Pentecost (Sunday 31 May) – The Nine Gifts

[This is a video compilation for Pentecost conducted by Father Ian and members of the Holy Saviour family, with recorded music. Click on this link for a playlist, which will play through the videos in order. You can stop and start it at any point, or select an individual video]

THE NINE GIFTS
A Meditation in Words and Music on
The Fruits of the Spirit

I Prologue
II The Fruits of the Spirit
III The First Three: Love, Joy, Peace
IV The Second Three: Patience, Kindness, Goodness
V The Third Three: Fidelity, Gentleness, Self-Control
VI Epilogue

I PROLOGUE

Hymn:  Give to our God immortal praise  – Hymns Old & New (HON) 155 (Tune HON 453)

1. Give to our God immortal praise;
mercy and truth are all his ways:
wonders of grace to God belong,
repeat his mercies in your song.

2. Give to the Lord of lords renown,
the King of kings with glory crown:
his mercies ever shall endure,
when lords and kings are known no more.

3. He built the earth, he spread the sky,
and fixed the starry lights on high:
wonders of grace to God belong,
repeat his mercies in your song.

4. He fills the sun with morning light;
he bids the moon direct the night:
his mercies ever shall endure,
when suns and moons shall shine no more.

5. He sent His Son with power to save
from guilt, and darkness, and the grave
wonders of grace to God belong,
repeat his mercies in your song.

The Affirmations

The Archbishop’s Fanfare (Francis Jackson) (b. 1917)

Reading: from Luke 9

The Archbishop’s Fanfare (Francis Jackson) (b. 1917)

Readings: (i) John 14: 6
(ii) John 15: 26, 27
(iii) John 14: 26

The Invocation of the Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit,
the free dispenser of all graces:
Visit the hearts of your faithful servants,
and replenish them with your sacred inspirations;
illuminate our understandings,
and inflame our affections,
and sanctify all the faculties of our souls;
that we may know, and love, and constantly do
the things that belong to our peace,
our everlasting peace.
All: Amen

Hymn: O King enthroned on high – HON 373a

1. O King enthroned on high,
thou Comforter divine,
blest Spirit of all truth, be nigh
and make us thine.

2. Thou art the source of life,
thou art our treasure-store;
give us thy peace and end our strife
for evermore.

3. Descend, O heavenly Dove,
abide with us alway;
and in the fullness of thy love
cleanse us, we pray.

II THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT

Anthem: Come, Holy Ghost (Attwood) New Church Anthem Book (NCAB) p 100

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 mortal sight.

Anoint and cheer our soiled face,
With the abundance of Thy grace.
Keep far our foes, give peace at home,
Where Thou art judge, 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 thine eternal merit,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

Reading: Galatians 5: 19-22, 24, 25

The Middle Voluntary:
Choral Prelude on Rhosymedre  (R. Vaughan Williams) (1872-1958)

III THE FIRST THREE: Love, Joy, Peace

Minister: Peace to you all from our Lord the Spirit
All: Peace to you

Minister: Let us pray.
Teach us, O Holy Spirit,
to cherish our homes and families;
teach us to rule our children wisely,
and to serve them courteously;
teach us to serve and love,
in Christ’s name,
the unlovely and the unloved among our neighbours.
Holy Spirit hear us.

All: Holy Spirit, help us

Minister: Teach us, O Holy Spirit,
to be grateful for your mercies to us,
till joy leaves no room in our hearts
for moroseness and self-pity.
Holy Spirit hear us.

All: Holy Spirit, help us

Minister: Teach us, O Holy Spirit, to rest in your peace;
to live in your peace;
to enfold in your peace
our families and households.
Holy Spirit hear us.

All: Holy Spirit, help us

Minister: Almighty and everlasting God,
you govern all things in heaven and earth:
Mercifully hear the supplications of your people,
and grant us your peace every day of our life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All: Amen

LOVE

Anthem: Thy perfect love (John Rutter)

Jesu, my love, my joy, my rest,
Thy perfect love close in my breast.
That I thee love and never rest;
And make me love thee all things best,
And wounde my heart in thy love free,
That I may reign in joy evermore with thee.

JOY

Anthem: Awake, thou wintry earth (J. S. Bach) (NCAB p. 53)

Awake, thou wintry earth,
Fling off, fling off thy sadness.
Ye vernal flowers, laugh forth,
laugh forth your ancient gladness.
A new and lovely tale
Throughout the land is sped,
It floats o’er hill and dale
To tell that death is dead.

Descended to the grave,
Where our belov’d lie sleeping,
Hath Christ return’d to save
man’s heart from woe and weeping.
O earth, bring forth and sing,
Renew thy bright array,
With fairest blooms of spring
Bestrew the Saviour’s way.

PEACE

Reading: from The Pilgrim’s Progress (John Bunyan) (1682-85)

Hymn: Holy Spirit, come, confirm us – HON 214a

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 live;
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.

IV THE SECOND THREE: Patience, Kindness, Goodness

Minister: Peace to you all from our Lord the Spirit
All: Peace to you

Minister: Let us pray.
Teach us, O Holy Spirit,
to practise patience,
subduing every impulse of anger and irritation.
Holy Spirit hear us.

All: Holy Spirit, help us

Minister: Teach us, O Holy Spirit,
to be kind to one another,
tender-hearted,
forgiving one another;
teach us to be kind to our children;
teach us to be kind to those who serve us;
teach us to be kind
to those who are unkind to us.
Holy Spirit hear us.

All: Holy Spirit, help us

Minister: Teach us, O Holy Spirit,
to trust always in the power of goodness,
against all odds,
to subdue evil and overcome it.
Holy Spirit hear us.

All: Holy Spirit, help us

Minister: Almighty and everlasting God,
by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church
is governed and sanctified:
Receive our supplications and prayers,
which we offer before you
for all estates of men in your holy Church;
that every member of it,
in their vocation and ministry,
may serve you and be true to you
as they should;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All: Amen

PATIENCE

Reading: Milton’s sonnet: On His Blindness

When I consider how my light is spent,
Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest He returning chide;
‘Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?’
I fondly ask: but Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, ‘God doth not need
Either man’s work or his own gifts. Who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best: his state
Is kingly: thousands at his bidding speed,
And post o’er land and ocean without rest;
They also serve who only stand and wait.’

KINDNESS

Psalm: Psalm 37

GOODNESS

Anthem: O strength and stay (Bourgeois, arr. Harris) (Anthems for Choirs 1 p. 156)

O strength and stay upholding all creation,
who ever dost thyself unmoved abide,
yet day by day the light in due gradation
from hour to hour through all its changes guide;

Grant to life’s day a calm unclouded ending,
an eve untouched by shadows of decay,
the brightness of a holy death-bed blending
with dawning glories of the eternal day.

Hear us, O Father, gracious and forgiving,
through Jesus Christ thy co-eternal Word,
who with the Holy Ghost by all things living
now and to endless ages art adored.

Hymn: Breathe on me, Breath of God – HON 69

V THE THIRD THREE: Fidelity, Gentleness, Self-Control

Minister: Peace to you all from our Lord the Spirit
All: Peace to you

Minister: Let us pray.
Teach us, O Holy Spirit,
to practise fidelity
to our wives and husbands,
to our children,
to our friends,
and to our Church.
Holy Spirit hear us.

All: Holy Spirit, help us

Minister: Teach us, O Holy Spirit,
to prefer gentleness and courtesy
to fretfulness and wrangling.
Holy Spirit hear us.

All: Holy Spirit, help us

Minister: Teach us, O Holy Spirit,
so to learn self-control
that we may be the masters of ourselves,
and the servants of Christ.
Holy Spirit hear us.

All: Holy Spirit, help us

Minister: Enable us, O Lord God,
to walk in your way
with integrity and cheerfulness,
faithfully believing your Word
and faithfully doing your commandments,
faithfully worshipping you
and faithfully serving your neighbour;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All: Amen

FIDELITY

Readings: (i) 1 Corinthians 4: 1
(ii) Luke 12: 42-46
(iii) Revelation 2: 8, 10]

Reader: There was war in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon: and the dragon
fought and his angels, and prevailed not.
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven,

All: Now is come salvation and strength,
And the kingdom of our God,
And the power of his Christ:
For the accuser of our brethren is cast down,
Which accused them before our God day and night.

Reader: And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb,
and by the Word of their testimony;

All: And they loved not their lives unto the death.

Fanfare 1 (Gerre Hancock)

GENTLENESS

Anthem: Ó Súilleabháin: The Beatitudes (Owen & Moley)

SELF-CONTROL

Readings: (i) Proverbs 25: 28
(ii) 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27
(iii) Hebrews 12: 1

Hymn: Thou art the Way: by Thee alone – HON 512

1 Thou art the Way: to thee alone
from sin and death we flee;
and he who would the Father seek,
must seek him, Lord, by thee.

2 Thou art the Truth: thy Word alone
true wisdom can impart;
thou only canst inform the mind,
and purify the heart.

3 Thou art the Life: the rending tomb
proclaims thy conquering arm,
and those who put their trust in thee
nor death nor hell shall harm.

4 Thou art the Way, the Truth, the Life:
grant us that Way to know,
that Truth to keep, that Life to win,
whose joys eternal flow.

VI EPILOGUE

Reading: Wisdom 9: 1-4, 6, 9a-11

Recessional Hymn: God is love; let heaven adore him – HON 170 (Tune HON 158a)

Postlude: Fantasia on “Komm, Heiliger Geist”, BWV 651 (J. S. Bach)

[Music selected and compiled by Trevor Hughes; videos edited by Gavin Budge; website version prepared by Brian Caswell]