Pentecost Sunday 2015

I'm leading worship in my local congregation for Pentecost Sunday. I've been trying to get back to blogging regularly so here's a good reason to do so. This is the outline of what we're doing.

We're combining the Acts 2 Pentecost reading with Galatians 5 on the Fruits of the Spirit. The church is decorated with coloured cloth, blood red grape vine leaves, red yellow and orange flames, grapes, and a fire ready to be lit (clay kitty litter and methylated spirits). On the seats are 100 cutout leaves, each with one of the fruits of the spirit on them.

Opening
Mark Berry's Pentecost video from Proost

Call to Worship
This features a sung response from Miriam Therese Winter's Woman Prayer, Woman Song and I started with her words and then changed a lot and wrote a lot of my own. We're inviting a dozen people from the congregation (spontaneously) to come and be a vocal chorus to lead the first four sections, raising their hands each time the speak.  The congregation will be divided into 2 parts to respond.

L: Come Spirit!
1: Wind on the waters
L: Come Spirit!
2: Breath in our hearts
L: Come Spirit!
1: Dance of Creation
L: Speak to us!
2: Bring a new start

Come, Spirit, come and be a new reality
Your touch is guarantee of love alive in me

L: Come Spirit!
1: Cry from the heavens
L: Come Spirit!
2: Baptism gift
L: Come Spirit!
1: Bless every person
L: Speak to us!
2: Bring out our best

Come, Spirit, come and be a new reality
Your touch is guarantee of love alive in me

L: Come Spirit!
1: Whisper of wisdom
L: Come Spirit!
2: Speaker of truth
L: Come Spirit!
1: Shaking foundations
L: Speak to us!
2: Grandparent, youth!

Come, Spirit, come and be a new reality
Your touch is guarantee of love alive in me

L: Come Spirit!
1: Disrupt our comfort
L: Come Spirit!
2: Shake up our peace
L: Come Spirit!
1: Burn through injustice
L: Speak to us!
2: Freedom! Release!

Come, Spirit, come and be a new reality
Your touch is guarantee of love alive in me

L1: Come Spirit!
storm at Creation
life-breath in Eden
L2: blaze in the desert
rage from the prophets
L1: singing with exiles
stirring in Mary
L2: doubt in the desert
dove over Jordan
L1: upstart in synagogue
upset in temple
L2: oil of anointing
agent of healing
L1: servant at supper
sigh in the suffering
L2: gasp at Golgotha
glimpse at the tomb
L1:seed in the doubting
song in the rising
L2: chorus at Pentecost
call to apostles
L1: healer of nations
hope for eternity

All:
We celebrate you
who are both gift and call
to your church and your world.
You make us
You save us
You send us
We worship you this day.
Amen.

Song - "God of Creation" (words by me, tune: Morning has broken) 

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Confession

• invite people to find a leaf and a conversation partner and to see which fruit of the Spirit is named on the leaf
• talk about when/where/in whom they have experienced this quality in the past week
• invite people to offer prayers of thanks in pairs or small groups for these experiences of God’s goodness
• invite people to reflect in silence on when they have failed to express this quality of the Spirit
• lead a brief prayer of confession and declaration of forgiveness

 Bible Reading:  Acts 2:1-21 - Lego Video

Lego Jesus - The Day of Pentecost from Craig Mitchell on Vimeo.

Bible Reading -  Galatians 5:19-26 - Drama 

1: (Reading aloud from book) Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication…
2: (shocked) Excuse me?
1: Pardon?
2: What did you say?
1: Oh, I said “Now the works of the flesh are obvious”
2: You said ‘fornication’?
1: Right.
2: Nudge nudge. Wink wink.
1: I’m sorry?
2: Nothing to be sorry about, squire.
1: Can I go on?
2: Go on? By all means. Have a go. Eh? Eh?
1: Ahem. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness…
2: Say no more! Don’t mind if I do!
1: Pardon.
2: Don’t mind a bit of licentiousness. Taking a bit of licence. Nudge nudge. Wink wink. Know what I mean?

and so on...

Download Galatians 5 Script (PDF) 

Song - "He is the Vine" (by Beverley Nance. From NCYC 1991)

Sermon - Rev Dr Amelia Koh-Butler

Song - "Pentecost Prayer" by Robin Mann

Prayers of the People
This inv0lves our usual time of community sharing and prayer. We're also giving each person a grape from the communion table and inviting them to eat it as a foretaste of the coming reign of God.

Offering and Offering Prayer
The offering prayer concludes with
God, on this Pentecost –
remind us of the fruit of the Spirit,
for we are trying to put forth
the buds of the church.
Lift us with the wings of the Spirit,
for we must rise above sorrow
on bent feathers and hope.
Confuse us
with how many languages
the Spirit speaks,
so we may listen to our neighbours
and all become one in you.
Amen.

Adapted from  a prayer by Maren Tirabassi

Prayer - adapted from "The Celtic Wheel of Year" by Tess Ward.

Spirit of love
Be in my ears as I hear the cries of your world
Spirit of joy
Beam in my eyes as I meet another’s gaze
Spirit of peace
Breathe through my attitudes in times of conflict
Spirit of kindness
Blow through my heart when I speak
Spirit of patience
Breeze across my frustrations and fears
Spirit of faithfulness
Guide me when I stray from your path
Spirit of generosity
Spill into my gratitude and my giving
Spirit of gentleness
Smooth my abrasive words and actions
Spirit of self-control
Channel the abundance of your fruits
as I share in your transforming ways
Amen

Hymn – “Filled with the Spirit’s Power”- crank up the organ!

Blessing/Benediction

Brothers and sisters,
May we abide in Christ,
that we might both know and do the will of the Father.
May we abide in Christ,
that our lives might bear fruit by the Spirit.
May we abide in the Spirit
that might we receive the testimony of God’s truth
May we abide in the Spirit
that we too will testify to the world of God's goodness and grace
Peace be with you.
And also with you.

Passing of the Peace

Video - Deleted scenes from Lego Pentecost

Comments

[Amelia]

It was delightful to be part of a creative, fun and inspiring community - loved the congregational leading - (I.e. Members getting up and leading each other)... Wonderful musicians! Good and varied engagement.

[craigmitchell]

Your words are most gracious and your contribution was fabulous. Thanks again.

[Ian Ferguson]

Love this call to worship, Craig. May I use it?

[craigmitchell]

Of course Ian! That's why it's here. cheers.