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The Scriptures for Pentecost
Sunday, May 11, 2008 The
Scriptures
Acts 2:1-21
Psalm 104:25-35, 37
1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
John 20:19-23
Acts
2:1-21
When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. 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. Divided tongues,
as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began
to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under
heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking
in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And
how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia,
Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors
from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds
of power." All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered
and said, "They are filled with new wine."
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. Indeed,
these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the
prophet Joel:
`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.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days
I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.
And I will show portents in the heaven
above
and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
The sun shall be turned
to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord's great
and glorious day.
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' "
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How can we make the Good News available across barriers of culture and language? ...in our own community?
...in the world?
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Psalm 104:25-35, 37b Benedic,
anima mea
O Holy One, how manifold are your works; *
in wisdom you have made them
all; the earth is full of your creatures.
Yonder is the great and wide sea with its living things too many to number,
*
creatures both small and great.
There move the ships, and there is that Leviathan,
*
which you have made for the sport of it.
All of them look to you *
to give them their food in due season.
You give it to them; they gather it; *
you
open your hand, and they are filled with good things.
You hide your face, and they are terrified; *
you take away their breath, and they die and return to their dust.
You send forth your Spirit, and they are created;
*
and so you renew the face of the earth.
May the glory of God endure for ever; *
may the Holy One rejoice in all creation.
God looks at the earth and it trembles; *
God touches the mountains and they smoke.
I will sing to God as long as I live; *
I will praise my God while I have my being.
May these words of mine find favor;
*
I will rejoice in the Holy One.
Bless the Holy One, O my soul. *
__Alleluia!
St. Helena Psalter
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When have you found yourself moved by the glory
of creation? In what settings of nature do you feel God's Spirit present?
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1 Corinthians 12:3b-13
No one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties
of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities,
but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common
good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the
same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 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. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as
the Spirit chooses.
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. 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.
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You have been given gifts
of the Spirit for the common good? What do you like to do and find relatively easy to do? When you are finished,
you have more energy than when you started. How do you use these gifts for the common good?
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John 20:19-23
When it was evening on that day, 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."
After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said
to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed
on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain
the sins of any, they are retained."
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Let the Holy Spirit breathe peace
upon you for a while. Live, rest and breathe in that peace.
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For a way to Pray with these scriptures, go to the following link for instructions about how to use Lectio Divina
with the Sunday readings:
Praying the Scriptures with Lectio (http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id272.html)
To
subscribe or unsubscribe to this email list,
go to our Subscriptions page -- http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id137.html and
follow the instructions.
On most weekdays I send a Morning Reflection to this same list, offering a thought about
the readings from the Daily Office.
Lowell
The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, AR
The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church
is to explore and celebrate
God's
infinite grace, acceptance, and love.
Our Rule of Life:
We aspire to...
worship
weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.
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