Sunday Worship - 23rd May 2021

Welcome to this morning's Worship service.

Worship today is led by Rev Christine Fox ( available via Zoom this week)

Our Zoom services are every other week and if you are not currently on our mailing list please contact Rev Christine: christineamfox@gmail.com

Click below on the red play button to start the video. You can also find the service on YouTube here if it isn’t working on the blog.

God Bless x

If you'd like to connect with Grangewood please contact us.

Rev Christine Fox: christineamfox@gmail.com

Thank you to all those who have been part of putting together this weeks service.

Below you can find this weeks Message. Click here to find the whole worship sheet.

Message

On the day of Pentecost when the Spirit that Jesus promised came and filled the first disciples, they saw what looked like tongues of fire settling on each of them – and the first spiritual gift that they received was the gift of speaking in other tongues –in other languages that they hadn’t learned.

It seems that the expression of prayer in the native tongue of all nations is extremely important to God. We just heard Paul’s words describing the whole of creation groaning as it waits in eager expectation of being liberated from its bondage to decay. And as part of that creation the people of God also groan inwardly while we wait also to be fully conformed to be like Jesus. These groans are described as wordless – creation and people without the words to express prayer as they wait to be brought to perfection by God.

We aren’t perfect yet! And the earth isn’t perfect yet – but with the actions of Jesus at the first Easter the process has begun – and to help us in our being perfected Jesus didn’t leave us alone but sent us his Holy Spirit. Paul tells the Romans and us that when we don’t know what to pray for, then the Spirit prays through us – this can be that we are given the words or it can he the gift we know as speaking or praying in tongues.

I don’t know what your experience of the gift of tongues is – but I know an example of wordless groaning being turned to prayer by this gift. - When my sister was a student nurse, one day early in her training on the wards she had been so overwhelmed by the suffering she had seen, that in her room that night she wanted to pray but just didn’t have the words. She found herself speaking words in a language that she hadn’t learnt – through the gift of tongues she was able to pray, to her amazement and joy.

Jesus told us that he would send his Holy Spirit when he went away, to all who believe in him. He said the Spirit would glorify him as he makes known to us what Jesus received from God.

What did Jesus receive from God? – it was his wisdom and his power, his peace, the knowledge that he is Father and more.

So then, knowing that God is Father and is the source of the Holy Spirit, we will glorify Jesus when we receive the Spirit and use the gifts that he gives to become more and more like Jesus.

And the expression of love for God and all peoples in prayer is so important that we eagerly desire to receive the gift of the words to pray in our own language or even the gift of tongues if we need it in order to pray for others and to praise of God. We wait to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus, not by sitting back doing nothing, but by putting ourselves wholeheartedly in the service of the Lord, eager to become his children and receiving the help of his Spirit in the joyful anticipation of being brought with all creation to the perfection intended from the beginning of time.