This Sunday is Pentecost, one of the three most important days in the church year! The first one, of course, is Christmas, with the Incarnation. The second is Easter, with the Resurrection. The third is Pentecost, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. I am continually in awe of this. It wasn’t enough for God to become human. It wasn’t enough for God to live and teach and heal. It wasn’t enough for God to die and rise again. No, God loves us so much that God chooses to live within each one of us. We are never alone, never absent from God. What an amazing act of love, commitment and faithfulness.
We traditionally wear red to celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit on this day.
Pentecost also generally means some changes to the liturgy. We will switch out the service music (the songs that we sing every week, including the Gloria, Sequence (or Gospel) Music, and the Sanctus). The Prayers of the People will be a new form, the Confession will return and the Eucharistic Prayer will change. Also, for the summer, we are going to try switching up our communion procedure. Instead of offering little cups, we will have a chalice to drink from, and a chalice to intinct into.
Intinction is when you dip your bread into the wine, rather than taking a sip. For the summer, we will have the first communion cup be one to sip from, and the second communion cup will be one to dip into. This should make things easier when we have the outdoor services, but please let me know if you would like the little cups to return in the fall, or if you prefer the two cup option.
Finally, Carol has added some wonderful opportunities for Outdoor Fellowship! The sign up sheet can be found in the Parish Hall. Please join us for:
Saturday May 25 at 9 a.m. – Kayaking (you don’t need your own kayak, rentals are available)
Monday May 26 at 9 a.m. – Hike
Saturday June 22 at 9 a.m. – Hike
Saturday June 29 at 9 a.m. – Kayaking
Saturday July 20 at 9 a.m. – Hike
Saturday July 27 at 9 a.m. – Kayaking
Saturday August 24 at 9 a.m. – Hike
Saturday August 31 at 9 a.m. – Kayaking
Prayers and Blessings,
Mother Pippa