BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH
PENTECOST SUNDAY
WORSHIP SERVICE
May 31, 2020
[The video recording of this service can be found here]
Gathering songs: More Voices #13 – 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
Music: traditional Caribbean song Words verse 1 and Adaptation by Birchfield Aymer
arrangement by Patrick Prescod © the Caribbean conference of Churches
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
More Voices #6 – Holy Spirit, Come Into Our Lives
Holy Spirit, come into our lives. Holy Spirit, make us truly wise (continuously)
Words and Music © 1998 Ken Canedo OCP Publications Song # 83119
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Words of Welcome & Announcements – Rev. Kim
Welcome! Bienvenue! Bienvinidos! Maligayang Pagdating!
On behalf of Bells Corners United Church, I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ as we celebrate Pentecost Sunday – the birthday of the Christian Church. Wherever you are, whatever time of the day, whoever you’re with or just by yourself, I am so glad that you have joined us in our virtual worship service!
In this time of church closure, please know that BCUC offers worship service in a number of ways. Please check our website at bcuc.org, for our worship service in audio, video and text formats along with our weekly announcements and updates.
Beyond worship service, there are other weekly activities and meetings offered online. And in this time of pandemic, I encourage you to make a difference by connecting with each other through emails, phone calls and prayers.
Friends, as we worship together,
May we feel the presence of the Holy Spirit, like the people gathered on that Day of Pentecost.
May the winds of change and the tongues of flame rush into our hearts and empower our souls.
Let us now centre ourselves in the presence of God as we gather in worship.
Lighting of Christ Candle: Peck-Jones Family
We light this candle as a symbol of the presence of Christ.
Christ was known to us through the stories we share.
Christ was experienced by us through the gathered community.
Christ is present to us through the Spirit that is in our midst.
Come, Holy Spirit! Be with us today. Fill our hearts with joy and confidence!
Call to Gather: Lorrie Lowes & Nicole Beaudry
Holy Spirit, Giver of life, in the beginning of time,
you moved over the face of the waters;
you breathe into every living being the breath of life.
Come, Creator Spirit, and renew the whole creation.
Esprit-Saint, voix des prophètes:
(Holy Spirit, voice of the prophets:)
tu enflâmes des hommes et des femmes d’une passion pour ta vérité,
(you enflame men and women with a passion for your truth,)
et à travers eux, tu appelles ton peuple à des voies de justice et de compassion.
(and through them, call your people to ways of justice and compassion.)
Viens, Esprit de justice, et brûle dans nos cœurs.
(Come, Spirit of Righteousness, and burn in our hearts.)
Holy Spirit, Advocate, Friend, Wind and Flame
You break down barriers of language, race, and culture,
and heal the divisions that separate us.
Come, Spirit of Power, make us bold witnesses of your redeeming love.
Viens, Esprit réconciliant
(Come, Reconciling Spirit,)
et unis-nous tous dans l'amour de Dieu.
(and unite us all in the love of God.)
Viens, Esprit Créateur,
(Come, Creator Spirit,)
et fais de nous de nouvelles créations en Jésus-Christ.
(and make us new creations in Jesus Christ.)
Paul Detterman, Reformed Worship Magazine. French text translated by Nicole Beaudry.
Opening Prayer: (by Rt. Rev. Richard Bott) Erin, Noah & Nicolas Berard
With the beat of a wild wing (clap hands together)
With the rush of a mighty wind (rub hands together building tension)
With the Pentecost flame (place hot palm against forehead)
Touch us, Holy Spirit! (Open and cross hands, linking thumbs, so hands become a bird)
Love us into being, Spirit of God! (Bird flies to the left)
Love us into wholeness, Spirit of Wisdom! (bird flies to the right)
Love us into newness, Spirit of Christ!
(Bird flies straight up and hands undo, arms opening in praise)
Alleluia! (hands up in the air)
May it ever be! (hands over your chest)
Amen. (hands folded over chest)
Opening Hymn: Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness (Souffle, vent doux du Saint-Esprit) VU#375
Refrain (English):
Spirit, spirit of gentleness,
blow through the wilderness,
calling and free,
Spirit, spirit of restlessness,
stir me from placidness,
wind, wind on the sea.
1-Tu touchas la terre Esprit créateur
Tu dressas les montagne,
en gloire et splendeur;
à travers les âges, tu crias à tous vents: “déployez vos ailes, sortez du néant.”
Refrain (French):
Souffle, vent doux du Saint-Esprit;
Tu grâce me conduit hors du desert.
Souffle, grand vent du Saint-Esprit,
secoue notre apathie, vent, vent sur la mer.
2-You swept through the desert,
you stung with the sand,
and you goaded your people
with a law and a land;
and when they were blinded
with idols and lies,
then you spoke through your prophets
to open their eyes.
Refrain
3-You sang in a stable, you cried from a hill
then you whispered in silence
when the whole world was still;
and down in the city you called once again,
when you blew through your people
on the rush of the wind.
Refrain
4-You call from tomorrow,
you break ancient schemes.
From the bondage of sorrow
all the captives dream dreams;
our women see visions,
our men clear their eyes.
With bold new decisions your people arise.
Refrain
Words & Music © 1978 James K. Manley Translation © 1995 Andrew Donaldson
Song #44816 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Storytime for the Young at Heart with Lorrie:
Good Morning!
Today is Pentecost Sunday. It’s a pretty important day in the year of our church. It’s kind of the beginning of how church began. Today’s story explains how that happened. So, it happens in Jerusalem, a couple of months almost after Easter. The disciples and the followers of Jesus were in Jerusalem and they were in a room or a building together. They were probably wondering what they were supposed to do now that Jesus wasn’t with them anymore – but he had promised them that he would send the Holy Spirit to help them out, and that’s what happened that day! They describe it as if a big wind came into the building all of a sudden and it took their breath away… and then it seemed that there were little flames above everybody’s heads that they could see. I think that means that they got really excited or “fired up” about something, maybe about sharing the news about Jesus. And the other really exciting thing that happened was that they could be understood by everybody around! That was a big deal because outside of the building were people from all over the world at that time. People who spoke all kinds of different languages – and they could all understand what the followers of Jesus were saying when they came out of that building! That would be pretty neat to hear all of those languages at once and be able to hear your own language and be able to understand what was being said.
Do you speak more than one language? Most of you take French at school, I imagine, so that gives you English and French. Some of you may speak another language at home if that’s part of your family heritage. You may have learned another language from your grandmother or from your parents. You are really lucky if you can do that! I really love to learn languages and I try to learn a little bit of the language everywhere I go. But, you what? I think we already DO speak a lot of languages – all of us, even you! Language is a way we share our thoughts and our feelings. We usually think about that as words but there are other ways that we share our thoughts and our ideas and our feelings too…
Think about art. Art is a kind of language – a way to express how we’re feeling or to express ideas. You, for sure, draw pictures of things that you’d like to build or fantasy things that you’d like to see, or pictures that make you happy – or pictures to tell other people how you feel about them. That’s a way of expressing your ideas, thoughts and feelings, so that’s a kind of language.
Another one would be music. Musicians express their thoughts and feelings when they write or when they perform music. Often when we hear music it makes us feel in a certain way, which is exactly what the writer or the composer or the performer was trying to do for us. Even when we sing a song, that often expresses how we’re feeling as well. So music is another kind of language that we all have a bit of in us.
Sometimes we might express ourselves in negative ways. We might stomp our feet if we’re really angry, or scowl at someone or even shake a fist. That’s not exactly a great kind of language - but it is body language and people understand what you’re trying to say, even without words. But, I think I like the body language of a smile better. So, if you’re feeling really good about things, or you like someone and you give them a big smile, that tells them something too. Again, no words needed.
I bet you’ve told someone how much you care about them when you give them a big hug when you see them. There’s another way that you have language without using any words.People sometimes talk about flowers as being a kind of language. Have you ever picked a bouquet of dandelions for your Mom or Grandma? That’s a way of expressing your ideas or your feelings about things. That’s something that people do a lot, for special occasions or bringing flowers into the house is a way of expressing yourself. So, maybe there’s a language of flowers as well.
Even doing a good deed for someone is a kind of language because it conveys what you think about the world and what you think about the world around you. Right now, even wearing a mask is a good deed because you’re protecting the people around you and it tells them that you care about them. Staying home is another part of that these days. It’s kind of strange…but there are a lot of good deeds that we do – helping out around the house, helping at school, helping your neighbours…all of these things are ways that you tell people, without words, exactly how you feel and that , probably, you are a follower of Jesus because you’ve learned those lessons well.
So, all of those things are ways of expressing love – which is the language Jesus really wanted us to learn, isn’t it? So, see! You can speak lots of languages already! That’s a pretty amazing thing – and I think that’s the message we should be taking away from this story about Pentecost. We can share our understanding, we can share our love for each other, we can share what we learn from Jesus’ teachings – and all of those things can be done in languages that don’t need words. So, Pentecost, when that happened for the disciples and all the other followers of Jesus, was a very important day in our church history…
And so, today we celebrate that and we say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CHURCH!
Children’s Hymn: Over My Head MV#88
Refrain (English)
Over my head,
I hear music in the air. (3x)
There must be a God somewhere.
Refrain (French)
Au-d’ssus de moi,
c’est d’la musique que j’entends. (3x)
Il y a un Dieu quelque part.
When the storms of life are ragin’
I hear music in the air. (3x)
There must be a God somewhere.
When the winds of strife are blowin’
I hear music in the air. (3x)
There must be a God somewhere.
When the Spirit lives within me,
I hear music in the air. (3x)
There must be a God somewhere.
Words and Music: African-American spiritual French translate © 2006 Denise Soulodie
arrangement © 2006 Stephen Lee – Professional Music Services Song# 30114796
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Prayer for Illumination: Reader: Alison Bridgewater
Holy God, your Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Let the Holy Spirit give us grace to receive your truth in faith and love, and strength to follow on the path you set before us through Jesus Christ. Amen.
NT Reading: “The First Pentecost” Acts 2:1-21(NRSV)
2 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 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. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
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. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
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.
18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
20 The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Hear what the Spirit is saying to all of us. Thanks be to God!
Sermon: “Winds of Change” Rev. Kim Vidal
There’s a huge celebration going on in the streets of Jerusalem. This is because of a religious festival known as Feast of Pentecost or Feast of Harvest that gathers thousands of Jewish people from all over the Empire. This festival is linked to the Jewish Festival of Shavuot which commemorates the day God gave the Torah to the entire nation of Israel that assembled at Mount Sinai. It also celebrates the first harvest giving thanks to God for the blessings of food and sustenance.
While people outside are busy doing their festival business, a group of about 120 people gathered inside a big room praying and praising God. Whether Luke is exaggerating or not, this gathering marked by the presence of the whooshing winds, tongues of fire, and speaking in different languages make me think that Pentecost was a huge event that will change the lives of the first followers of Jesus forever.
The story of Pentecost is about how the Christian church came alive by the power of the Holy Spirit. It was a life-changing event. It was a gathering that inaugurates the first followers of Jesus to carry on his teachings to the world. From ordinary folks, they became transformed, empowered and equipped for ministry. On that day, they received the power of the Holy Spirit to take the gospel from the room where they gather to the streets there in Jerusalem... and eventually throughout the world. What happened that day was such a powerful experience that the people gathered there had to turn to extraordinary symbols and metaphors to describe what happened. Luke says it was like a mighty violent wind blowing on them and tongues of flaming fire sitting over their heads. A sense of community and understanding transcended the differences of language and ethnicity of the first believers. That rushing violent wind-- was the exciting sound of old barriers broken down and old ways being shattered. On the day of Pentecost, the followers of Jesus acquired a holy boldness that they’d never had before. If before Pentecost, they were living in moments of grief, uncertainty, fear and despair, now they were totally changed! Prodded and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the once disheartened followers moved on to proclaim the good news of God’s love through the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Imagine how this group of believers who gathered in that first Pentecost will change. They’ll struggle with pressures, put-downs and persecutions from powers that be. They’ll attempt to spread the good news about Jesus and God’s love and sometimes they will fail at it. They’ll be fired up wanting to convert newcomers to the faith but will find some challenges along the way. They’ll try to be inclusive, but not always successful. They’ll argue and debate about the best way to go on and they will sometimes quit and give up. Sound like any church if you ask me!
Change among the first believers was not always easy. But they understood that change is part of a life of faith. Invited or not, welcomed or not, change always knocks on every door.
Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher once said that the only constant in life is change. I totally agree with him. Nothing in life ever stays the same. People change. Perspectives change. Relationships change. The world changes on a daily basis. Today we are living in a time of huge change: technological, political, cultural, religious, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Empty streets, schools are closed, social distancing, virtual worship services, travel restrictions, no large gatherings and the list goes on. We have never seen change like this before! So, it’s no wonder if we feel anxious… disoriented… and afraid.
But I think we’re in a time when God is trying to do amazing new things, through us. It’s a time when we need to be honest and to open ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit – to offer love and kindness, to lift each other up in prayer, to offer support where it is needed, to proclaim that there is hope amidst the uncertainties. The Spirit is and will always be on the move! Pentecost reminds us that the winds of change still blow into our lives to prod and urge us to move forward!
How will the Spirit be poured out on us individually and communally and change the way we relate to each other? Language matters. That is one of the messages of Pentecost. And sometimes we need to hear the story in different languages. Pentecost asks us, to open our ears - to listen to one another in diverse ways - to welcome the untamed wind who blows through closed doors and closed minds- to be opened to the flames of power to transform us, both as individuals and as a community. The diversity of our church life is amazing, each one brings their authentic faith, lived experience and gifts that brought us together to this church at some point in our lives. In our stories, I hear an urgent message to all of us –that even in this time of social distancing, even when we do not see each other face to face, there is still a hunger for deep joy, authentic longing, renewed hope and meaningful connections.
The Holy Spirit – that agent of change comes in like tongues of fire and moved the lips and hearts those who are gathered in Jerusalem on that Feast of Pentecost. And now, and always, there are and will be an endless array of voices, of deep wisdom and conviction. These voices are the winds of change. They speak. And we listen.
From the tongue of Leonard Cohen, legendary Canadian singer, songwriter, poet and author: “Ring the bells that still can ring / Forget your perfect offering / There is a crack in everything / That's how the light gets in.”
From the tongue of 12th century German mystic, Hildegard of Bingen, who chose life in a cell over the other options available to her in her culture and time, these words: “Fire of the Spirit, life of the lives of creatures, Spiral of sanctity, bond of all natures, Glow of charity, light of clarity, Taste of sweetness to the fallen, Be with us and hear us.”
From the tongue of Oscar Romero, Catholic Archbishop, martyr and champion of the poor: “We are prophets of a future not our own. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that”.
From the tongue of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, Nobel Prize winner and anti-Apartheid icon: “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
From the tongue of Nellie McClung, Canadian feminist and social activist: "I saw what could be done with words, for I had a vision of a new world as I talked."
From the tongue of the poet William Blake, I close this reflection with these words: “Unless the eye catch fire, God will not be seen. Unless the ear catch fire, God will not be heard. Unless the tongue catch fire, God will not be named. Unless the heart catch fire, God will not be loved.
Unless the mind catch fire, God will not be known.”
So let the fire and spirit of God fall afresh on us, opening our lips to preach and sing and our hearts to love. We ask God’s fire and spirit to ignite our hearts and inflame our souls that we may burn anew with God’s love. We ask the Pentecost God to give us the fire and spirit of lively living, believing and holy babbling; to take our words and speak through them; to take our minds and think through them; to take our hearts and set them on fire; to take our spirit and make us winds of change! Thanks be to God. Amen.
Prayer for Pentecost
God, the light of your Spirit has fallen upon us,
The seal of your ownership is on us,
You have placed the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
Like tongues of fire it has renewed and restored.
In our rising and our sleeping,
In our working and our playing,
In our joys and in our sorrows,
Your Spirit’s brightness has dispelled the darkness,
In our loving and caring,
In our touching and our listening,
In our thoughts and in our actions,
God’s Spirit has brought life out of death.
(Pause to silently invite the Holy Spirit to touch those who need healing and God’s presence)
God, your spirit fell like tongues of fire.
It filled those that were empty,
It empowered those that were weary.
God, your spirit fell like tongues of fire.
It brought together those that were divided,
It reassured those who were afraid.
God, your spirit fell like tongues of fire.
By its power we can walk together as one,
By its power we can find strength to share.
God, your spirit fell like tongues of fire.
By its power we can find freedom in loving each other,
By its power we can find life in you. Amen.
Part of a longer litany used at the Mustard Seed House. Posted on Godspace.com
And with grateful hearts, let us unite in this prayer that Jesus taught us in the language of your choice:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in 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.
The Offering: Lorrie Lowes
I now invite you to offer our gifts of time, talents and resources as expressions of our gratitude to God’s blessings. If you are not on PAR and wish to send in your offering and donations, you can drop them in the slot by the kitchen door of the church or mail them to BCUC. You can also send in your support through e-transfer. Thank you for your continued love and support to BCUC.
Offertory Prayer
Generous Spirit, bless these gifts of time, talents and treasures that we offer and guide us as we use them. May your power be added to all that we bring. Amen.
Sending Forth: (inspired by a blessing written by Robin Wardlaw) Rev. Kim Vidal
We have opened our hearts to God’s Spirit
on this day of Pentecost.
As you go from this time of worship,
let your breath give life to others
and to all of God’s creation.
Let God’s Spirit breathe into us with goodness,
and breathe out of us in love.
With your every breath and with the breath of all that lives,
give praise to God.
Gracias a Dios! Salamat sa Dios! Grâce à Dieu ! Thanks be to God!
Amen.
Departing Music: Come O Holy Spirit MV 23
1. Come, O Holy Spirit,
set the Church on fire;
strike it as the lightning
hits a posing spire.
Burn away the structures
and consume the sham
of our holy systems:
Come, in Jesus’ name!
Refrain (English)
Come, come, come, in Jesus name!
Take our hearts by storm.
All the world lies open
Pentecost is now!
I said a - Repeat refrain
Refrain (French)
Viens, viens, au nom de Jésus
Tempête en nos coeurs;
Partout c’est l’attente
La Pentecôte est là!
Et je dis: - repete
2. Blow away the cobwebs
of our stubborn past.
Come, send flying from us
myths unfit to last.
Wind of change, refresh us
and disturb our calm;
teach us what true love is,
take our hearts by storm. R
3. Free us from the babble
of our Babel mind;
spark in us a language
all can understand.
Lighten then our darkness,
Come and show us how
all the world lies open:
Pentecost is now! R
A-----men!
Words © 1972 Fred Kaan rev. 1998– Hope Publishing Co. Song # 18536
Music © 2000 Ron Klusmeier www.musiklus.com Song# 80560 French © 2006 David Fines
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved