Break Open the Word

The Day of Pentecost, Whitsunday, 31 May 2020 Acts 2:1-21 or  Numbers 11:24-30 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 or  Acts 2:1-21 John 20:19-23 or  John 7:37-39 Psalm 104:25-35, 37 The Collect Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen. or this O God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen. Background:  Ru’ach ha

The Seventh Sunday of Easter, 24 May 2020 Acts 1:6-14 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 John 17:1-11 Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36 The Collect O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting.  Amen. Background: Anticipation As we look through the readings for today, and as we approach Pentecost, it might be good to look at the human emotion of anticipation. We know if often in the Church’s Year, especially in Advent, but also in the Triduum, the last Sundays of Easter, and then at the end of the year, as we approach Christ the King. Robin Skynner describes anticipation as one of “the mature ways of dealing with real stress…You reduce the stress of some difficult challenge by anticip