Readings & Prayers for Sext Office for Pentecost
Thursday, June 5, 2025
Brief silence to quiet our hearts and to acknowledge that Christ is among us.
V. O God, come to my assistance.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
V. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
R. as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen
Pentecost
Today we feel the wind beneath our wings
Today the hidden fountain flows and plays
Today the church draws breath at last and sings
As every flame becomes a Tongue of praise.
This is the feast of fire, air, and water
Poured out and breathed and kindled into earth.
The earth herself awakens to her maker
And is translated out of death to birth.
The right words come today in their right order
And every word spells freedom and release
Today the gospel crosses every border
All tongues are loosened by the Prince of Peace
Today the lost are found in His translation.
Whose mother-tongue is Love, in every nation.
Malcolm Guite (born 1957) is an English poet, singer, song writer, Anglican priest, and academic. He was born in Nigeria to British expatriate parents, and today lives in Cambridge, England. He has published fourteen volumes of poetry and Christian theology.
From Malcolm Guite, Sounding the Seasons: Seventy Sonnets for the Christian Year (2012).
Psalmody
From the Festival Psalter, Benedictine Daily Prayer: A Short Breviary.
Ant. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak, alleluia.
Psalm 119:33-40
He
Teach me the demands of your statutes
and I will keep them to the end.
Train me to observe your law,
to keep it with my heart.
Guide me in the path of your commandments;
for there is my delight.
Bend my heart to your will
and not to the love of gain.
Keep my eyes from what is false;
by your word, give me life.
Keep the promise you have made
to the servant who fears you.
Keep me from the scorn I dread,
for your decrees are good.
See, I long for your precepts;
then in your justice, give me life.
Psalm 119:41-48
Vau
Lord, let your love come upon me,
the saving help of your promise.
And I shall answer those who taunt me
for I trust in your word.
Do not take the word of truth from my mouth
for I trust in your decrees.
I shall keep your law
for ever and ever.
I shall walk in the path of freedom
for I seek your precepts.
I will speak of your will before the powerful
and not be ashamed.
Your commands have been my delight;
these have I loved.
I will worship your commands and love them
and ponder your statutes.
Psalm 119: 49-56
Zayin
Remember your word to your servant
by which you gave me hope.
This is my comfort in sorrow:
that your promise gives me life.
Though the proud may utterly deride me
I keep to your law.
I remember your decrees of old
and these, Lord, console me.
I am seized with indignation at the wicked
who forsake your law.
Your statutes have become my song
in the land of exile.
I think of your name in the nighttime
and I keep your law.
This has been my blessing,
the keeping of your precepts.
Psalm 119:57-64
Heth
My part, I have resolved, O Lord,
is to obey your word.
With all my heart I implore your favour;
show the mercy of your promise.
I have pondered over my ways
and returned to your will.
I made haste and did not delay
to obey your commands.
Though the nets of the wicked ensnared me
I remembered your law.
At midnight I will rise and thank you
for your just decrees.
I am a friend of all who revere you,
who obey your precepts.
Lord, your love fills the earth.
Teach me your statutes.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now
and will be forever. Amen.
Ant. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak, alleluia.
Short Reading
Titus 3:5-7
He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
V. The Holy Spirit will instruct you, alleluia.
R. In everything I told you, alleluia.
Prayer
By the Spirit of freedom, Lord of God, you transformed the Apostles. From being afraid, they boldly preached the kingdom; from being imprisoned, they joyfully went out. Pour out this same Spirit on your Church at prayer. Grant that it may be today a sign of new freedom, for all the world, in Jesus, the Christ, our Lord. Amen
—Time for prayer, with a particular focus on KLC—
At the end of each petition please say, “Lord in your mercy…”
and the rest of us will respond, “… hear our prayer.”
Lectio Divina
Sacred Space for Thursday, June 5 & Sunday, June 8 2025
Presence
Dear Lord, help us to be open to You
for this time, as we put aside the cares of the world.
Fill our thoughts with Your peace, Your love.
Freedom
By God’s grace we were born to live in freedom,
free to enjoy the pleasures He created for us.
Dear Lord, grant that we may live as You intended,
with complete confidence in Your loving care.
Consciousness
Knowing that God loves us unconditionally,
We look honestly over the last day, its events and our feelings.
Do we have something to be grateful for? Then we give thanks.
Is there something we are sorry for? Then we ask forgiveness.
The Word of God
John 14:15-16, 23-25
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.
Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.
“I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.”
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
“Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.”
Reader: The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Response: Thanks be to you, Lord Christ.
Inspiration
Jesus understands our humanity so well and knows how poor our memories can be, especially when, like the apostles, we grow older. To guide his Church and preserve her in the truth, he promises to send the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth, but we need to trust this promise of our Lord and be faithful [to what has been handed down to us.]
Conversation
Lord, help us to become quiet and calm to hear Your still, small voice. Help us to trust whatever we hear. Your Word brings comfort, consolation and encouragement. Everything else we let go of.
Conclusion
We thank God for His gift of love as we go forth with joy and hope to serve His people. Amen
Silence
—A time of silence—
Amen
Prayer
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen
Grace
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen