Lord, direct our thoughts, and teach us to pray. Lift up our hearts to worship you in spirit and in truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.‘ O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!’ (Psalm 8:1)Hymn: Lord of all hopefulness...Romans 5:1-5We meet God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit with repentance in our hearts. Let us confess our sins:Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.May the God of love bring us back to himself, forgive us our sins, and assure us of his eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Prayer for the day: Holy God, faithful and unchanging: enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth, and draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love, that we may truly worship you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.John 16: 12-15Let us pray:We pray for St Peter’s Church and the Church throughout the world, for the strength and courage to share God’s love;We pray for the world, for reconciliation where there is conflict, for justice and peace;We pray for our communities, families and friends, for relationships to flourish;We pray for all who are sick or suffering, for healing in mind, body and spirit;We pray for people who have been bereaved, for comfort in their grief.Let us pray the prayer that Jesus taught us:Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done;on 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.Hymn: How shall I sing that majesty...We are called and loved by God the Father, kept safe by God the Son and guided by God the Holy Spirit. May mercy, peace and love be ours in abundance, and may the blessing of God Almighty who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon us and and be with us always. Amen.Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.
In today’s Gospel we hear the first in a series of Jesus’ remarkable promises of the coming of the Holy Spirit. But what or who is this Holy Spirit? Only in John’s Gospel do we read that Jesus names this Spirit “the Paraclete” which means “the one called alongside.” This helpful, encouraging and supportive spirit will be beside the disciples and us in the critical situations we find ourselves in, and so it often gets translated as “the Advocate,” “the Helper,” or “the Comforter.”Some people find the idea of the Holy Spirit scary. There’s an understandable element of fear at the idea of an unseen spiritual force potentially influencing our daily lives. But in this passage, Jesus reassures the disciples that this Holy Spirit is much like a true friend, one that will teach them all they need to know, and remind them of all that Jesus said to them. Who wouldn’t want this kind of encouraging presence to journey alongside us?The Protestant reformist Martin Luther described the Spirit’s role as encouraging trust (belief in Jesus) and encouragement (love) of others. The Holy Spirit - this True Friend not only steps in for us in times of trouble or weakness but also confronts and convicts us, and our opponents. This True Friend’s only desire and purpose is to keep us on the correct path doing what is right, good and holy, and so just like a real true and trusted friend, the Holy Spirit does not shy away from revealing to us where we are going wrong and how we might put it right.Interestingly, in my translation, Jesus says “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate.” The reason it is “another” is because Jesus is their First True Friend, he is also our first true friend. This new advocate we learn, will be given to the disciples and then to all others that receive Jesus as their Lord and saviour, so as to continuously point to, glorify, make real and build up a Christ-centred Church and a Christ-centred people.In John’s Gospel, Jesus is with us by means of his Spirit; a Spirit that is intrinsically linked with God the Father. Jesus’ “authorised personal representative” - the Advocate is sent by God as a representative whose role it is to live alongside us, just as Jesus did with his disciples, to remind us of everything Jesus said and did, with the plan being that the disciples, and us now, are able to continue in faith and love, forever being part of the building up of a Christ-centred church as we live out our Christ-centred lives alongside others.The Holy Spirit was always going to have to be powerful in order for us to be aware of its presence in our lives and the lives of others, perhaps this is why it can sometimes seem scary. The gift of God’s presence in the form of the Holy Spirit should be powerful and overwhelming when we first experience it, as it was when the disciples first experienced it. How else might God get our attention? It is an amazing gift from God. A gift that keeps our First True Friend alive in our hearts and minds, and alive in the foundations, right through to the expressions of the Church throughout its history. God and Jesus’ gift to us of the Holy Spirit is something to celebrate and be forever thankful for but it is also something to keep praying for. For without listening and responding to the Holy Spirit, both us and the Church will be excluding our ultimate True Friend, and I am sure we have all seen or heard examples of when elements of the Church’s expressions have been less than Christ-like.So as a church continually striving to be Christ-centred and as individuals trying to do the same in our own lives, let us give thanks to God for the day the Church was born. The day the Father gave us the Holy Spirit to advocate, comfort and be alongside us, just as Jesus, the First True Friend was alongside his disciples, and how through the gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is alongside all of us now too.Natalie Rees
Lord, direct our thoughts, and teach us to pray. Lift up our hearts to worship you in spirit and in truth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.‘I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.’ (Psalm 104:33-34)Hymn: Come Holy Ghost our Souls Inspire...Acts 2:1-21The Spirit of the Lord fills the world and knows our every word and deed. Let us then open ourselves to the Lord and confess our sins in penitence and faith: Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. Amen.May the God of love bring us back to himself, forgive us our sins, and assure us of his eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.Prayer for the day: Holy Spirit, sent by the Father, ignite in us your holy fire; strengthen your children with the gift of faith, revive your Church with the breath of love, and renew the face of the earth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.John 14: 8-17, 25-27Please see the Message from the Minister.Hymn: O Thou who camest from above...Let us kneel before God in prayer, asking for all people to be filled with the Holy Spirit:We pray for St Peter’s Church, that your will be done, and for our work to be blessed; We pray for our world, that all of its creatures will thrive, and for peace in Ukraine; We pray for our friends, families and community, that we may share in the love of Christ; We pray for people who are sick or suffering, that they will know healing and strength; We remember the departed, and pray for all who mourn.Let us join in the words of the Lord’s prayer, whoever and wherever we are: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on 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.May the Holy Spirit, who set the Church on fire upon the day of Pentecost, bring the world alive with the love of the risen Christ; and may the blessing of God Almighty who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon us and and be with us always. Amen.Filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, let us live and serve in the light and love of Christ.
Notice: There will be a short Extra-ordinary Annual Meeting of Parishioners after the church service at 11:30am on Sunday 19th June 2022, in order to elect a church warden.
