Gathering God’s People
Call to Worship
(Dorothy McRae
McMahon, Liturgies for High Days, 2007)
(Light a Red Candle before Service)
Remember a time when your hopes and
dreams died. Remember your feelings of despair and powerlessness. Then remember
your surprise when something stirred within, when new seeds of hope sprouted
forth. That is the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of Pentecost.
Holy, Holy, Holy God, wonder, mystery
and all-goodness, in the power of the Spirit we are carried into your presence.
You are God and we are your people.
Holy, Holy, Holy God, wonder, healer,
liberator and all-justice, in the power of the Spirit we are called into the
world.
You are our God and we are your
people, and come to worship you in faith and in hope.
Come in, all who are empty and
exhausted.
The Good Shepherd fills our lives
with goodness and faithful love.
(Place long red cloth from Candle
flowing to door)
Hymn TIS 398: “Come down, O Love divine” A hymn to express that longing of all flawed beings to be filled with
the healing, restoring Spirit of God.
Opening Prayer
Rev. John prayed that Jesus' would be
alive among us as each of us opened ourselves to the work of the Spirit.
A Prayer of
Confession.
Rev. John prayed for us, confessing
our lack of understanding and asking:
Stride into our lives, Jesus Christ,
and interrupt us with your grace. Forgive us when we expect less than you give.
Amen.
Declaration of Forgiveness
Turn your lives towards our Holy God,
for all grace there, all freedom and hope. The word of God will not fail us. We
are forgiven.
Thanks, be to God!
The Peace
Renewed with the gifts of the Spirit,
and blessed by visions and dreams of peace in our world, let us share Christ’s peace with one another.
Peace be with you!
And also with you.
Offering
Prayer
Gracious God, this is a day of new
beginnings... We speak loudly of our faith and trust in your will and way for
us, through our commitment to your church. Bless our gifts to spread your
message far and wide, to all who need relief, assurance, and mercy in the name
of the Christ. Amen.The Service of Holy Communion
I have never
recorded this in full but I think today is the day.
The Great
Thanksgiving.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to
the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our
God.
It is right to
give our thanks and praise.
All glory and honour be yours always
and everywhere, mighty Creator, ever living God. We give you thanks and praise for your
Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, who by the power of your Spirit was born of Mary
and lived as one of us. By his death on the cross and rising to new life, he
offered the one true sacrifice for sin and obtained an eternal deliverance for
his people Today we give you thanks that in fulfilment of your promise you pour
forth your Spirit upon us filling us with gifts and leading us into all truth.
You gave us power to proclaim your gospel to all nations and to serve you as a
royal priesthood.
Therefore, with angels and
archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we proclaim your great and
glorious name, forever praising you and singing:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power
and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is the one who comes in the
name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!
On the night before he died, Jesus
gathered with his friends to share a meal and wash their feet, teaching one
more lesson of love. He took bread and blessed it and broke it. He gave it to
them and said: “Take this and eat it. This is my body.” Whenever you do this, eat it, in remembrance of
me. He took a cup of wine and blessed it and gave it to them. He said: “Take this and drink it. This is my
blood, sealing God’s promise to forgive your sins. Whenever you do this, drink it, in
remembrance of me. As we share these holy gifts, we remember the Lord Jesus.
For the love you taught us, the sacrifice you made for us and the hope you give
us, we acclaim you, O Christ:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again
And now, faithful God, send us your
Spirit to feed us with the body and the blood of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Make us one body in Christ. Send us as your messengers in the world and fill us
with energy, courage and love. Now to you, most holy God, through Christ your
Son and in the Spirit’s power, we bring our worship and our songs of praise:
Blessing and honour and glory and
power are yours for ever and ever. Amen.
After this followed the breaking of
the bread and the offering of the wine.
Thanks, be to God.
Lamb of God
Lamb of God you take away the sins of
the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God you take away the sins of
the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God you take away the sins of
the world,
grant us peace.
Invitation to Communion
Are you hungry for God? Come to the
bread of life. Are you in need of forgiveness? Come to the table of grace. Are
you empty and alone? Come to the feast of love. Come, even when naked and
vulnerable, for here we are covered with abundant grace and filled with the
goodness of God.
Here was an invitation that was more than
to share in the elements of the communion service. Here was an invitation to
share in the life of our Maker and to be all that we can be.
Prayer after Communion
God of compassion, through your son,
Jesus Christ, you reconciled your people to yourself. Following his example of
prayer and fasting may be obey you with willing hearts and serve one another in
holy love. Amen.
The Service of the
Word
Readings: Acts 2:1-21. 1 Corinthians 12:3-13. John
20:19-23
Preaching of the
Word Because I have devoted so much space to the Eucharist,
the following must be shortened to the essential message.
At Pentecost, the Spirit of God comes
upon the disciples, resting on each of them and thereby bringing them—and us—together
once again.
The disciples get a crash course in
the language of God. It is fair to say that after Pentecost the days of Babel
are over. The great differences among us, in communication and dialogue,
culture and background, wealth and poverty, are scattered in “the rush of a violent wind.”
As Acts tells us,
the differences are burned away by tongues of fire. It does not matter now
whether we are Parthians and Medes of old, or Australians, Europeans, and
Iraqis of today...
“Peace be with you,” he said to the disciples, with words that can be
understood by everyone..
Hymn TIS 414: “There’s a spirit in the air,” Praise the love that Christ revealed
Intercessory
Prayers When we pray for the concerns of the world around us and then join in
The Lord's Prayer
Hymn TIS 409: “O breath of life,” Come, sweeping through us...
Benediction Go forth and point to the wonders of God of God. Go forth and carry
justice and compassion into the world, for this is the word in Christ to us. And may Almighty
God, rise up in majesty before us, Christ Jesus draw our eyes towards true life
and the Holy Spirit be discovered in every new day. Amen
