Podcast: Play in new window
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More
Listen to a service of Prayer for 12 May 2021 (Easter 6: Wednesday), including a reflection on the set gospel reading
Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Praise
Risen Christ,
by the lakeside you renewed your call to your disciples:
help your Church to obey your command
and draw the nations to the fire of your love,
to the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
Psalm 148.1-2, 11-14
Alleluia.
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights.
Praise him, all you his angels;
praise him, all his host.
Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the world;
Young men and women,
old and young together;
let them praise the name of the Lord.
For his name only is exalted,
his splendour above earth and heaven.
He has raised up the horn of his people
and praise for all his faithful servants,
the children of Israel, a people who are near him.
Alleluia.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
Reading
John 16.12-15
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.’
Reflection
In Tolkien’s celebrated trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, Bilbo Baggins sets off from his home for the last time singing these words:
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began,
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet,
And whither then? I cannot say.
Since first reading those words when I was a teenager I have associated them with this time in the Church’s calendar, and particularly with Jesus’ words in today’s reading: When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.
We have been celebrating the victory of Christ’s resurrection since Easter Day, and we are now on the eve of celebrating his Ascension. As the physical presence of Jesus finally departs from this mortal world, he promises us the hope of God’s very real presence and inspiration for the rest of time. Jesus promises us the certainty of God’s presence in our midst through the divine gift of the Holy Spirit … the coming of whom we will celebrate at Pentecost.
As we engage with scripture we know that God’s power has been at work in this world since the moment of its creation. We also know the power that was unleashed upon this world when his Son, Jesus Christ, came and lived among us. Surely we can expect nothing less powerful and disruptive when the final part of the Holy Trinity moves amongst us for the rest of time!
When we recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and when we listen to his promptings, we will always feel challenged, and often threatened. But, God does not threaten us. God, through the Holy Spirit, is leading us towards the road of truth, a road that will always be new and unfamiliar to us, because of our rootedness in this mortal world. The Holy Spirit is constantly offering us his hand and inviting us to travel into the unknown as a disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ. Where that journey may take us will always be uncertain, hence the feelings of threat.
We are offered these words of scripture today because of tomorrow’s remembrance of Christ’s Ascension. Just as the disciples were finally separated from the physical presence of Jesus, so we often find ourselves in a similar place of distance and isolation. But … our loving, triune God is always with us in the form of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth. Whilst we cannot stretch out our hands and physically touch the Spirit, we can be certain of his unfailing presence. But, that certainty only comes from faith in the words we are offered today.
Let us pray that whenever we feel that Christ is absent from us, that we may be reminded of his promise of the Spirit and the truth of his presence and strength in our lives for the rest of time.
Prayers of Intercession
We pray for the flourishing of God’s gifts to his Church.
God our Father, you give us gifts that we may work together in the service of your Son: bless the leaders of your Church, that they may be firm in faith, and humble before you.
Bless those who teach, that they may increase our understanding, and be open to your word for them.
Bless those who minister healing, that they may bring wholeness to others, yet know your healing in themselves.
Bless those through whom you speak, that they may proclaim your word in power, yet open their ears to your gentle whisper.
Bless those who work in your world today, that in the complexity of their daily lives they may live for you, fulfil your purposes, and seek your kingdom first.
Bless those who are uncertain of their gifts and those who are powerless in this world’s eyes, that they may be made strong in your gift of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus, Lord of your Church, hear our prayer, and make us one in heart and mind to serve you with joy for ever.
Prayer for the week
Grant that your Church, O God,
here and in every place,
may offer a living worship to you in your glory,
and a living witness to the world in its need;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
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 this day our daily bread.
And 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.
The Grace
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore. Amen.
Hymn
Awake, awake: fling off the night!
For God has sent his glorious light;
and we who live in Christ’s new day
must works of darkness put away.
Then sing for joy, and use each day;
give thanks for everything alway.
Lift up your hearts; with one accord
praise God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
John Raphael Peacey (1896–1971)