This service served as the conclusion of a sermon series on “The Way of the Cross” that began in Lent (see RW 138). It can also be used apart from that series.
Gathering Song
“Come, Holy Spirit (Uthando)” Counihan and Mbonambi
Call to Worship
“God of Wonders” Byrd and Hindalong
“Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God Almighty” Heber, LUYH 538, GtG 1, SSS 450
Confession and Assurance
A Litany of Solidarity: With and Through the Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit,
Fill us.
Come, Holy Breath,
Live in us.
Come, Holy Wind,
Move through us.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God
are the children of God.
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves,
so that you live in fear again.
Where we are led by other impulses
we become slaves again,
and our way of being is guided by fear.
Where we are guided by prejudice,
Fill us with love.
Where we are guided by pessimism,
Fill us with joy.
Where we are guided by misunderstanding,
Fill us with peace.
Where we are guided by superficial quick-fixes,
Fill us with patience.
Where we are guided by self-interest,
Fill us with kindness.
Where we are guided by apathy,
Fill us with goodness.
Where we are guided by convenience,
Fill us with faithfulness.
Where we are guided by complacency,
Fill us with meekness.
Where we are guided by temptation,
Fill us with self-control.
Come, Holy Spirit,
Fill us.
Come, Holy Breath,
Live in us.
Come, Holy Wind,
Move through us. Amen.
—Written by Rev. Pieter Roeloffse, based on Romans 8:14–15. © Christian AIDS Bureau for Southern Africa (CABSA). Used with permission. www.cabsa.org.za/. Permission to use this CABSA material to be reprinted and reproduced for noncommercial use for worship purposes only is given and must include the credit line above.
Song
“God With Us” Ingram and Jordan
Message
Acts 2, “Pentecostal Spirit”
Dramatic Reading
“Celebrating God’s Grace: The Story of Pentecost”
Read the dramatic reading from RW 79:36 in multiple languages based on the congregation’s demographics.
Song of Response / Offering
“Reign in Us” Glover and Neufeld
Prayers of the People
Communion
“All Who Are Thirsty” Brown and Robertson
“Come, Holy Spirit” Counihan, Mbonambi and Counihan
Closing Litany
The Spirit descends like a dove,
bringing peace to unite the world
in a just and caring community.
The Spirit comes like a breath,
bringing life to renew the people of God.
The Spirit spreads like fire,
bringing energy for witnessing to the love of God.
Spirit of the living God,
come to us and transform our lives by your power.
—Book of Worship, © 2012 by United Church of Christ, Cleveland, Ohio. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Lorica
A lorica, or breastplate prayer, is an ancient form of prayer for protection that invokes the power of God as a safeguard against evil. The Saint Patrick’s Breastplate is one of the more well-known loricas. The following is the lorica of St. Fursey, an Irish missionary to Anglo-Saxon England in the 7th century.
The arms of God be around my shoulders,
the touch of the Holy Spirit upon my head,
the sign of Christ’s cross upon my forehead,
the sound of the Holy Spirit in my ears,
the fragrance of the Holy Spirit in my nostrils,
the vision of heaven’s company in my eyes,
the conversation of heaven’s company on my lips,
the work of God’s church in my hands,
the service of God and the neighbor in my feet,
a home for God in my heart,
and to God, the father of all, my entire being.
Amen.
—St. Fursey, 7th century
Blessing