Collect, Readings and Prayers for the Day of Pentecost.
Collect
God, who as at this time
taught the hearts of your faithful people
by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit:
grant us by the same Spirit
to have a right judgement in all things
and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort;
through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Readings
Numbers 11:24-30
24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.
26 Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ 28 And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men,[a] said, ‘My lord Moses, stop them!’ 29 But Moses said to him, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!’ 30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.
Acts 2:1-21
The Coming of the Holy Spirit
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.’
Peter Addresses the Crowd
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.”
1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
3 No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
One Body with Many Members
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
John 20:19-23
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
19 It was evening on the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’
Prayers
Heavenly Father, I come before You with an open heart and pray that I may know your presence with me now as I lift to you my prayers and petitions.
- Spirit of God,
as a dove you come to us
with the offer of your peace,
creating order from chaos,
restoring the broken relationship between God and creation,
gently healing the wounds of divided humanity.
Spirit of God,
as fire you come to us
setting the Church ablaze with your love,
consuming all that is unworthy,
strangely warming the hearts of your people
with new zeal
Spirit of God,
as wind you come to us,
letting loose your power unseen,
unpredictable,
that changes the course of history.
Come, Spirit of God to us.
- Lord Jesus, as God's Spirit came down and rested upon you,
May the same Spirit rest on us,
Bestowing his sevenfold gifts.
First, grant us the gift of understanding,
By which your precepts may enlighten our minds.
Second, grant us counsel, by which we may follow
in your footsteps on the path of righteousness.
Third, grant us courage,
by which we may ward off the enemy's attacks.
Fourth, grant us knowledge,
by which we can distinguish good from evil.
Fifth, grant us piety,
by which we may acquire compassionate hearts.
Sixth, grant us fear,
by which we may draw back from evil
and submit to what is good.
Seventh, grant us wisdom,
that we may taste fully the life-giving sweetness of your love.
(Prayer of St. Bonaventure to the Holy Spirit)
- Lord, we pray for the role of the global church. We pray for the churches in Africa and the Pacific rim where they are expanding momentously: for a growing maturity and resources to cope with their numbers, and for ourselves that we may have the humility to learn from them. We pray for the parts of your church where there is suffering and persecution: for protection and courage for your followers there and for wisdom for ourselves as to how best we can support them. May the church worldwide offer a joyful alternative to the desire for power and wealth and speak fearlessly, but tenderly to the world for which Christ died. May the Church be one, alive in Christ and committed to the world’s needs. Amen
- Martin Luther King said we had two choices, a world at peace or a world in pieces. As we look at the world map, we can see the fires of war in many places. Violence and warfare seem to act like a forest fire breaking out in different place in the heat of our hatreds, jealousies and tribalism. Lord, permeate our lives with the desire for peace. Wherever there is a chink of opportunity, let your peaceable Spirit enter the hearts of leaders and warlords of every creed and colour. Bring us to our senses, bring us to our knees, and bring us back to you..Amen
- A prayer from the Church of England Bishops’ Working Group for Promoting Unity in our Nation, chaired by Bishop Martyn of Leicester, inviting Christians to pray for unity, wisdom, and love in the life of our nation.
Almighty God, source of all wisdom, love and power,
we pray for the nations of this United Kingdom,
and give thanks for all who work for peace
and build up our common life.
Give us wisdom as we seek to protect the most vulnerable among us.
Help us to love all who call these islands their home;
and, in your power, protect us
from the perils of division and hatred.
We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ,
who died on the cross that we might be reconciled
with you and with our neighbour.
Amen.
- Gracious God, the Great Physician.
We pray your healing power to touch those who are sick with the ebola virus. Grant access to medical care for the most vulnerable in West Africa. Protect doctors and nurses who are at the bedsides of the sick and the dying. Provide resources in places of lack. Empower all who work tirelessly to be Christ's hands and feet in this situation and give wisdom to those in authority as to the most effective ways of containing the outbreak. Hold in your love those parents who've lost children and make your presence known to those who are sick and dying Amen
- Heavenly Father, look with mercy on all who suffer any kind of sickness or injury or are sad or lonely. We name before you those known to us personally who are in need of our prayers this day. When they are fearful, ease their anxiety; when they are in pain, ease their suffering. Grant them courage, restore their strength, and let them feel Your comforting and healing presence. Amen .
- God our Father,
in an outpouring of your great love for us,
you gave up your only Son.
When he conquered death and returned to your right hand,
you gave us your Spirit.
Help us to allow the Holy Spirit to thrive
and yield fruit in our hearts,
love for you and our neighbour.
Amen.
- Lord of the wind and waves, take me where you will. Amen.