No collection will be taken during this service. There is a donation box at the back of the church for anyone who would like to give a donation.

Some "house-keeping" information -

• If anyone would like the music for our hymns today, please put your hand up and someone will bring it to you.
• Toilets are between the church and the hall.

This morning we have decorated our church walls with the names of some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

We have deliberately put none of the names in this front area - because the gifts are for you, the people of God, who are sitting out there - and also, of course, for the organist and for me.

As we sing this hymn let us remember that the Holy Spirit is sometimes called "The Breath of God".

Please stand for the hymn

"Breathe on me, Breath of God".

Now, concerning what you wrote about the gifts from the Holy Spirit. I want you to know the truth about them, my friends.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served. There are different abilities to perform service, but the same God gives ability to all for their particular service. The Spirit's presence is shown in some way in each person for the good of all. The Spirit gives one person a message full of wisdom, while to another person the same Spirit gives a message full of knowledge. One and the same Spirit gives faith to one person, while to another person He gives the power to heal. The Spirit gives one person the power to work miracles; to another, the gift of speaking God's message ( Prophecy ); and to yet another, the ability to tell the difference between gifts that come from the Spirit and those that do not ( Discernment ). To one person He gives the ability to speak in strange tongues, and to another He gives the ability to explain what is said ( Interpretation ). But it is one and the same Spirit who does all this; as He wishes, He gives a different gift to each person.

This is the Word of the Lord.

We can't name all the gifts because God is so generous so we've included "etc." in the list to stand for all the gifts we've missed.

Love divine, all loves excelling.

Listen to the story of how Solomon received his special gifts from God. We can read about it in 1 Kings Chapter 3 verses 5-14; you can find it on Page 372 of the Church Bibles.

One night God appeared to Solomon in a dream.

So give me the wisdom I need to rule Your people with justice and to know the difference between good and evil. Otherwise, how would I ever be able to rule this great people of Yours ?

Bind us together, Lord.

Stage hand sets up the Frame centre back. During the hymn, six helpers each bring down the centre aisle a placard bearing a list of some of the gifts, holding the lists well up so that people can see the names of the gifts as they pass by. They set up the placards in order on the frame by the altar assisted by the stage hand. The placards must be stacked with the gift names facing the congregation, and with the line drawing of the church correctly displayed at the back; the frame will later be turned round without further adjustment of the placards.

One Body with many parts.

Christ is like a single body, which has many parts; it is still one body, even though it is made up of different parts. In the same way, all of us, whether Jews or Gentiles, whether slaves or free, have been baptised into one body by the same Spirit, and we have all been given the one Spirit to drink.

For the body itself is not made up of only one part, but of many parts. If the foot were to say, "Because I am not a hand, I don't belong to the body," that would not keep it from being a part of the body.

And if the ear were to say, "Because I am not an eye, I don't belong to the body," that would not keep it from being a part of the body. If the whole body were just an eye, how could it hear ? And if it were only an ear, how could it smell ? As it is, however, God put every different part in the body just as He wanted it to be. There would not be a body if it were all only one part ! As it is, there are many parts but one body.

So then, the eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you !" Nor can the hand say to the feet, "Well, I don't need you !" On the contrary, we cannot do without parts of the body that seem to be weaker : and those parts that we think aren't worth very much are the ones which we treat with greater care; while the parts of the body that don't look very nice are treated with special modesty, which the more beautiful parts don't need. God himself has put the body together in such a way as to give greater honour to those parts that need it. And so there is no division in the body, but all its different parts have the same concern for one another. If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts of the body suffer with it; if one part is praised, all the other parts share its happiness.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Available cast members ( all those not otherwise occupied ) come to the front.

Explains the rules.

Hands, Feet, Eyes, Ears, Nose ready at back with their disguises on.

Throughout the sketch, a character required to mutter repeats the appropriate "Mutter" as long as required : Hands says "Finger finger finger ....."; Eyes says "Looking looking looking ...."; Feet says "Clomp clomp clomp ...."; Nose says "Sniffly sniffly sniffly ...."; Ears says "Listen listen listen ....".

Most of the time, Hands and Eyes sound positive and cheerful; Feet and Ears sound glum until they stop leaving at the end, when they begin to cheer up. Nose sounds ordinary throughout.

All characters enter down the centre aisle from the back, muttering fairly loudly. On reaching the front, they spread out in an arc, facing the congregation.

Right.

Now, I've taken the lead in calling us together because I'm the only Body Part who already knows each of you fairly well; we meet every time headquarters proclaims bath time. Now, what I ....

Look - please - I'm really trying to get somewhere. Please listen first !

I wasn't talking about Nose's appearance. I just meant that Nose had made a good point of argument. It's true that I get around more, but that's how I know about the problem.

Come on - let's go !

All return to back and remove disguises.

Please find your bits of paper again and stand and face the centre aisle.

Now we read aloud the gifts to the people gathered here, and this time think how your gifts will be helped by some of the other gifts you hear.

We will now bring round an activity for the children.

"Be still, for the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy One is here".

PAUSE.

You will need to peel back half of the masking tape so that it will stick on the picture.

When all have returned to their seats the stage hand moves 'church' with people cut-outs on it and props it up against the altar.

Pray-ers come to the front.

We thank You, Holy Spirit, for each gift that You have given us today. We ask You to continue to teach us how to use these gifts for the glory of God. May we each use our gifts to serve our God wherever He may call us to serve.
Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come, Your will be done,
in earth, as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread;
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil,
for the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours, now and for ever.
Amen.

- which we shall sing twice.

Blessing