THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

A celebration in Words and Music
for the Season of Pentecost and Trinity

PROLOGUE

Reading – Trinity
by Ann Lewin

Introit: Hymn to the Trinity

Pyotr Tchaikovsky

Blessed angel spirits offer praise undying, ever crying:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth.

Saints and martyrs praise thy name, Trinity life-giving,
earthborn sorrow leaving before thy throne.

Father omnipotent, mighty in glory,
Christ thy son our saviour,

who died that we might live,
Holy Spirit, mystic dove dwelling with us evermore;
we praise thee, blessed Trinity.

With the angels’ sacred hymn all thy might proclaiming,
with the mystic cherubim in songs of praise we join. Hallelujah.
Holy, holy, holy, join we all in songs of praise for ever:

Hymn: We give immortal praise
Isaac Watts

1. We give immortal praise to God the Father’s love
for all our comforts here, and better hopes above:
he sent his own eternal Son,
to die for sins that man had done.

2. To God the Son belongs immortal glory too,
who bought us with his blood from everlasting woe:
and now he lives, and now he reigns,
and sees the fruit of all his pains.

3. To God the Spirit’s name immortal worship give,
whose new-creating power makes the dead sinner live:
his work completes the great design,
and fills the soul with joy divine.

4. Almighty God, to thee be endless honours done,
the undivided Three, and the mysterious One:
where reason fails with all her powers,
there faith prevails, and love adores.

THE SPIRIT OF HOPE

Reading: Roman 8. 22-27

²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God

Reading: The Holy Spirit
by Evelyn Underhill

Choir: Enemy of Apathy
J. Bell & G. Maul, arr Adrian Boynton

She sits like a bird, brooding on the waters,
Hovering on the chaos of the world’s first day;
She sighs and she sings, mothering creation,
Waiting to give birth to all the Word will say.

She wings over earth, resting where she wishes,
Lighting close at hand or soaring through the skies;
She nests in the womb, welcoming each wonder,
Nourishing potential hidden to our eyes.

She dances in fire, startling her spectators,
Waking tongues of ecstasy where dumbness reigned;
She weans and inspires all whose hearts are open,
Nor can she be captured, silenced or restrained.

For she is the Spirit, one with God in essence,
Gifted by the Saviour in eternal love;
She is the key opening the scriptures,
Enemy of apathy and heavenly dove.

THE SPIRIT OF WONDER

Reading: Wonder
by Thomas Traherne

Choir: So God Loved the World
Orlando Gibbons

So God loved the world that He forsook the glorious heavens,
Men to dwell among; Yca dcath and hell, and grave He captive took,
They could not hold His person from us long.

And being ascended to be glorificd, rememb’ring still His mercy down did send
The Holy Ghost we might be sanctified. Thus whom He Ioves, He loves unto the end.
0 Lord, this Holy Spirit take from us never. but purge, enlighten, sanctify us ever. Amen.

THE SPIRIT OF FREEDOM

Reading: Luke 4: 18-19

¹⁸ ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
¹⁹     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’

Reading: The Spirit
by Anne Sanderson

Choir: Listen Sweet Dove
Grayston Ives

Listen sweet dove unto my song, and spread thy golden wings in me;
hatching my tender heart so long, till it get wing and flie away with thee.

Such glorious gifts thou didst bestow the earth did like a heav’n appeare,
the starres were coming down to know if they might mend their wages and serve here.

The sunne which once did shine alone, hung down his head and wisht for night,
when he beheld twelve sunnes for one going about the world and giving light.

Lord though we change thou art the same, the same sweet God of love and light:
restore this day for thy great name, unto his ancient and miraculous right.

Hymn: There’s a Spirit in the air
Brian A. Wren

(Choir only)
1. There’s a spirit in the air,
telling Christians everywhere:
‘Praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working, in our world!’

2. Lose your shyness, find your tongue,
tell the world what God has done:
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow’s life today!

3. When believers break the bread,
when a hungry child is fed,
praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working, in our world.

(Ladies)
4. Still the Spirit gives us light,
seeing wrong and setting right:
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow’s life today!

(Men)
5. When a stranger’s not alone,
where the homeless find a home,
praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working, in our world.

6. May the Spirit fill our praise,
guide our thoughts and change our ways
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow’s life today!

7. There’s a Spirit in the air,
calling people everywhere:
praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working, in our world.

THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH AND LOVE

Reading: John 14, 15-26

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

¹⁵ “If you love me, keep my commands. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him,because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. ²¹ Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

²² Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

²³ Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴ Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

²⁵ “All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Reading: Caught and Held by Love (The Cloud of Unknowing)

Choir: If ye love me
Thomas Tallis

If ye love me, keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father,
And he shall give you another comforter,
That he may abide with you for ever, ev’n the spirit of truth.

THE SPIRIT OF UNITY

Reading: John 16, 13-15 and 17 6-11

¹³ But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. ¹⁵ All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.’

Jesus prays for his disciples

⁶ ‘I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. ⁸ For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. ⁹ I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. ¹⁰ All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. ¹¹ I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.

Choir: I have made your name known
Adrian Boynton

Jesus looked to heav’n and said: Father the hour has come.
Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.
I have made your name known to those whom you gave me in this world.
They were yours and you gave them to me and they have obeyed your command.
Now they know that all you gave has come from you. Now they believe that you sent me.
All that is mine is yours, all that’s yours is mine. And through them is my glory revealed.
Holy Father protect them by the power of your name, that they may be one, as we are one!

Hymn: Filled with the Spirit’s Power
J. R. Peacey

Filled with the Spirit’s power, with one accord
the infant church confessed its risen Lord.
O Holy Spirit, in the church today
no less your power of fellowship display.

Now with the mind of Christ set us on fire,
that unity may be our great desire.
Give joy and peace; give faith to hear your call,
and readiness in each to work for all.

Widen our love, good Spirit, to embrace
in your strong care all those of every race.
Like wind and fire with life among us move,
till we are known as Christ’s, and Christians prove.

THE SPIRIT OF WHOLENESS

Reading: God as Father and Mother
by Canon Cathy Zappa

Choir: As truly as God is our Father
William Mathias

As truly as God is our Father, so just as truly is he our Mother.
In our Father, God Almighty, we have our being;
In our merciful Mother we are remade and restored.
Our fragmented lives are knit together.
And by giving and yielding ourselves, through grace,
To the Holy Spirit we are made whole.
It is I, the strength and goodness of Fatherhood.
It is I, the wisdom of Motherhood.
It is I, the light and grace of holy love. It is I, the Trinity.
I am the sovereign goodness in all things.
It is I who teach you to love.
It is I who teach you to desire.
It is I who am the reward of all true desiring.
All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well. Amen.

Reflection and Prayer
Revd Barry Lotz

Choir: Let all the World in Every Corner Sing
Vaughan Williams

Let all the world, in every corner, sing: my God and King!
The heavens are not too high, His praise may thither fly,
The earth is not too low, His praises there may grow,
Let all the world in every corner sing, my God and king!
Let all the world in every corner sing, my God and king!
The church with psalms must shout, no door can keep them out;
But, above all, the heart must bear the longest part.
Let all the world in every corner sing, my God and king!

Blessing: Revd Barry Lotz

Hymn: Come Holy Spirit come!
Michael Forster (1946)

Come Holy Spirit come! Inflame our souls with love,
transforming every heart and home with wisdom from above.
O let us not despise the humble path Christ trod
but choose to shame the worldly wise the foolishness of God.

Come with the gift to heal the wounds of guilt and fear,
and to oppression’s face reveal the kingdom drawing near.
Where chaos longs to reign, descend, O holy Dove,
and free us all to work again the miracles of love.

Spirit of truth, arise; inspire the prophet’s voice:
expose to scorn the tyrant’s lies, and bid the poor rejoice.
O Spirit, clear our sight, all prejudice remove,
and help us to discern the right, and covet only love.

Give us the tongues to speak in every time and place,
to rich and poor, to strong and weak, the word of love and grace.
Enable us to hear the words that others bring,
interpreting with open ear the special song they sing.

Come, Holy Spirit, dance within our hearts today,
our earthbound spirits to entrance, our mortal fears allay.
And teach us to desire all other things above,
that self-consuming holy fire, the perfect gift of love!