Liturgy

We sit here on the edge of summer
And we long for signs of home.
We want to be invited onto the porch
And offered a cool drink of lemonade.
God, we are looking for the familiar.

We are all together in one place now
And we hear the whisper of a wind coming
We are filled in surprising ways
And made into new people.
God, we are open to something new.

We are telling our stories
Speaking in our mother tongues
And each of us hears the other
With deep understanding.
God, we are listening.

Make room in us, Creative One,
For both old and new,
For both violent wind and still voice,
For sweet safety and activated amazement.

In the name of God the Creator,
Jesus the Redeemer,
And Spirit the Equipper.
Amen.

Scripture

We invite you to hear from the reading of Acts 2:1-8, 12-13.

1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 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.

3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

5 Now there were devout Jews from every people under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.
7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?

12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!
The grass withers and the flower fades,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever. Amen.

Homily and Reflection

Homily Podcast – Returning Home: Beyond Nostalgia 5.28.2023

How might you find a sense of home in some new and unexpected development?

What might you do this week for the common good?

Where might the disempowered find empowerment in our community?

Benediction

May the Holy Spirit come upon you like a tongue of fire
And birth something new within you.

May she give you new tongues to speak
And ears that receive the foreign as familiar.

May she ready you to nurture those around you
And make a home both for you and in you.

May she gather you as chicks under her wing
And attend to your every need.

In the name of our loving God,
Our risen Christ,
And our mother Spirit.
Amen.

[ Photo by Kadir Celep ]