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Day of Pentecost May 31, 2009
8:00 A.M. - HOLY EUCHARIST
Introit Psalm: 122 p. 498
Collect for Purity p. 67
Collect & Lesson p. 205
Pentecost Anthems p. 204
Gospel p. 206
9:15 A.M. – MORNING PRAYER
First Lesson: Joel 2:28-end (Pew Bible page 848)
Psalm: 145
Second Lesson: Romans 8:1-17 (Pew Bible page 157)
10:00 A.M. - HOLY EUCHARIST
Dear friends in Christ, today is the 50th day after Easter, commonly called the Day of Pentecost. It was on this glorious day that God descended upon the Church with the sound of a rushing, mighty wind and in cloven tongues like as of fire, through the Person of His Holy and Eternal Spirit. In this Visitation, the Lord came to fill His bride with divine life, and to abide with her for ever. With glad and grateful hearts, then, for the comfort, peace and joy which is ours through the Holy Ghost, let us pray:
O God, who makest us glad with the yearly remembrance of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon thy disciples in Jerusalem: Grant that we who celebrate before thee the Feast of the Pentecost may continue thine for ever, and daily increase in thy Holy Spirit, until we come to thine eternal kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
V/ Let us go forth in peace.
R/ In the name of the Lord. Amen.
Processional Hymns: 477 and 478 (Eisenach)
Station at the Chancel Steps
V/ The Spirit of the Lord filleth the world;
R/ And that which holds all things together hath knowledge of what is Said. Alleluia.
Let us pray
O God of unchangeable power and eternal light; look favourably upon the whole church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; and by the tranquil operation of thy perpetual providence carry out the work of men’s salvation; that the things that were cast down may be raised up, and that all things may return into unity through Him by whom all things were made, even thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Collect for Purity p. 67
Collect & Lesson for the day: p. 205
The Pentecost Anthems p. 204
Gospel p. 206
Hymn: 181 (Maryton – 267)
The Homily
Hymn at the Offertory: 180 (Winchester Old)
The Intercession: p. 75
Confession, Absolution p. 77
Thanksgiving, Consecration: p. 78
Hymns during Communion: 783 (Invocation)
485 (Trentham)
Lord’s Prayer
Recessional Hymn: 179 (St. Bees – 106)
Tea & Coffee served in the Hall
The laying on of Hands and the Anointing with oil will take place in the Chapel immediately following the 10 A.M. Service.
5:00 P.M. EVENING PRAYER
First Lesson: Isaiah 11:1-9 (Pew Bible page 640)
Psalm 48 & 104 part 2
Second Lesson: Romans 8:18-end (Pew Bible page 158)
The Sanctuary Candle burns this week to the Glory of God
and in Loving Memory of Gertrude Awanda Stockall.
“Let us remember before God the faithful departed.”
Irene Nickerson Herb Williston Frank Roberts
Ken Farris Ben Watts Thelma Englehart
The Rector’s Corner
Imagine yourself to be in a dark room; in fact, it is pitch black. You cannot even see your hand in front of your face, let alone find the door. This is one way of thinking about our human condition without the eternal light of God. If the Lord had not shined His Grace and Truth upon us through Jesus Christ, we would still be completely lost in darkness – the darkness caused by sin. What is included in this darkness? Greed, hatred, strife, fear and death. All of these lurk in the underworld of selfishness, and none of them were part of our nature (or of God’s Creation) at the very beginning. Remember: as we read in the Book of Genesis: “God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.” (1:31). So what can we do about this darkness? We cannot do anything. We are helpless to deal with it on our own. Thankfully, in His infinite mercy our Heavenly Father has come to our rescue in the Person of His Son. Jesus has brought God’s light to our darkened planet: As He said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (St. John 8:12)
But the Lord Jesus is no longer here – He left this world and ascended into Heaven. So, can we know the Light of His Presence now? That’s what today - the day of Pentecost - is all about. On this day, God sent forth the Holy Spirit upon the Church. Think about that: the Holy Spirit has come to us – to live within us. And what does He do? The answer is found in the properties of light. What does light do? It shines in the darkness and illuminates what is present. If held in front of us, the light will show us the path ahead. It will reveal the right way to walk. These two simple examples help us to understand the work of the Holy Spirit; He reveals the will of God to us, and he illuminates the state of our souls. Writing in the 19th century, Church of England Bishop John Pearson said:
“The external and general work of the Spirit, as to the whole Church of God, is the revelation of the will of God, by which so much in all ages hath been propounded as sufficient to instruct men unto eternal life…The initiation of faith is from the Spirit of God, not only by an external proposal in the Word (i.e. the Bible), but by an internal illumination in the soul; by which we are inclined to the obedience of faith, in assenting to those truths, which unto a natural and carnal man are foolishness.”
Revelation and illumination: along with these operations of the Holy Spirit, we should add purgation. I remember as a kid watching my grandmother sterilize (purge) a sewing needle – one that she was going to use to extract a splinter from my finger. She lit a match and held the needle in the fire. And so it is with the Holy Ghost: by His blessed unction (anointing) we are given new life (regenerated). Our wills are renovated and gradually sanctified and turned, so that instead of seeking our own desires, we learn to seek God’s will in all things. This renovation and sanctification of our wills helps us to see the purpose of living a holy and disciplined life in response to God’s amazing grace. Revelation. Illumination. Purgation.
“Come Thou Holy Spirit, come,
And from thy celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine…
O most blessed Light Divine,
Shine within these hearts of thine,
And our inmost being fill.”
As we look toward the end of the school year, please call Debbie at the Church Office with the names of graduates from St. George’s. God willing, we will recognize them and pray for them on the Second Sunday After Trinity, June 21st at 10 A.M.
Our Parish Picnic and Pot-Luck at St. Martin’s in the Woods, Shediac Cape has been scheduled to follow the 10 A.M. Eucharist on June 21st. Please mark this date on your calendar.
This Week in the Parish
The Daily Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer will be prayed in the Chapel at 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. Monday – Wednesday, respectively. Evening Prayer on Thursday will be at 4:30 P.M. There will be no Morning or Evening Prayer on Friday as the Rector will be attending Synod. In addition:
Tuesday 10:00 AM Bible Study at the Rectory
2:45 PM Music Club at Edith Cavell School
Wednesday 10:00 AM Camden Terrace Eucharist – Ember Day
Thursday 10 AM Holy Eucharist
Next vestry meeting Monday June 8th at 7 P.M.
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Saint George's Anglican Church
