+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Opening Prayer
Lord God, if I really believe in you and in your Son, I cannot be but your witness. Send me your Spirit of strength, that I may give no flimsy excuses for not standing up for you and for not loving my neighbors. Make me only afraid of betraying you and of being afraid to bear witness to you. I ask you this through Christ my Lord.
Reading: John 16:5-11 (NLT)
“But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.
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Reflection & Prayer:
Lord Jesus:
+ Sometimes I think, “if only I could have experienced your presence physically – to have walked and talked with you in the flesh – then I would be more confident in my faith.” But you tell me just the opposite; by leaving this earth – your death and resurrection – your resurrected presence now lives within me through the Spirit of Truth.
+ Thank you for sending me, and continually filling me, with your Spirit. Attune my heart and mind to hear him and obey him as he applies your teaching to the daily reality of my life.
Holy Spirit:
+ Convict me of my sin of unbelief: show me when I fail or falter because of weak faith, because of fear, because of an insufficient grasp of the enormity of your love for me.
+ Convict me of Jesus’ righteousness in all he said and did, and especially through his death and resurrection. And clothe me in his righteousness by grace through faith.
+ Convict me of the reality that Truth and Justice will ultimately prevail, no matter what it looks like now from my perspective. Fill me with confident hope that all will be made clear when Jesus returns in glory.
Heavenly Father:
+ You are the Sovereign over all of creation. You rule and reign over all of human history, and you have positioned me in this particular time and place to love and serve you, and to bear witness to the life-changing power of Jesus, my Lord.
+ Keep me faithful to you, in season and out of season, that Truth and Justice may prevail now and forever – to the honor and glory of your name.
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“Holy Spirit, Living Breath Of God” – Keith & Kristyn Getty, Stuart Townend
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Concluding Prayer – Psalm 138:1-2 (NLT)
I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing your praises before the gods. I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts to overflowing and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Opening Prayer:
Send down, O God, upon your people the flame of your Holy Spirit, and fill us with your presence and power. May your life-giving Spirit lend fire to our words and strength to our witness. Send us forth to the nations of the world to proclaim with boldness your wondrous work of raising Christ to your right hand. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
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“Holy Spirit” – Francesca Battistelli
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A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles: Acts 2:1-11 (NLT)
[The events of the first Pentecost Day are described.]
The Holy Spirit Comes
On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
Pentecost Tapestry
At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.
They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!”
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A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 (NLT)
Let all that I am praise the Lord. O Lord my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and majesty.
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O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.
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But if you turn away from them, they panic. When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust. When you give them your breath, life is created, and you renew the face of the earth.
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May the glory of the Lord continue forever! The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made!
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May all my thoughts be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
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Psalm 104 – Psalm Project Africa
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A Reading from the Letters: Romans 8: 8-17 (NLT)
[God gives us life through the Spirit at work in us.]
Those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
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A Reading from the Gospels: John 14: 15-16, 23-26 (NLT)
[The Holy Spirit reminds us of all Jesus has said.]
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.
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Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
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Hymn: “Come Holy Spirit”
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Intercessory Prayer:
Conscious of the Spirit praying within us, we present our petitions at the throne of grace with confidence.
+ That the Holy Spirit may breathe new life into church leaders around the world…. Lord, hear us.
+ That the Holy Spirit may help those who were baptized and confirmed this year to grow in grace…. Lord, hear us.
+ That the Holy Spirit may be close to every Christian persecuted for his/her faith…. Lord, hear us.
+ That the Holy Spirit may bring healing to all who are sick and suffering…. Lord, hear us.
+ That the Holy Spirit may pour our gifts of prophecy on our sons and daughters…. Lord, hear us.
+ That the Holy Spirit may give young men visions and cause old men to dream dreams…. Lord, hear us.
+ That the Holy Spirit may raise to life all those who have died in Christ and lead them home to heaven…. Lord, hear us.
God our creator, your Spirit brings us life and sustains us throughout our days: hear these prayers we are inspired to make, through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
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Hymn: “More And More Of You” – Richie Fike, Jonathan Lee, & Jennie Lee Riddle
Benediction:
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” – 2 Corinthians 13:14 (NLT)
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening sentence and prayer:
Lord, You have kept my soul from destruction. Alleluia.
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Lord God, grant Your people constant joy in the renewed vitality of our souls. We rejoice because you have restored us to the glory of Your adopted children: let us look forward gladly in the certain hope of resurrection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
A Reading from Acts: Acts 16:22-34 (NLT)
A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.
Paul and Silas in prison William Hatherell
Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”
The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.
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I will send to you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord; he will guide you to all truth. (John 16:7,13)
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A Reading from the Gospels: John 16:5-11 (NLT)
“But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing:
May the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening sentence and prayer:
Rejoice in the Lord, all the earth, and serve Him with joy. Sing and dance for joy as you enter His presence.
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God of all, have mercy on us, take notice of us, and show us the light of Your mercies. Make the nations fear You, who have not sought You out, make them know that there is no God except You, let them tell of Your wonders. Lord, enlighten our minds and hearts. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
A Reading from Acts: Acts 16:11-15 (NLT)
Icon: Lydia from Thyatira
We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis. From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days.
On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there. One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. She and her household were baptized, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed.
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The Spirit of truth will testify to me, says the Lord, and you also will testify. (John 15:26-27)
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A Reading from the Gospels: John 15:26-16:4 (NLT)
The Holy Spirit of Truth
“But I will send you the Advocate — the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.
“I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith. For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God. This is because they have never known the Father or me. Yes, I’m telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember my warning. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was going to be with you for a while longer.
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Canticle
Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.
Blessing:
May the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Peanut Gallery 