The Story
Pentecost Sunday
May 31, 2020

Acts 2:1-21

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 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. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs – in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

But 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. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘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. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'” 

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Something to Do

The rush of wind

There are so many ways to connect with the wind – blow bubbles, make a pinwheel, sit under a tree, watch the clouds go by. Take the time to do one or more of these this week and contemplate the ways in which the wind is like the Spirit.

Tongues of fire

Don’t set your head on fire – but do light a candle or two and contemplate the ways in which flame is like the Spirit.

Many languages

Have some fun with Google translate. How many different languages can you say “filled with the Holy Spirit” in? How is language like the Spirit?

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Something to Wonder

At this sound, the crowd gathered…

Remember when crowds could gather? How does reading about this crowd make you feel? What do you miss about crowds? What do you not miss?

Have you ever experienced the Holy Spirit in a crowd? What was the experience like? Was is exhilarating? uplifting? frightening?

Amazement/ Bewilderment/ Sneering

People’s reactions to the revelation of the Spirit included amazement and confusion…and cynicism: “But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

Have you ever reacted with doubt to someone else’s experience of the Spirit? Or to your own experience? What made it hard to believe? What made you re-think your evaluation?

Why do you think some revelations are harder to believe than others?

How are you predisposed to recognize the Spirit? How might you stretch yourself?

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Something to Learn

The Holy Spirit – a primer

Once again, the Bible Project has produced an excellent introduction to a complex topic. Read the essay and watch the video here.

Also worth watching is their video on the first chapters of Acts, as the disciples receive the Spirit and the church begins to take shape.

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Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.

The Story
Feast of the Ascension
(transferred)
May 24, 2020

Acts 1:6-14

So when they had come together, the apostles asked Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

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Something to Do

It is not for you to know the time…

We are unpleasantly familiar with the experience of not knowing when the time will come – so this week, turn not knowing the time into a game instead of a burden.

Choose one day to live without any knowledge of the time (this is trickier now because of our phones). Cover up all the clocks in your home and try not to worry about what time it is. What does it feel like?

a cloud took him out of their sight

Growing up on the prairies, I have always known that scenery is not only what happens on the ground. Whether you are going out for walks or sitting in your backyard or gazing out an open window, spend some time directing your sight upwards. Pay attention to the colours of the sky and the shapes of the clouds. What do you see? What do you find yourself thinking about?

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Something to Wonder

devoting themselves to prayer

The disciples responded to the astonishing experience of watching Jesus ascend and to the promise of the power to come by going home and devoting themselves to prayer.

Consider your prayer life this week. How would you describe it? How do you feel about it? Is there anything you would change? If so, what and why?

Why do you stand looking up toward heaven?

On the one hand, this is a ridiculous question. They are looking up toward heaven because they just watched Jesus disappear into the sky! On the other hand, perhaps it is not so ridiculous – how often do we look for God where we last saw God instead of paying attention to where God is going?

Where are you looking for God these days? Why are you looking there? Might you be looking in the wrong direction? Where else could you look?

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Something to Learn

Church of the Ascension

Last year, we celebrated the Feast of the Ascension with a spectacular potluck dinner and community talent night. The hall was filled with people eating, singing, hugging, and laughing – it was like a different world!

This year, we are celebrating from our homes as we continue to learn what it is to be a the Church of the Ascension when we can’t enjoy one another’s company in our beloved, beautiful building.

This article discusses the idea of “distributed church” – an idea that has been discussed for some time but has taken on new weight in a pandemic world. It is long but easy to read and worth a few minutes of your time.

Distributed Church and the New Normal of a Pandemic World
“Every church is a “distributed” church now, whether we like it or not. Distributed simply means “spread” or “shared.” It has been a word that we of the Fresh Expressions movement have often held together in creative tension with the “collected” church”. 

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Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.

The Story
Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 10, 2020

Psalm 31:1-5,15-16

In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness. 
Incline your ear to me;
make haste to deliver me.

Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe,
for you are my crag and my stronghold;
for the sake of your name,
lead me and guide me.
Take me out of the net that they have secretly set for me,
for you are my tower of strength. 

Into your hands I commend my spirit,
for you have redeemed me, O Lord, O God of truth.
My times are in your hand;
rescue me from the hand of my enemies,
and from those who persecute me.

Make your face to shine upon your servant,
and in your loving-kindness save me.”

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Something to Do

Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe

For kids (probably…) – Build a fort. Use pillows or boxes or blankets or furniture. How does it feel to be in your fort? How is God’s love like a fort?

For crafters of all ages – Make a model castle. Use toilet paper/paper towel tubes and cereal boxes and sticks from the yard. Use whatever you can find! What does your castle look like? How does it represent the strong rock of God’s love?

For praying people of all ages – Use this image of God in your prayers this week. Address God as “My strong rock” and meditate on this aspect of God. See what emerges in your prayers.

Into your hands

Really examine your hands. Look closely at the lines and joints and shapes of them. Think of all the things your hands can do – holding and touching and moving and shaping the world around you in so many ways.

Trace or draw your hand. Pray with your hands open.

Now imagine yourself in God’s hands and rest.

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Something to Wonder

Make haste to deliver me

Have you ever felt that you were in danger or in need of rescue? What was the situation? Did you pray in that moment? If so, how did you pray or what did you say? How did you get out of that situation? Did you pray once you felt safe again? How/what?

Does the current situation feel dangerous to you? Why or why not?
Who (else) might feel endangered by the pandemic?

Can you see signs of God’s deliverance?

Make your face to shine upon your servant

What does a “shining face” look like?
What does is mean for God’s face to shine upon you? How would you know God’s face is shining upon you?

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Something to Learn

The Psalms

The Psalms are a collection of poems, prayers, and songs that speak to human emotions and communal experiences. They do not shy away from the highest of highs or the lowest of lows and offer us examples of praise, lament, anger, and hope.

The Bible Project video on the Psalms offers an accessible introduction to the structure of the book as a whole.

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Deeper Dive

For something a bit more rigorous (and portable), try listening to this interview with Old Testament scholar Walter Breuggeman on the topic of the psalms, which he calls “subversive and countercultural”.

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Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.

The Story
Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 3, 2020

Acts 2:42-47

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. 

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Something to Do

Glad and Generous Hearts

The vision of the earliest community of Christians is so beautiful – people gathering together with joy and love to worship and study and take care of one another. It is the vision we have for own communities, too, even if we sometimes also squabble or worry more about ourselves than other people. And these days, we miss being together whether happy or grumpy – but we can still have glad and generous hearts when we hold one another close in Spirit.

Reach out to someone in your church family. Send an email or make a phone call or – gasp – send a letter. If there is someone you would like to contact but you don’t know how, contact the office or your priest to pass on your message. Gladden someone else’s heart and find your own heart gladdened in the process.

Glad and generous hearts

There are people in the community who are experiencing real difficulty right now. If you are able, offer some of what you have to help by making a donation. Some possible options:

• Ottawa Food Bank
• PWRDF COVID-19 Response
• Community Ministries

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Something to Wonder

Awe came upon everyone

The life of this community can be counted as one of (perhaps even the greatest) of the signs and wonders performed by the apostles in the power of the Spirit. We know that it cannot simply be the work of people – and we know that it doesn’t last in quite such a perfect form (just read Paul’s letters!).

• What do you imagine it would have been like to be part of it, for however long it lasted?
• What parts of it sounds wonderful to you? What parts sound less so?

Community Dreams

What would your ideal community of the Spirit involve? What aspects of that dream can you work towards?

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Something to Learn

Utopias & Intentional Communities

There is a long and ongoing tradition of Christians seeking to create communities that live up to the vision of the Gospel. This collection of articles includes historical overviews and reflections from both historical and current members of intentional communities.

Utopia: Nine of the most miserable attempts to create idealized societies from The Independent
“…some “intentional communities”, as those who study them like to call them, have flourished. But here are a few, imagined and historical, that show how acting on a dream can sometimes land you in a nightmare.”

The Return of the Utopians from The New Yorker
“Contradiction and hypocrisy have always hovered over the utopian project, shadowing its promise of a better world with the sordid realities of human nature. ”

A How-to for Intentional Christian Community A Q&A with David Janzen
“The Holy Spirit is using the longing for community that is universal in human beings, along with the specific cultural forces in our time to call people to this more intentional way of community life as disciples of Jesus.”

Living in Community A collection of essays on Plough, the publishing arm of one of the oldest intentional community networks, Bruderhof.

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Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.