Hymn – The Head that once was Crowned with Thorns
- The head that once was crowned with thorns
Is crowned with glory now;
A royal diadem adorns
The mighty victor’s brow.
The highest place that Heav’n affords
Is his, is his by right,
The King of Kings and Lord of Lords,
And Heav’n’s eternal light. - The joy of all who dwell above,
The joy of all below,
To whom he manifests his love
And grants his name to know.
To them, the cross, with all its shame,
With all its grace is giv’n;
Their name an everlasting name,
Their joy the joy of Heav’n. - They suffer with their Lord below,
They reign with him above;
Their profit and their joy to know
The myst’ry of his love.
The cross he bore is life and health,
Tho’ shame and death to him;
His people’s hope, his people’s wealth,
Their everlasting theme. (by Thomas Kelly 1820)
The Greeting
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
All: And also with you
The Peace
We are the body of Christ.
In the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body
Let us then pursue all that makes for peace
and builds up our common life.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
All: And also with you.
Let us offer one another a sign of peace
(Please turn to those around you, offering your hand, and say
‘The peace of the Lord be with you’)
Prayer of Preparation
All: 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.
Prayer of Penitence
Our Lord Jesus Christ said: The first commandment is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our Cod is the only Lord. You shall love the Lord your Cod with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
All: Amen. Lord, have mercy.
God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son Jesus Christ
to save us from our sins,
to be our advocate in heaven,
and to bring us to eternal life.
Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith,
firmly resolved to keep God’s commandments
and to live in love and peace with all.
All: Father eternal, giver of light and grace,
we have sinned against you and against our neighbour,
in what we have thought,
in what we have said and done,
through ignorance, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault.
We have wounded your love
and marred your image in us.
We are sorry and ashamed
and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
who died for us,
forgive us all that is past
and lead us out from darkness
to walk as children of light.
Amen.
Almighty God,
who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Collect for the Pentecost Sunday
God, who as at this time
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 judgement in all things
and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort;
through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
All: Amen
Our First Reading is Acts Chap: 2
1 When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place.
2 Suddenly there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person there.
4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.
5 There were Jews living in Jerusalem, religious people who had come from every country in the world.
6 When they heard this noise, a large crowd gathered. They were all excited, because all of them heard the believers talking in their own languages.
7 In amazement and wonder they exclaimed, “These people who are talking like this are Galileans!
8 How is it, then, that all of us hear them speaking in our own native languages?
9 We are from Parthia, Media, and Elam; from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia; from Pontus and Asia,
10 from Phrygia and Pamphylia, from Egypt and the regions of Libya near Cyrene. Some of us are from Rome,
11 both Jews and Gentiles converted to Judaism, and some of us are from Crete and Arabia – yet all of us hear them speaking in our own languages about the great things that God has done!”
12 Amazed and confused, they kept asking each other, “What does this mean?”
13 But others made fun of the believers, saying, “These people are drunk!”
14 Then Peter stood up with the other eleven apostles and in a loud voice began to speak to the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, listen to me and let me tell you what this means.
15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose; it is only nine o’clock in the morning.
16 Instead, this is what the prophet Joel spoke about:
17 “This is what I will do in the last days, God says: I will pour out my Spirit on everyone. Your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your young men will see visions, and your old men will have dreams.
18 Yes, even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will proclaim my message.
19 I will perform miracles in the sky above and wonders on the earth below. There will be blood, fire, and thick smoke;
20 the sun will be darkened, and the moon will turn red as blood, before the great and glorious Day of the Lord comes.
21 And then, whoever calls out to the Lord for help will be saved.’
This is the word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
Hymn – Our Blest Redeemer Ere He Breathed
- Our blest Redeemer, ere He breathed
His tender last farewell,
A guide, a comforter, bequeathed
With us to dwell.
- He came in semblance of a dove,
With sheltering wings outspread,
The holy balm of peace and love
On earth to shed.
He came in tongues of living flame
- To teach, convince, subdue,
All powerful as the wind He came
As viewless too.
- He came sweet influence to impart,
A gracious, willing guest,
While He can find one humble heart
Wherein to rest.
- And His that gentle voice we hear,
Soft as the breath of even,
That checks each fault, that calms each fear,
And speaks of Heav’n.
- And every virtue we possess,
And every conquest won,
And every thought of holiness,
Are His alone.
- Spirit of purity and grace,
Our weakness, pitying, see:
O make our hearts Thy dwelling place
And worthier Thee. (by Henriette Auber – 1773–1862
Here the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to – John Chap: 17
1 After Jesus finished saying this, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your Son, so that the Son may give glory to you.
2 For you gave him authority over all people, so that he might give eternal life to all those you gave him.
3 And eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
4 I have shown your glory on earth; I have finished the work you gave me to do.
5 Father! Give me glory in your presence now, the same glory I had with you before the world was made.
6 “I have made you known to those you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me. They have obeyed your word,
7 and now they know that everything you gave me comes from you.
8 I gave them the message that you gave me, and they received it; they know that it is true that I came from you, and they believe that you sent me.
9 “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those you gave me, for they belong to you.
10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine; and my glory is shown through them.
11 And now I am coming to you; I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world. Holy Father! Keep them safe by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one just as you and I are one.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
Sermon
Have you ever been so afraid that you couldn’t move?
So overwhelmed that you just wanted to lock the door and shut the world out?
That’s exactly where the disciples were.
A few weeks after the resurrection, they were huddled together in a locked room in Jerusalem.
Those who had walked with Jesus, watched him die, and then seen him alive again – they were hiding.
Afraid of what might happen to them next.
Pentecost was already a Jewish harvest festival.
Thousands of people had poured into Jerusalem to celebrate it.
But on that particular Pentecost, something happened that would change everything. – The disciples, the whole world. And for us.
Our two passages this morning take us into that story.
And they show us three things the Spirit brings: Peace, Power, and Purpose.
1 Pentecost brings Peace
In John’s Gospel, the risen Jesus appears to his disciples in that locked room.
And His very first words to them are not a rebuke. – Not: “What are you doing hiding in here?!
His first words are : “Peace be with you.”
And then He said it again. Twice. No accident.
The peace Jesus offers isn’t just an absence of conflict.
The Hebrew word behind it – shalom – speaks of wholeness, restoration, well -being.
It’s the sense that all is well between you and God, and between you and others.
The kind of peace that get5s into the locked rooms of our hearts.
Jesus words come with actions Shows his hands and feet
The peace he brings isn’t the peace of someone who hasn’t suffered.
It’s the peace of someone who has gone through the worst – and come out the other side.
That matters for us. Because we are called to bring the peace of Christ into the world – not from a distance, but right into the places of pain, loneliness, and need.
At home, at work, in our friendships.
The Church is born into peace, and sent to carry it.
2 Pentecost brings Power.
So a few weeks pass.
The disciples have been gathering, praying, waiting, — holding onto Jesus’ promises. And then it happens.
The sound of a rushing wind fills the room.
What look like tongues of fire rest on each of them.
And suddenly these same people – who had been hiding, afraid, uncertain – are out on the streets, speaking of the wonders of God in languages they’d never learned.
The transformation is remarkable. Think about Peter.
A few weeks earlier, he had stood by a fire in a courtyard and denied three times that he even knew Jesus.
Now he is standing in front of thousands of people and preaching with authority about who Jesus is and what God has done through him. Same man. Completely different person.
This is what the Spirit does. The prophet Ezekiel had spoken centuries earlier of the day when God would put his Spirit within his people and transform them from the inside out. Pentecost is that day arriving. It is God keeping His ancient promise.
And the Spirit’s power is not just for the first generation. The same Spirt is given to us. He gives courage to speak when we’d rather stay quiet. He gives us new ees to see the people around us the way God sees them. He gives strength to pray, to serve, to love – not from our own resources, but from his.
3 Pentecost bring Purpose
When Jesus appeared to his disciples and gave them peace, he also gave them a commission.
He said: As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And then he breathed on them – a deliberate echo of creation when God breathed life into humanity – and said: “Receive the Spirit.”
We are sent. That’s not just for vicars and missionaries. Every person in this room is sent. Sent into your workplace, your street, your family, our friendships -a as an agent of the Kingdom of God.
But there’s the thing. Jesus is our model for how we go. Yes, with authority. Yes, in the Spirit’s power. But also in humility and service.
Jesus went to the broken, the marginalised, the lonely. He identified with people in their pain. That’s the shape of our sending too.
And the message we carry? Forgiveness. Peter’s sermon in Act 2 ends with a stunning invitation: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Everyone. The Spirit’s purpose is to empower the Church to carry that announcement – that there is forgiveness, there is a way back to God, there is hope – to a world that desperately needs to hear it.
So Pentecost brings Peace. Power. Purpose.
Those frightened disciples in the locked room became the people who turned the world upside down.
Not because they were extraordinary in themselves, but because the Spirit of God came upon them and changed everything.
That same Spirit is given to us – to this congregation, on this Pentecost Sunday. We are a Pentecost people.
Received into the peace of Christ, Filled with the power of the Spirit.
Sent with purpose into the world.
As I started wit a question I’m ging to finish with 3
Where do you need to receive the peace of Christ afresh today?
What would it look like to depend on the Spirit’s power rather than your own strength this week?
And who around you is waiting to hear the Good News of forgiveness – and how might you bring it?
Amen
We say together
The Creed
Let us declare our faith in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
All: 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.
Prayers of Intercession
During the intercession this response is used: Lord, in your mercy
All: Hear our prayer.
Prayers for King Charles
Through this tritium of prayer we ask God’s continuing blessing on our new King Charles
Prayer
O God, to whom every human power is subject,
grant to your servant our sovereign Charles
success in the exercise of his high office,
so that, always revering you and striving to please you,
he may constantly secure and preserve
for the people entrusted to his care
the freedom that comes from civil peace.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
All: Amen
Prayer for the Royal Family
Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness,
we humbly beseech thee to bless
Queen Camilla, William Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales, and all the
Royal Family:
Endue them with thy Holy Spirit; enrich them with thy heavenly
grace; prosper them with all happiness;
and bring them to thine everlasting
kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
you promised through your Son Jesus Christ
to hear us when we pray in faith.
Strengthen Sophie our bishop and all your Church in the service of Christ, that those who confess your name may be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal your glory in the world.
Bless and guide Charles our King; give wisdom to all in authority; and direct this and every nation in the ways of justice and of peace; that we may honour one another, and seek the common good.
Give grace to us, our families and friends, and to all our neighbours, that we may serve Christ in one another, and love as he loves us.
Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind,
or spirit……;
Give them courage and hope in their troubles; and bring them the joy of your salvation.
Hear us as we remember those who have died in the faith of Christ……;
According to your promises, grant us with them a share in your eternal kingdom.
Rejoicing in the fellowship of St. Laurence, St. John and all your saints, we commend ourselves and the whole creation to your unfailing love.
Merciful Father,
All: Accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Heavenly Father,
you have promised through your Son Jesus Christ, that when we meet in his name, : and pray according to his mind, he will be among us and hear our prayer: in your love and mercy fulfil our desires, and give us your greatest gift, which is to know you, the only true God, and your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Hymn – Sprit Divine attend Our Prayer
- Spirit divine, attend our prayers,
and make this house thy home;
descend with all thy gracious powers,
O come, great Spirit, come!
- Come as the light; to us reveal
our emptiness and woe,
and lead us in those paths of life
whereon the righteous go.
- Come as the fire and purge our hearts
like sacrificial flame;
let our whole soul an offering be
to our Redeemer’s Name.
- Come as the dove, and spread thy wings,
the wings of peaceful love;
and let thy Church on earth become
blest as the Church above.
- Come as the dew and sweetly bless
this consecrated hour;
may barrenness rejoice to own
thy fertilizing power.
- Spirit divine, attend our prayers,
make a lost world thy home;
descend with all thy gracious powers;
O come, great Spirit, come! (by Andrew Reed – 1789 to 1862)
The Eucharistic Prayer
The Lord is here.
All: His Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts,
All: We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All: It is right to give thanks and praise.
It is indeed right,
it is our duty and our joy,
at all times and in all places
to give you thanks and praise,
holy Father, heavenly King,
almighty and eternal God,
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.
For he is your living Word;
through him you have created all things from the beginning, and formed us in your own image.
All: To you be glory and praise for ever.
Through him you have freed us from the slavery of sin, giving him to be born of a woman and to die upon the cross;
You raised him from the dead and exalted him to your right hand on high.
All: To you be glory and praise for ever.
Through him you nave sent upon us your holy and life-giving Spirit, and made us a people for your own possession.
All: To you be glory and praise for ever.
Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we proclaim your great and glorious name, for ever praising you and saying:
All: Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Accept our praises, heavenly Father,
through your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ,
and as we follow his example and obey his command,
grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit
these gifts of bread and wine
may be to us his body and his blood;
who, in the same night that he was betrayed,
took bread and gave you thanks;
he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way, after supper he took the cup and gave you thanks; he gave it to them, saying: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.
All: To you be glory and praise for ever.
Therefore, heavenly Father, we remember his offering of himself made once for all upon the cross; we proclaim his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension; we look for the coming of your kingdom, and with this bread and this cup
we make the memorial of Christ your Son our Lord.
All: Christ has died: Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Accept through him, our great high priest, this our sacrifice of thanks and praise, and as we eat and drink these holy gifts in the presence of your divine majesty, renew us by your Spirit, inspire us with your love and unite us in the body of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
All: To you be glory and praise for ever.
Through him, and with him, and in him, m the unity of the Holy Spirit,
with all who stand before you in earth and heaven, we worship you, Father almighty, in songs of everlasting praise;
All: Blessing and honour and glory and power be yours for ever and ever.
Amen.
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
The Lord’s Prayer
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, the power and the glory, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Breaking of the Bread
We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
All: Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.
All: Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world.
Have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,
Have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,
Grant us peace.
Giving of Communion
Draw near with faith
Receive the body of our Lord Jesus Christ
which he gave for you,
and his blood which he shed for you-
Eat and drink
in remembrance that he died for you,
and feed on him in your hearts
by faith with thanksgiving.
Amen
We say together the – Post Communion
All: Faithful God,
who fulfilled the promises of Easter
by sending us your Holy Spirit
and opening to every race and nation
the way of life eternal:
open our lips by your Spirit,
that every tongue may tell of your glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord..
Amen.
Pentecost Blessing
Support us, O Lord,
all the day-long of this troublesome life,
until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes,
the busy world is hushed,
the fever of life is over
and our work is done.
Then, Lord, in your mercy grant us a safe lodging,
a holy rest, and peace at the last;
through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Hymn – Crown Him with many crowns
- Crown him with many crowns,
the Lamb upon his throne.
Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns
all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
of him who died for thee,
and hail him as thy matchless king
through all eternity.
- Crown him the Lord of life,
who triumphed o’er the grave,
and rose victorious in the strife
for those he came to save;
his glories now we sing
who died and rose on high,
who died eternal life to bring,
and lives that death may die.
- Crown him the Lord of love;
behold his hands and side,
rich wounds, yet visible above,
in beauty glorified;
no angels in the sky
can fully bear that sight,
but downward bends their burning eye
at mysteries so bright.
- Crown him the Lord of years,
the potentate of time,
creator of the rolling spheres,
ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
for thou hast died for me;
thy praise shall never, never fail
throughout eternity. (by Matthew Bridges, 1851)
Final Prayers and the Dismissal
Go in faith to love the Lord.
All: In the Name of Christ
Amen
© 702211