BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

PENTECOST SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE

May 23, 2021

Theme: “Many Languages, One Spirit”

The video recording of this service can be found here.

Gathering Music: O A Song Must Rise - More Voices #142 – BCUC music team

Hymn Request by Barbara Bole & David Stafford

Refrain
Oh a song must rise for the spirit to descend
Oh a song must rise once again (again)
Singing out God’s praises and glory,
the faithful voices blend,
Oh a song must rise for the spirit to descend.

1. From the mountains to the valleys,
from the desert to the sea,
a song must rise once again.
From the voices of our leaders,
the voice of you and me,
a song must rise for the spirit to descend. R

2. From poverty and riches,
from the voice of young and old,
a song must rise once again. (again)
From the free and the imprisoned,
the timid and the bold,
a song must rise for the spirit to descend. R

3. From ev’ry house of worship,
in ev’ry faith and tongue,
a song must rise once again.
From the villages and cities
a new song must be sung,
a song must rise for the spirit to descend. R

Welcome & Centering for Worship– Rev. Kim Vidal

Good day everyone! Buenas dias! Bonne journee! Masantos ya agew!

On behalf of Bells Corners United Church, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ as we celebrate Pentecost Sunday. On that very first Pentecost gathering, the gift of the Holy Spirit gave the followers of Jesus the ability to speak in a multitude of languages to proclaim God's love and power. Today, we will celebrate this gift of languages as we embrace our common ground as a human family under one Spirit!

As we continue to be on stay-at-home order, please be reminded that the work of the church carries on. Please take time to keep in touch with each other through prayers, phone calls, emails or via Zoom. Check also the many announcements on our website to keep you informed and give you opportunities to respond.

Friends, as we worship together,
May we feel the presence of the Holy Spirit, like those people gathered on that very first Pentecost gathering. 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 Nicole Beaudry & Gerald Okolowsky

Gerald:
We light this Christ candle
as we invite the Holy Spirit to come to us.
Let this light burn in our hearts
as we experience Christ through the gathered community.
Come, Holy Spirit! Be with us today.
Fill our hearts with joy and confidence!

Nicole:
Nous allumons cette bougie du Christ
en invitant l’Esprit Saint à venir à nous.
Que cette lumière brûle dans nos cœurs
alors que nous rencontrons le Christ à travers la communauté rassemblée.
Viens, Esprit Saint! Sois avec nous maintenant.
Remplis nos cœurs de joie et de confiance!

Sung Response: Holy, Holy, Holy (Santo, Santo, Santo) - Voices United #951 - TeGrots

Holy, holy, holy
My heart, my heart adores you
My heart is glad to say the words:
You are holy, God!

Santo, santo, santo,
Mi corazon te adora!
Mi Corazon te sabe decir
Santo eres Dios!

anonymous, Argentina

Call to Gather Rev. Lorrie Lowes

People of God,
Peace be with you.
Salaam alaykum.
Namaste.
Shalom alaichem.

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.
Come, Reconciling Spirit and unite us all in the love of God.
Come, Creator Spirit and make us new creations in Jesus Christ.[1]
Come, let us gather to celebrate!

Pentecost Prayer with Movement[2] Wendy Morrell & Dan Lanoue

Come, Holy Spirit! Bring your mighty power into our lives.
Rush through our spirits, inspiring us to witness to the great love of God.
Come, Moving Spirit! Burn light bright flames in our hearts.

Emblazon us with the confidence of faith that our lives will show your love.
Come, Embracing Spirit! Advocate, Friend, Wind and Flame
You break down barriers of language, race, and culture,
and heal the divisions that separate us.

Come, Indwelling Spirit! Be with us today in our thoughts and our prayers.
Come, Wise Spirit! Be with us in our words and our deeds.

Come, Creator Spirit! and make us new creations in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Hymn: Come, O Holy Spirit – More Voices #23 – BCUC music team

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

          Come, come, come, in Jesus name!
          Take our hearts by storm.
          All the world lies open
          Pentecost is now!
          I said a -       Repeat refrain

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

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

Storytime Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Have you ever been so excited about something that you just couldn’t hold it in? Have you ever had such an amazing experience that you had trouble explaining it to other people? Maybe you were so excited or so happy that you felt like you were going to burst!

Sometimes that excitement can happen to a whole group of people at the same time – like when your soccer team wins the cup, or when you are in the stands at a really exciting NHL playoff game at the Canadian Tire Centre. At times like this when everyone gets so excited that they can’t stay in their seats and they have to stand up and yell, it can get really noisy! You can’t even hear what the person next to you is saying but you can tell by their face and their jumping up and down just how they feel. Even the players on the ice seem to feel the excitement and skate faster. Everyone gets caught up in it all. It’s like the excitement rushes right through the building, making everyone jump and shout. And that’s the sort of game when we leave the arena saying, “Wow! That was amazing!” Sometimes the noise carries on even after the game ends and people are heading home – more cheering and honking of horns. If you try to tell someone about it the next day, you might say things like, “I thought I was going to explode with excitement!” or maybe “When he was charging down the ice with the puck, I felt like my heart was going to jump right out of my chest!”

Today is Pentecost Sunday and this is the day when we celebrate a time when the disciples and followers of Jesus were all together and they felt that same kind of excitement. It wasn’t because of a hockey game, of course, or any kind of sport. It happened when they were talking together about Jesus and the amazing things he did and the amazing ideas he had. They became fired up and ready to carry on sharing those amazing things in his name and change the world! They couldn’t wait to get started! When they describe what happened in the room where they gathered they said, “The Spirit blew through the room like a mighty wind!” They described the energy of everyone in that room by saying that they all had flames on their heads. They were so caught up in the excitement about carrying Jesus’ work and message out into the world, that we might say they were on fire! Their excitement spilled out onto the streets and people passing by caught that excitement and wanted to be part of it too. Our scripture story tells us that, even the people who were visiting from other countries and cultures could understand what these folks were talking about. They were speaking to each of them in a language that they could understand.

What an amazing day! In fact, it was so amazing that we still celebrate that feeling more than two thousand years later. We think of it as the church’s birthday – not just one church like Bells Corners but all the people around the world who follow Jesus’ teachings and carry out his mission in the world to help God’s dream come true. It started on that day in Jerusalem but the excitement and the message have spread all over the world to people who speak many different languages. So today we remember that day and how those people felt as a reminder to us about the amazing things we can do too when we let the Spirit rush through us as we take up the challenge that Jesus gave us – to spread the incredible power of love and set it loose to change the world.

Let’s finish with a short prayer:

Exciting and Energizing God, Let your Spirit rush through us like it did those people on the day of Pentecost so long ago. Make us feel like we are “on fire” as we go out into the world with acts of love, kindness, and justice. Help us spread that Pentecost joy, hope, and excitement everywhere we go. Amen.

Hymn: Come, O Holy Spirit, Come (Wa, Wa, Wa, Emimimo) – Voices United #383

CGS/Bell Canto & Director: Erin Berard

Come, O Holy Spirit, come
Come, O Holy Spirit, come
Come, come, come.

Wa, wa, wa, Emimimo
Wa, wa, wa, Emimimo
Wa-oh, wa-oh, wa-oh.

O viens, Esprit, viens.
O viens, puissant, Esprit viens.
Viens, viens, viens.

English © 1986 I-to-Loh/Kimbrough, Jr., French © 1990 Joelle Gouel, Harm © 1986 Samuel Solanke
Yoruba Traditional, Song # 17508 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214.
All rights reserved

Prayer for Illumination Reader: Erin Berard

Spirit of Life, Holy Wind, Flame of Justice, anoint us to be your people of Good News. Breathe upon us and fill us with your spirit. Challenge us by the truth of your Word and by your wisdom, empower us with your love. Amen.

Gospel Reading: John 15:26-16:15 (NRSV)

The Coming of the Advocate and the Work of the Spirit

26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. 27 You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.

16 “I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God. 3 And they will do this because they have not known the Father or me. 4 But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11 about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason, I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to all of us. Thanks be to God!

Sermon: “Jesus: A Truth-Teller” Rev. Kim Vidal

It was a week of truth-telling! This was my overall impression of the Festival of Homiletics that I participated in via online this past week. The more than 1000 participants and the presenters came from diverse origins – African-Americans, Canadians, African-Caribbean, Asians, Europeans, Latinx, Indigenous Peoples. They hailed from different theological and doctrinal backgrounds: traditional, evangelical, progressive, trinitarian, emergent, indigenous, monastic. They embodied various religious denominations and sexual orientations. All came to that cyberplace, virtually together – completely captivated and blown away by the sacred and radical truth-telling prepared by a plethora of fantastic preachers, lecturers and worship leaders. The 5-day Festival with the theme “Preaching for A Future Church” offered the Good News as the main course served on a platter of gourmet sermons, uplifting music, palatable prayers, delicious stories and appetizing words of blessing awakening, challenging and thanksgiving.

When the Festival ended, the world to my knowledge had not changed in a radical, life-changing way. We are still in the wildernesses of the Covid-19 pandemic, of racism, of polarization, of homophobia, of civil wars, of gun violence and of deaths and illnesses in many forms - but I’m sure that each of those present in the Festival including myself, may have been transformed - carried away new thoughts and experiences and the power to “preach the truth.” Personally, the whole experience moved me was as if God was inviting me to reclaim and to discover once more the wonder of savouring and tasting each divine bite of what it means to be a preacher – a good news bringer, a truth-teller. And this sowing of the truth, whose seeds nudge me to speak the good news, is in fact quite like seeds of the first Pentecost, the first birthday of the Christian Church. Only in that time and place, 2000 years ago, the celebration was inaugurated by the holy babbling and chaotic movement of the Holy Spirit. We all remember the story: a large gathering of diverse people; a sound like that of a violent wind; flames of fire appearing on each head of those gathered; their sudden and ability to speak and understand in different languages. The experience was both chaotic and spectacular – a day to remember and to celebrate. Yes – similarly, I felt the whooshing winds of Pentecost in the Festival week of truth-telling. I was blown away, amazed, captivated and surprised by the fiery passion of those fantastic truth-telling preachers that left me wanting more.

In today’s reading in John, Jesus knew one big truth - that he was being pursued by the powers-that-be. He knew that sooner or later he would be arrested and crucified for rocking the political, social, imperial and religious boats of his time and place. And so, in his last moments, he gathered his disciples and delivered what we know as his farewell discourse. Today’s text is but a snippet of that discourse - last words of Jesus to his beloved friends and followers whom he knows would be mourning his death. Jesus knew that his disciples were anxious and scared and he made every effort to prepare and affirm them, so they would be ready to face reality when he was gone. He knew that they would find the way ahead difficult without him by their side. He was not going to leave them orphaned. Thus, there was the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit, known as the Greek word parakletos in John’s Gospel which literally means “the one on the side.” In English, it is called paraclete meaning the Advocate, Helper, Lawyer, Companion, Counselor or Comforter. It was this Advocate who came to the disciples’ assistance when Jesus was gone.

In his book Unfettered Spirit: Spiritual Gifts for the New Great Awakening, Bob Cornwall explored this Spirit in John: “As helper, the Spirit empowers members of the body of Christ to serve and care for their neighbor. As comforter, the Spirit comes alongside us, bringing hope to the hopeless and comfort to the grieving and suffering in our midst. In this idea of the Spirit serving as advocate, we see the Spirit giving witness to Jesus, putting forward his case to humanity. The image of counselor speaks of one who offers guidance and direction. It is just one Greek word, and yet it offers so many possibilities for us to engage one another in Jesus’ healing presence.”

John calls this advocate the Spirit of Truth. Why truth? Because truth is synonymous with Jesus. According to John, Jesus is the truth. He lived and preached truth. What is this Spirit of Truth that Jesus had promised his followers? Is this the same Spirit that we read in Acts – that Pentecost Spirit portrayed in descending doves and tongues of flames accompanied by chaotic, whooshing wind that made people speak in different languages? No – this is not the same spirit of the Pentecost unleashed where the community was commissioned as a movement to live out their faith as followers of Jesus. This Spirit in John, this Spirit of Truth, is a more personal, one-on-one, “spirit of intimacy”. This Spirit is pictured as more subdued than the scene in Acts. No fire, no violent winds, no foreign languages. It sounds like the Spirit in John is much more docile, tamed and unperturbed.

But I’d like to believe though that this Spirit of Truth is an agitator. She will not be silent when injustice is present. This Spirit of Truth will not back down when acts of compassion and peace are disturbed. Come to think of it - the Spirit as an Advocate prompted the disciples to be living witnesses and testifiers of the truth. They became truth-tellers. They shook things up. And we know that Jesus got himself killed when he spoke truth to power. The Spirit of Truth empowered the disciples to offer disruptive, life-changing testimonies that led them to lose their lives. Similarly, the Spirit of Truth as a Companion will support and nurture us and, best of all, to help us discern good decisions and judgement as we journey through life.

Why did Jesus gift his followers with the Spirit of truth? The answer boils down to one word: LOVE! Nancy Rockwell writes: “To truly love God and others, as Jesus Christ invites us to be, is to find kinship across the aisles of politics and the tables of family, the corridors of power and the barred cells of prisons, the poverty of homelessness … and perhaps most vitally in our world, across the divide of races and religions. It is you inside that burka, and me in that Kurdish tribal dress, you in that Hasidic fur trimmed hat and me cooking kosher, you in that threading ceremony so vital for a Hindu boy and me serving your tiger mother in the Asian way. And what unites us in our tears, and what unites us is our loneliness. In all of this, we are One, in Jesus Christ, in God, and in each other. And no longer are there reasons – or options – for departing from one another’s sorrows or needs. And so no longer is there a private happiness. Now there is shared conversation, and we are immersed in each other’s life.”

Where and how does this Spirit of Truth show up in our individual and communal lives?

The Spirit of Truth shows up in the midst of our grief. There is plenty for us to grieve these days. Just this week, we are grieving the seemingly unending cases of Covid-19 and its variants resulting to deaths in Canada and in many parts of the world; we grieve the loss and the failing bodies of our loved ones due to life-threatening illnesses; we grieve the continued violence in Israel and Palestine and the displacement of people particularly women and children; we grieve the ever growing list of people of colour – blacks, Asians, Hispanic, indigenous and the LGBTQS+ who are unjustly targeted, imprisoned and murdered; we, like the disciples, are heartbroken, confused, in denial; and the Spirit of Truth nevertheless shows up right where we are.

The Spirit of Truth shows up in times of unexpected joy. A baby being delivered on highway 407 went viral and brought moments of joy and amazement to many. A woman, believed to be the oldest person in Europe at 116, has overcome Covid-19 and had fully recovered, just days before she celebrates her 117th birthday. In a news last Thursday more than 46 per cent of Canadians have been vaccinated with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The warm weather is giving people the chance to enjoy the outdoors. These are moments of joy!

The Spirit of Truth shows up in times of uncertainty and change. Maybe some of you are there right now. When you don’t know what will happen tomorrow or where you are going or how you’ll get there, the Spirit of Truth will guide you.

The Spirit of Truth embodied by Jesus is the spirit that both disturbs and calms–which simply means that the Good News of God’s love is broken open to the world wildly and unobtrusively. The expressed power of the Holy Spirit is experienced through our lives – through us who come together in diversity and unity. The gracious Spirit of God continues to take us by the hand, walks with us, equips us, and journeys with us. We can take comfort in the promise that we are not alone. But when we are immersed in the Spirit of Truth, there is no turning back. We are mandated by Jesus to be truth-tellers, to be bearers of justice and love to a world of blame game, power struggles, fear, mistrust, and an unwelcoming atmosphere.

Dear friends, it is time to work. God is not done with us. Be open to the Spirit of Truth and spill out through the doors of your heart to reach out. Be a truth-teller like Jesus. Let us rejoice in being alive as we have never been before. Let the Spirit of Truth fall afresh on us, opening our lips to preach and sing and our hearts to love. May the Spirit of Truth ignite our hearts and inflame our souls that we may burn anew with God’s love. May the Spirit of Truth give us the power of vibrant living, believing and holy singing; 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. No one shall be an orphan and no one shall be lost. And all shall be loved. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Sources:
Nancy Rockwell, A Bite in the Apple “ Riding the Heavenly Way”, patheos.org..
Bob Cornwall, Unfettered Spirit: Spiritual Gifts for the New Great Awakening, p. 28].
Jenny Perkins Kiser, “The Spirit Shows Up.” A Pentecost Sermon on John 15:26–16:15, In Church News, Sermons by Covenant Baptist May 21, 2018.

Prayers of the People[3] Rev. Lorrie Lowes

God of us all,
In these days when vaccines are becoming available and the number of new Covid cases begins to slow, we begin to look forward to easier times, but we are impatient and wary at the same time. The psychological effects of isolation and worry are taking their toll. We ask:
What now?
What next?
Where do we go from here?
Two thousand years ago, a band of disciples felt lost and leaderless. Their leader, rabbi and teacher had been executed. They held to the hope and joy of their Easter faith, but they also questioned:
What now?
What next?
Where do we go from here?
In the story of Pentecost, the Spirit moves amongst these disciples like the wind.
The disciples were energized, strengthened and mobilized. In the pattern of Pentecost, the winds of God blow us out of apathy, isolation, and despondency, help us to make changes, enable us to take action.
Holy Spirit, come like the wind.
Breath of God, renew us.
Energizing Spirit, bring us conviction and strength.
In these days when the news is full of acts of violence and injustice, we want to take action, to right the wrongs, we want to do the work toward peace, reconciliation, and justice – but we feel overwhelmed. We feel small and powerless.
In the story of Pentecost, a conviction took hold of their hearts like a fire. The spirit was moving in the disciples. They were able to understand in new ways, with deep passion, and with strongly felt faith. Where once there was despair and apathy and disillusionment, there was now hope and energy and meaning. The Spirit’s fire was burning.
Holy Spirit, warm our lives with your presence.
Fire of God, enflame our commitment.
Spirit of Passion, be born anew in your people.
In these days when there are so many loud voices with differing opinions and points of view, we struggle to discern what is right and true. In our own quest to be heard above the noise, we stop listening; we miss opportunities to understand each other and to work toward solutions that will benefit all.
In the story of Pentecost, people from many lands and of many languages came together, and there was a miracle of understanding and unity.
Holy Spirit, help us to listen to one another.
Spirit of Pentecost, grant us the ability to respect each other.
God of Possibilities, enable understanding in our midst.
On this day of Pentecost, we open our hearts to you, God of us all and
We open our lives to the rushing presence of the Spirit,
And with grateful hearts, we unite in this prayer that Jesus taught us in many languages:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kin-dom 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 kin-dom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.

The Offering Rev. Kim Vidal

Pentecost people! We have received gifts too numerous to count. Now we have a chance to give in thanks and joy. Your offering will enable our church to be a Pentecost presence in this community and the world—to reach out in passionate commitment and bring the wind and fire of the Spirit of Truth to a people and a world that so desperately need it.[4]

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 Hymn: What Can I Do? - More Voices #191 - BCUC music team

What can I do? What can I bring?
What can I say? What can I sing?
I’ll sing with joy. I’ll say a prayer.
I’ll bring my love. I’ll do my share.

Offertory Prayer:[5]

As Pentecost people, we offer these gifts with generous spirits
for the loving transformation of this world. Hallelujah! Amen.

Sending Forth: In many languages - (UCC Video – used with permission)

(English, Cantonese, Korean, Pangasinense, Bunun, Japanese)
“God of power, may the boldness of your spirit transform us.
May the gentleness of your spirit lead us.
May the gifts of your spirit equip us
to serve and worship you now and forever. Amen.”

Hymn: She Comes Sailing on the Wind – Voices United #380 - TeGrotenhuis family

Refrain:
She comes sailing on the wind,
her wings flashing in the sun;
on a journey just begun, she flies on.
And in the passage of her flight,
her song rings out through the night,
full of laughter, full of light, she flies on.

1. Silent waters rocking on the morning of our birth, like an empty cradle waiting to be filled. And from the heart of God the Spirit moved up on the earth, like a mother breathing life into her child.

2. Many were the dreamers whose eyes were given sight when the Spirit filled their dreams with life and form. Deserts turned to gardens, broken hearts found new delight, and then down the ages still she flew on. R

3. To a gentle girl in Galilee, a gentle breeze she came, a whisper softly calling in the dark, the promise of a child of peace whose reign would never end, Mary sang the Spirit song within her heart.

4. Flying to the river, she waited circling high above the child now grown so full of grace. As he rose up from the water, she swept down from the sky, and she carried him away in her embrace. R

5. Long after the deep darkness that fell upon the world, after dawn returned in flame of rising sun, the Spirit touched the earth again, again her wings unfurled, bringing life in wind and fire as she flew on. R

Departing Music: “Dakilang Katapatan” (Great Faithfulness)

Words & Music: N. Arnel De Pano, Published by Papuri!
A music ministry of the Far East Broadcasting Company Philippines

Guest Choir: Dagupan City First United Methodist Church Vested Choir (Philippines)

Arrival of the Queen of Sheba – Handel Abe: synths

Requested by Yvonne McCartney

11 am – Zoom Fellowship

[1] Paul Detterman, excerpt, Reformed Worship Magazine.

[2] Inspired by the prayer of Paul Detterman, Reformed Worship Magazine.

[3] Based on a reflection written by Ted Dodd for the Diaconal Community, May, 2021.

[4] ministrymatters.com

[5] Richard Bott, Gathering, Pentecost 1, 2021. Used with permission.

Sunday Worship Service - May 23, 2021