Prayer

with the Anglican Communion we pray for the Church of Melanesia; for Archbishop Justin; for Bishops Tim, David and Debbie

our mission giving: £750 through Church Mission Society for our mission partners, a young family in southeast Asia working alongside the local church, leading training and teaching English to resource emerging leaders

Paletwa, in the west of Myanmar, where intense fighting between government troops and an ethnic armed group has created large displacement of people; food supplies to the area while roads are cut off; those taking refuge

giving thanks for this joyful celebration of Pentecost, and the gift of the Holy Spirit to us all

with World Environment Day coming up this Friday, for an international focus on biodiversity; for a huge global effort to avert climate change

for the fair distribution of natural resources and the careful use of energy; Greening Fulflood and Winchester Action on Climate Change; our own commitment to minimising waste, including food

the Americas, as the current centre of the Covid-19 pandemic; countries where coronavirus deaths are rising fast: Brazil, Mexico, Russia and Peru

wisdom for countries easing lockdown measures, including planning for safe working environments and transport; sharing of best practice; continuing alertness to social distancing and handwashing

pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 returning to school this week research scientists developing and trialling vaccines and treatments the unwell: Johnny Burt, baby Emily, Bob Harland, Phillippa Lerclercq, Tony

Silcox, Maria Sulzmann, Patricia Watts and David Wilson the long-term unwell: Caroline Behan, William Buncombe, Vera Edwards, Julia

Jones, Kate Morgan, Jane Seal, Brett Tribe and Vera Willnecker those who have died recently, including Patricia Byford (no relative of Mark) and

Ernest Sulzmann; all living with the pain of untimely death

Welcome to the parish online

31 May 2020

Pentecost; [BCP] Whitsunday

Please feel free to send prayer requests to ursula@stmatthewstpaul.org or contact Peter Seal on 854849

‘Virtual’ service for 31 May

9.30 am

Introduction

Opening hymn

The Gathering

The Greeting

Prayer of preparation

Prayers of penitence

Parish Eucharist

Pentecost (also known in the Book of Common Prayer as Whitsunday) is the 50th day of the season of Easter. Today we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit, given for everyone, everywhere. In the strength and power of the Holy Spirit we, as today’s disciples, are entrusted with the ongoing mission of Jesus in today’s world.

Come down, O love divine

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. And also with you.

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

What God has prepared for those who love him, he has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything. Therefore, let us in penitence open our hearts to the Lord, who has prepared good things for those who love him.

(1 Corinthians 2: 9, 10)

Let us confess our sins.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we have sinned against you and against our neighbour in thought and word and deed, through negligence, through weakness, through our own deliberate fault.

Gloria

Collect

We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, who died for us, forgive us all that is past and grant that we may serve you in newness of life to the glory of your name. Amen.

Almighty God who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the most high, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Send down, O God, upon your people the flame of your Holy Spirit, and fill with the abundance of your sevenfold gift the Church you brought forth from your Son’s pierced side. May your life-giving Spirit lend fire to our words and strength to our witness. Send us forth to the nations of the world to proclaim with boldness your wondrous work of raising Christ to your right hand. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen.

Liturgy of the word

Gradual hymn

Readers: David and Sheila Wilson

Acts 2: 1–21 [p. 195] 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.”’

For God’s holy word, thanks be to God.

Come, Holy Ghost, our hearts inspire

Gospel reading

Sermon

Alleluia, alleluia. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful people and kindle in them the fire of your love. Alleluia.

(2 Corinthians 1: 22) Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to John. Glory to you, O Lord.

John 20: 19–23 [p. 196] When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you’. After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’

This is the gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. Revd Mary Copping

Prayers

Nicene Creed

Intercessor: Julia Priesemann

Let us pray for the Church and for the world, and let us thank God for God’s goodness.

Lord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.

Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Liturgy of the sacrament

Offertory hymn

Eucharistic Prayer

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit.

(Galatians 5: 22–23)

The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you.

Father, Lord of all creation

As the grain once scattered in the fields and the grapes once dispersed on the hillside are now reunited on this table in bread and wine, so, Lord, may your whole church soon be gathered together from the corners of the earth into your kingdom. Amen.

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give thanks and praise.

It is indeed right, it is our duty and our joy, always and everywhere to give you thanks, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, your only Son our Lord. This day we give you thanks because in fulfilment of your promise you pour out your Spirit upon us, filling us with your gifts, leading us into all truth, and uniting peoples of many tongues in the confession of one faith. Your Spirit gives us grace to call you Father, to proclaim your gospel to all nations and to serve you as a royal priesthood. Therefore we join our voices with angels and archangels, and with all those in whom the Spirit dwells, to proclaim the glory of your name, for ever praising you and saying:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Lord, you are holy indeed, the source of all holiness; grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit, and according to your holy will, these gifts of bread and wine may be to us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ;

who, in the same night that he was betrayed, took bread and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way, after supper he took the cup and gave you thanks; he gave it to them, saying: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

And so, Father, calling to mind his death on the cross, his perfect sacrifice made once for the sins of the whole world; rejoicing in his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension, and looking for his coming in glory, we celebrate this memorial of our redemption. As we offer you this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, we bring before you this bread and this cup and we thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you.

The Lord’s Prayer

Breaking of the Bread

Agnus Dei

Send the Holy Spirit on your people and gather into one in your kingdom all who share this one bread and one cup, so that we, in the company of [N and] all the saints, may praise and glorify you for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord;

by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Being made one by the power of the Spirit, as our Saviour taught us, so we pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ. Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.

Jesus, Lamb of God, Jesus, Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us.

Jesus, Lamb of God, Jesus, Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us.

Jesus, Lamb of God, Jesus, Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: grant us your peace, grant us your peace.

Giving of Communion

Post-Communion prayers

Hymn

Blessing

God’s holy gifts For God’s holy people. Jesus Christ is holy, Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Faithful God, who fulfilled the promises of Easter by sending us your Holy Spirit and opening to every race and nation the way of life eternal: open our lips by your Spirit, that every tongue may tell of your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Faithful God, in baptism you have adopted us as your children, made us members of the body of Christ and chosen us as inheritors of your kingdom: we thank you that in this Eucharist you renew your promises within us, empower us by your Spirit to witness and to serve, and send us out as disciples of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, the light of your love is shining

May the Spirit, who hovered over the waters when the world was created, breathe into you the life he gives. Amen. May the Spirit, who overshadowed the Virgin when the eternal Son came among us, make you joyful in the service of the Lord. Amen. May the Spirit, who set the Church on fire upon the Day of Pentecost, bring the world alive with the love of the risen Christ. Amen. And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

6 pm

Filled with the Spirit’s power, go in the light and peace of Christ. Alleluia, alleluia. Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.

Churches Together in Winchester service

Lord, in what ways have I saturated my eyes, ears, tongue, heart and mind in a fire-retardant?

Readings next Sunday, 7 June Trinity Sunday

BCP

9.30 am

9.30 am

p. 154

Parish Eucharist Readings: Isaiah 40: 12–17, 27–31; Matthew 28: 16–20 [p. 198]

Children’s service

Pentecost Unless the eye catch fire, The God will not be seen. Unless the ear catch fire

The God will not be heard. Unless the tongue catch fire The God will not be named. Unless the heart catch fire, The God will not be loved. Unless the mind catch fire, The God will not be known.

William Blake (1757–1827)

Notices

Request for photos of places or items that are spiritually significant for you, for possible use in the parish’s online services, such as shots of nature, flowers, places, images. If taken on a phone, choose ‘actual size’; don’t crop or adjust colour. Please send to J.B.Schulz@soton.ac.uk.

Download the Church of England daily prayer app and the texts of Common Worship and Prayer Book services at https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources.

Archbishop’s free phone line for worship ‘Daily Hope’ offers music, prayers, reflections and full worship services 24 hours a day on 0800 804 8044.

Rectory drop-off point for gifts Please leave them in the yellow box by the garage at the rectory (44 Cheriton Road).

Prison: packs of colouring pencils and packs of matchsticks and lolly sticks for use by prisoners.

Basics Bank: tinned potatoes, packets of mashed potatoes, tinned vegetables, tinned fruit, pasta sauces, curry sauces, rice (in bags or microwaveable pouches), marmite, peanut butter, jam, honey, tinned pasta (e.g. spaghetti, ravioli), Fray Bentos (or similar style) pies, custard, rice pudding.

Crowdfunding for Olive Branch counselling The Olive Branch has been offering affordable, professional counselling to the people of Winchester and surrounding areas since 1997, including long-term therapy. Due to the pandemic, the service is more in demand than ever, and counselling has also had to change its practices overnight. It is seeking to raise a minimum of £10,000 immediately to meet the most pressing needs – training volunteer counsellors and increasing the number of online and telephone sessions for those experiencing mental crisis. Please help.

Trinity Winchester emergency appeal You’re invited to help Trinity keep homeless people safe by donating.

Nightshelter To help the Nightshelter support residents through to more stable times, including providing food, counselling and emotional support, please donate.

Eco Church

Car charging points In line with the parish’s Eco Church commitment, we’re just starting to explore whether we may usefully be able to offer a small amount of administered electric car charging at medium speed for worshippers, users and visitors to the St Paul’s site. We’re looking for someone to take the lead; if that might be you, please contact Peter Seal, peter@stmatthewstpaul.org.

Climate emergency – if you’d rather laugh than cry here’s the link to a new comedy short featuring Emma Thompson, premiered on 1 May to mark the anniversary of the UK’s declaration of climate emergency: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD24LntwRow&feature=youtu.be.

Green Church Group suggestion box We are keen to have your ideas for what we can be doing during the week to promote our caring for God’s creation. Future suggestions, from all ages please, to alexa.heady@gmail.com.

This week, since World Environment Day 2020’s theme is biodiversity, you might like to plant flowers that particularly attract bees, such as comfrey, cosmos, dahlias, foxgloves, lavender, marigolds, salvia or scabious.

Choose varieties with single, open flowers for easy access to the pollen and nectar. Bees often seem to favour plants with medicinal properties.

There is lots of guidance available online, e.g. at https://friendsoftheearth.uk/bees/beefriendly-plants-every-season.

Building for Life update

It has been another productive week on site, although the Covid-19 regulations understandably make work slower. Your ongoing prayers are requested for the good health of everyone involved and for availability of materials and specialist workers.

more good progress on the flooring: the insulation is complete and oak boarding is now being laid in the north aisle; the stone-laying between the nave pillars continues and, most importantly, the keystone from which all the other stones will be laid has been positioned in the middle of the nave

radiators have been installed by the windows in the new gallery meeting room (nice and deep, so very tempting to sit on!)

electrical work has continued on the new distribution boards the chancel is full of scaffolding – high-level smoke alarms are being fitted and

the decorators have begun the preparatory work; some high-level re-plastering is likely to be needed

Keystone in the centre of the nave

Oak and Ancaster stone flooring

All photos by Peter Seal (church accessed with Site Manager after site working hours)

Gallery meeting room radiators

Altar flowers, Pentecost 2015 at St Paul’s

Contact us

Canon Peter Seal, Rector 854849 (h) 844878 (office) M, Tu, W, Th, peter@stmatthewstpaul.org

Revd Mary Copping, Children/Youth Co-ordinator & Assistant Priest 07921 886016 M, Tu, W, F, youth@stmatthewstpaul.org

Revd Liz Stuart, Curate liz@stmatthewstpaul.org

Katy Palacio, Parish Administrator 844878 M, W, F, admin@stmatthewstpaul.org

Ursula Payne, Rector’s Assistant & Building for Life Administrator 844878 M, Tu, Th, ursula@stmatthewstpaul.org (please send me any notices)

Parish Office (currently closed to visitors), St Paul’s Church, St Paul’s Hill, Winchester SO22 5AB, 844878, www.stmatthewstpaul.org

Staff are working from home whenever possible, and can be reliably contacted by email; parish meetings are cancelled until further notice

Please make cheques payable to St Matthew’s PCC – all gifts gratefully received

Some material included in the service is copyright. © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society, used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd. Common Worship: Times and Seasons is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2006 and published by Church House Publishing