Today's Service: 23 May
Leader: Dorothy Thomson
This is best viewed in Landscape orientation
You will appreciate the sound better if you use earphones or an external loudspeaker, whatever type of device you view on.
Pentecost
Sunday
Opening Words from Joel 2: 28:
I will pour out my Spirit on all people, your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women I will pour out my Spirit in those days. (v32) and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
God Spirit is all inclusive, men women, young old, servant master- ALL people. He will restore the world again.
We sing together the words of Graham Kendrick and Chris Rolinson - Restore Oh Lord the honour of thy name,
Come shake the world, come revive the church again!
Hymn: Restore, O Lord, the honour of Your name
tune of the same name, with Intro.
1. Restore, O Lord,
The honour of Your name,
In works of sovereign power
Come shake the earth again;
That all may see
And come with reverent fear
To the living God,
Whose kingdom shall outlast the years.
2. Restore, O Lord,
In all the earth Your fame,
And in our time revive
The church that bears Your name.
And in Your anger,
Lord, remember mercy,
O living God,
Whose mercy shall outlast the years.
3. Bend us, O Lord,
Where we are hard and cold,
In Your refiner's fire
Come purify the gold.
Though suffering comes
And evil crouches near,
Still our living God
Is reigning, He is reigning here.
4. Restore, O Lord,
The honour of Your name,
In works of sovereign power
Come shake the earth again;
That all may see
And come with reverent fear To the living God,
Whose kingdom shall outlast the years.
Graham Kendrick & Chris Rolinson
Let us pray
Lord 'come shake the world again' help us to accept the spirit and allow it to work through our lives that others may see You and that Your church may once more see revival. Lord we thank you that your mercy 'outlasts the years,' that You are reigning here, and Your kingdom will come. We know we are often hard and cold but pray that you would use your holy fire to refine us.
We thank you that even though we cannot meet together in person, we are together in You. We may not yet be able to see each other face to face in worship but we can meet You face to face wherever we are.
We pray this morning that we are open and willing to see and receive Your Spirit's power and love.
Amen.
As we meet together this morning we are reminded of the events, we referred to now, as 'Pentecost'.
The term Pentecost comes from the Greek Πεντηκοοτη´ (Pentekoste) meaning "fiftieth".
Pentecost is a moveable feast, which is celebrated on the 50th day from Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples, and other followers of Jesus Christ, while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks (Acts 2 v 1-13) which we will read later.
Pentecost is also recognised as the 'birthday' of the church.
hat do we do when someone has a birthday? - we celebrate. Perhaps if we had been able to be in church together this morning, Junior church would have enjoyed cake and balloons (-red, yellow and orange, the colour of flames ) and then made flame helicopters to fall on you all as you left the service. Sadly, we cannot meet together yet so you will have to imagine, in your mind's eye, our young people showering you with brightly coloured paper flames, who knows they might even have left you some cake to enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee.
So as we read, pray, sing, and think about the coming of God's Holy Spirit, let us do so with a sense of celebration and joy.
Reading from Acts 2: 1 - 13
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,[b] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine."
We may not experience a sound like the blowing of a violent wind or see tongues of fire but if we are open to God we can feel Him sweeping through us, breathing life and power into our lives. We sing together hymn "O breath of life come sweeping though us".
Hymn 302 tune: O Breath of Life, come sweeping through us
tune: Spiritus Vitae, with Intro.
1. O Breath of Life, come sweeping through us,
revive your Church with life and power;
O Breath of Life, come, cleanse, renew us,
and fit your Church to meet this hour.
2. O Wind of God, come bend us, break us,
till humbly we confess our need:
then in your tenderness remake us,
revive, restore; for this we plead.
3. O Breath of Love, come breathe within us,
renewing thought and will and heart:
come, Love of Christ, afresh to win us,
revive your Church in every part.
Bessie Porter Head (1850 - 1936)
Reflection
Many may feel 'scared' by Pentecost and the implications for us today. Perhaps you worry about 'speaking in tongues or 'prophesying' Perhaps you are unsure what 'being filled with the spirit' actually 'feels' like or maybe you perceive that if you 'don't speak in tongues well you haven't been filled. - well as far as I can see Moses, Joshua, Jacob, Daniel, Joel - to mention but a few did not 'speak in tongues' but did do great and mighty things for and through God's Spirit.
The Spirit was said to "come upon" Old Testament believers for God's purposes. Joshua was filled with the Spirit and commissioned to lead Israel after Moses' death (Numbers 27:12-23)
The Spirit came upon and empowered God's prophets, priests, and kings in special ways, gifting them for service. Prophets preached God's word, the priests interceded for God's people, and kings were anointed to lead Israel against God's enemies (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Chronicles 24:20; 1 Samuel 16:13). The old testament is filled with incidence of God's spirit 'falling' on His people. A special gift for a specific purpose.
Jesus was to change this.
In John 14 - we read that Jesus promises His disciples he would not leave them 'unaided' that he would send another advocate, helper, comforter, counsellor, friend (whatever terminology you choose this is His gift of the Holy Spirit)
The passage in Acts retells how the disciples were 'filled' and others were able to hear them each in his own language.
The disciples should not have been surprised when God fulfilled his promise.
God's people achieve great things when they allow the spirit to work in their lives. Look at some of the old testament characters and what they achieve when 'touched' by the spirit of God. Think about some of the great evangelists of history. The great reformers of worship. They only achieved because they allowed God in.
As we move forward from the restrictions and challenges of the Pandemic, let's do so with open hearts ready to accepts the Spirit and let's see what happens.
Remember the smallest of embers can be fanned into a mighty flame
We take a moment to be still and experience the glory and power of God's Spirit.
No work is too hard for Him, in faith receive from Him.
Hymn (CH4: 189): Be still, for the presence of the Lord
tune: Be still, with Intro.
1. Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
The holy One, is here;
Come bow before him now
With reverence and fear
In him no sin is found
We stand on holy ground.
Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
The holy One, is here.
2. Be still, for the glory of the Lord
Is shining all around;
He burns with holy fire,
With splendour he is crowned:
How awesome is the sight
Our radiant king of light!
Be still, for the glory of the Lord
Is shining all around.
3. Be still, for the power of the Lord
Is moving in this place:
He comes to cleanse and heal,
To minister his grace -
No work too hard for him.
In faith receive from him.
Be still, for the power of the Lord
Is moving in this place.
David Evans (b. 1957)
Lord as we celebrate Pentecost may we take time to be still and receive Your Spirit's power. May we in faith receive from You and bring all our anxieties and concerns to You trusting that 'no work is too hard' for You.
We bring before you the concerns of our heart and lay them at your feet.
Be with us all as we move out of restrictions and guide us and keep us safe.
Be with our Church as it plans for the future - may we be a Spirit filled Church doing amazing things in Your name. Amen
However little faith you may feel you have let God 'breathe into you' and set that ember into a flame that can blaze for Him.
Fire is powerful - you only need to look at the damage it can leave to understand that.
Fire is illuminating - I used to love sitting in the living room as a child watching the fire light up the walls
Fire is cleansing - it is used to refine and remove dross.
We traditionally think of flames as orange, yellow and red so I leave you with a challenge
Are you willing to Open Yourself to Receive God's Spirit?
Are you willing to be cleansed, to see the world through God's illuminating power?
If we all are - then God's Church will be revived and who knows what we can achieve through Him. The power of the Spirit was not just for the disciples but is for us today. Let's not be frightened to take hold of it.
But we need to remember that a fire will only stay alight if it is fed!
And so as we come to end of our worship I pray that you will allow God's Spirit to blaze setting your heart on fire, we sing together Shine Jesus Shine.
Hymn: Lord, the light of your love is shining
tune: Shine Jesus Shine, with Intro.
1. Lord, the light of your love is shining
In the midst of the darkness, shining
Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us
Set us free by the truth you now bring us
Shine on me, shine on me
Chorus:
Shine, Jesus, shine
Fill this land with the Father's glory
Blaze, Spirit, blaze
Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river, flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth your word
Lord, and let there be light.
2. Lord, I come to your awesome presence
From the shadows into your radiance
By the blood I may enter your brightness
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness
Shine on me, shine on me
Chorus
3. As we gaze on your kingly brightness
So our faces display your likeness
Ever changing from glory to glory
Mirrored here may our lives tell your story
Shine on me, shine on me
Chorus
Graham Kendrick (b. 1950)
Blessing.
May the Father's hand keep you from stumbling,
the footprints of Jesus give you confidence to follow,
and the fire of the Spirit fill you with strength and keep you safe
in your walk with God today and though out the coming week.
Dot Thomson
(If you would like to read a good book on God's Spirit I recommend 'Holy Fire' by R T Kendall)
Next week, the service will be led by Revd Val Towler
Don't forget the live streamed hymns on Sundays at 10:45 a.m. from Zöe (via the 'Northgate URC Darlington' Facebook page)
These are available to view later as well. (via YouTube, for those without Facebook, and also Facebook)
The streamings are a great success - well done, Zöe!
The recorded streamings are now, thanks to Harry Marshall, available to all on YouTube - search for 'Northgate URC Darlington'.
Ask Harry to invite you to the Northgate Facebook Group 
and you will get a notification of the live stream.
- Or you can just search for 'Northgate URC Darlington' in Facebook.
The URC denominational church audio Services (podcasts) at https://devotions.urc.org.uk/ are excellent, with well-delivered prayers and readings using a selection of voices and well-presented hymns.
Do give these a try - they are excellent.
(Just start the sound playing and scroll down to the written words)
Why not put the time aside for Zoe at 10:45, our preacher's service after that and follow up with the podcast - you will feel as if you had been IN church, as well as WITH church.