Preparing for worship – if possible, beginning at 10am
You’ll need a table, set with a piece of bread and a glass of wine or juice.
A cross.
A candle, lit on the table.
If you have an image of a dove, it would also be good to include today.
The variation between bold and plain type is intended to help share the liturgy if there are two or more people together (e.g. alternate verses of the intercessions). Please say all the words if it’s just you.
Jesus Christ, whom we come to worship, is our crucified, risen and ascended Lord, and we have walked with him through his journey of love. Now with all God’s people, we await Jesus’s promised gift – the Spirit through whom we live and move and have our being – descending on us with her renewing power.
HYMN (said or sung)
Come down, O love divine, seek thou this soul of mine,
and visit it with thine own ardour glowing;
O comforter, draw near, within my heart appear,
and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.
O let it freely burn, till earthly passions turn
to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
and let thy glorious light shine ever on my sight,
and clothe me round, the while my path illuming.
Let holy charity mine outward vesture be,
and lowliness become mine inner clothing:
true lowliness of heart, which takes the humbler part,
and o’er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.
And so the yearning strong, with which the soul will long,
shall far outpass the power of human telling;
for none can guess its grace, till he become the place
wherein the Holy Spirit makes his dwelling.
Though each in our homes, we are together with all our sisters and brothers in the faith,
as we worship and give thanks. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
PRAYER OF PREPARATION
Come Holy Spirt, fill the hearts of your faithful people,
And kindle in each of us the fire of your love.
Move, O Breath of God, over the waters of our confusion and fear,
Bringing life, renewing hope,
And turning our darkness into light.
As we wait in stillness,
Come, Holy Spirit.
As we hear your word,
Come, Holy Spirit.
As we long to be made new,
Come, Holy Spirit.
We say the Song of New Creation printed on the front of the pewsheet
PRAYERS OF PENITENCE
“Eye has not seen, nor has the human heart conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”
After a moment of quiet reflection, we confess our sins to God with this prayer;
Lord of love, you raise the dead to new life in the Spirit:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord of compassion, you bring pardon and peace to the broken in heart:
Christ, have mercy.
Lord of life, you make one by your Spirit all that is torn and divided:
Lord, have mercy.
THE ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS
Blessed are you, sovereign God, eternal Father; daily your Spirit renews the face of the earth, she brings strength in our weakness, hope in our despair, life in the midst of death. By that same power that raised Jesus from death, you forgive us our sins, you form us into the likeness of Christ and you fill us afresh with your grace, that we may be witnesses to your immeasurable love and the fullness of life that Jesus came to bring. Amen.
We say the Gloria, in the traditional words, or sing it in the Peruvian Gloria version below
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Or sing
Glory to God, glory to God, glory to the Father.
To him be glory forever,
Alleluia, amen (x3)
Glory to God, glory to God, Son of the Father.
Glory to God, glory to God, glory to the Spirit.
THE COLLECT and the two readings for today are printed on the pewsheet
The first scripture reading. Acts 2.1-21
At the end, there may be a short period of silence followed by this response:
For the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
HYMN (said or sung)
Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost, taught by thee, we covet most
of thy gifts at Pentecost, holy, heavenly love.
Love is kind, and suffers long, love is meek, and thinks no wrong,
love than death itself more strong; therefore give us love.
Prophecy will fade away, melting in the light of day;
love will ever with us stay; therefore give us love.
Faith will vanish into sight; hope be emptied in delight;
love in heaven will shine more bright; therefore give us love.
Faith and hope and love we see joining hand in hand agree;
but the greatest of the three, and the best, is love.
From the overshadowing of thy gold and silver wing
shed on us, who to thee sing, holy, heavenly love.
THE GOSPEL John 20.19-23
Alleluia! Come from the four winds, O Spirit!
Kindle in our hearts the fire of your love. Alleluia!
The Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. Glory to you, O Lord.
At the end
for the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
REFLECTION (on the website, attached to the email or, if printed, at the end of the sheets)
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
We believe in God the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.
We believe in God the Son,
who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit,
who strengthens us with power from on high.
We believe in one God;
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
The fruit of the Spirit is love and joy. We rejoice today, Lord, in the gift of your Spirit to the church, bringing reconciliation and strength to sustain us. We thank you for the ministry among us of clergy and Readers and we ask you to sustain our bishops Viv and Lee, and each of us as our faith and resilience is tested in this crisis. Give us courage to love and faith to know you more.
Spirit of God, descend on us, with your glorious light
The fruit of the Spirit is peace and patience. We pray, Lord, that our world may find Christ’s peace and that we might have patience as we wait in hope for your kingdom. We hold in our prayers the peoples of …. and all places where there is great need and hardship as we try to control the spread of Covid – especially those places that desperately lack the resources to cope.
Spirit of God, descend on us, with your glorious light
3. The fruit of the Spirit is kindness and goodness. We pray, Lord, for the gift of kindness that transforms lives and for the goodness that can reveal Christ to our neighbour. We rejoice with all who are able to meet together now after such a time apart. Bless our families and those we love, our enemies and those we find hard to love. Strengthen all the churches of our town and guide us through this time of change and uncertainty.
Spirit of God, descend on us, with your glorious light
4. The fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness and gentleness. We pray, Lord, for the strength to be faithful in adversity and the for the gentleness that brings hope to the suffering. Send your Spirit on all who are in pain, darkness or fear today; especially …… may they, and all whom we hold in our prayers, know her healing touch and her renewing presence.
Spirit of God, descend on us, with your glorious light
5. The fruit of the Spirit is self-control.
We pray, Lord, for the determination to amend our lives and to follow Christ to the last, that we may know the perfect freedom that is ours as your children. Be with those who are close to death, their families so often unable to be with them, and with all who grieve. May those whose mortal life is ended, ….. and all who we remember before you, wake to the joy of heaven.
Spirit of God, descend on us, with your glorious light
6. Rejoicing today in your call to each one of us, to follow you and work for your kingdom no matter what the situation; we commend ourselves, one another, and all creation to your unfailing love.
Spirit of God, descend on us, with your glorious light
THE PEACE
Alleluia! God has made us one in Christ. He has set his seal upon us and, as a pledge of what is to come, has given the Spirit to dwell in our hearts. Alleluia.
May the peace of the Lord be always with us.
and with all our sisters and brothers, near and far. Alleluia!
We share a sign of peace with all people of faith throughout the world, by clasping our hands together and bowing our heads saying the word “Shalom”, peace.
HYMN
O thou who camest from above
the fire celestial to impart,
kindle a flame of sacred love
on the mean altar of my heart!
2 There let it for thy glory burn
with inextinguishable blaze,
and trembling to its source return
in humble prayer and fervent praise.
3 Jesus, confirm my heart’s desire
to work, and speak, and think for thee;
still let me guard the holy fire,
and still stir up the gift in me.
4 Ready for all thy perfect will,
my acts of faith and love repeat;
till death thy endless mercies seal,
and make the sacrifice complete.
SHARING THE FEAST
Gracious God, we welcome your presence with us. May the table at which we share, nourish our bodies, hearts and minds, and may our spirits be refreshed. As we live in the light of your presence, with us now and at all times and places. Amen.
Father, as we break bread together on this Day of Pentecost, we thank you that your promise is fulfilled as you pour out your Spirit upon us, leading us into all truth, and uniting us in faith. Giving us power to live out your gospel, and to serve you as a royal priesthood.
Take and eat a piece of the bread. If you are with another, give the bread to each other. As you give and receive the bread, say this prayer:
As we break this bread, and as we share it, we thank you, God, that you give us this day our daily bread.
For the food which delights and nourishes us and for the companionship that sustains us as your people.
Drink a sip of the wine or juice. If you are with another, give the wine to each other. As you give and receive the wine, say this prayer:
We thank you for drink to quench our thirst and for the Living Water with which you surprise and enrich and transform our lives.
We give thanks for this feast at which all can share, though separated now. A foretaste of the kingdom of heaven. Amen.
As our Saviour taught us, so we pray:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.
HYMN (though it isn’t easy to sing, the words seem apt for our situation. You can find it on YouTube)
Beauty for brokenness, hope for despair
Lord, in our suffering, this is our prayer
Bread for the children, justice, joy, peace
Sunrise to sunset, your kingdom increase.
Shelter for fragile lives cure for our ills
Work for the craftsman, trade for their skills
Land for the dispossessed, rights for the weak
Voices to plead the cause of those who can’t speak
God of the poor, friend of the weak,
Give us compassion we pray.
Melt our cold hearts let tears fall like rain
Come, change our love from a spark to a flame!
Rest for the ravaged earth, oceans and streams,
Plundered and poisoned, our future, our dreams
Lord, end our madness, carelessness, greed
Make us content with the things that we need
God of the poor…
Lighten our darkness, breathe on this flame
Until your justice burns brightly again.
Till all the nations learn of your ways,
Seek your salvation and bring you their praise
God of the poor…
PRAYER
Faithful God, you have fulfilled the promises of Easter in the coming of us your Holy Spirit, guiding us on the way of eternal life. Anoint us afresh with your power and love, and set us free to sing your praise, now and forever. Amen.
BLESSING
Come Holy Spirit, from heaven shine forth, with your glorious light.
Come from the four winds O Spirit, come Breath of God
Disperse the shadows over us, renew and strengthen your people
Come Holy Spirit
Come to our poverty; shower upon us the gifts of your grace
Come from the four winds O Spirit, come Breath of God
Kindle in us the flame of your love, burning bright in our darkness
Come Holy Spirit
DISMISSAL
May the Spirit, who set the Church on fire on the day of Pentecost,
bring to all the world her gifts of love, joy and peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Amen.
Alleluia! Let us go in the peace of Christ
Thanks be to God, Alleluia!