us, but today, on this Pentecost Sunday - as an act of togetherness in Christ, let this be a time to greet one another around the building with the peace - The peace of Christ be with you.
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.
Now let us hear the story of how this sacrament began.
On the night on which Jesus was betrayed, he sat at supper with his disciples
While they were eating, he took the bread, (Take break) and said a blessing,
Let us to give thanks: Thank you gracious God for your goodness to us as revealed here at this table, where for a moment we are joined with all Heaven in wonder, love and praise of you. Amen
Then he broke it (Break it!) and gave it to his friends, with the words
“This is my body, broken for you”.
Do this to remember me.
Later he took the cup of wine, saying, (Lift the cup now)
“This cup is God’s new covenant
sealed with my blood
Drink from it, all of you, and remember me.
(Lift up the cup and bread)
For as often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Distribution:
Grapes: On this plate I have some small red grapes – these are the young fruit of the vine, full of potential to become the best wine, but not yet fully matured and not yet down-trodden by the feet of many who grind them down so that they yield their best. Young grapes….vital for the developing life of the vine, as our children are within the church of Christ. I invite the children to come and take a grape and receive a blessing.
Bread. Please take and eat the bread as you are served.
Wine: Please retain your glasses and we will drink together as our sign of fellowship in Christ.
Before we drink: Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
We drink together.
Let us pray: Prayers of thanksgiving
We thank you,
not only for all that we have,
but also for all that we long for.
We thank you that you have given us so much,
but also that you do not leave us satisfied.
We thank you that your Holy Spirit
is always awakening us to new truths and insights,
inspiring us to new adventures and enterprises,
and arousing in us increasing desire for all
that you mean us to have.
In Jesus Christ, you have made available to us
more than we can ask or think.
We thank you for the inexhaustible riches of your goodness,
and for the incredible wonder of your promises.
for Jesus’ sake.
Amen
Hymn: Spirit of God unseen as the wind
(Pic Fire fall)
Intercession
(frames) (Make a fire - invite the spirit into her world)
Pens - prayers for yourself, others, the world, our neighbourhood.
Fire of the Spirit, life of the lives of creatures,
Spiral of sanctity, Bond of all natures,
glow of charity, lights of clarity,
taste of sweetness to the fallen, be with us and hear us. Hildegard of Bingen - 12 century
Hymn: The spirit lives to set us free, walk, walk in the light
Benediction
(Pic Hope joy peace)
May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Grace.