Come, Holy Spirit! Pentecost,2006

The readings for today were:
Acts 2:1-21
Psalm 104: 25-35,37
Romans 8:22-27
John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

Pentecost is always a big day. In addition to our celebration of the Pentecost this is the day for Confirmation. The class was big, as usual. There were 31 confirmands this year.

Our introit hymn was Come, Holy Ghost, Our Souls Inspire. This 8th century hymn is attributed to Rhabanus Maurus. It was translated by John Cosin in 1627. The tune is Veni Creator .

Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire, and lighten with celestial fire.
Thou the anointing Spirit art, who dost thy sevenfold gifts impart.

Thy blessed unction from above is comfort, life, and fire of love.
Enable with perpetual light the dullness of our blinded sight.

Anoint and cheer our soiled face with the abundance of thy grace.
Keep far from foes, give peace at home: where thou art guide, no ill can come.

Teach us to know the Father, Son, and thee, of both, to be but One,
that through the ages all along, this may be our endless song:

Praise to thy eternal merit, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The processional hymn was Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones written by John Athelstan Laurie Riley. The tune is Lasst Uns Erfeuen harmonized by Ralph Vaughan Williams. The procession was long because each of the confirmands and their sponsors brought in candles to place on the altar. It’s always a splendid sight.

1. Ye watchers and ye holy ones, bright seraphs, cherubim, and thrones,
raise the glad strain, Alleluia!
Cry out, dominions, princedoms, powers, virtues, archangels, angels' choirs:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

2. O higher than the cherubim, more glorious than the seraphim,
lead their praises, Alleluia!
Thou bearer of th' eternal Word, most gracious, magnify the Lord:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

3. Respond, ye souls in endless rest, ye patriarchs and prophets blest,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Ye holy twelve, ye martyrs strong, all saints triumphant, raise the song:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

4. O friends, in gladness let us sing, supernal anthems echoing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
To God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit, Three in One:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Our anthem was Veni Sancte Spiritus by Charles Hogan. It was unusual and very difficult. It began as a chant and then changed to a Caribbean rhythm with maracas and tambourine. The text is from a 12th century Latin hymn, translated by Charles P. Price.

Come, thou Holy Spirit bright; come with thy celestial light; pour on us thy love divine.
Come, protector of the poor; come, thou source of blessings sure; come within our hearts to shine.
Thou, of comforters the best, thou, the soul's most welcome guest, of our peace thou art the sign.
In our labor, be our aid; in our summer, cooling shade. Every bitter hear refine.
Brighter than the noonday sun, fill our lives which Christ has won;
fill our hearts and make them thine.
Where thou art not, we have nought:
all our word and deed and thought twisted from thy true design.
Bend the stubborn heart and will; melt the frozen, warm the chill; rule us by thy judgment's line.
Cleanse us with thy healing power; what is barren bring to flower; to thy love our sins consign.
To thy people who adore and confess thee evermore, thy blest sevenfold gift assign.
Grant us thy salvation, Lord, boundless mercy our reward, joys which earth and heaven entwine.

The second hymn was Holy Spirit, Come Confirm Us by Brian Foley. It is set to the tune For the Bread Which Thou Has Broken by V. Earle Copes.

Holy Spirit, come, confirm us in the truth that Christ makes known;
We have faith and understanding through your helping gifts alone.
Holy Spirit, come, console us, come as advocate to plead;
Loving Spirit from the Father, grant in Christ the help we need.
Holy Spirit, come, renew us, come yourself to make us free;
Holy through your loving presence, holy through the gifts you give.
Holy Spirit, come, possess us, you the love of Three in One,
Holy Spirit of the Father, Holy Spirit of the Son.

The Communion hymns were: Spirit Song and Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.

Spirit Song
O let the Son of God enfold you with His Spirit and His love
Let him fill your heart and satisfy your soul
O let him have the things that hold you and His Spirit like a dove
Will descend up-on your life and make you whole.
Chorus;
Jesus, O Jesus, come and fill your lambs, Jesus, O Jesus, come and fill your lambs,
O come and sing this song of gladness as your hearts all filled with joy.
Lift your hands in sweet surrender to His name
O give Him all your tears and sadness; give Him all your years of pain,
And you'll enter into life in Jesus' name.

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.
The text is from the fourth century Liturgy of St. James; translated by Gerard Moultrie. The tune is the French carol Picardy.

Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand;
ponder nothing earthly minded, for with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth, our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary, as of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords in human vesture, in the Body and the Blood
he will give to all the faithful his own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven spreads its vanguard on the way,
as the Light of Light descendeth from the realms of endless day,
that the powers of hell may vanish as the darkness clears away.

At his feet the six-winged seraph; cherubim with sleepless eye,
veil their faces to the Presence, as with ceaseless voice they cry,
Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, Lord Most High!

The closing hymn was We Are the Church by Richard K. Avery and Donald S. Marsh in 1972. It always reminds me of the years my husband and I spent teaching Sunday School and confirmation classes. This song has been popular since it was first written. We sang this song in the Sunday School classes we taught, and at Vacation Bible School classes and with Ecumenical meetings. It’s not great music, but we all love it.

I am the church. You are the church. We are the church together. All who follow Jesus, all around the world, yes, we’re the church together.
The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is a people.

I am the church. You are the church. We are the church together. All who follow Jesus, all around the world, yes, we’re the church together.
We’re many kinds of people with many kinds of faces, all colors and all ages too, from all times and places.

I am the church. You are the church. We are the church together. All who follow Jesus, all around the world, yes, we’re the church together.
And when the people gather, there’s singing and there’s praying, there’s laughing and there’s crying sometimes, all of it saying:

I am the church. You are the church. We are the church together. All who follow Jesus, all around the world, yes, we’re the church together
At Pentecost some people received the Holy Spirit
And told the Good News through the world to all who would hear it.

I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together!All who follow Jesus, all around the world, Yes, we are the church together!