Dear People of Ascension,

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of listening to Krista Tippett interview Joy Harjo on the radio program, On Being. As you perhaps know, Joy Harjo is the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States, author of numerous books, a visual artist, a member of the Muskogee Creek Nation, and an award-winning saxophone player. The rich, wide-ranging conversation touched on two themes that have stayed with me this week. One is that dreams are for Harjo a source of wisdom and guidance, a gift of seeing and knowing across generations and lifetimes. The other is the way she speaks of stories as a field, a doorway into multiple worlds and a matrix that connects us all.

In the Pentecost story from Acts, the Holy Spirit opens up dreams and visions- new possibilities for being and knowing, acting and serving- to the old and the young, to women and men, to people of every background, faith and status. New truths- both profoundly wonderful and deeply disturbing- are revealed. The Spirit shakes things up, quickening our desire for God's dream of love and communion, and also showing us how we fall short of that dream, and the ways that we must travel, the amends we must make, and the community we need to respond fully to the divine vision of a renewed and thriving creation.  

The Spirit also brings startling communication- speaking and hearing God's works and words in the language of our hearts yet stretching across boundaries that seemed impassible. It is not too much to say that she knits us together in a vast patchwork of stories- strange, terrible and beautiful- giving us ears to hear and eyes to see God's presence where we least expect it as well as deep in our own hearts.

This Pentecost, we pray for new visions and dreams- God's vision and dream- for Ascension, for our city, for our nation and world. We pray to participate as the Spirit leads and gifts us to do. We pray to hear and be changed by stories both familiar and strange. We pray to follow the movement of God's Spirit/breath in all things, enlivening, nourishing, healing and drawing us on.

Come, Holy Spirit, come.

Liz

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Holy Spirit, ever living

as the Church’s very life;

Holy Spirit, ever striving

through her in a ceaseless strife;

Holy Spirit, ever forming

in the Church the mind of Christ;

thee we praise with endless worship

for thy fruits and gifts unpriced.

Holy Spirit, ever working

through the Church’s ministry;

quickening, strengthening, and absolving,

setting captive sinners free;

Holy Spirit, ever binding

age to age, and soul to soul,

in a fellowship unending

thee we worship and extol.

Celebrant:   Alleluia. Christ is risen.

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.

When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: `In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' "

O Holy One, how manifold are your works; *

    in wisdom you have made them all;

    the earth is full of your creatures.

Yonder is the great and wide sea

with its living things too many to number, *

    creatures both small and great.

There move the ships,

and there is that Leviathan, *

    which you have made for the sport of it.

All of them look to you *

    to give them their food in due season.

You give it to them; they gather it; *

    you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.

You hide your face, and they are terrified; *

    you take away their breath,

    and they die and return to their dust.

You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; *

    and so you renew the face of the earth.

May the glory of God endure for ever; *

    may the Holy One rejoice in all creation.

God looks at the earth and it trembles; *

    God touches the mountains and they smoke.

I will sing to God as long as I live; *

    I will praise my God while I have my being.

May these words of mine find favor; *

    I will rejoice in the Holy One.

Bless the Holy One, O my soul. *

    Alleluia!

We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Come down, O Love divine,

seek thou this soul of mine,

and visit it with thine own ardor glowing;

O Comforter, draw near,

within my heart appear,

and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn,

till earthly passions turn

to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;

and let thy glorious light

shine ever on my sight,

and clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

And so the yearning strong,

with which the soul will long,

shall far outpass the power of human telling;

for none can guess its grace,

till Love create a place

wherein the Holy Spirit makes a dwelling.

Jesus said to his disciples, “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

If ye love me,

keep my commandments,

and I will pray the Father,

and he shall give you another comforter,

that he may 'bide with you forever,

e'en the spirit of truth.

Leader Let us pray for the Church and for the world.

Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal your glory in the world. We pray for Michael our Presiding Bishop, for Andrew, Allen and Mary our own Bishops.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the ways of justice and peace, especially Joe our President, Andrew our Governor, and Bill our Mayor; that we may honor one another and serve the common good.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to your honor and glory.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he loves us. We pray for all affected by COVID-19: for the frightened and the sick, for the dying and those who mourn; for all who have lost jobs and livelihood as a result of this pandemic; for all healthcare workers, especially Scarlett, Madonna, Trudie, Nancy, Anna, Sarah, Endine, Terese, and AJ, for all whose labor supports our common life; for those developing and distributing vaccines, for those charged with making decisions about public health and public policy.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader We pray for all working to end racism and white supremacy and to establish racial justice in our land.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, especially Robert, Ed, Janet, Ellen, Joseph, Brielle, Lucas, Holly, Allejandro and Jesus, Nancy, Barbara, Dorothy, Stewart, Patricia, Judith, Hannah, Jurek, Alice, Michael, Kenneth, Lalitha, Lakshman, Shirley, Donna, Harold, Elizabeth and Katherine, Curtis and Mary Fi, Mary Ann, Annette, and Bill; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and bring them the joy of your salvation.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader We commend to your mercy all who have died, especially Barbara Baker, Ivy Alanna Coombs, Larry Gabbard , Raymond Lux, and Hazel Joshua; that your will for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.

Leader Lord, in your mercy

Leader We offer you our other prayers and thanksgivings.

 Our Father, who art in heaven,

     hallowed be thy Name,

     thy kingdom come,

     thy will be done,

          on earth as it is in heaven.

 Give us this day our daily bread.

 And forgive us our trespasses,

     as we forgive those

          who trespass against us.

 And lead us not into temptation,

     but deliver us from evil.

 For thine is the kingdom,

     and the power, and the glory,

     for ever and ever. Amen.

May Almighty God, who enlightened the minds of the disciples by pouring out upon them the Holy Spirit, make you rich with blessing, that you may abound more and more in that Spirit forever. Amen.

May God, who sent the Holy Spirit as a flame of fire that rested upon the heads of the disciples, burn out all evil from your hearts, and make them shine with the pure light of her presence. Amen.

May God, who by the Holy Spirit caused those of many tongues to proclaim Jesus as Lord, strengthen your faith and send you out to bear witness to him in word and deed. Amen.

And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God who is Mother of all, be upon you now and remain with you forever. Amen.

There's a Sweet, Sweet Spirit

There's a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place,

And I know that it's the Spirit of the Lord;

There are sweet expressions on each face,

And I know they feel the presence of the Lord.

[Chorus]

There are blessings you cannot receive

Till you know Him in His fullness and believe;

You're the one to profit when you say,

"I am going to walk with Jesus all the way."

[Chorus]

If you say He saved you from your sin,

Now you're weak, you're bound and cannot enter in,

You can make it right if you will yield,

You'll enjoy the Holy Spirit that we feel.

[Chorus]

Forum Series: The Church Cracked Open. This Sunday, May 23, we continue our study of The Church Cracked Open: Disruption, Decline and new Hope for Beloved Community by the Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers. We focus this week on chapters 3, 4, and 5. This new book is a gift to the Episcopal Church in this particular historical moment, and we encourage everyone to read and participate! it is widely available from Church Publishing and from Amazon.

Please check us out at ascensionnyc.org/give to find out how easy and secure it is. Click the envelope on the right to go the Ascension Website for more information and to give, whether a one-time donation, pledge payment, or make a new pledge.

(If you experience any issues with Abundant Giving, please email us at websexton@ascensionnyc.org)

A Note about Using Abundant Giving: When you donate and pledge through the Abundant Giving app or go through the website, you need to direct your donation to the correct category. There are multiple categories to choose from:

These categories change as we update categories during the year. (An example would be when we delete the Easter flowers category after Easter and add Christmas flowers for the weeks leading up to Christmas.)

To donate through your app or the website, click the link above. The next screen will prompt you: "How Much Do You Want To Give?" Next to that, is a drop-down list of categories. Offering plate is always listed first. Click on the little arrow and the list will appear. Click on which ever category you want your donation to be credited. It is important to identify which category you are donating to so that your year end statement will be correct.

You should have received your year-end statement for 2020. Please review it carefully and contact the parish office immediately if there are any issues.

In-Person Midweek Eucharist - As we begin to reopen the church we are celebrating the Eucharist in person on Wednesday evenings. To reserve a seat, please click the button below, or visit us at Ascensionnyc.org/Reservations/. If you have problems making a reservation, please contact the church office.

Open Church, will be suspended until Tuesday, June 15th due to the installation of a new fire alarm system in the church.

Len Bowman's Retirement, End of June. You are invited to contribute to a farewell gift for Len. You can do that through Abundant Giving (select "Sexton's Retirement Gift" from the Fund menu), or by sending a check to the parish office with "Sexton's retirement gift" in the memo line. Please keep Len and Sandra in your prayers in this time of transition. News is coming soon about plans for a celebration of Len and Sandra.

Voices Heard - A Diocese Explores Pathways Toward Reparations. A series of panel discussions sponsored by the Reparations Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Click here for more information.

The Church Cracked Open- Over the next several weeks in forums and other settings, we will be exploring Stephanie Spellers' new book, The Church Cracked Open: Disruption, Decline and New Hope for Beloved Community. Spellers serves on the Presiding Bishop's staff as Canon for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Creation, and she has written a prophetic word of challenge and hope for our church in exactly this moment. A launch event for the book was held this past week, featuring poetry, music and a panel discussion as well as comments from Canon Spellers herself. Be sure to buy the book (which is widely available) and begin reading!

Confirmation/Reception Opportunity- Are you interested in being confirmed or received in the Episcopal Church? Bishop Dietsche has written that there will be three confirmations at the Cathedral this summer for those who have been waiting to take this next step in their faith. If you would like to participate, please speak with Mtr. Liz or Fr. Ed as soon as possible, so that we can prepare and plan. The services will have limited attendance and careful public health protocols. Bishops will begin their regular parish visitations in the fall, so we will have another opportunity for confirmation here at Ascension in the coming year.

Fraudulent emails, Facebook accounts, instagram and Messenger accounts are on the rise! These annoying and scary intrusions into our lives go by many names, but most commonly they are referred to as spoofing, phishing, or cloning. They usually start out friendly enough - enough to lure you in - but sooner or later they will ask you for money.

It seems there is little you can do to stop someone from spoofing your account, but you can be smart about it if you are on the receiving end. Here are some things you should know and look out for:

Join us each weeknight at 5:30 for Evening Prayer & discussion. Click this link to join: ascensionnyc.org/eveningprayer. To call in (voice, no camera), dial 929-205-6099; the meeting ID is 770 597 201.

Sunday Service, (Zoom) 11:00 a.m.

Meditation with Prayers and Music (Available on our Facebook page)

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

(Speak to Sibyl Piccone if you are interested in this group)

Reopening Taskforce Meeting (Zoom) 4:00 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Midweek Eucharist (Reservation Required) 6:00 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Evening Prayer (Zoom) 5:30 p.m.

Rehearsal for Sunday Service (Zoom) 2:00 p.m.

Sunday Service, (Zoom) 11:00 a.m.

Meditation with Prayers and Music (Available on our Facebook page)

The Church of the Ascension -- Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street

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