WELCOME
Friends, you are welcome in this place as I am welcome. No one owns our time together, it is God’s gift to each of us. We come with what we know of and have experienced in life, we come seeking to discover what we don’t yet know about ourselves, our God and God’s hopes and dreams for our lives. We declare in Jesus’ name that this is a safe place for all who seek and search, irrespective of their sexuality or experience of life, as together we seek to be Christ’s light and salt in the world. Welcome.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF COUNTRY
We gather on the first day of this new week of God’s creation on Dharawal land. We acknowledge their continuous link with the land and its Creator. Today we join them in celebration acknowledging their elders past and present and our journey together of justice making and reconciliation. We too long for their Uluru Statement to be accepted by our Federal Parliament and all the Australian People.
CANDLE LIGHTING
Today, flames of fire surround and enliven all of the followers of Jesus who gathered on that first Pentecost, fifty days after Easter. This candle reminds us that Christ is not just the Light of the world but has sent us the Holy Spirit to keep us in touch with Him and with each other in Him. Candle is lit.
PRAYER OF ADORATION AND THANKSGIVING
Let us pray. Pentecost Spirit, draw us to you. We thank you for the gifts you offer.
You open our understanding and break through our hesitation.
You reveal the unseen, so we discern God’s realm. You grow in us a compassion for each other
and strengthen our connection as if we are all of one mind and spirit and heart, in Christ.
What delight it is to be part of God’s family. We are now never alone.
How wonderful it is to work in unity, so justice is ready to roll out like a river and peace is found in flourishing friendship. Pentecost Spirit, you fill our days with hope and joy. Amen.
HYMN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKgcv8SdnQ
Let us build a house
Where love can dwell
And all can safely live
A place where
Saints and children tell
How hearts learn to forgive
Built of hopes and dreams and visions
Rock of faith and vault of grace
Here the love of Christ shall end divisions
All are welcome, all are welcome
All are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where prophets speak
And words are strong and true
Where all God’s children dare to seek
To dream God’s reign anew
Here the cross shall stand as witness
And a symbol of God’s grace
Here as one we claim the faith of Jesus
All are welcome, all are welcome
All are welcome in this place.
Let us build a house where all are named
Their songs and visions heard
And loved and treasured, taught and claimed
As words within the Word.
Built of tears and cries and laughter
Prayers of faith and songs of grace
Let this house proclaim from floor to rafter
All are welcome, all are welcome
All are welcome in this place.
Marty Haugen 1950 –
WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRAYER OF CONFESSION Taken from Words for Worship, Mediacom
Fiery Spirit, fill our hearts. For it is hard to love all our neighbours.
You see our irritation, dislike, and anger.
Our lack of effort and our fears.
We are sorry that we are not following your commandment.
With our prejudice, we do not ‘see’ our neighbours.
With our judgements, we do not ‘hear’ them.
With our insecurity, we are afraid to ‘love’ them.
Fiery Spirit, fill our hearts with grace and love.
Pentecost brought unity across social division.
There are so many inequities and unjust actions affecting our neighbours every day.
Strengthen our voices to speak out on these matters,
for we do not always see where we can make a difference.
Fiery Spirit, fill our hearts with grace and love.
Open our curiosity, loving Spirit, to learn more about our ecumenical family,
and to make time and effort to engage with your diverse people.
There is warmth in coming together, yet so many excuses hamper unity.
We are sorry we are not following your call.
Fiery Spirit, fill our hearts with grace and love. Amen.
TIS 412 ‘God sends us the Spirit’
Spirit of our Father
Spirit Friend
Spirit of our Jesu
Spirit Friend
Spirit of God’s people
Spirit Friend
God sends us the Spirit
To befriend and help us
Recreate and guide us
Spirit Friend
Spirit who enlivens
Sanctifies enlightens
Sets us free
Is now our Spirit friend.
Darkened roads are clearer
Heavy burdens lighter
When we’re walking with our
Spirit Friend
Now we need not fear
The power of the darkness
None can overcome
Our Spirit Friend.
Now we are God’s people
Bonded by Your presence
Agents of Your purpose
Spirit Friend
Lead us forward ever
Slipping backward never
To Your remade world
Our Spirit Friend.
CCLI Song # 230549 Tom Colvin © Words: 1969, 1997 Hope Publishing Company. Music: 1969 Hope Publishing Company For use solely with the SongSelect® All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI Licence # 31951
BIBLE READING Bruce & Judy
ACTS 2: 1 – 21 (NRSV) When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 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. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Now there were devout Jews from every people under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Fellow Jews 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.’ In this we hear God’s miracle of community. Thanks be to God.
MESSAGE ‘Streams of Life that never end’
“And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language” this message of Christ Jesus!
HYMN TIS 418
She sits like a bird brooding on the waters
Hovering on the chaos of the world’s first day
She sighs and she sings mothering creation
Waiting to give birth to all the Word will say.
She wings over earth resting where she wishes
Lighting close at hand or soaring through the skies
She nests in the womb welcoming each wonder
Nourishing potential hidden to our eyes.
She dances in fire startling her spectators
Waking tongues of ecstasy where dumbness reigned
She weans and inspires all whose hearts are open
Nor can she be captured silenced or restrained.
For she is the Spirit one with God in essence
Gifted by the Saviour in eternal love
She is the key opening the scriptures
Enemy of apathy and heavenly dove.
CCLI Song # 2235806cGraham Maule | John L. Bellc© 1988 WGRG, c/o Iona Community, Glasgow, Scotland (Admin. by Willow Publishing Pty. Ltd.)cFor use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.comcCCLI Licence # 31951
OFFERING
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Peter
HOLY COMMUNION Elder – Judy
Gathered in one place with those whom Jesus loved and by His Spirit gathered here with those whom Christ Jesus also loves. Do you know that you are so loved? Then hear again these words…
PRAYER OF INVOCATION
Holy God, we beg for your Spirit:
Enliven this bread, awake this body, pour us out for each other.
Transfigure our minds, ignite your church; nourish the life of the earth.
Make us, while many, united; make us though broken, whole; make us, despite death, alive.
Written for the UCA National Assembly, Sunshine Coast, May 2022 closing Eucharist.
DISTRIBUTION – IN OUR SEATS
HYMN TIS 398
Come down, O love divine
Seek now this soul of mine
And visit it with
your own ardour glowing;
O Comforter draw near
Within my heart appear and kindle it
your holy flame bestowing.
O let it freely burn
Till earthly passions turn
To dust and ashes
In its heat consuming;
And let your glorious light
Shine ever on my sight
And clothe me round
The while my path illuming.
Let holy charity
My outer garment be
And lowliness become mine inner clothing:
True lowliness of heart
Which takes the humbler part
And for 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 we become the place
Wherein the Holy Spirit
Makes his dwelling.
CCLI Song # 3278680 Bianco da Siena | Ralph Vaughan Williams | Richard Frederick Littledale | Robert Hobby
© Words: Public Domain Music: Oxford University Press For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use.
All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI Licence # 31951
BLESSING & BENEDICTION
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