Sunday June 11, 2000 Pentecost Ezekiel 37:1-14; Ps.104: 24-34,35b; Acts 2:1-21; John 15:26-27;16:4b-15. Rec. text- NRSV
Hymns are from the Australian Hymn Book(AHB) or Together in Song (TIS) or Sing Alleluia (SA) unless otherwise indicated.
Permission is granted to churches to use this material in services of worship.
This liturgy remains the property of Moira B Laidlaw moira@liturgiesonline.com.au
Additional resources for Pentecost: Elastic bands and red flowers for pews; Scripture in
Song. CMCAustralasia, Unit 9/147 Marshalltown Road, Grovedale, Victoria 3216; large
paper'banners' each printed with a different fruit of the Spirit plus Blu-Tac or similar for
fixing to walls; New Journeys Songbook,Joint Board of Christian Education, Melbourne1991
If you have pews, slip an elastic band over the pew-end and insert a red flower such as poinsettia (making sure that the poinsettia stems are sealed with foil) or bottlebrush or red autumn leaves. Very effective. . If you have people in the congregation from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, invite them to read Acts 2 verses 1-4 in their native tongue. These verses are read at the same time in as many languages as possible. Whoever is leading worship reads the verses at the same time in Koine Greek (There's a challenge!) One person will continue to verse 21 in English. Also plan to do things differently within worship on Pentecost. Print out the words of the Fruit of the Spirit - Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control - in as large type as possible. If possible, print out orders of service in different flame colours - some red, some yellow, some orange, and write on the front of each one of the fruits of the Spirit, so that your congregation will be divided up into groups - as evenly divided as possible. Have the 'banners' - love, joy , peace etc placed around the walls of the church and at a particular point in the service, people will be invited to move to sit near the Fruit of the Spirit indicated on their order of service. Group members will be invited to discuss how they could use the received 'Fruit of the Spirit' in new ways as they live out their faith. Holy Communion is celebrated by each group coming forward to stand around the Communion Table and serving one another whilst the other groups pray for the members of the group receiving the bread and wine.
CALL TO WORSHIP:
LEADER: "When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in
one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a
violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided
tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of
them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in
other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability." "...this is what was spoken
through the prophet Joel: 'In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will
pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall
prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall
dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days
I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy."(Acts 2:1-4;16-18 NRSV)
OPENING PRAYER
LEADER: As the wind fills the sails of windmills in paddocks and taps
underground stores of life-giving water;
PEOPLE: so the wind of God's Spirit fill us and refreshes us.
LEADER: As the fire renews the bush by bursting open the seeds of life;
PEOPLE: so the fire of God's Spirit brings renewal to our lives.
LEADER: Wind and fire, symbols of energy and power;
PEOPLE: Holy Spirit, source of our energy and power, sweep into our lives
this day, that we may experience your refreshment, your renewal, your life.
Amen
TIS 409/AHB 322 : "O Breath of life come sweeping through us" TIS 414: "There's a spirit in the air" If the set tune is unfamiliar, this sings
well to Vienna TIS 440
If there are printed orders of service on different coloured papers (red, yellow, orange) - invite the congregation to wave them or hold aloft as they sing. If adults are hesitant - encourage children to do this with each hymn/chorus.
OLD TESTAMENT: Ezekiel 37: 1-14
GOSPEL: John 15: 26, 27; 16: 14b – 15
TIS 398/AHB 310: "Come down, O Love divine" TIS 412/AHB 324: "God sends us his Spirit" NEW JOURNEYS SONG BOOK 133: "Spirit of God"
EPISTLE: Acts 2: 1-21
If you have a printed order of service print out Acts 2: 1-4 in New Testament Greek Verses 1-4 will be read in some of the languages (other than English) spoken by church members plus the Greek in which the verses were originally written. A reader finishes the reading in English
CHORUS - SCRIPTURE IN SONG 303 "Spirit of the living God'" Sung through a second time substituting 'us' for 'me'.
WITNESS TO THE SPIRIT - Invite two or three people to give a short testimony to the influence of the
Holy Spirit in their lives or * see below regarding inviting a representative
from each group to make a brief response arising out of their group
discussion.
People have received an order of service indicating different 'fruit of the
Spirit', and they are now invited to come together in 'LOVE', 'JOY', 'PEACE',
'PATIENCE', 'KINDNESS', 'GOODNESS', 'FAITHFULNESS',GENTLENESS
and 'SELF-CONTROL' groups and sit in areas indicated by the banners
situated around the church. Group members are invited to discuss how they
could use the received 'fruit of the Spirit' in a new way.
* If any group wishes to make a response invite them to do so now - this
could take the place of the "Witness to the Spirit" if desired. Each group then
makes the appropriate response in the following prayer of confession.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
LEADER: God of power,
You have sent the Spirit of love,
PEOPLE: forgive us all the times we put conditions on our love.
LEADER: You have sent the Spirit of joy
PEOPLE: forgive us all the times we are disagreeable and unwelcome
witnesses.
LEADER: You have sent the Spirit of peace
PEOPLE: forgive us all the times our words and actions contribute towards
conflict and division.
LEADER: You have sent the Spirit of patience
PEOPLE: forgive us all the times we worry because we do not see instant
results to prayer.
LEADER: You have sent the Spirit of kindness
PEOPLE: forgive us all the times we have neglected people's needs.
LEADER: You have sent the Spirit of goodness
PEOPLE: forgive us all the times we have wilfully or thoughtlessly caused
pain by our words or actions.
LEADER: You have sent the Spirit of faithfulness
PEOPLE: forgive us all the times our discipleship has lacked credibility.
LEADER: You have sent the Spirit of gentleness
PEOPLE: forgive us all the times we have been aggressive in our attitude
towards others
LEADER: You have sent the Spirit of self-control
PEOPLE: forgive us all the times we have hurt others by our careless manner.
LEADER: Gracious and merciful God, grant us your forgiveness and your
love that we may truly care for one another.
PEOPLE: Refresh and renew us with your Spirit so that we can be fruitful
and vital disciples of Jesus Christ. Amen
TIS 416/SA 41: "Great God, your Spirit, like the wind…" TIS 413/AHB 327 : "Holy Spirit, come, confirm us"
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION: Invite people in their groups to think about
the 'fruit' received and imagine what life would be like without it. They are
then invited to pray in their groups for people whom they believe may be
denied that particular 'fruit'.
OFFERING
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
ALL: Bless these gifts, O God, and bless us as we offer ourselves to serve
you in different ways and to praise you in many voices. Send your Spirit
upon us, that when we speak the word of your love, people may hear and
understand as on that Pentecost day so long ago. This we pray in the
name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
LEADER: The Lord be with you.
PEOPLE: And also with you.
LEADER: Lift up your hearts.
PEOPLE: We lift them to the Lord.
LEADER: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
PEOPLE: It is right to give God thanks and praise.
LEADER: Thanks and praise, glory and honour are rightly yours, God of life.
In the beginning, your Spirit moved across the face of the waters,
and when we were formed from the red dust of the earth,
you breathed into us the breath of life.
PEOPLE: Even when we resisted and grieved you,
your Spirit came upon diverse people,
empowering them to speak your word of life.
Your steadfast love endures forever and ever.
LEADER: And so we praise you with the faithful of every time and place,
gathered in word and spirit with choirs of angels and the whole creation in
the eternal hymn:
ALL: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
LEADER: In the fullness of time, you gave us your Son Jesus Christ,
to be for us the way, the truth, and the life. At his baptism in the Jordan
your Spirit came upon him declaring him to be your beloved Son.
With your Spirit within him he resisted temptation; he proclaimed justice
to all peoples, good news to the poor, release to the captives,
sight for the blind, and liberty for those who are oppressed.
Obedient to your will, he gave himself over to death.
On that never-to-be-forgotten night, the night of his betrayal,
as he sat at the table with his friends, he took bread, gave you thanks,
broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said:
"Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you."
When supper was over, he took the cup, gave you thanks,
gave it to his disciples, and said:
"Drink from this all of you; this is my blood, poured out for you and for all,
for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of me."
On that never-to-be-forgotten day when you raised him from the dead,
he was recognised by his disciples in the breaking of the bread,
and in the power of your Holy Spirit your people have continued
in the breaking of the bread and in prayer.
When we eat this bread and drink from this cup
we experience anew the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ
and look forward to his coming in final victory.
Remembering his death and resurrection, his ascension and his promise
to be with us always, we pray that you will send the power of your
Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts, blessing this sharing of
bread and wine, Christ's life in us. Send us as your witnesses into all the
world, empowered by your Spirit and in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord
in whose name we are bold to pray 'Our Father....'
THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD
LEADER: The bread we break
PEOPLE: is a sharing in the body of Christ.
LEADER: The cup we take
PEOPLE: is a sharing in the blood of Christ.
LEADER: The gifts of God
PEOPLE: for the people of God
THE DISTRIBUTION TIS 707: Bread is blessed and broken" and/or TIS 714/SA 29: "Eat this bread" is sung quietly by choir/solo or group during the distribution. Each group comes forward and stands around the table. Each person serves their neighbour with the bread which is retained and dipped in the cup which is served by the minister. While each group is forward everyone else in the church is invited to look at them and to pray silently for each person in the group receiving the bread and wine.
Members of groups return to their seats and still sit together. When all are served the Peace is exchanged.
THE PEACE
LEADER: The peace of the Lord be with you all.
PEOPLE: And also with you.
Invite people to share a sign of peace with your neighbours.
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
ALL: Gracious God, we praise, worship and adore you for the food received
at your table. You have sent your Holy Spirit among us to make our eating
and drinking here a memorial of our Lord Jesus Christ. We go from here,
strengthened, refreshed, and empowered by your Spirit to make our living and
working, our loving and doing and thinking, a true and joyful memorial of him
. We look to that day when, with the great company of witnesses that
surround us, we may eat and drink and be glad with him in the glory of your
kingdom. This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
TIS 422: "Come, Holy Spirit, come!" TIS 420: "Holy Spirit, go before us" If set tune unfamiliar, sing to Austria TIS 93 TIS 411/AHB 328: "Filled with the Spirit's power" In verse three of AHB 328
, invite people to replace 'the men' with 'all those'.
DISMISSAL WITH BLESSING
LEADER: Go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit!
PEOPLE: We go, giving thanks to God, Alleluia!
LEADER: The blessing of God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer,
be with you this day and for ever.
PEOPLE: Amen! Alleluia!