Pentecost Goodness

The Collect for Pentecost Sunday:

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

My parish have a slate of interesting things coming this Sunday on Pentecost. We are reading the gospel is several languages, which is usually a pretty neat liturgical effect. Granted, it is sort of a gimmick, but kind of fun. I think we have at least 10 languages getting represented. I suppose that is a perk of being near a major university, lots of linguistically gifted people.

Also, perhaps more exciting than that is the fact that we have 4 baptisms. A man and his son as well as an ecumenical baptism of two little girls who are from a church that is not quite ready to do infant baptisms yet. So, maybe this will be a good thing in terms of ecumenical dialog and all that.

And I do not have to preach or preside. I just get to do the baptism and do my first chrismation. Ecumenical Pentecost...now that is cool.

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