Today we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. The narrative underpinning the Feast of Pentecost is rooted in the second book written by the author of Luke’s Gospel, the Acts of the Apostles. Luke closes the resurrection appearances of Jesus with the Ascension and with Jesus’ promised gift of the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, Holy Spirit came to the apostles and settled on them like tongues of fire. It is for this reason that tongues of fire have become a classic image for the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ promise of the gift of the Spirit also features in John’s account of the farewell discourse as Jesus prepares his disciples for his death, in the passages selected for our Gospel reading.
For those of you who wanted to do some thinking and preparation for today’s service during the preceding week, I invited you to reflect on the image of fire. Today’s picture, taken from the illustrated communion book, The Lord is Here!, shows the Holy Spirit bringing life to the world like a tongue of fire.
Lord God,
you gave the Holy Spirit to your people,
like tongues of fire.
Set our hearts on fire with your love,
that we may spread your good news
to the ends of the earth;
we make our prayer in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Next Sunday is Trinity Sunday when the Church celebrates the mystery of God made known in the world as Father, as Son, and as Holy Spirit. The image to help us experience the mystery of God of Trinity is night sky. You can find out more about that theme by looking at the Educational Resources and the Preparation Resources.
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Notice Sheet
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Exploring the Sunday Gospel – Seventh Sunday of Easter