PENTECOST SUNDAY

Sunday, May 19, 2013
9:00 a.m. Worship Service @ Bell Lane, 55 Diana
10:30 a.m. Worship, Sunday School & Nursery

Contemporary Prayer: Send your Spirit, O God, for the birthing and re-birthing of our faith. Send your Spirit, O God, that we may hear and speak and live anew. Send your Spirit, O God, for the renewal of your blessed creation. Send your Spirit, O God, to gather us in—and then send your Spirit, O God, to send us forth in mission. Amen.

International Prayer Focus: Malawi, Zambia

Local Prayer Focus: Pray that as a congregation we may practice discernment for God’s continuing sending of the Holy Spirit in settings of worship, administration, life, service with and for others.

Prayer for those from Sydenham in Special Ministries: Kathryn Eddy (Diaconal Minister) in Stephenville, Nfld; Rev. Con Estoesta (Minister Emeritus, VAM); Rev. Wayne Myhre (Minister Emeritus); Joan McSpadden (Diaconal Minister Emeritus), leading book studies; Helen Eddy, Sydenham’s Mission & Service Enthusiast; Jackie Childerhose, Sunday School Superintendent, Director Grand River Bookstore & Spiritual Resource Centre; Diane Matheson, Hospitality Administrator at Five Oaks; Rev. Barry Pridham, pastor Sydenham St. U. C.; Yvonne Wright Chair of the Board & member of the Communities in Ministry Unit-Wide Committee of the General Council of The United Church of Canada, Tom Hunt, Maintenance Manager at Five Oaks & Erie Presbytery Delegate; Ann LaSalle & Heidi Taylor, Sydenham Librarians; Joanne Palma, Sydenham Paper Drive Coordinator; Terry Matheson, Director of Youth & Adult Drama Clubs; Paul & Paula Cole, Teen Youth Group Leaders; Cynthia & Larry Advincula, Junior Youth Group Leaders.

Recognition of Professionals (May): Ministers: Ordered, Diaconal, Designated, Lay Preachers.....
 

Newcomers
 We welcome you as God welcomes us all. We hope that you find the work of God here uplifting and meaningful. We ask that you take a moment to sign the guest book in the Narthex and visit our Information Centre in the vestibule please ask a greeter for directions.

WE GATHER TO EXPERIENCE ONCE AGAIN THE DYNAMIC, POWERFUL NEAR
PRESENCE OF GOD

Musical Prelude - “Spirit of God” (Paxton)

Entrance of Choir & Worship Leaders

Giving ourselves to fellowship, programming, community effort & responsible stewardship (announcements)

Time to Pass & Fill Out the Welcome Registers
(Please pass it back up your pew when all have signed, so that you learn each others names) VISITORS, PLEASE BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER AND IF POSSIBLE EMAIL ADDRESS

Sharing a Pentecost Sunday Greeting/Celebrating of Birthdays/Anniversaries/Welcome of Guests: Welcome Chorus
- #156MVU (v1,2) “Dance with the Spirit”
Dance with the Spirit early in the mornin’,
walk with the Spirit throughout the long day.
Work and hope for the new life a bornin’,
listen to the Spirit to show you the way.
Please greet those around you—with the love of Christ—shown in a warm smile and a friendly hello.

Gathering Time/Honouring the Word (scripture) & Light (Jesus, light of the World)

- #368VU (v1,2) “Holy Spirit, Truth Divine”
1 Holy Spirit, truth divine,
dawn upon this soul of mine.
Voice of God and inward light,
wake my Spirit, clear my sight.

2 Holy Spirit, love divine,
glow within this heart of mine.
Kindle every high desire,
purify me with your fire.

Call to Worship - Procession
One: Come, Holy Spirit,
energy of creation,
pentecostal fire;
come, dance of grace,
disturber of traditions,
moulder of chaos;
come, colour of laughter,
the voice of the silenced,
the impatience of heaven.
All: (At the large candle)
Come Spirit,
heavenly dove,
disturber of complacency,
fire of God.

Song of Praise
- #375VU (v1,2,4) “Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness”

A Time of Prayer - (Prayer requests around Joys and Concerns may be shared) (If possible please phone the office with prayer requests - Joys & Concerns - by the Wednesday BEFORE service.)
Opening Prayer

Prayer Chorus - #13MVU “O Let the Power Fall on Me”
O let the power fall on me, my Lord,
let the power fall on me;
O let the power from heaven fall on me,
let the power fall on me.
For we want justice and truth and love, my Lord,
we want justice and truth and love;
for we want justice and truth and love, my Lord,
we want justice and truth and love.

Prayer of Confession & Affirmation

Assurance

THE WORD EXPLAINS HOW OUR SETTLED ARRANGEMENTS AND OUR STATUS QUO ARE DISRUPTED & TRANSFORMED WHENEVER THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES TO US, OPENING UP NEW VISTAS & PROMOTING NEW OPTIONS

Video - Pentecost Experienced

Song
- #382VU (v1-3) “Breathe on Me, Breath of God”

Building Rainbows - a Meditation

Words Before the Scripture
Whether you take what is written in the Bible as fact, metaphor, myth or story, listen to these words now, for the meaning they hold for you on this day.

Acts 2:1-21 The Spirit comes on the Day of Pentecost

Gospel Lesson - John 14:8-17 God will send you the Spirit of Truth

8 Philip said, “Master, show us the Father; then we’ll be content.”

9-10 “You’ve been with me all this time, Philip, and you still don’t understand? To see me is to see the Father. So how can you ask, ‘Where is the Father?’ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you aren’t mere words. I don’t just make them up on my own. The Father who resides in me crafts each word into a divine act.

11-14 “Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me. If you can’t believe that, believe what you see—these works. The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing. You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it. That’s how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I’ll do.

15-17 “If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!

Words Following the Scripture
All: May the Spirit bless us with wisdom and wonder, as we ponder the meaning of these words for our lives.

Anthem - “We Place Upon Your Table, Lord” (Ritter)

Message - How Do We Experience the Holy Spirit?

CELEBRATION OF PENTECOST
COMMUNION

Singing Happy Birthday to the Church
(around cake)

Communion Song
- #154MVU (v1-3) “Deep in our Hearts”

Invitation to Communion/Sharing of the Peace of Christ
We come to a table set for all: all languages, all races, all children of the Spirit’s fashioning. We come to a table where hungers are satisfied and thirsts sated, by an abundance of grace shared in parables made of grain and grape. We come, because God welcomes us with a warmth of spirit and great kindness.

Offertory Sentence - Open your hearts to God’s Holy Spirit. Let the promise of Pentecost live in your lives.

Offertory Music - “Aria” (Haydn)

Offertory - #376VU (v1) “Spirit of the Living God”
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Melt me, mould me, fill me, use me.
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.

Offertory Prayer
One: O Spirit, guide us as we use the gifts given.
All: May the Spirit’s power be added to all that we bring. Amen.

Great Thanksgiving for Pentecost

One: God’s Spirit is with you.

All: And also with you.

One: Lift up your hearts.

All: We lift them up to God.

One: Let us give thanks and praise to God.

All: It is right to give our thanks and praise.

One: It is right, and we are glad to be able to give you thanks, gracious God. In the beginning, your Spirit moved across the waters, and creation began. You made human beings in your image to live in community with you. When we sinned and fell away, your Spirit called us back. You promised always to be with us and sent your Spirit to fulfill that promise. And so with people from all times and places, in every language, with all creation, we praise your name:

All: Holy, Holy, Holy God, Wind and Flame and Dove.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the One who comes in the name of our God. Hosanna in the highest.

One: Blessed is your child Jesus Christ in unity with you and the Holy Spirit. At the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, your Spirit descended with tongues of fire, like the rush of a violent wind on those gathered in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. This was the beginning of your church, as Peter preached to the crowd and three thousand persons were baptized. Through the church you have given us this meal, that we might remember Jesus who took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his followers saying, “This is my body, given for you.,” Through the power of your Holy Spirit, generations have passed on this tradition that we might remember Jesus who said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” It is your Spirit which enlivens the mystery of faith:

All: Christ has died; Christ is risen;
Christ will come again.

One: Send your blessed Spirit on us gathered here and on these elements, filling us and them with your presence. Enflame our hearts that we might be as the early church, ready to preach your good news to all the world, eager to live as your Spirit-filled people. All praise and thanks, glory and honour is yours, Holy Trinity, now and forever.

All: Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Distribution
Songs During Communion
#192MVU “We Come Now to Your Table Lord”
#193MVU “God Bless to Us Our Bread”
#466VU “Eat This Bread”
#472VU (v1,2) “O Jesus, Joy of Loving Hearts”

Post Communion Prayer

Celebration of Tom Wilson’s Ministry With Us

RETURNING TO THE WORLD TO BE THE CHURCH IN ACTION

Closing Song
- #606VU (v1-3) “In Christ There Is No East or West”
PLEASE REMAIN SEATED as the BENEVOLENT offering is collected

Blessing
May the Spirit always dance in your souls.
May the Spirit journey with you so nothing is ever taken for granted,
and may the Spirit tell you in a million different ways
you are known and held and loved by God.

Postlude - “Cortege” (Young)

We welcome those worshiping with us today and invite you to join us for coffee in Calder Hall, provided by the Finance Commission.

Congratulations to Sheryl Spencer, our former intern who will be ordained May 25th at Hamilton Conference Annual General Meeting in Port Elgin. She starts a 3 month supply position June 1st in the Mount Forest Pastoral Charge

MINISTERS - ALL OF US BY THE GRACE OF GOD
Rev. Dr. Barry Pridham, Pastor 751-1759
Rev. Wayne Myhre, Minister Emeritus
Rev. Con Estoesta, Minister Emeritus; Volunteer Associate Minister (VAM)
Joan McSpadden, Diaconal Minister Emeritus
Tom Wilson - B.A.; STB; Dipl. Addictions, Organist & Choir Director
Jackie Childerhose, Sunday School Superintendent
Linda Brown, Custodian
Aileen Johnston, Office Coordinator
Youth Leadership, Cynthia & Larry Advincula
Junior Choir Director, Cynthia Advincula
Audio/Video Techs, Lyle Sylvester, Dave & Aileen Johnston, Shane Taylor
Organist, Martha Epp (Bell Lane)
Lay Leader, Denise Rose

Pentecost Sunday

God’s sending of the Spirit is not once and for all, but an ongoing gift of renewal for creation and for the church. Acts narrates the birth of Christian community in the sending of the Spirit, while John promises the Spirit’s ongoing dwelling. The psalmist imagines the very life of creation in the sending of the Spirit. These narratives of the sending of the Spirit form the prelude to the Spirit’s sending of us for the sake of all.

God sends the Spirit for the sake of life. God sends the Spirit to birth Christian community in Acts 2, and to empower mission that unfolds in subsequent chapters. God sends the Spirit in the creation and renewal of Earth and all God’s creatures in Psalm 104. God sends the Spirit to be a companion, moving us from scattered isolation into gathered community. What is your experience of God’s Spirit: in your life; in your congregation; in the world?

Stewardship Thought

This day of Pentecost is all about enthusiasm! When the many disciples, male and female, were filled with God’s Spirit, they spilled out into the street and made a spectacle of themselves—such a great spectacle that thousands of new hearts joined in the celebration.

Books, videos, advertisements and other forms of modern communication invite us to enthusiastically join yet another get-rich-quick scheme. Perhaps it is precious metals, or certain investments, or land, or commodities that are dangled before us. Perhaps it is a system that few seem to know about, almost a secret society that invites us to be initiated into deeper and deeper circles of knowledge and wealth. Perhaps we are being invited to jump aboard ahead of the investment curve, or perhaps we are told that it’s working for everyone else so we might as well do it too.

The Spirit of Pentecost did not invite the new Christians to accumulate great wealth—but instead invited them to serve and be served. They were to care for the widows and orphans, to bring rich and poor, great and weak, to the same table, to proclaim liberty to the captives and sight to the blind. This is why they brought all they had and laid it at the apostles’ feet for the great work that was given to them—and given to us.

What ministry, what mission, what means and mode of giving can you say that you are truly enthusiastic, joyful, even fanatic about? What sharing would fill you with the Spirit and send you laughing out into the street to tell the truth about Jesus? Let the new life in Christ be rekindled in our hearts. Take hold of the life that is real life. Share with God, share with each other, share with joy.