The Breath of Life

Introduction (Bishop of Bangor, Andy John and Archdeacon of Bangor, Mary Stallard)


Good morning. May the God of grace and peace bless you this day! I’m Andy John, Bishop of Bangor, I’m joined by my colleague Archdeacon Mary Stallard and it’s our privilege to share this time of prayer with you on the great feast day of Pentecost.

You join us in a stunning location to celebrate this; here at St Tudno’s Church on the windy cliffs of the Great Orme in Llandudno. A place of beauty and prayer, where worship has been offered both inside and outside for generations. There’s a stone pulpit for preaching in the churchyard, and when you worship God here, you’re surrounded by living sounds and sights that lend themselves well to prayer and praise. In the skies above us there are gulls, fulmar, razor-bills and even occasionally peregrine falcons. On the cliff-tops there are the famous Llandudno goats and sheep and below us in the Irish sea amongst the crashing waves there are seals whose cries can also sometimes be heard on the breeze.

The ancient festival of Pentecost is sacred in both Jewish and Christian tradition and it speaks both of creation and of God’s gifts. Originally it was a harvest celebration and also recalled God giving the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. For Christians, Pentecost is the birthday of the Church, the day on which God’s Holy Spirit was poured out upon Jesus’ followers which came dramatically with the sound of a great rushing wind and flames of fire. The earliest disciples had a mystical experience of empowerment which we’ll hear about later in our reading.

So Pentecost’s a time of thanksgiving, of new beginnings, fresh starts and inspiration. These are precious gifts for which our world longs as we hope we’re beginning to move from a time of pandemic and stress and towards recovery, restoration and a renewal of energy and wisdom for the future.

All the sounds of nature can feel like a wonderful call to prayer, a reminder to turn to our maker the source of all wisdom and power to the Immortal, Invisible, God only wise.

Music: Immortal Invisible / Bangor Cathedral (BBC Recording)

Opening reading and responseJesus spoke about how we may notice the imprint of the mystery of God in creation, saying: “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”(John 3.8)

Living God, you speak to us in so many ways. Help us to bring all our questions and concerns to you, and to notice your presence in our world. Lead us to be faithful and hopeful in worship and action. Breathe your love and creativity afresh into our prayer and all our relationships, that we might grow in friendship with you and all creation.

We thank you for the beauty and wonder of the world, for all that reminds us of the gift and potential of life – every living thing and each of us unique and special in your sight. In all the change and uncertainty of our world, may the free movement of the wind and the untamed ebb and flow of the sea keep us aware of your ever-flowing grace. May the open sky above us remind us that your mercy is always offered to us. May the diversity of nature speak to us of the breadth of your love. Help us to remember that we’re part of your creation, may we always strive to live in friendship and harmony with all that you have made. Amen

When we have the opportunity to spend time outside, the sounds and movement of the natural world can point us to see a different perspective and to notice the gifts and presence of God all around us:

Music: Wind upon the waters / Marty Haugen CD Song of God Among Us

Prayer
As we pray this morning let us ask God our maker to breathe fresh energy and hope into our lives and our world. Let us ask God for forgiveness for the times when we have failed to act with loving kindness and for grace and imagination to recognise our gifts and to use them well.

Creator God, you bless us and our world with so much that is good, but we have often hoarded or squandered this.

Saving God, you show us the way of love, but many times we have put ourselves first, ignoring the needs of the poor. 

Spirit of hope and change, you gift us with fresh opportunities each day. Give us strength and courage when we struggle to put our trust in you and when we are fearful or feel overwhelmed.

Generous God, you never cease the work you have begun, and you bless us with potential to learn and grow every day of our lives. Bless us with your gift of forgiveness. Make us faithful stewards of the gifts that we’ve been given, that we might work for the good of all creation and for the building of your Kingdom. Amen.

Receiving God’s forgiveness and daring to change or to learn new things can be a daunting task. Our next piece of music is a prayer of reassurance that God’s life-giving Spirit accompanies us always, and gifts us with the strength and grace we need in order to grow: “Breathe on me breath of God”

Music: Breathe on me Breath of God / Cantemus Chamber Choir (BBC Recording)

Link to reading
Feeling empowered and resourced is so important when there’s much work that needs to be done.

We’re living through a time of particular stress and change: the global pandemic has called for great resilience and cooperation in communities right across the globe, and we’re aware of the continuing challenges and suffering this brings. Alongside all this there’s increasingly awareness of the impact of climate change and the urgent need to change so many ways in which we organise and resource our ways of living.

In times of crisis people of faith have always turned to God and the book of psalms is an ancient resource of poetry, prayer and song at the heart of the Bible expressing human hopes and fears and asking for God’s help. Psalm 104 looks at creation and reflects upon how God’s life-giving Spirit speaks to us through the natural world.

Reading 2: Psalm 104:24-35 (Andrew Sully)
24 O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great.26 There go the ships and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.27 These all look to you to give them their food in due season;28 when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.30 When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works—32 who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke.33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more.Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!

Reflection 1
Outside St Tudno’s church, on the cliff-top it feels as if this psalm could have been written right here. “Yonder is the sea, great and wide” – well, it’s just below us: here we’re so obviously surrounded by the works and creatures of God. Even the weather can speak to us of God’s presence. In Hebrew the word for Spirit is “Ruach” meaning breath or wind, signifying the mysterious life-force of the divine. When you’re by the sea, it’s often hard to ignore the wind, whether it’s a gentle breeze or a blasting gale.

On a bright and sunny day, it’s easy to connect with the delight and wonder expressed in the psalm, but when it’s stormy the wild, untamed mystery of creation and perhaps the awesome power of the Spirit can be glimpsed. I like the way in which the psalm depicts the vast scope of the natural world including all creatures, perhaps from the microscopic - those described as “innumerable” to the mythic - like the sea monster called “Leviathan” in the Bible. 

When you pray here, something of that range is all around us, from the various lichen growing on the tombstones, to the stoats that sometimes distract folk during dull sermons, to the goats who bleat when I try to sing or the majestic peregrine falcon swooping across the sky. This wondrous variety of creation offers a sense of inclusion and perspective. It underlines an understanding both that God cares for everything and that there’s always so much more for us to know and learn about. 

The psalm depicts a wonderful array of emotions too; from awe, joy and playfulness to sorrow and dismay. This says to me that all our feelings are known by God, and these are set in the hopeful economy of God’s grace: God delights in creation and strives always for its blessing. Death may be part of the story of life, but there’s also renewal and restoration - a cycle of life where everything has a place and all is charged with hope.

Sometimes during the pandemic, I feel I’ve caught a glimpse of this bigger story of creation as I’ve walked or jogged here doing my daily exercise. Frequently I’ve come to the Orme preoccupied by anxieties and the worries of my life, only to be distracted by the sight of seal pups down on the beach, or noticing wild-flowers blossoming unexpectedly from a tiny crevice amongst the rocks. Such sights have reminded me that there’s always a bigger picture to see, and an unexpected hope to be found.

The psalmist points us to an understanding of creation as something unfathomably large in the context of which, human pain and suffering are only one small part. That’s not to dismiss the importance or place of these things, but to say that our sorrow and grief don’t define the whole story of our existence. 

Sometimes we struggle to know and find our place in creation, as perhaps we’re discovering with the climate crisis. As we seek a way to live more sustainably and in better harmony with creation. There’s something beautiful and important about affirming interdependence and relationship in this psalm. It tells us we are not alone as we seek for a better way to live and describes an order and balance amongst creation that’s part of how God intends things to be. This might offer us hope, and vision describing how God has a plan for creation which was designed to thrive and to be a source of joy. 

Music: I Sing the Almighty Power of God / St Michael's Singers CD The Hymn Makers: Isaac Watts (When I Survey)

Reflection 2a
Praying in a church that usually meets outside means being guided by the elements. Stormy weather here sometimes drives us indoors to pray. But on the Day of Pentecost a strong wind brought huge change to the small band of Jesus’ followers, fifty days after his resurrection. What happened on that day is the story of the transformation of some who’d felt under threat and full of fear, to a confident band of activists who were able to speak openly and freely about their faith: We hear their story from The Book of Acts, chapter 2:

Reading 3: Acts 2.1-21
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: ..how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? ..What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” Then Peter ….addressed the crowd: .. These people are not drunk, as you suppose… No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.Your sons and daughters will prophesy,… I will show wonders in the heavens aboveand signs on the earth below, .. before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Reflection 2b
The story of Pentecost tells of one of the most important moments in the life of the Christian church. It’s a birthday, a new beginning, it recalls an event that’s all about connection, both with God and with other people. It’s a story that challenges followers of Jesus today to remember our own connection with this event through our baptism. We believe that every single baptised member of the Christian church has been touched and filled with God’s Holy Spirit. In that sense we are all “Pentecostal” Christians, we’re all Spirit filled followers of Jesus Christ and so we are all connected to this story.

And the question for each one of us has to be about what difference that might make for us? How is the Holy Spirit evident and recognisable in each of our lives? One of the repeated phrases about the Holy Spirit in the Bible is that “the Spirit gives life”. To be filled with the life-giving breath of the Holy Spirit is to be fully alive to God and awake to others and to all creation. To be filled with the Spirit is to have confidence in our relationship with God. To be “confident” simply means to be someone who lives with faith.

And this may involve us in being prepared to get out of our comfort zone. If we’re attentive to what the Bible tells us about the Spirit of God, we may notice that the Holy Spirit is often connected with bringing about change. From the book of Genesis at the very beginning of the Bible, the Holy Spirit is active in bringing about creation. You might remember how the whole story of everything starts with the Spirit of God brooding over the waters before anything begins. 

And throughout scripture the Holy Spirit is the amazing power of God to bring about change, to do what seems impossible and to bring hope, healing and new life. So ,the rather strange passage we’ve just heard from the Book of Acts isn’t a completely new story, it’s a continuation of the activity of God’s Holy Spirit in creation, a Spirit which is always dynamic and which points to new life, hope and change enabling the people of God to do and understand new things.

We heard in the reading how the Holy Spirit came like the rush of a strong wind. Sometimes it’s as if you encounter something similar here at St Tudno’s, surrounded as we are on three sides by the sea, the power of the wind can be immense; walking in a strong wind can be a challenge, you have to lean into it and it can be scary.Perhaps those early disciples felt something similar; it seems to have been a scene of utter confusion and chaos when the Spirit came.

Those who witnessed it wondered about what’d happened. Outsiders were able to understand what was said. It seems clear that the Spirit of God was making the disciples turn their attention outwards and communicate with strangers. Tongues of fire appeared amongst them, they were ablaze with God’s energy, and enabled to communicate in new ways. 

Pentecost is the endorsing of the disciples’ work, an overflowing of the Spirit of God beyond the boundaries of Jesus’ closest friends. The Holy Spirit pulls those inside and those outside together to build a bigger community.

In some parts of the Church we’ve experienced something of that first Pentecost even during the pandemic. Christians on Anglesey have discovered new ways to communicate sometimes through a greater use of technology, pioneering new services of extraordinary creativity, engaging those who would never have imagined they could feel connected to others across the digital airwaves. I‘ve witnessed in Bangor an increase in the numbers who have felt empowered by a renewed calling to serve others who’ve been in need especially in our Food Bank which is working to full capacity.

At the first Pentecost Peter said that the experience of being empowered and enlivened by God’s Spirit was something the prophets spoke of long ago. It is the outworking of the saving love of God.

Our challenge today is to listen for the voice of God’s Spirit, continuing to guide, lead and embolden us and to dare to respond in hope and with open hearts.

So let us pray:

Music: Veni Creator Spiritus (Gregorian chant) / Oliver Hancock and Portsmouth Cathedral Choir CD: Plainsong: The Echo of Angels

Closing Prayers
God, the wind of you spirit brings hope, healing, change, new life, fresh inspiration and perspective, speak to us today and help us to listen and understand.
Risen Lord Jesus, source of life, thank you that you are always with us, help us to recognise your peace and presence in our lives.

We pray for all who today face hard decisions or difficult situations. 

Where we encounter difference or diversity, grace us with gifts to listen with care and courage to share openly, seeking to move forward with hope.

As we pray we’re especially conscious today of the needs of all who still feel engulfed or overwhelmed in this time of pandemic. Amongst them we continue to remember the people of India, in Palestine and Israel, and to give thanks for all working hard to serve, support and save others.

For all who live in great need, and the families and friends of all whose lives have been rocked by the pain and violence of our world. 

Bless all who are hurting, be close to those who feel raw with sorrow or grief at this time. 
Touch our hearts and help us to be signs of your hope and grace for others.
We ask for God’s blessing upon our lives and decisions: Lord speak to us in ways that we can understand and help us to respond with courage. 

Holy Spirit of God, we pray for the coming of the Kingdom in the words that Jesus taught us. 

Lord’s Prayer: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever and ever, Amen.

Music: Thou who camest from above / St Davids Cathedral Pembs (BBC Recording)

Blessing
And now our blessing:Jesus, confirm our hearts’ desire to work, and speak, and think and pray;still let us guard the holy fire, and still stir up your gifts today. And may the blessing of God our CreatorFather, Son and Holy Spirit be with us all this Pentecost and always. Amen.