Today started out beautifully cool; all the doors were propped open to get as much air as possible into the worship space, as we normally have very hot mornings this time of year and in fact next Sunday we’ll begin worshiping in the air-conditioned Holy Innocents Hall. However today was pleasant as we gathered, wearing red, for choir practice.
A short delay happened when we went to sing something that had been printed in the bulletin… the new stack of bulletins for today was nowhere to be found. We broke off to search, and interrupted the Bishop’s Committee meeting to verify that the bulletins had indeed been left in the usual place, and were missing.
After some consternation, they were found where a helpful gremlin had left them in the big recycling bin outside, still in usable condition so we didn’t have to go “old school” and hand out hymnals and announce hymn numbers. A few minutes later, choirmistress Mary Fletcher-Gomez reported “I have no organ…” just as she was about to practice something, and we found that the power cord had been pulled out (probably when we were rearranging some chairs in the “choir jail” section.
The portable microphone worn by the priest was also turned off, as was the mic for the reader’s stand – those gremlins were certainly busy this morning, but all of these glitches were dealt with, and the service itself continued without further gremlonic disturbance.
Katie Black performed a beautiful solo piece, and Father Paul Brouilette officiated – and how wonderful it was to see him in a deep red chausuble, standing at the altar! He has been on the prayer list for some time with an illness, so hearing his voice lifted once again to sing the Eucharistic Prayer was deeply moving. Father Manny gave the homily, expanding on the stirring readings for today, the birthday of the Church.
May we all be filled with a fiery spirit to go out into the world, bringing light and warmth:
Acts 2:1-13
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
7 Utterly amazed, they asked: Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?
8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?
9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome
11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs— we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!
12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, What does this mean?
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, They have had too much wine.
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
