Pentecost 1992: The Breath and the Body of God
SEEKERS CHURCH
Pentecost, 1992
The Breath and the Body of God
REFLECTION
"God's desire is revealed in our body
the mouth is prisoner of the eyes
the glory of God is happy people
happy people are God naked…
"In the body God, and humankind meet."
Rubem Alves, Resurrection of the Body
PRELUDE
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: People of Seekers,
and all who dwell in Washington, DC,
Let this be known to you.
God speaks to us through the prophets, saying:
People: In those days I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
The young shall see visions,
the old shall dream dreams;
And I will show wonders in the heavens above,
and signs on the earth beneath…
Leader: Come. Worship in the Spirit of Pentecost.
From Acts 2:14-19
INVOCATION
HYMN
SILENCE
PENTECOST LITANY
Leader: Transforming womb of God, conceive in us.
Transforming Breath of God, bring us to life.
Voice 1: Break forth your living water, O birthing-Spirit;
Streaming grace upon us, cleansing us,
causing us to be whole;
Giving us living water…
Voice 2: Expecting the yet unseen,
Anticipating the given moment,
Moving with your birthing rhythms;
Breathing with the pain.
Leader: Signs of new beginnings casting forth into light.
Meeting of the Creator and the newly born;
A joyful morning! A jubilee!
Unison: O Christ, your name upon us;
our name engraved upon your palm.
Transforming womb of God, conceive in us.
Transforming Breath of God, bring us to life.
After More Than Words, Janet Schaffran, Pat Kozak
SILENCE
PRAYERS
CONFESSION
Unison: Holy Spirit, who rides the wings of the wind,
We long to be enlivened by your Spirit-breath.
When it blows a gale, we hide,
Protect ourselves from change,
Defend ourselves against the ambush of your love.
O Holy One, forgive our fear,
our frightened searching for the gentle way,
our frantic longing for imagined comforts of the past.
INDIVIDUAL CONFESSIONS
ASSURANCE
Leader: The pressure is intense
to make us more and more like our surroundings;
The worldly gates of culture, tighter than the birth canal,
can squeeze the life from us.
But Christ has promised us the wind of life,
And we are free to fly, as God calls each of us, unique.
The Holy Spirit does not fill us to conform us to the world.
Let go of fear, and claim the power of your faith.
AMEN.
CONTINUING PRAYERS
HYMN
THE WORD
Scripture
Sermon
Silent Reflection
OFFERING
Offertory Music
Prayer of Dedication
SHARED REFLECTIONS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
HYMN
BENEDICTION
Leader: The Holy Spirit, thunderstorm of creativity,
Brings unexpected life!
The Body of Christ is alive,
And each of us is some unique part…
An eye, an ear, a helping hand,
A broken heart.
Go forth to live the call of God!
AMEN.
