*The flowers in the Sanctuary today are to the Glory of God and in loving memory of grandparents John & Alta Wilson; Herbert and Mable Winterton, and dear parents Keith and Doreen Winterton, and are given by Sandra Winterton
*Penny Social. Thank you.
*We welcome the members of Middlesex Lodge Number 379. Thank you for being with us today. And in advance thank you for the lunch.
*June 20 Tuesday Planning Meeting. 7 p.m..
*Epiphany Emporium. Crafters Show and Sale. Saturday June 17. 10 a.m. till 3 p.m. Set Up Fri. June 16. Help needed.
* Mint smoothies Sandra $3.
*Jeremy Smith in Concert. Sunday July 30 at 2:00 ! 10$ Lets all come!
Craft Club – Saturday, June 10 – 10am-noon
*Food Cupboard. Butch. 519-615-9106. Text or call.
2:1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
2:2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
2:3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.
2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
2:5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem.
2:6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.
2:7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
2:8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?
2:9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
2:10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
2:11 Cretans and Arabs–in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.”
2:12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
2:13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
2:14 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.
2:15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.
2:16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
2:17 ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.
2:18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.
2:19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
2:20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
2:21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Sermon
Acts 2:1-21
When was the last time you had trouble communicating with someone? Maybe it’s because you didn’t understand the other person’s language.
==
Here is an interesting fact: there are a little over 7,000 languages in the world. But communication researchers believe that most of them share one common word. This one word has the same meaning in every language, and it has a similar pronunciation in almost every language. What is the “universal” word I’m talking about? It’s “Huh?”
N.J. Enfield and his colleagues studied 31 languages from 16 different language family groups, and they came up with the same conclusion: “Huh?” is the easiest and fastest sound to make when we don’t understand something said in a conversation. Conversations usually move quickly, and it takes less than a second to say “Huh?” It is also a sound that can be made when the tongue and mouth are in a relaxed position, so it doesn’t require much effort. This is universally understood to mean, “Wait a minute. I didn’t understand you.” It’s one strange little word that encourages clarity and better communication.
In an article for American Scientist magazine, Enfield writes, “. . . Huh? does not stand for universal confusion. It stands for universal cooperation. It shows that there is a global need, and willingness, to pause a conversation and sort out a communication problem as it occurs.” (1)
We will all feel a little better next time someone says, “Huh?” to usbecause it gives me an opportunity to clear up any misunderstanding.
===
A few months back, I read an interview with Luis von Ahn, the creator of Duolingo, the most popular language learning app in the world. Almost 50 million people around the world use this app each month. Luis was born in Guatemala, where he saw a vast gap in the educational opportunities offered to poorer children.
As he said, “. . . what happens is the people who have money can buy themselves the best education in the world, and because of that, they remain having a lot of money, whereas the people who don’t have very much money barely learn how to read and write and therefore remain not having very much money.” He created Duolingo as a free learning app because he wanted every person on earth to have an equal opportunity to learn another language, especially English.
According to Luis, approximately 800 million people around the world are trying to learn English in order to lift themselves out of poverty. It was always his dream to give the poorest citizens the same educational opportunities as the richest citizens in terms of learning a new language.
===
Back to our Bible Story.
The believers sit and wait as Christ had instructed them until they received the promised Holy Spirit. Then it happened. Our Bible passage reads: “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
This is a pivotal moment in human history. It’s the beginning of the worldwide Christian church.
God sent His Spirit on us for the purpose of partnering with us for the good of the world. So yes, you could say this is a really important moment.
The first great gift we receive from Pentecost is that the Holy Spirit fills us with the mind of God.
What would we see if we saw it through God’s eyes? Wouldn’t we see a world that is governed by God’s peace and love and justice?
===
In 2020, a 13-year-old boy named “Abraham” was diagnosed with aplastic anemia. Abraham would need to undergo radiation treatments and a bone marrow transplant to treat his condition. That’s a lot for anyone to endure. So the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Abraham’s hometown, arranged to grant him a wish to cheer him up as he went through treatment.
Most of us can imagine dozens of things we wished for when we were 13 years old, but this young man isn’t like most of us. Abraham used his wish to request help to feed the homeless citizens in Jackson’s Poindexter Park for a year.
In September 2021, Abraham and volunteers from the Foundation, using food donated by local businesses, served meals to around 80 homeless people in Poindexter Park. The Make-A-Wish Foundation partnered with Abraham to get supplies and volunteers so that he could serve a meal once each month for one year to those in need.
How did a 13-year-old get the vision and compassion to feed the homeless people in his local park for one year? As Abraham said in an interview with his local news station, “I am a person of hope, so when you come against a big mountain, you have to remember you have a big God.”
===
That’s what the Holy Spirit did for the believers at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit reminded them that they have a big God, a God that would equip them for any challenge. It filled them with the mind of God, with God’s passion and vision for filling the world with His grace and truth. And from that point on, no matter what challenges they faced, the believers at Pentecost lived as people of great hope.
===
At Pentecost, God sent the Holy Spirit on a group of believers to fill them with the mind of God .
What kind of vision does God have for us? How does God want to work through us? There are powerful and awesome dreams God has for this world that He wants to accomplish through ordinary people like us.
Hymn: Jesus Shall Reign
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
does its successive journeys run,
his kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
till moons shall wax and wane no more.
To him shall endless prayer be made,
and praises throng to crown his head.
His name like sweet perfume shall rise
with every morning sacrifice.
People and realms of every tongue
dwell on his love with sweetest song,
and infant voices shall proclaim
their early blessings on his name.
Blessings abound where’er he reigns:
the prisoners leap to lose their chains,
the weary find eternal rest,
and all who suffer want are blest.
Let every creature rise and bring
the highest honors to our King,
angels descend with songs again,
and earth repeat the loud 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.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He 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,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again
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:
Empowering God,
you gave the church
the abiding presence of your Holy Spirit.
Look upon your church today and hear our petitions.
Prayers: Gus; Jay P.;Maddex; Randy; Rick W.; Shelley and Martin C.; Sharon; Anne F.; Marcel D.; Tara; Jeff B.; Nicole; Shelley (Sandra); Jean (Bruce J.);Sarah-Jane P.; Linda H.; Sharon D.; Philip D; Jacquie and Cam D.; Janice L & Darrin R; Roland; Helene.(Suzie D.) Debbie H (Lorenz); Garfield; Eunice S.; Connie C.; Jack and Julie. (Church) Joel; Melanie; Marlene H. Pam B. (Barb & George); Ella D., Keanna, Nancy (Dan & Sue); Donna Mc.; (Ron and Jan);Jamie; (Gloria);Diane; Norma A,;Dave F.; Peter T.; Dan B.;. (Garfield & Diane); Marilyn; Val ; Karen T.;Bill, Sheila, Jessica, Sonya, Jamie (Peter); Allan (Brian G.); Dori; Belinda,; Kim; Ross B., Francis & Bill W.; Jeff G. (Dori);
Grant that, gathered and directed by your Spirit,
we may confess Christ as Lord
and combine our diverse gifts with a singular passion
to continue his mission in this world
until we join in your eternal praise. Amen
As our Savior taught us, let us pray,
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.
Glory to God,
whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine.
Glory to God from generation to generation,
in the Church and in Christ Jesus,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer based on Scripture for today:
Perplexing, Pentecostal God,
you infuse us with your Spirit,
urging us to vision and dream.
May the gift of your presence
find voice in our lives,
that our babbling may be transformed into discernment
and the flickering of many tongues
light an unquenchable fire of compassion and justice. Amen.
Blessing from the Book of Common Prayer:
The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be amongst you, and remain with you always. Amen.
Our Parting Blessing Song:
May God’s blessing surround you each day
As you trust Him and walk in His way
May His presence within guard and keep you from sin,
The flowers in the Sanctuary today are to the Glory of God and in loving memory of a dear husband and father Don Hawkins, given by Carole Hawkins and family.
The flowers in the Sanctuary today are to the Glory of God and in loving memory of a dear father Maurice Delves given by daughter Gail Rees and family.
The flowers in the Sanctuary are dedicated to the Glory of God in memory of Don Rake, loving husband of Marion Rake.
Thank you Rev. Peter for preaching at 11 a.m.
*Garage/Rummage/BakeSale.Thank you workers! 1000.00$
*Trivia Night. $1700.00
*Mason’s visit. With lunch after. May 28. Let’s do our church proud shall we? Write this on your calendar.
*Penny Social. Friday May 26 Help needed. Doors at 6:30. Calling or Drawing at 7:30. Donate Little prizes? 1:00 set up. Chips and Drinks for sale.
*Epiphany Emporium. COFEE CANS NEEDED. Crafters Show and Sale. Saturday June 17. 10 a.m. till 3 p.m. Set Up Fri. June 16. Help needed.
* Mint smoothies Sandra $3.
*Jeremy Smith in Concert. John Denver. Sunday July 30 at 2:00 ! 10$
Craft Club – Saturday, May 20 and June 10 – 10am-noon
*Food Cupboard. For the sake of inventory clarity, we request that all requests go through Butch. 519-615-9106. Text or call. See reverse for current needs.
through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
you have brought us out to a spacious place
where we are called to live as those redeemed.
Empower us by your spirit to keep your commandments,
that we may show forth your love
with gentle word and reverent deed
to all your people. Amen.
Thematic Prayer:
Creator of the universe,
you made the world in beauty,
and restore all things in glory
through the victory of Jesus Christ.
We pray that, wherever your image is still disfigured
by poverty, sickness, selfishness, war and greed,
the new creation in Jesus Christ may appear in justice, love, and peace,
to the glory of your name. Amen.
Reading John 17:1-11
17:1 After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you,
17:2 since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
17:4 I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do.
17:5 So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
17:6 “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.
17:7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you;
17:8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.
17:9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours.
17:10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.
17:11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.
Sermon
In one of his writings, Thomas Carlyle
told of a boy who went to a fancy dinner.
In the midst of the meal,
he got a piece of hot potato in his mouth.
Much to the embarrassment
of all those dignified dinner guests
he spit the piece of potato out
and put it back on his plate.
Then he looked around at the shocked faces
and said,
“You know,
there’s many a fool
that would have tried to swallow that!”
===
And now I am no longer in the world,
but they are in the world, ,
protect them,
protect us
A man was being tailgated
by a stressed-out woman on a busy street.
Suddenly the light turned yellow.
And though he could have run it,
he chose not to.
The tailgating woman –
who was all set to run it with him –
missed his rear end by a matter of inches.
Screeching to a stop,
she jerked forward in her seat.
Figuratively, she hit the roof.
Literally, she hit the horn.
Rolling down the window,
she screamed and gestured
until an officer approached her in mid-rant
the officer
asked for her license and registration.
When he returned,
she had calmed enough to inquire as to why she
was under suspicion.
“Well,” said the officer,
“when I pulled up behind you
blowing your horn and screaming,
I paused to read your bumper stickers.”
“God loves you and so do I.”
“Honk if you love Jesus.”
So you can understand
why I assumed you had stolen the car.”
====
And now I am no longer in the world,
but they are in the world, ,
so they may be one, as we are one.
Oneness is the goal:
A Canadian
draws cartoons
called “Pot Shots.”
There is one
.
Two people with walking sticks in hand
are climbing a mountain in knee-deep snow.
The caption reads:
“Keep Climbing Upwards!
You may never reach the top,
but it’s definitely in that direction.”
According to today’s reading,
Our goal in unity.
——
We have to continue to work toward unity and understanding –
between each other, ,
between cultures and between faiths.
We may never reach it,
but by working toward it,
at least we’ll be going in the right direction.
=====
but they are in the world, ,
We still have to live in the world
But that is a good thing.
We all have work to do on earth.
The work of Love.
Each of our individual skills
can be used for good.
For example;
Idlers of a seacoast town watched the village smith day
after day as he painstakingly wrought every link
of a great chain he was forging.
Behind his back they scoffed
at such care being taken on such an ordinary thing
as a chain.
But the old craftsman worked on,
ignoring them as if he had not heard them at all.
Eventually the chain was attached
to a great anchor on the deck of an ocean vessel.
For months it was never put to use.
But one day the vessel was disabled
by a breakdown in its steering
while nearing the coast in a storm.
Only a secure anchorage
could prevent the vessel
from being driven onto the rocky coast.
Thus the fate of the ship
and hundreds of passengers
depended on the strength of that chain.
No one knew of the care and skill
that had been lavished on each link
of that chain
by an obscure smith
who was only doing his best.
The chain held,
both the ship and its passengers and crew were saved.
The blacksmith had saved the day.
====
The reading goes on:
but they are in the world, ,
protect them,
Ivan Denisovich,
endureed all the horrors of a Soviet prison camp.
One day he is praying with his eyes closed
when a fellow prisoner notices him
and says with ridicule,
“Prayers won’t help you get out of here any faster.”
Opening his eyes, Ivan answers,
“I do not pray to get out of prison
but to do the will of God.”
Our reading says:
_____________________________
And now I am no longer in the world,
but they are in the world, ,
protect them,
so that they may be one, as we are one
At a Midwestern fair
many spectators gathered
for an old-fashioned horse-pull
The grand-champion horse
pulled a sled with 4,500 pounds on it.
The runner up was close,
with a 4,400 pound pull.
Separately, they had totaled nearly 9,000 pounds,
but when hitched as a team,
the winning horses were able to pull
more than 12,000 pounds.
Almost three times
what either one of them could pull, alone.
Imagine the powerful force
we could exert as a congregation,
as a denomination
and as the Church in the world,
if we all “pulled together as a team.”
Hymn: Holy Holy Holy
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty Early in the morning Our song shall rise to Thee Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty God in three persons Blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see Only Thou art holy There is none beside Thee Perfect in power, in love and purity
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty All Thy works shall praise Thy name In earth and sky and sea Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty God in three persons Blessed Trinity
Oh God in three persons
Blessed Trinity!
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.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He 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,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again
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:
O God, your Son remained with his disciples after his resurrection,
teaching them to love all people as neighbors.
As his disciples in this age,
we offer our prayers on behalf of the universe
in which we are privileged to live
and our neighbors with whom we share it.
Prayers: Lynda M. (Jan M.) Sarah-Jane P.; Linda H.; Sharon D.; Philip D; Jacquie and Cam D.; Janice L & Darrin R; Roland; Helene.(Suzie D.) Debbie H (Lorenz); Garfield; Eunice S.; Connie C.; Jack and Julie. (Church) –Gus;Jay P.;Maddex; Randy; Rick W.; Shelley and Martin C.; Sharon; Anne F.; Marcel D.; Tara; Jeff B.; Nicole; Shelley (Sandra); Joel; Melanie; Marlene H. Pam B. (Barb & George); Ella D., Keanna, Nancy (Dan & Sue); Donna Mc.; (Ron and Jan); Jamie; (Gloria);Diane; Norma A,;Dave F.; Peter T.; Dan B.;. (Garfield & Diane); Marilyn; Val ; Karen T.;Bill, Sheila, Jessica, Sonya, Jamie (Peter); Allan (Brian G.); Dori; Belinda,; Kim; Ross B., Francis & Bill W.; Jeff G. (Dori); Jean (Bruce J.);
We pray forBev Black and all who mourn her passing especially Dori and all her family.
Open our hearts to your power moving
around us and between us and within us,
until your glory is revealed in our love of both friend and enemy,
in communities transformed by justice and compassion,
and in the healing of all that is broken. Amen.
As our Savior taught us, let us pray,
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.
Glory to God,
whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine.
Glory to God from generation to generation,
in the Church and in Christ Jesus,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer based on Scripture for today:
O God of glory,
your Son Jesus Christ suffered for us
and ascended to your right hand.
Unite us with Christ and each other,
in suffering and in joy,
that all your children may be drawn
into your bountiful dwelling. Amen.
Blessing from the Book of Common Prayer:
The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be amongst you, and remain with you always. Amen.
Our Parting Blessing Song:
May God’s blessing surround you each day
As you trust Him and walk in His way
May His presence within guard and keep you from sin,
