Pentecost, May 24, 2015 (full size gallery)
A Big Sunday at St. Peter’s, May 24
1. Pentecost -3rd most important festival of the year along with Christmas and Easter
2. Bishop Goff visitation – bishop visitations happen once a year. 10am talking healing and then leading the service at 11am
3. Baptism of Marie Elizabeth Duke
4. Pentecost picnic 12pm
And there were a few surprises beyond these. The day was glorious – full sunshine, low humidity. A perfect day
Bishop Goff spoke to 14 in the Parish House on prayer and particularly healing prayer. Here were her main points:
1. God answers all our prayers but not always in the way we like
We get an answer which can relieve anxiety and provide hope
She provided example of her nephew who was in a serious motorcyle crash at age 21. She annointed him and he responded.
2. God invites us to make prayers where we can make audacious demands
We can even argue with God
3. In the end God gives us what we need in a situation. God has a plan for all of us
4. God uses us all the time to help make changes in people’s lives. Even something as simple as letting a person go in front of you in a grocery line with a small number of items may be an instrument in God’s plan
5. Holy Spirit is always praying for us, intercedes on our behalf
6. There are no rules with prayers. She demonstrated various items used with prayer – hand crosses, prayer beads, books, art, music. These items change from time to time -Thomas Merton said eliminate items that can get in way of prayer life. All of these help open yourself to God.
7. Prayer is not talking to God but listening to be in relationship with God
8. Diocese has many resources on prayer. Healing prayer is often done now in the service at the communion rail or in separate stations
She closed the session by doing laying on of hands for any who wanted it.
Pentecost is a time of the unexpected – the story of Acts2 demonstrates this with tongues of fire, words understood in your own language, the whirl wind – all connected with the Holy Spirit. At St. Peter’s the old curtains were taken down and a new set of Pentecost fabric panels designed by fabric artist Susan Tilt replaced them. During the announcements Catherine thanked Susan and the Bishop blessed them in a litany from the Book of Occasional Services.
Also, it was announced June 28 will be "Marian Mahoney Sunday". This is way to recognize Marian on her last Sunday before she moves to Maryland and thank here for terms on the Vesty, president of ECW, work with the Altar Guild and teaching Sunday School among other things.
We had 61 in the service, augmented by the Duke family for the baptism of Marie Elizabeth Duke. She did fine though started crying slightly after Catherine baptized her. The Bishop provided the seal and she stopped crying. Both a beautiful and wonderful child.
The Godly Play children were in full force. They made miters so we had a procession of "many bishops." They were intrigued at the baptism with the water and participated with the Bishop in the blessing of the water. Arthus added water Catherine had from headwaters of the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized.
The Bishop had sermons for the children and adults. The children’s sermon emphasized the role of the Holy Spirit come down in fire that did not burn but warmed and stimulated. The children participated along with examples of the holy spirit in their lives. She also described the miter with the tops pointed to God reminding us that it is all about God that God is the primary story, not us.
The adult sermon provided the setting for Pentecost for the disciples – Jesus had ascended 10 days before. They did not know what they would do and how they would carry on without him. The Holy Spirit brought them together and their mission developed to carry the message of Christ to all parts of the world. It was at this time Peter’s leadership came to to the forefront. The Holy Spirit helps to make us one – divisions are put on hold. We learn how to care for one another She used examples at St. Peter’s with the Village Harvest food ministry and monthly dinners for the town and work with Godly Play. It does not end and continues so that we can be who God intended us to be.
The sermon was effectively demonstrated by a Pentecost moment , the story of a plane trip that the Bishop had returing to Richmond from a conference at LA in February. She had to fly through Dallas-Ft. Worth. Unfortunately Texas had been hit with ice storms. Her flight was delayed first half an hour, an hour, two hours. Tensions were rising as flight crews were scrambling to rebook passengers on other flights. Suddenly a flash mob appeared, developed from those there – flight attendants and others. They sang "I Believe I Can Fly." This is a song from the 1996 film Space Jam:
"I used to think that I could not go on
And life was nothing but an awful song
But now I know the meaning of true love
I’m leaning on the everlasting arms
"If I can see it, then I can do it
If I just believe it, there’s nothing to it
"I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day (Night and day)
Spread my wings and fly away
I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door
I believe I can fly"
This made all the difference to make people working together as the events of Pentecost described in Acts did.
During the offertory we had the examples of tongues of fire descend from the Gallery. Choir love to do this. Augmenting our music was Andy Cortez from Richmond who clearly enjoyed himself and loved our space.
After the service was the Pentecost picnic- hot dogs, barbecue, chips, pasta salad with shrimp, watermelon, corn, greens were some of the treats. Brad made both a cheese cake and coconut cream pie. Some ate inside but we have picnic tables outside.
A grand Pentecost celebration. The Bishop seemed at home at St. Peter’s and remarked how many times she had been here and seen the congregation change and grow in a positive way letting the Holy Spirit work in the church.
Commentary by Canon Lance Ousley, Diocese of Olympia, Washington
As I read all of the lessons available to us this week, I am struck by a common theme of being filled by the Holy Spirit and the implications that has on us to make room for the Spirit in our hearts. It is hard to be filled with the Spirit if we have poured other things into our hearts leaving no room for God. And it is hard to speak and live God’s love without the Spirit in our hearts.
This is especially sharp in American culture where money and material possessions are given such a high standing in our social status. The bumper sticker that reads, "The one who dies with the most toys wins," may express this warped ideology best. So how do we counter that cultural message with the truth of, "The one who dies with the most love wins"
The teachings of the Early Church are clear about the need for us to empty ourselves so that we may receive the illumination of the Holy Spirit and experience spiritual union with God. This emptying is the clearing out of those worldly things which hinder our spiritual development with God-filled hearts. And I think it is important to note that this emptying our hearts to make room for the Spirit is about our filling up others with God’s grace and love we have found in Jesus Christ. This is our Pentecost life as fonts of Christ’s love in the world, for the world. But it is hard to do that if we are "of the world." So it is incumbent upon us to empty our hearts of the love of worldly things, including money, to burn brightly for Christ in the world. Isn’t all this part of our Baptismal Covenant?
Jesus ascended to the Father making room for us to be the Body of Christ in the world to experience the fullness of joy and perfect freedom in his service. Likewise, we are to die to ourselves and to this world making room for the Spirit to move at will within us. Ultimately, this is a stewardship issue. As Paul has said, our lives are not our own; they are God’s.
So this Pentecost I am asking myself, how am I making room in my heart to give the Holy Spirit Fire ample room to breathe and burn brightly in the world to illuminate the face of Christ for the world? I hope the whole Body of Christ will ask the same thing as the Holy Spirit moves among us and the Baptismal waters flow over us.