Liturgies Online

Try to have red flowers or red autumn leaves in church today. You’ll need a stand with top big enough to sit a large plate - pizza baking plate? - or plate covered in foil, with mound of Blu-Tak or similar to fix candles in. Red candles which will last longer than an hour which are lit from the Christ candle and bedded into the Blu-Tak as close together as possible - this gives impression of large flame. Make sure they are securely embedded.

If you have pews, slip an elastic band over the pew-ends 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. Have the lectern in a more prominent position than usual .

 

Organise people to enter church in a procession when reader/s reach verse 4 of Acts 2: - entering up main aisle and any other aisles or entry points - children first carrying red ballooons, then some youth - throwing red streamers over seated congregation with others making dancing steps waving red scarves, they are followed by adults ( number of adults in relation to number of candles you can safely light and fix as above) carrying unlit candles. While still at entry to church, they make a noise like the wind as verse 2 is read then at conclusion of verse 4 process up aisle/s everyone singing joyfully:

SCRIPTURE IN SONG 51 “All over the world, the Spirit is moving”

 

People needed for call to worship - reader, numerous voices from congregation and Peter.

​

​CALL TO WORSHIP 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!)

​

READER /S Acts 2:1-4
1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.

2 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.

3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.

4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

 

Congregation remains seated while singing SCRIPTURE IN SONG 51 “All over the world, the Spirit is moving”

​

At conclusion of chorus, one reader remains while any other readers return to seats and procession makes its way forward and forms a semi-circle around back of reader - children with balloons sit on floor in front. Adults with candles light them from the Christ candle and hold them till end of reading.

​

READER CONTINUES:

verse 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem.

verse 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.

​

Have people who heard verses 1-4 in their first language organised within the congregation to shout out

“How is it that I - from - ............... can understand what they are saying?

 

Give a copy of the following verses to others assigned to speak and mark each place with a number so that each person knows when to speak as the READER continues reading from verse 7.  They speak from various places among the congregation - as though they came from the countries mentioned in the reading.

​

All say following verse 8 in unison:

And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?

Have them, in turn, shout out : “Parthians”, “Medes”, “Elamites”, “I’m from Mesopotamia”,

“from Judea”, “ and Cappadocia” , “Pontus”, “ and Asia”, “Phrygia”, “ and Pamphylia”,

“from Egypt”, “and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene”, “we’re visitors from Rome,

both Jews and proselytes”, “from Crete”, “ and Arabia-- in our own languages we hear

them speaking about God’s deeds of power.”

​

READER CONTINUES: All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them,

PETER: “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, 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. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (NRSV)

​

The adults put their lit candles on to a plate covered with foil and fix them very securely into a large lump of Blu-Tak or similar fixative. The youth tie the balloons to lectern and all return to seats.

​

TIS 411: “Filled with the Spirit’s power”

​

OPENING PRAYER

Holy God, across the ages, the breath of your Spirit has been understood as the creative power which moved over the face of the waters and brought a world to life. Today we celebrate the continuing activity of your Spirit – how the breath of your Spirit swept into the lives of a fearful, but faithful group of people and transformed them into powerful and joyful witnesses of Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives. As the Holy Spirit blessed and renewed their lives filling them with power and hope, bless and renew our lives, we pray.  Fill us anew with the Holy Spirit so that we live from the gift, as energised and joyous witnesses of Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives. Amen

 

 

THE PEACE

The peace of the risen Christ be with you all.

And also with you.

Invite people to share a sign of peace with their neighbours.

​

EPISTLE: Romans 8: 14-17

 

​

A WORD WITH THE YOUNG

Pick up the message from Romans and speak about what it means to be an ‘heir’. Heirs receive an inheritance. We have received the gift of love and have inherited Jesus’ life in us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

TIS 675: “Lord, the light of your love is shining” (“Shine, Jesus, shine”)

TIS 465/AHB 399: Father in heaven grant to your children”

 

PRAYER OF CONFESSION:

TIS 409/AHB 322: “O breath of life come sweeping through

​

​

WITNESS TO THE SPIRIT

Invite one or two people to give a brief testimony to the influence of the Holy

Spirit in their lives.                      OR …..
 

If Christians were asked to name which day in the Christian calendar was more important to them than any other - I wonder which day would come out on top?  Christmas?  Easter?

​

Today is when we celebrate - when we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit to the disciples in Jerusalem - the act which changed them for all time.  It is the day when we acknowledge and celebrate the fact that the coming of the Holy Spirit to us changes us for all time.

​

The language of Pentecost is the language of love and harmony.

 

The Holy Spirit puts one in touch with God, with one's self, and with one's neighbour. There unfortunately seems to be far more evidence of Babel in today's world than there is evidence of the Spirit....

​

In the power of the Spirit new possibilities for living are experienced…

​

TIS 681: “Lord, let me see”

TIS 687: “God gives us a future”

TIS 398/AHB 310: “Come down O Love divine”

​

PRAYERS FOR OTHERS

​

TIS 422: “Come, Holy Spirit, come!”

TIS 420: “Holy Spirit, go before us” If set tune unfamiliar, sing to Austria TIS 93

​

DISMISSAL WITH BLESSING

Go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit!

We go, giving thanks to God, Alleluia!

The blessing of God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer,

be upon you and within you this day and every day.

Amen! Alleluia!

 

TIS 755: “You shall go out with joy”