Post Pandemic Pentecost

Here are worship materials for Pentecost Sunday 2021

"Valley of the Dry Bones," Abraham Rattner, 20th c.

* Call to Worship 1 Corinthians 12 Adapted

One: We gather for worship by the power of the Holy Spirit.

All: We gather as the church in the communion of the Holy Spirit.

One: No one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says, “Let Jesus be cursed!”

All: And no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.

One: Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.

All: There are varieties of services, but the same Lord.

One: There are varieties of activities,

All: but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.

One: To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

All: To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom.

One: To another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit—

All: To another faith by the same Spirit—

One: To another gifts of healing by the one Spirit—

All: To another the working of miracles—

One: To another prophecy—

All: to another the discernment of spirits—

One: to another various kinds of tongues—

All: to another the interpretation of tongues.

One: All these are activated by one and the same Spirit,

All: who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

One: For just as the body is one and has many members—

All: and all the members of the body, though many, are one body—

One: so it is with Christ.

All: For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—

One: Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—

All: and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

One: So it is by this Holy Spirit that we greet one another,

“The peace of the Lord be with you.”

All: And also with you.

Prayer of Invocation (in unison)

Gracious God, your breath is life—ruah, pneuma. You breathe into us that we might live—full and free. You gather us as your church that it might live—pressing on to the goal of true and abundant life for all your creation. You do this now more urgently than ever in much of our lifetimes as we yearn for recovery from a most woeful year.

Raise us up, regather us in coming days and months, and rejuvenate us in your though ancient call. Grant that we might respond to this call, that we might come together, each gifted and together truly graced, to live as if amidst your glorious reign starting now and spreading forth to fill your whole beloved world.

In Christ ascended, and by the power of your Holy Spirit sent down, we pray. Amen.

Scripture & sermon audio.

Scripture & sermon text.