Readings for the Feast of Pentecost – 24th May 2026

Collect for the Feast of Pentecost

God, who as at this time taught the hearts of your

faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit; grant us by the same Spirit

to have a right judgement in all things and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through

the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the

Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2, verses 1 to 21

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound

like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where

they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came

to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in

other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.

When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one

heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these

who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?

Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,

Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near

Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs - we

hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed,

they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and

said, “They have had too much wine.”

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow

Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to

what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!

No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour

out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will

see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and

women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders

in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of

smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of

the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the

Lord will be saved.’

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians, chapter12, verses 3b to 13

No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services,

but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who

activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the

common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another

the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same

Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to

another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of

tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the

same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. For just as the

body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are

one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body -

Jews or Greeks, slaves or free - and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

A reading from the gospel according to John, chapter 20, verses 19 to 23

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the

doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and

said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The

disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again, Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive

anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Second Collect

Faithful God, who fulfilled the promises of Easter by sending us your

Holy Spirit and opening to every race and nation the way of life eternal; open our lips by

your Spirit, that every tongue may tell of your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen