May 31, 2020 - 11:00am - Easter VIII

Pentecost Sunday

The Congregation of Hope United Church

Pastoral Charge Supervisor - Brian Stevens  BA. MDiv

PRELUDE  TIME

Welcome everyone to our online ZOOM Sunday worship. As you arrive, mics will be unmuted so that you may say hello. When we begin the service, all  mics will be muted. As we move through the service,  those who are reading or leading a song will be unmuted. Gavin will unmute.

WELCOME

Welcome everyone. My name is Brian Stevens, I am the Pastoral Charge Supervisor sand Worship Leader at Hope United here in Toronto. We am so pleased to have you with us today.  Our musicians today are Sandy, Sandra and myself. Gavin is our Zoom host assisting with our sound. You can type hellos and greetings at anytime in the chat. A copy of the order of service was mailed out with your invitation. It is also available on our website HopeUnited.ca

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE LAND (Sheldon)

With respect, we acknowledge the world views, spirituality, history and stewardship of the Mississauga of Scugog, the Hiawatha and the Alderville First Nations, on whose traditional lands our church resides.  We thank and honour the other indigenous peoples who share this land.  As followers of the Jesus Way, we affirm our commitment as a people empowered to work in restoring broken relationships.

GREETING (Brian)

I greet you in the name of our risen Lord and welcome you to our service of worship. Let us join together in  our opening song “Come, O Holy Spirit “. The words will also appear on your screen and it is # 23 in More Voices.

MV # 23       “Come, O Holy Spirit” (Brian)

Come O Holy Spirit,

Set the Church on fire

Strike it as the lighting

Hits a posing spire;

Burn away the structures, and consume the sham

Of our holy systems: come in Jesus name!

Come, come, come in Jesus’ name

Take our hearts by storm,

All the world lies open

Pentecost is now!

Come, come, come in Jesus’ name

Take our hearts by storm,

All the world lies open

Pentecost is now!

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!

Come, come, come in Jesus’ name,

Take our hearts by storm,

All the world lies open,

Pentecost is now!

Come, come, come in Jesus’ name,

Take our hearts by storm,

All the world lies open,

Pentecost is now!

Free us from the bubble

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!

Come, come, come in Jesus’ name,

Take our hearts by storm,

All the world lies open,

Pentecost is now!

Come, come, come in Jesus’ name,

Take our hearts by storm,

All the world lies open,

Pentecost is now! Amen!

CALL TO WORSHIP (Tess and Gavin)

When the Feast of Pentecost came,

they were all together in one place.

Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—

no one could tell where it came from.

It filled the whole building.

Like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks,

Spirit prompted them to start speaking in a number of different languages

Like a wildfire, we proclaim the Holy Spirit is with us at this moment.

We praise God for the Holy Spirit which fills us at this moment. Amen

OPENING PRAYER – (Marion)

Dear Creator of heaven and earth

be with us as we worship and praise your name.

Be with us as we gather as a community of God,

asking that the Holy Spirit to descend on us

as it did in that upper room of our ancestors

so many years ago. 
Holy Spirit, sustains us each and every day as we journey these challenging times

In the Name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE (Brian)

We light this candle as a symbol of Christ’s light in the world. May it burn brightly within us all. Amen.

Let us sing together, twice through, “Candle of Light”. The words will appear on your screen.

“Touch us with Your Light”

Light from this candle burning bright

Light our way through dark of night.

Help us find our way to you,

Guide us, touch us with your Light, O Lord.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION ()

Let us join our hearts as one in our prayer of confession…

We humbly come before you, authentically and fully as your children, including all that has separated us from you and each other. We asked for the healing of forgiveness for the ways in which we fall short. Amen

ASSURANCE OF GRACE (Brian)

Thank you Lord for the assurance of forgiveness as we resolve to do better as a family of God with you and with one another.  In Jesus Name. Amen.

Let us sing together, three times through, the Gloria. The words will also appear on your screen and it is also in Voices United # 37.

VU # 37 “Gloria” (Sandy)  (sung three times through)

Gloria, Gloria, in excelsis deo,

Gloria, Gloria, alleluia, alleluia!

THE PEACE OF CHRIST  ( Brian)

       May the Peace of Christ be with you always.

       And also with you.

Let us take a moment to greet one another! Mics will be unmuted.

FIRST READING      Numbers 11:24-30  ( Marion)

So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but did not do so again.

However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ aide since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”

But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

VU # 827               PSALM 104  (Verona and Bruce- Text    Sandy - Refrain)

Refrain – Bless, O my soul, the Almighty who rules all creation.

O God, how manifold are your works

With Wisdom at your side you made them all

The earth is full of your creatures.   R

Refrain – Bless, O my soul, the Almighty who rules all creation.

There lies the great and mighty Sea,

Teeming with living things both great and small

Upon it sails the ships

And there is Leviathan, the monster you made to play in it

All these look to you

To give them their food in due season.

          What you give them they gather up

          When you open your hand

          You fill them with good things.

But when you hide your face they despair

When you take away their breath, they die, and return to dust

          But when you send out Your Spirit, they live again

          And you renew the face of the earth.  R

Refrain – Bless O my soul, the Almighty who rules all creation.

May your glory, o God, endure forever

          May you rejoice, O God in your works,

When you look at the earth it trembles,

          When you touch the mountains they smoke.

I will sing to God as long as I live,

          I will praise my God while I have being. R

Refrain – Bless, O my soul, the Almighty who rules all creation.

SECOND READING          1 Corinthians 12:3-13  ( Brian)

Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Hear the Good News of Christ!

Praise to you, O Christ.

VU # 372     “ Though I May Speak” (Sandy)

Though I may speak with bravest fire,

And have the gift to all inspire,

And have not love, my words are vain,

As sounding brass, and hopeless gain.

Though I may give all I possess,

And striving so my love profess,

But not be given by love within,

The profit soon turns strangely thin.

Come, Spirit, come, our hearts control,

Our spirits long to be made whole.

Let inward love guide every deed;

By this we worship, and are freed.

REFLECTION:  “Gifts”  (Brian)

MUSIC MINISTRY  “You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban, sung by Sandra Cox

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING (Brian)

Lord, we lay our gifts and offerings before you on this day as well celebration Pentecost. May the fire of your Spirit infuse these gifts with your healing love and vibrant presence. We pray in Jesus name, who gave us the greatest gift possible, his life for our salvation. For this we are ever thankful. Amen

Let us join our voices in thank as we sing “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow”. It is the first verse from Voices United 541 and the words will also appear on the screen

VU # 541  DOXOLOGY     “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow” (Sandy)

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow,

Praise God, all creatures high and low;

Give thanks to God in love made known;

Creator, Word, and Spirit, One.

PRAYERS OF THE DAY  (Brian)

Let us centre ourselves prayer…

Our response to each prayer and intention: Lord, Hear our Prayer

May the Gifts of the Holy Spirit bring fire to the earth so that the presence of God may be seen in a new light, in new places, and  in new ways.

May our own hearts burst into flame so that no obstacle, no matter how great, ever obstructs the message
of the God within each of us.

We pray to the Lord…

Lord, Hear our Prayer

May we come to trust the Word of God in our heart, to speak it with courage, to follow it faithfully and to fan it to flame in others.

May the Jesus who filled women with his Holy Spirit fill the world and the church with new respect for women’s power and presence.

We pray to the Lord…

Lord, Hear our Prayer

For the family of George Floyd, for the citizens of Minneapolis, a life has been lost and has ignited a nation…the death of George Floyd has pulled back the veil and reminded us all that racism continues to haunt our society.  It reminds us of the importance of living into justice and equality for all, not just when it is convenient, but at every moment of our collective journey...for peace in the land, for the healing of wounded and broken hearts, for the hearing of once silenced voices.

For the gifts of the many who touch our lives…we offer thanks and pray for their continued safekeeping as they share their talents and  their gifts to keep us safe, to feed us, to care for us and our loved ones when we are unwell, for we do not see or know them, yet provide us with care and help us to be well. May we continue to do what we can to keep them well and safe…

We pray to the Lord…

Lord, Hear our Prayer

And for all that are in need of your healing love…those we name aloud or hold silently in our hearts

(Mics will be unmuted so that you may name a person or offer your prayer intention)

Lord for all those named or held quietly in our hearts…

We pray to the lord

Lord, Hear our Prayer

We conclude our time of prayer with the words Jesus taught us to pray…

LORD’S PRAYER Sung (Sandy)

Our Father,  in heaven, hallowed be your name; Your kingdom come; Your will be done; on earth as  in heaven. Give us this today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive  Those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial; And deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory, are Yours, now and forever. Amen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS (Brian)

•         Online Worship next Sunday June, 7 at 11:00am. Our meeting link and ID will now remain the same for each Sunday . By telephone 647-374- 4685   or  647-558-0588  and Meeting ID is  : 831 7846 1579  Or click/enter this link on your computer:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83178461579

•         If you are a senior or know of seniors who needs assistance with groceries, you can call 211 for assistance.

•         We are excited to announce that we have received funding through the Canada Jobs for Youth program. Chris Slusar, our student from last summer will be returning for 8 weeks. He will join us on June 15. Welcome back Chris!

•         For Pastoral emergencies contact Brian Stevens at 647-825-5136 or by email: HopeUnitedChurch@gmail.com

CLOSING PRAYER ( Brian)

Thank you, God, for the renewing strength of the Holy Spirit. May the Spirit sustain us as we go forward this week. Guide us Dear God to be a witness for Justice and Love especially in these times. May the Holy Spirit fuel us with courage and comfort in Jesus’ Name.  Amen

Let us sing together “Breathe on me, Breath of God”

The words will also appear on your screen and it is also in Voices United # 382

VU # 382     “Breathe on me, Breath of God”      (Sandy)

Breathe on me, breath of God:

Fill me with life anew,

That I may love what thou dost love

And do what thou wouldst do.

Breathe on me, breath of God,

Until my heart is pure,

Until my will is one with thine

To do and to endure.

Breathe on me, breath of God;

’til I am wholly thine,

Until this earthly part of me

Glows with thy fire divine.

Breathe on me, breath of God;

So shall I never die,

But live with thee the perfect life

Of thine eternity.

BENEDICTION AND BLESSING ( Brian)

Go in Peace in the Name God.

who created us,

who redeemed us

who sustains us. Amen   

And the blessing of our Lord Jesus Christ

be with you this day and always

CHORAL BLESSING     “Walk in Love” (Sandy)

Walk in love as you go into the world,

Walk in peace with everyone you meet,

May God’s grace touch your heart, mind and soul…

This day and evermore,

Amen. Amen, Alleluia and Amen!

POSTLUDE

Please stay with us following the service for a few moments to chat…

Mics will be unmuted so all can say hello

Thank you to everyone who assisted with our Service of Worship.

Blessings to all and keep safe!

Hope United.ca