On the Feast Day of Pentecost all the believers were together in one place. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, there was a sound like a raging cyclone - and nothing could be heard above it anywhere in the house. And then the Holy Spirit burst in among them like a bushfire, with sparks and fireballs leaping out to engulf every one there. With fire in their guts and the Holy Spirit unleashing their tongues, they began to speak of God in languages they had never learned.

Now in Jerusalem at that time, there were faithful Jewish pilgrims from all over the world. The wild noise among the believers quickly drew a crowd. What they heard bewildered them because everyone, no matter where they were from, heard their native language being spoken by the believers. Almost unable to believe their ears, they asked:

“Don’t all these people come from Galilee? How come we can all hear them speaking our own native languages? Some of us are Parthians, some Medes, others Elamites. There are people visiting here from Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the Cyrenene occupied parts of Libya. There are immigrants from Rome, both ethnic Jews and converts. Some here are even Cretans and Arabs! But these Galileans are speaking all our languages and telling us about the extraordinary things God has done.” 

They were all in a spin, unable to make head nor tail of what was happening. They kept asking one another what was going on and what it could all mean. Others though, just sneered and said, “They’ve been on the turps. They’re just a bunch of drunks.” 

Peter stood up with the other eleven and addressed the crowd as loudly and clearly as he could:

“Men and women of Jerusalem, locals and visitors, listen up and I’ll let you in on what this is all about. If you think that these people are drunk, you are wrong. Think about it - the pubs aren’t even open this early in the morning. No, what is happening here was explained long ago in the words of the prophet Joel: 

“This is what I will do
when time reaches its climax, God declares: 

I will pour out my Spirit on everyone.

Your sons and your daughters
shall speak as prophets.
The young among you will see visions,
and the old will dream dreams. 

  I even have men and women among those
whose rights no one cares about,
and in those days
I will pour out my Spirit upon them too;
and they shall proclaim my justice. 

  I will perform miraculous signs in the sky above
and awesome wonders on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and clouds of smoke. 

  The sun will go black and the moon blood-red
before the dawning
of the awesome and glorious day of the Lord. 

  And everyone who cries out to the Lord
shall be saved.”

©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

In ancient times, everyone in the whole world spoke the same language and could understand each other clearly. As the human race spread out towards the East, they settled the plains region in an area known as Shinar. Once there, an enormous project was proposed:

“Come one and all, let’s build ourselves a great city with the world’s tallest skyscraper. Let’s use the latest technology: kiln-fired bricks instead of stone, and bitumen instead of mortar. Let’s earn ourselves a global reputation for innovation and excellence. If we don’t, we’ll be nothing but mediocre little mobs, scattered all over the world!”

So the project was begun, and the LORD came down for a look. Seeing the construction of the city and the skyscraper underway, the LORD said:

“Look, these people are getting too big for their boots, and this is only the tip of the iceberg. United by a common language and common ambition, there will be no stopping them. Come, let us go down and reprogram their tongues so that they will begin to speak in different languages and not be able to understand each other.”

So the LORD split them up into different language groups and scattered them across the face of the globe. The construction of the city was abandoned. The place came to be known as Babel because it was there that the peoples’ languages became like confused babble to one another and they split up into separate tribes that kept away from each other.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

O LORD, what a wildly fabulous world!
Working hand in hand with wisdom
you have made
an earthful of wonderful creatures. 

Just look at the deep wide sea,
swarming with life beyond our imagining,
from coral to crayfish, from mussels to marlin.

Ships plough the waves,
while mythical monsters cavort in the depths.

Like seagulls at a picnic,
every creature looks to you for food.

They gather around in eager expectation,
and gorge themselves when you open your hand. 

If you turned your back, they’d be panic stricken;
if you withdrew your Spirit
they would have nothing to breathe,
their bodies would quickly crumble.

But when you breathe your spirit into them,
life sprouts up fresh and fragrant again
and the earth itself is revived.

Glorious is all you do, LORD,
may you be honoured forever.
May everything created be a joy to the LORD.

One look from the LORD makes even the earth quiver;
one touch and even the mountains erupt.

With every breath I will sing to the LORD;
as long as there is life in me,
I will give honour to my God in song.

Even my unspoken thoughts I offer to the LORD,
for the LORD is a delight to me. 

May wickedness be wiped from the earth,
may enemies of life no longer be found.

O bless the LORD, everything within me.
Praise the LORD! 

©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

All those who dance to the Spirit’s tune are God’s beloved children. We were not sold into slavery where we would grovel timidly in the dust, afraid to put a foot wrong. Rather we were adopted into a family full of love and joy. Like eager children crying, “Daddy! Mummy!” we come running to God, and with loving arms, God’s Spirit gathers us up, demonstrating clearly to whom we belong. And since we are children of God, we are actually on the same footing as Christ. With him we will inherit all that has been kept in trust for God’s children. But we have to take the good with the bad, and we know the price he paid. We need to be willing to cop it on the chin with him now if we want to share the glory with him later.

©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

On the Feast Day of Pentecost all the believers were together in one place. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, there was a sound like a raging cyclone - and nothing could be heard above it anywhere in the house. And then the Holy Spirit burst in among them like a bushfire, with sparks and fireballs leaping out to engulf every one there. With fire in their guts and the Holy Spirit unleashing their tongues, they began to speak of God in languages they had never learned.

Now in Jerusalem at that time, there were faithful Jewish pilgrims from all over the world. The wild noise among the believers quickly drew a crowd. What they heard bewildered them because everyone, no matter where they were from, heard their native language being spoken by the believers. Almost unable to believe their ears, they asked:

“Don’t all these people come from Galilee? How come we can all hear them speaking our own native languages? Some of us are Parthians, some Medes, others Elamites. There are people visiting here from Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the Cyrenene occupied parts of Libya. There are immigrants from Rome, both ethnic Jews and converts. Some here are even Cretans and Arabs! But these Galileans are speaking all our languages and telling us about the extraordinary things God has done.” 

They were all in a spin, unable to make head nor tail of what was happening. They kept asking one another what was going on and what it could all mean. Others though, just sneered and said, “They’ve been on the turps. They’re just a bunch of drunks.” 

Peter stood up with the other eleven and addressed the crowd as loudly and clearly as he could:

“Men and women of Jerusalem, locals and visitors, listen up and I’ll let you in on what this is all about. If you think that these people are drunk, you are wrong. Think about it - the pubs aren’t even open this early in the morning. No, what is happening here was explained long ago in the words of the prophet Joel: 

“This is what I will do
when time reaches its climax, God declares: 

I will pour out my Spirit on everyone.

Your sons and your daughters
shall speak as prophets.
The young among you will see visions,
and the old will dream dreams. 

  I even have men and women among those
whose rights no one cares about,
and in those days
I will pour out my Spirit upon them too;
and they shall proclaim my justice. 

  I will perform miraculous signs in the sky above
and awesome wonders on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and clouds of smoke. 

  The sun will go black and the moon blood-red
before the dawning
of the awesome and glorious day of the Lord. 

  And everyone who cries out to the Lord
shall be saved.”

©2000 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, if you’d just show us the Father, we’d be more than happy.”

Jesus replied, “All this time I’ve been with you, and you still haven’t worked me out, have you Philip? To see me is to see the Father. So what’s the point of asking me to show you the Father? Haven’t you got it sorted out in your head that I am one with the Father, and the Father is one with me? When I tell you something, I’m not speaking off my own bat. The Father who lives in me is at work in everything I say. Take my word for it that I am one with the Father, and the Father is one with me; or if my saying it is not enough for you, then surely the things you’ve seen me do prove the point. I kid you not when I tell you that anyone who trusts in me will do the very same things. In fact, you’ll do even greater things than I’ve done, because I’m going back to the Father and handing over the reins to you. I’ll back you up and do whatever you ask when you’re doing my work. That’s how the Son will give the glory to the Father. If you’re working on my behalf you can ask me for anything and I’ll do it.

“If you love me, it will show in the way you live out what I’ve told you to do. I will have a word with the Father and arrange for another defence counsel to be permanently assigned to you. Your new defence counsel will be the Spirit of Truth. The rest of the world will not accept the Spirit because they never accept what they can’t see or comprehend. You already know the Spirit though, because the Spirit is with you and will be at work inside you.

“I’ve told you all this while I’m still here with you. When I’m gone, your new defence counsel — the Holy Spirit who the Father will send on my behalf — will take over, teaching you everything and keeping all I’ve said fresh in your minds. The gift I’m leaving with you is peace; my kind of peace, not the mere easing of hostilities that the rest of the world offers. So don’t go dropping your bundle or getting all fearful.”

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God,
for you pour your Spirit upon us,
arousing us with visions and dreams
and intoxicating us with an uncontainable fervour
to proclaim your truth in the language of praise.

You sent forth your Spirit to create the universe,
and fill it with your wonders.
You breathed into us and we rose from the dust,
the face of the earth came alive.

In these last days your child, Jesus Christ,
came speaking your words and doing your works;
revealing the truth of who you are.
He was crucified,
but you raised him to glory by your life-giving power.
Having secured our adoption as your children
and commissioned us to continue his works,
he poured out your Holy Spirit on us,
setting our hearts ablaze with a passion for peace,
and firing our tongues with everlasting songs of joy.

Therefore with .....

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

We thank you for pouring out your Spirit upon us,
arousing us with visions and dreams
and intoxicating us with an uncontainable fervour
to proclaim your truth in the language of praise.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

(Preface reformatted for use apart from communion)

Thanks and praise erupt from our lips, O Lord,
for you pour your Spirit upon us,
arousing us with visions and dreams
and intoxicating us with an uncontainable fervour
to proclaim your truth in the language of praise.

You sent forth your Spirit to create the universe,
and fill it with your wonders.
You breathed into us and we rose from the dust,
the face of the earth came alive.

In these last days your child, Jesus Christ,
came speaking your words and doing your works;
revealing the truth of who you are.
He was crucified,
but you raised him to glory by your life-giving power.
Having secured our adoption as your children
and commissioned us to continue his works,
he poured out your Holy Spirit on us,
setting our hearts ablaze with a passion for peace,
and firing our tongues with everlasting songs of joy.

Therefore, with our hearts lifted high,
we offer you thanks and praise at all times
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Do not let your hearts be troubled,
for everyone who calls out to the Lord will be saved.
You have been adopted as children of God
and the Holy Spirit lives with you and in you.

Sisters and Brothers,
  your sins are forgiven;
    be at peace.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Go now in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Love Christ and do the things he has done.
Dream dreams, pursue visions
and speak of God’s wonders
in the words of those who would hear.

And may God give you the Spirit of Truth forever;
May Christ Jesus work for you as you work for him;
and may the Holy Spirit bear witness within you
to the love and peace that are yours in Christ.

We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
   In the name of Christ. Amen.

©2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net