And when the day of Pentecost drew near
they were all together in one place.
Suddenly
there was
from heaven
a sound
like the rushing of a strong wind
and it filled the whole house
where they were sitting
and it appeared to them
(dividing as tongues)
like fire
and rested on each one of them
and they all were filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in other languages
as the Spirit gave them
the ability to speak.

O Lord Jesus Christ,
stay beside me to defend me,
within me to guide me,
before me to lead me,
and above me to bless me,
that with you and in you,
I may live, and move and have my being,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

(unknown)

…It has been written in the Book of Psalms:

Let his house become a wilderness
And let there be no one who lives in it¹
and
Let another take his place²

Therefore it is necessary
for one of the men
who having been together with us
in all the times
in which the Lord Jesus came
and went
among us
beginning with the baptism of John
until the day
in which he was taken up from us
must become
with us
a witness of his resurrection.’

And they proposed two :
Joseph called Bar-Sabbas, who was called Justus and
Matthias.

And they prayed:
‘You Lord,
all-knowing of hearts
show clearly
which one you have chosen
from these two
to take the place
of this ministry (which is) apostleship
from which Judas turned away
to go to his own place.’

And they cast lots for them
and the lot fell on Matthias
and he was included with the eleven apostles.

1. Psalm 69:25 ↩︎
2. Psalm 108:8 ↩︎

Thank you, dear Jesus,
for all you have given me,
for all you have taken away from me,
for all you have left me.

Thomas More (c.1478-1535)

And in those days
Peter stood up
in the middle of the sisters-and-brothers
and said –
( the crowd numbered
together
about one hundred and twenty)
– ‘Folk, sisters-and-brothers,
it was necessary to fulfil the Scripture
which the Holy Spirit foretold
through the mouth of David
about Judas
who became the guide
of those who arrested Jesus,
that he was one of us
and he received a share in this ministry…’

(Indeed this man
bought for himself a place
with the money of this wickedness
and (falling) headfirst he burst open in the middle
and all his intestines gushed out.

And it became known to all who lived in Jerusalem
so that the place was called
in their own language
‘Hakeldama’,
that is ‘the Bloody Place.’)

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy,
For your mercy and for your truth’s sake. Amen

And when they went in (to Jerusalem),
they went up into the upstairs room
where they were staying:
Peter, and John and Jacob (James) and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas,
Bartholomew and Matthew,
Jacob (James) (son of) Alphaeus
and Simon the Zealot,
and Judas (the son of) Jacob (James).
All of these were persistently
devoting themselves
together
to prayer,
with women,
and Mary the mother of Jesus,
and his brothers.

O Lord Jesus Christ,
stay beside me to defend me,
within me to guide me,
before me to lead me,
and above me to bless me,
that with you and in you,
I may live, and move and have my being,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

(unknown)

And after he (Jesus) said these things
as they were looking,
he was lifted up
and a cloud took him up,
before their eyes.
And as they were staring into heaven/the sky
as he was going
look – two men stood by them
in white clothing.
And they said:
‘Men of Galilee,
why do you stand looking to heaven/the sky?
This one, Jesus, who has been taken up from you
into the heaven/the sky
will come
in the very same way
as you have seen him go into the heaven/the sky.’

Then they returned to Jerusalem
from a mountain which is called Olivet,
which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath’s journey.

Eternal God and Father,
you create us by your power,
and redeem us by your love,
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves in love and service
to one another and to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

While eating with them,
he commanded them
not to leave Jerusalem
but to wait ‘for the promise of the Father,
which you heard about from me –
that John baptised with water,
but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit
not many days from now.’

So those who met together
were asking him, saying:
‘Lord, is this time when you will restore
the Kingdom to Israel?’
He said to them:
‘It is not for you to know
the times and seasons
that the Father has laid down
with his own authority,
but you will receive power
from the Holy Spirit
coming upon you
and you will be my witnesses
in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea,
and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth’

O Lord, in whom is our hope,
remove far from us, we pray thee,
empty hopes and presumptuous confidence.
Make our hearts so right with thy most holy and loving heart,
that hoping in thee we may do good;
until that day when faith and hope
shall be abolished by sight and possession,
and love shall be all in all.

Christina Rossetti (1830-94)

I wrote the previous account,
Theophilus,
about all
that Jesus began to do and teach,
until the day when he was taken up
having commanded the apostles
whom he had chosen
through the Holy Spirit,
to whom also
he presented himself,
living,
after his suffering,
with many proofs,
during forty days
appearing to them
and speaking about matters
concerning the Kingdom of God.

Keep us, O Lord, while we tarry on this earth,
in a serious seeking after thee,
and in an affectionate walking with thee,
every day of our lives;
that when thou comest,
we may be found not hiding our talent,
nor yet asleep with our lamp unfurnished,
but waiting and longing for our Lord,
our glorious King, for ever and ever.

Richard Baxter (1615-1691)