St. John's Episcopal Church

St. John’s Episcopal Church

Helena, Arkansas

 

 

Day of Pentecost

 

June 5, 2022

 

DAY OF PENTECOST

THE HOLY EUCHARIST RITE TWO

Entrance Rite, Eucharistic Prayer B

 

 

The Word of God

 “BCP” indicates pages in the red Book of Common Prayer.

 “S” numbers refer to the front section of the blue Hymnal.

 

                    

Entrance Hymn                                         Hail Thee, Festival Day!             (H 225)

 

Opening Acclamation                             (BCP 355)

The people standing,

Celebrant	Alleluia. Christ is risen.
People	The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.

 

The Celebrant

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

GLORIA IN EXCELSIS                              (S-280)

The following is sung, all standing

Glory to God in the highest,

and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King,

almighty God and Father,

we worship you, we give you thanks,

we praise you for your glory.

 

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,

Lord God, Lamb of God,

you take away the sin of the world:

have mercy on us;

you are seated at the right hand of the Father:

receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One,

you alone are the Lord,

you alone are the Most High,

Jesus Christ,

with the Holy Spirit,

in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

 

Celebrant	The Lord be with you.
People	And also with you.
Celebrant	Let us pray.

 

O God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

THE LESSONS

 

First Reading                                         Acts 2:1-21

The people sit.

A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

¹When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.  ⁵Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” ¹²All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”  ¹⁴But 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. ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ¹⁷‘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.  ¹⁸Even upon my slaves, both men and women, and they shall prophesy. ¹⁹And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. ²⁰The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. ²¹Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ ”

 

Reader	The Word of the Lord.
People	Thanks be to God.

 

 

Psalm                                                           Psalm 104:25-35, 37

Remain seated and read responsively by whole verse.

 ²⁵O Lord, how manifold are your works! *
  in wisdom you have made them all;
  the earth is full of your creatures.
 ²⁶Yonder is the great and wide sea
 with its living things too many to number, *
  creatures both small and great.
 ²⁷There move the ships,
 and there is that Leviathan, *
  which you have made for the sport of it.
 ²⁸All of them look to you *
  to give them their food in due season.
 ²⁹You give it to them; they gather it; *
  you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.
 ³⁰You hide your face, and they are terrified; *
  you take away their breath,
  and they die and return to their dust.
 ³¹You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; *
  and so you renew the face of the earth.
 ³²May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; *
  may the Lord rejoice in all his works.
 ³³He looks at the earth and it trembles; *
  he touches the mountains and they smoke.
 ³⁴I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; *
  I will praise my God while I have my being.
 ³⁵May these words of mine please him; *
  I will rejoice in the Lord.
 ³⁷Bless the Lord, O my soul. *
  Hallelujah!

 

Second Reading                                        Romans 8:14-17

The people sit.

A Reading from Paul's letter to the Church in Rome.

¹⁴All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. ¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

 

Reader	The Word of the Lord.
People	Thanks be to God.

 

Sequence Hymn                                       Spirit divine, attend our prayers         (H 509)

All stand.

 

Gospel                                                        John 14:8-17 [25-27]

All stand.

Priest	The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
People	Glory to you, Lord Christ.

 

⁸Philip said to [Jesus,] “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” ⁹Jesus 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 the Father’? ¹⁰Do 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. ¹¹Believe me 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. ¹²Very 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. ¹³I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
  ¹⁵“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. ¹⁷This 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, and he will be in you.

     [²⁵“I have said these things to you while I am still with you. ²⁶But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. ²⁷Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”]

 

Priest	The Gospel of the Lord.
People	Praise to you, Lord Christ.

 

 

The Sermon                                                Rev. Danny Schieffler                    

 

The Prayers of the People                 Form III        (BCP 388)

All remain standing.

Father, we pray for your holy catholic Church;

That we all may be one.

Grant that every member of the Church may truly and humbly serve you;

That your Name may be glorified by all people.

We pray for all bishops, priests, and deacons;

That they may be faithful ministers of your Word and Sacraments.

We pray for all who govern and hold authority in the nations of the world;

That there may be justice and peace on the earth.

Give us grace to do your will in all that we undertake;

That our works may find favor in your sight.

Have compassion on those who suffer from any grief or trouble; remembering especially the people of Ukraine and its refugees in foreign lands.

That they may be delivered from their distress.

Give to the departed eternal rest: we remember today, Fletcher & Eufala Jeffett.

Let light perpetual shine upon them.

We praise you for your saints who have entered into joy;

May we also come to share in your heavenly kingdom

 

All pray

O God, who has blessed and sustained this parish through the years; we ask that you continue to lead us, stretch us, and direct us, in our search for a new rector.  Raise for us, we pray, a priest and pastor, who will boldly proclaim your Gospel, faithfully administer your sacraments, and serve your people with love and compassion, that we may continue to grow in the likeness of Christ and be a beacon of love and hope to our community and the world.  To the glory of your holy Name.  Amen.

 

Let us pray for our own needs and those of others.

The People may add their own petitions.

The Celebrant adds a concluding Collect.

Lord, hear the prayers of thy people; and what we have asked faithfully, grant that we may obtain effectually, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

Confession of Sin                                (BCP 360)

Celebrant says

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Silence may be kept.

Minister and People

Most merciful God,

we confess that we have sinned against you

in thought, word, and deed,

by what we have done,

and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart;

we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.

For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,

have mercy on us and forgive us;

that we may delight in your will,

and walk in your ways,

to the glory of your Name. Amen.

The Priest stands and says

Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.

 

The Peace

All stand.

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

 

Then the Ministers and the People may greet one another in the name of the Lord.

Announcements and birthday and anniversary blessings.

 

The Holy Communion

 

Offertory Sentence

The Celebrant says

Ascribe to the Lord the honor due his Name; bring offerings and come into his courts. 

 

Offertory Music

 

Doxology

 

The Great Thanksgiving                  (BCP 367)

The People remain standing.

Celebrant	The Lord be with you.
People	And also with you.
Celebrant	Lift up your hearts.
People	We lift them to the Lord.
Celebrant	Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People	It is right to give him thanks and praise.

 

 

Facing the Holy Table, the Celebrant proceeds

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. In fulfillment of his true promise, the Holy Spirit came down [on this day] from heaven, lighting upon the disciples, to teach them and to lead them into all truth; uniting peoples of many tongues in the confession of one faith, and giving to your Church the power to serve you as a royal priesthood, and to preach the Gospel to all nations.

Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:

 

Sanctus                                                      Holy, holy, holy          (S-125)

Celebrant and People sing.

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,

heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

 

PRAYER OF CONSECRATION                          (BCP 368)

The People stand or kneel.

The Celebrant continues

We give thanks to you, O God, for the goodness and love which you have made known to us in creation; in the calling of Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus, your Son. For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.

On the night before he died for us, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”

After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.” Therefore, according to his command, O Father,

Celebrant and People

We remember his death,

We proclaim his resurrection,

We await his coming in glory;

 

The Celebrant continues

And we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, O Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine.

We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts that they may be the Sacrament of the Body of Christ and his Blood of the new Covenant. Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we may be acceptable through him, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In the fullness of time, put all things in subjection under your Christ, and bring us to that heavenly country where, with St Barnabas, St. John the Evangelist, and all your saints, we may enter the everlasting heritage of your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation.

By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

 

The Lord’s Prayer                                     (BCP  364)

And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,

People and Celebrant

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy Name,

thy kingdom come,

thy will be done, on earth as it is 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,

and the power, and the glory,

forever and ever. Amen.

 

The Breaking of the Bread

 

Fraction                                                    Christ our Passover         (S-154)

All sing.

Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;

Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.

 

The Celebrant says

The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.

 

The ministers receive the Sacrament in both kinds, and then immediately deliver it to the people.

The Bread and the Cup are given to the communicants. The wine may be received three ways:  The Common cup, Intinction,( slightly dipping one’s wafer into the wine while not allowing fingers to touch the wine), Spiritually, (crossing one’s arms over one’s chest until the chalice passes by).

 

Communion Music

 

Post-Communion Prayer                      (BCP  366)

After Communion, the Celebrant says

Let us pray.

Celebrant and People

Almighty and ever living God,

we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food

of the most precious Body and Blood

of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ;

and for assuring us in these holy mysteries

that we are living members of the Body of your Son,

and heirs of your eternal kingdom.

And now, Father, send us out

to do the work you have given us to do,

to love and serve you

as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord.

To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit,

be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

 

BLESSING

May Almighty God, who enlightened the minds of the disciples by pouring out upon them the Holy Spirit, make you rich with his blessing, that you may abound more and more in that Spirit forever. And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you forever. Amen.

 

Post-Communion Hymn                        Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates     (H 436)

 

Dismissal

Celebrant	Let us go forth in the name of Christ. Alleluia, alleluia.
People	Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.

Day of Pentecost

In Jewish custom the Passover was brought to completion at the Feast of Weeks (the grain harvest, some 7 weeks after Passover).  This was called Pentecost meaning the “fiftieth day” in Greek.  In earliest Christian custom, a Christianized Passover remembered the Last supper, the crucifixion, the resurrection, the ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit as a single story over fifty days, celebrating the mystery of our salvation through Jesus Christ.

 

The Day of Pentecost is also called “Whitsunday” (white Sunday) in English speaking countries, the name derived from the white garments worn by those to be baptized at Pentecost.

 

On the Day of Pentecost, we celebrate the fact that our Lord sent the Holy Spirit – the comforter and strengthener – to sustain the faith of the apostles.  On receiving this gift, the apostles went out into the world to preach, teach, and baptize in Christ’s name.  At Pentecost we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit as the birth of the church.  The color for this day is red, symbolizing the tongues of fire.

 

Welcome to St. John’s.  We are so happy to welcome the Rev. Danny Schieffler, our celebrant, and his wife, Judy who are with us today.  It is always a treat to have them back to their home church where they grew up.  It is especially festive today since it is Pentecost and where I know Judy was Baptized and where so many of us here today were also baptized into the body of Christ. It truly is a glorious day!

 

We also want to welcome and acknowledge our special guest soloist, Janetté Robinson from Little Rock.  We are delighted to have her with us today to lift us with her spiritual songs in celebration of this Day of Pentecost. Janetté sings with “Opera in the Rock” and the Cabe Festival Theatre. On most Sundays, you can find her as a soprano section leader at the Second Presbyterian Church in Little Rock.  Janetté feels it is an absolute joy, and blessing to continuously share the gift of music in God’s house, essentially where her singing all began for her as a young child.  She wishes to express her gratitude to the congregation for allowing her to come and join in the fellowship as we worship our Lord, as well as thanking Gabe for extending his thoughtful invitation to be with us for this Pentecost Sunday.  Please make her feel at home in our Lord’s house.

 

 

Please keep the following in your prayers:  Debra Richardson, Kathy Sullivan, Courtney Turner, Kathleen Gibson, Cole Jefferies, Carol Spencer, Bonnie & Charles Rowland, Jo Liddy, Janet Juengel, Jim Howe, Cliff Clark, Sylvia Ross, Linda Dowling, Susan Taylor, Abigail Grace Fox, and Sarah Jones.

 

St. John’s continues to support the Angels of Grace and the Anchor Mission ministries.  Grace Food Pantry – plastic bags go in the labeled container in the narthex.

Thank you for your donations.  They are all greatly appreciated and needed.

 

 

Contact info:

Email:  rector@saintjohnshelena.org                  

St. John’s Church Office:

Phone:  870-338-8115   

Email:   office@saintjohnshelena.org 

Mailing address:  P.O. Box 770, Helena, AR 72342

Street address: 625 Pecan St., Helena, Arkansas

 

 

The Most Rev. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury

The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church

The Rt. Reverend Larry R. Benfield, Bishop of Arkansas

The Rev. Danny Schieffler

 

The Vestry of St. John’s Church, Helena

Allison Biederman, Senior Warden (2022)

Ed Pat Wright, Junior Warden (2023)

Brooke Tappan, Clerk (2023), Tap Jennings (2023)

 Mark Rogers (2022), Susan Carter (2022)

West Hornor (2024), Ned Pillow (2024)

Walter Morris, Treasurer

 

Pianist –Dagmar Bergan

Organist – Dr. Gabriel Statom

Guest Soloist – Janetté Robinson

 

Lay Eucharist Minister – Gina Miles

 Acolyte – Eli Pillow

Ushers – Tait Owens & Mike Fielder

Facebook Live – Angie Fielder

Altar Guild – Angie Fielder

 

The flowers on the altar are given to the glory of God

and in memory of Fletcher & Eufala Jeffett.

Given by Mrs. Frank Jeffett