Live Worship for Pentecost

Blackburn Cathedral, the Cathedral of Lancashire, where we are gathered

to celebrate the festival of Pentecost. At Pentecost, we remember

the time when, after the crucifixion of Jesus, his resurrection and

ascension into heaven, his tomorrow light followers gathered together.

Suddenly, the Holy Spirit descended on them with a rush of wind and

tongues of fire. Fire, which is detected in the stained glass of our

tower, here in the cathedral. Those present began to speak in different

languages. They must have appeared drunk or mad to anyone watching, but

they were empowered to spread the Christian faith to the far corners

of the world. The descent of the Holy Spirit and cheeses' followers

is described in the Acts of the Apostles. When the day of Pentecost

had come, they were all gathered 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, and a tunnel fire

appeared among them. A tonne rested on each of them. All of them were

filled with the Spirit and began to speak in other languages. As the

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Holy Spirit. -- bless it. There is one body and

one spirit. He's be with you. also with you. What God has prepared

for those who love him he has revealed to us through the Spirit.

Therefore, let us in penitence open our hearts to the Lord, who has

prepared good things for those who have sinned against you and against

our neighbour in thought and worth and deed. We are truly sorry and

repent of all our sins for the sake of your son, Jesus Christ. Forgive

us all that is passed. To the glory of your name, and then. Almighty God

forgives all who truly repent. Have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver

you from all your sins. Confirm and strength anew in all goodness and

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keep you in life eternal through strength of the Holy Spirit in all

our thoughts, words and actions. -- God sought the thoughts of your

faithful people, grant us by the same spirit to have the right

judgment in all things and ever more to rejoice in his holy comfort

through the merits of Jesus Christ, our saviour, who is alive and reigns

with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Romans. All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God,

for you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but

you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, father, it is

that very spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children

of God. And if children, then heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.

If, in fact, we suffer with him, so that we may also be glorified with

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him. This is the word of the Lord. Christ, according to John. Philip

said to Jesus, Lord show us the Father and we will be satisfied.

Jesus said to him, have I been with you all this time Philip and you

still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can

you say, show us Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and

the father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my

own, but the Father who dwells in me does His works. Believe that I am in

the Father and the Father is in me. But if you do not, then believe me

because of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you the one who

believes in me will also do the works that I do and in fact will do

greater works than these. Because I am going to the Father. I will do

whatever you ask in my name. So that the Father may be glorified in the

son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. If you will

love me, you will keep my commandsments, and I will ask the

Father and he will give you another advocate to be with you forever.

This is the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it

neither sees him nor knows him. You know Him because he abides with you

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and he will be in you. This is the Father, son and Holy Spirit, amen.

confirmation group at the Cathedral went out to look for God. We climbed

the highest hill in the town and looked down on the countryside

below. We saw clearly the creative hand of God, Pendle Hill, Morecambe

Bay, communities huddled together with their lights twinkling. But we

did not see God. What we did feel, however, was the wind coming off the

sea, the wind which had helped shape the landscape, position communities

and co-operate with the ingenuity of human kind to produce all manner of

resources from wind farm energy to Blackpool Tower. Over a hot drink

later, we did agree that the invisible and mystical nature of the

wind was an excellent way of describing God's work in the world.

It was an extension of His will. The Greek Fathers saw the son and the

spirit as the two hands of God, creating and sanctifying, bringing

all creation into a relationship with God the Father. The Holy Spirit

invades so much of our life, but because it is invisible, the

Christian tradition has many signs to understand it. Most are to be

found in this Cathedral. There is the fire which brings warmth,

depicted in the lantern tower. The dove which hovered over Jesus at his

baptism hovers over us too as a sign that we, the baptised, live and work

in the power of the Holy Spirit. The dove also appears on the borough

crest as a sign of the overarching authority under which we work with

great industry and productivity. It is still relevant today, for

although east Lancashire has been hard hit by Government cuts, the

enJen university of private -- the ingenuity of private city has not

been squashed. So many signs, so many ways in which the spirit works.

However, I want to concentrate on just one sign of the spirit, the

oldest, the breath or wind, which is to be found in the second verse of

the Bible, blowing over the dark waters to bring order out of chaos.

It is the spirit as breath which gives us life in the first place,

usually after a sharp slap on the back from the midwife. It gives us

life. It inspires our singers and it voices organ. The wind draws

together Ezekiel's dry bones, it drives Jesus out into the

wilderness. It accompanies flames of fire which dance upon the heads of

the disciples on that first Pentecost, and direct the

development of the early Church with such vigour in the Acts of the

apostles. And it directs our path to holiness. The poet George Herbert

sees this breath as prayer, our core responsibility as Christians.

Prayer, he says, the Church's banquet. God's breath in man

returning to his birth. But there are many spirits which blow across

the face of creation, and not all are holy or wholesome. At the end of

Graham Green's novel Brighton Rock, the central character, the gangster

Pinky, and his girlfriend, are parked on the cliff top

contemplating their suicide pact. As the police close in, the wind howls

around the car and Pinky imagines giant wings beating against the

class, whisper whispering the peace which both of them seek but choose

to ignore. Instead, Pinky is gripped by the spirit of revenge and opts

for the bottle of acid in the face and the leap from the cliff top. But

the spirit of God acts otherwise. It is a reconciler. We are called to

test the spirits. Does it resonate with the thrust of the gospel? Does

it benefit my neighbour? In short, does the spirit make us and our

neighbour more Christ-like or less? Here are big questions for the

junior confirmation course to wrestle with on this particular day

of Pentecost. As on that first day, when the apostles were gathered

together and the wind blew, it will take them time to order their lives

in the spirit's direction. But it will come true, if they continue to

be aware of the wind which blows. Jesus Christ. Do you believe and

trust in God the Father? Source of all being and life, the one for whom

we exist. We believe in Christ.You do believe and trust in God the son,

who took our human nature, died for us and rose again? We believe and

trust in Him. Do you believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit, who

gives life to the people of God, and makes Christ known in the world?

believe and trust in Him. This is the faith of the Church. This is our

faith We believe and trust in one God, Father, son and Holy Spirit.

Let us pray. Lord God other creator and redeemer,

kindle in each of us the fire of your love, that the face of the

earth might be renewed. We thank you for the gift of your creation. May

the leaders of cultures and nation nations work together for that

Church on this its birthday. May it praise your glory on every

Lord, come among us. And renew the face of the earth. We give thanks

for the hospitality, generosity and industry of the people of

Lancashire. We pray for our local government officers as they seek to

make fair decisions during this time face of the earth. We pray for the

sick, suffering and disturbed. May they and those who support them know

face of the earth. We offer to God our thanks and

praise for the lives of the departed, and for all the Saints

who've been infused with your burning love. May they continue

their prayerful support for us here and make us one in you. Amen. God

has made us one in Christ. He has set His seal upon us, and as a

pledge of what's to come, has given us the spirit to dwell in our

hearts. The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you.

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Let us offer one another a sign of hungry, who raises the poor, who

fills our praise. Blessed be God for you. Lift up your hearts.We lived

them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to

give thanks and praise. It is indeed right, it is our duty and our joy,

always and everywhere to give you thanks. Holy father, almighty and

everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, you're only son, our Lord,

this day we give you thanks because, in fulfilment of your promise, you

pour out your spirit among us, filling us with your gifts, leading

us into all truth, and uniting peoples of many towns in the

confession of one faith. Your spirit gives us grace to call you father,

to proclaim your gospel to the nations, and to serve you as a royal

priesthood. Therefore we join our voices with angels and archangels,

and with all those in whom the Spirit dwells, to proclaim the glory

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of your name, for ever praising you father. Through Jesus Christ our

Lord, and as we obey his command, send your spirit that broken bread

and wine outboard may be, for us, the body and blood of your dear

son. On the night before he died, he had supper with his friends, and,

taking bread, he praised you. He broke the bread, gave it to them and

said, take, eat, this is the body given for you, do this in

cup of wine. Again, he praised you, gave it to them and said, drink

this, all of you, this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shared

for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this as

often as you drink it in remembrance Jesus did. In him, we plead with

confidence and sacrifice, made once for all upon the cross, bringing

before you the bread of life and cup of salvation. We proclaim his death

and resurrection until he comes in glory. Great is the mystery of

faith. Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

us to work together for that day when your kingdom comes and justice

and mercy will be seen in all the earth. Look with favour on your

people, gather us in your loving arms and bring us with our Lady and

all the saints to feast at your table in heaven. Through Christ and

with Christ and in Christ. In the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour

and glory are yours, O loving the Church universal, so we say each

in our own language the prayer our saviour Christ has taught us. Our

father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, like kingdom come, thy

will be done, honest as it 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. We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.

Although we are many, we want body, because we all share one bread.

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Hallelujah, hallelujah, Christ, our fulfilled the promises of Easter by

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

way of eternal life. Open our lives by your spirit, that every tongue

may tell of your glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. Amen.

Almighty God we thank you for feeding us when the body and blood

of your son, Jesus Christ. Through him we offer you our souls and

bodies, to be a living sacrifice. Send us out in the power of your

spirit, to live and work to your overflowing in love. With Pentecost

dawns age of the spirit. Now the flame of Heaven rests on every

believer, strong and weak, women and men tell out your word. The young

receive visions. The old receive dreams. With the new wine of the

spirit, they proclaim your reign of love. Amid the birth pangs of the

new creation the way of light is made known. Source of freedom, giver

of life, blessed are you, Father, son and Holy Spirit. Blessed be God

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victory of our Lord Jesus Christ over the powers of sin and death. We

have proclaimed God's mighty acts, and we have prayed that the power at

work when God raised Jesus Christ from the dead might be at work in

us. As part of God's church here in Lancashire and beyond, I call upon

you to live out what you proclaim. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, will

you dare to walk into God's future, trusting him to be your guide?

the spirit of Him, we will. Will you embrace each other and grow together

in love? We will.Will you dare to share your riches in common and

Minister to each other in need? will. Will you dare to pray for each

other until your hearts beat with the longings of God? We will.Will

you dare to carry the light of Christ into the world's dark places?

We will. May the spirit who hovered over the waters when the world was

create created breathe into you the life he gives. Amen.May the spirit

who overshadowed the Virgin when the eternal son came among us make you

joyful in the service of the Lord. Amen. May the spirit who set the

Church on fire on the day of Pentecost bring the world alive with

the love of the risen Christ. And the blessing of God almighty,

the Father, the son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with