大象传媒

1) Welcome听 & Call to Worship
Good morning and welcome on this Pentecost Sunday. I鈥檓 Stephen Wigley, Chair of Wales Synod Cymru of the Methodist Church, and today鈥檚 service comes from the Amelia Trust Farm in the Vale of Glamorgan. The farm forms part of the mission of the Methodist Church in Wales, providing therapeutic support to disadvantaged and vulnerable people and an opportunity to engage with nature.

It reminds us that we celebrate the gift of God鈥檚 Holy Spirit not just in the birth of the Church, but also in听renewing the face of the earth.

2) Hymn : Lord of creation to you be all praise / Slane - Leeds Cathedral Girls' Choir

3) Intro to theme: The Spirit brings new life to the Church, but also to the World
This is the day when we celebrate the coming of God鈥檚 Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The Spirit comes upon the听disciples as a mighty rushing wind and as tongues of flame; a powerful force which changes them听and through them the world.

The Spirit gives them courage and a renewed faith so that they are now able to face the world and share听the good news that Christ is risen. Moreover, as they witness and worship together they discover a sense听of Christ鈥檚 spirit still with them, that they have become part of his Risen Body alive and at work.

All this is important and rightly to be celebrated; but it鈥檚 not all that is to be said about the Spirit. The Spirit听didn鈥檛 begin its work at Pentecost but is there right from the very beginning. The Spirit is there in the Book听of Genesis as the breath of God moving over the face of the waters in Creation. It鈥檚 the Spirit which calls the听prophets, which inspires David and Psalmists and encourages people long in exile to hope for restoration.

This is the story of God鈥檚 Creator Spirit which has always been there to breathe new life, offer new hope,听and restore the face of the earth. That鈥檚 why we鈥檝e come down to the Amelia Trust Farm to share in this听morning鈥檚 service, and to hear from members of the community there about the spirit living and active. But first we begin in prayer, as we are reminded by the Apostle Paul that when we鈥檙e not sure how to pray aright, then it鈥檚 one of the Spirit鈥檚 roles to prompt and encourage us in our prayers.听

4) Bidding prayer
Eternal God,听 Giver of life and Creator of all, the one in whom we live and move and have our being, We come to worship you, to sing your praises, to hear your word听 and to know your presence among us in the power of your Spirit.听 Amen.

5) Song : Holy Spirit we welcome you鈥� St Michael鈥檚 Singers

We鈥檙e sitting in one of the fields on the Amelia Farm, as we hear our first reading, the account of the Coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost as told in Acts chapter 2.

6) Acts 2.1-13 鈥楾he coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost鈥� (read by Karen Turnbull) When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there听came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.听Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were听filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.听

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the听crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of听each.听 Amazed and astonished, they asked, 鈥淎re not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it听that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of听Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of听Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs鈥攊n our听Own languages we hear them speaking about God鈥檚 deeds of power.鈥澨�

All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, 鈥淲hat does this mean?鈥� But others sneered and听said, They are all filled with new wine.鈥�

7) Reflection 1:听 The creative Spirit of God and the work of the AMT Farm

This passage from Acts speaks of how the Holy Spirit comes upon the Apostles as a mighty force, driving听them out of the house to address the crowds outside. It goes on to speak of how this same Spirit leads听them to engage with the diverse world around them, speaking in ways that can be heard and understood听by people from all over the world, and forming them into a community which will seek to proclaim not just听that Christ is risen but that his Spirit is alive and at work in them.

It鈥檚 a passage that was read by my colleague Karen Turnbull, who is the Director of the Amelia Trust Farm.

8)听 Karen Turnbull reflects on the work of the Amelia Trust Farm
鈥榁eni Sancte Spiritus; come Holy Spirit鈥� from Taize weaves in and out of speech.

It seems to me that this is not a million miles away from the kind of community described in the Acts of the听Apostles; a place where people learn to live together and share their gifts, a place where new possibilities听are uncovered and people can make a new start, a place where people are refreshed by their engagement听with the world outside and can appreciate the wonders of God鈥檚 creation.

In short a place where we can learn what it means to listen and be led by the creative Spirit of God,听something which can make a difference in all our lives.听

9) Reflection 2: The Farm as a spiritual place: renewing the face of the earth

The Amelia Farm is a special place for all kinds of reasons, and one of them is the range of people who听volunteer to work here in all kinds of roles. Hedd James is one of the farm鈥檚 longest serving volunteers,听having been at the Farm for more than twenty years, for many of them helping to run the Caf茅/Visitor听centre, where so many young people, visitors and volunteers meet.

Hedd is one of those people who contribute towards a real sense of community at the Farm, and for whom听the Farm is a special, indeed spiritual place.听

Hedd James reflects on the sense of community and spirit at the Amelia Trust Farm听[Veni Creator Spiritus (Instrumental, based on the plainchant hymn) weaves in and out of Hedd鈥檚 speech.

10)听 Psalm 104 (read by Hedd James)听

O Lord, how manifold are your works!听 In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, great and wide; creeping things innumerable are there,听 听 living things both small and great. There go the ships and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.

These all look to you to give them their food in due season; when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.

11) Music : An extract from The heavens are telling the glory of God

That was 鈥楾he Heavens are telling the glory of God鈥� from Haydn鈥檚 Creation.It鈥檚 volunteers like Hedd who help not just to welcome visitors and young people, but also to work with the staff here in looking after the grounds, growing fruit and vegetables, managing the woodlands and making it a place where people can come to enjoy nature in all its seasons 鈥� and not just to enjoy it but to share in the responsibility for managing and sustaining it.听

For many of them the Farm has become a spiritual place, their Church as it were. They do have services at听special times of the year, a Nativity Play with the animals at Christmas. But more than these special events, there is a sense that here they鈥檙e in a place where God can speak through nature.听听

This aspect of the Farm is clearly appreciated and I鈥檓 now standing by a Celtic Cross, dedicated when Prince Charles, as he then was, visited the Farm in 1997. There鈥檚 also a prayer labyrinth and several memorial trees and plaques, all of which show how much the Farm has come to be valued over the years, as a place which holds meaning and memories.听听

Our Gospel reading is John鈥檚 account of the risen Jesus giving the Holy Spirit to his disciples, and it鈥檚 read by听Hannah Tuck a member of the GROW team working with young people on the Farm.

12) Gospel : John 20.19-24 鈥楬e breathed and said 鈥楻eceive the Holy Spirit鈥� (Read by Hannah Tuck)

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors were locked where the disciples听were, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 鈥淧eace be with you.鈥� After he听said this, he showed them his hands and his side.听
Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, 鈥淧eace be with you. As the听Father has sent me, so I send you.鈥澨�

When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 鈥淩eceive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the听sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.鈥� 听

13) Reflection 3 : The Farm as a place offering new life & opportunities

In this Gospel reading, Jesus returns to his frightened disciples hiding away in the Upper Room, to reassure听them that he is risen and to 鈥榖reathe鈥� on them his gift of the Holy Spirit. At this point the disciples are still听demoralised by all the events which have led to Jesus death on the Cross and all too conscious of the听role they have played in abandoning him. Jesus鈥檚 gift of the Spirit is really the gift of new life and a fresh听start, an opportunity to begin again and to live out their faith as if Jesus were still with them.

Offering new life and a fresh start is right at the heart of the Amelia Farm鈥檚 mission, as we hear from Hannah.

Hannah Tuck reflects on her work at the farm.听 We hear also from young voices from some of the young people who come to the farm.

Offering new life and a fresh start is also one of the gifts of the Spirit, as there are times when we can all听feel worn down and burnt out 鈥� in need of that refreshment which the Spirit brings.听听So we hear the Gospel singer Al Green hoping that 鈥榯he Spirit might come鈥� and 鈥榬est鈥�, indeed 鈥榬estore鈥� our听weary souls鈥�.

14) Music: The Spirit might come - Al Green

The sense that God鈥檚 Holy Spirit is still present, waiting with that 鈥榙earest freshness deep down things鈥� to renew and refresh creation is wonderfully described in Gerard Manley Hopkins鈥� poem 鈥楪od鈥檚 Grandeur鈥�, written when he was staying at St Beuno鈥檚, the Jesuit College on the North Wales Coast. We hear it read from under the canopy of the rich woodland area now being managed sustainably at the back of the Farm.

15) Reading:听 God鈥檚 Grandeur (Gerard Manley Hopkins)

16) Song: She sits like a bird, brooding on the waters - Daily Service Singers

17) Reflection 4:听 Sharing with the Spirit in God鈥檚 work of re-creation

In this morning鈥檚 service from the Farm, we鈥檝e been reflecting on the coming of God鈥檚 Holy Spirit at听Pentecost to transform the lives of the Apostles and so bring about the birth of the Church.听

We鈥檝e also been reminded that this isn鈥檛 something new in the story of the Holy Spirit, that God鈥檚 creative听spirit has been around from the very beginning, moving across the face of the waters in creation, inspiring听prophets and preachers, challenging leaders and rulers and offering new life and hope to those in despair.

Together with colleagues, I鈥檝e shared a little bit of the story of the Amelia Farm, as a place where God鈥檚听creative spirit is at work, a place of fresh starts and new beginnings, a place where each person can feel听welcome and made whole and where everyone can enjoy the riches and wonder of God鈥檚 creation.听听

In and through all this, I have a sense of how the Spirit of God can be at work also in us, sharing in that听great work of re-creation in which the Spirit serves to heal and restore, to lead us through our faults and听failings and guide us into a new future, rich with all the new possibilities God has laid before us.

The Amelia Farm is just one example of this. The truth is that the creative Spirit of God is alive and at work听among countless people and places all over the world. So the message of this Pentecost Sunday is to听remind us that the coming of God鈥檚 Spirit is not simply some historic event to be remembered from long听ago, but rather an invitation in the here and now, to say yes to God鈥檚 gracious invitation and allow the听Spirit to come alive and be at work in and through us, whoever we are and wherever we may be.

That鈥檚 the invitation offered to us in our next hymn,听 鈥楤reathe on me breath of God, fill me with life anew鈥�

18) Hymn: Breathe on me breath of God - 大象传媒 National Chorus of Wales

19) Prayers听
We offer our prayers from the Prayer Labyrinth on the Farm, a place where people come to reflect on their relationship with God, as they either follow the path round or stop to take in the wonder of God鈥檚 creation.

Gracious God, whose Spirit helps us in our weakness and guides us in our prayers. We pray for your Church, for your world and for your people everywhere.
We pray for your Church, that she may be filled by your Spirit, strengthened in witness and faithful in service, to become that community which shares your life and reveals your love to the world.

We pray for your world, in all its rich diversity and wonder, that inspired by the joy of its creation, we may be led by your Spirit to cherish its beauty, preserve its integrity and share its resources for the good of all.

We pray for your people everywhere, for young people who struggle to reach their potential, for families caught up in conflict, and for all those worn down by illness or oppression that they may be raised up by your Spirit and led in your ways of peace and love. 听
We bring all our prayers together in the words of the Lord鈥檚 Prayer.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name; your kingdom come, your will be done; on earth as in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trialand deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and ever. Amen.

Our closing hymn encourages us to give thanks to God as we harvest the fruits of his Spirit;听鈥楩or the fruits of all creation, thanks be to God.鈥櫶�

20) Hymn: For the fruits of all creation 鈥� Welsh Chamber Singers

21) Blessing
God of all power and grace,
May the boldness of your Spirit transform us,
May the gentleness of your Spirit lead us,
And may the gifts of your Spirit equip us,to serve and worship you.
Now and always. Amen.
听
22)听 Playout - Veni Creator Spiritus (Instrumental)