Worship Bulletin for Sunday morning, the Day of Pentecost. We hope you find this helpful in following along with the service. You are encouraged to respond in the appropriate places. The service is taken from the Book of Common Prayer. If you do not have a copy, you can access it at either https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/BCP.pdf  or    http://prayerbook.ca/resources/bcponline/.

St. Stephen’s Anglican Parish

11:00 am St. Stephen’s On-line Service, Chester

The Day of Pentecost

31 May 2020

Our mission is to worship God and care for

God’s people in the spirit of Christ.

The  Day of Pentecost

The Lord’s Prayer & Collect for Purity – page 67   

The Summary of the Law – page 69

“Kyrie” and Mutual Salutation – page 70

Collect:

Almighty and everliving God, who fulfilled the promises of Easter

by sending us your Holy Spirit and opening to every race and nation

the way of life eternal, keep us in the unity of your Spirit,

that every tongue may tell of your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Reader: A Reading from Acts (2:1-21)

When the day of Pentecost had come, they 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.’

Reader: The Word of the Lord

All: Thanks be to God

Psalm:           104:25-35 – p. 463

Reader: A Reading from the First Letter of Paul to the 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.

Reader: The Word of the Lord

All: Thanks be to God

Presider : The Lord be with you.

All: And with thy spirit.

Presider: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to John (20:19-23)

All: Glory be to thee, O Lord.

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."

Presider: The Gospel of Christ.

All: Praise be to thee, O Christ".

The Nicene Creed - p. 71

The Homily – The Rector

Offertory Sentence & Preparation of the Altar

Prayer over the Gifts – p. 74

Biddings & Intercessory Prayer – p. 75

Invitation, Confession, Absolution, and Comfortable Words – p. 76-78

Thanksgiving & Consecration, with Preface for Ascension – p. 78-83

Please respond in the appropriate places, as indicated in the Book of Common Prayer. The Celebrant gives voice to the prayer alone, on behalf of the congregation. However, the “responses” at the appropriate moments, and especially the “Amen” at the end of the Prayer of Consecration are vital for the people to offer.

The reason the responses, and especially the “Amen”, is important, is to assist in receiving what is called “Spiritual Communion”. According to the Book of Common Prayer, anyone who believes the Prayer of Consecration, and that the bread is truly the Body of Christ, and that the wine is truly the Blood of Christ receives all the benefits of Holy Communion, without actually physically receiving the elements themselves. This belief is signified by saying “Amen” to the Prayer, and when the bread and wine are received by the Priest.  In this respect, the Priest receives Communion on behalf of the people. “Spiritual Communion” is to be used in extenuating circumstances only – which this time certainly is.

The Peace & Prayer of Humble Access – p. 83

“Agnus Dei” - p. 84

Presider: The gifts of God for the people of God.

All: Thanks be to God.

Again, at the receiving of bread and wine, the people respond “Amen.”

The Lord’s Prayer, Prayer after Communion, “Gloria”, & Blessing – p. 85-86