An Order of the Eucharist for Pentecost (24 May 2015)

Pentecost

8 June 2014

The Gathering of the Community

Gathering Music

Greeting

O Holy Spirit, by whose breath

life rises vibrant out of death,

come to create, renew, inspire;

come, kindle in our hearts your fire.

You are the seeker’s sure resource,

of burning love the living source,

protector in the midst of strife,

the giver and the Lord of life.

In you God’s energy is shown;

to us your varied gifts made known.

Teach us to speak; teach us to hear;

yours is the tongue and yours the ear.

From inner strife grant us release.

Turn nations to the ways of peace.

To fuller life your people bring,

that as one body we may sing:  [i]

Canticle

‘She Comes Sailing on the Wind’ Common Praise #656

vv. Refr.; vv. 1, 2; Refr.; vv. 3, 4; Refr., v. 5; Refr.

Collect of the Day

Let us pray.

Spirit of truth,

guide us into all truth;

consume the lies

that shroud the world in hate;

pray in us with sighs too deep for words

with hope for a new world;

through Jesus Christ,

who goes to the right hand of God.  Amen. [ii]

The Proclamation of the Word of God

The First Reading

A Reading from Ezekiel (37.1-14).

            ¹ The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.  ² He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry.  ³ He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?”  I answered, “O Lord God, you know.”  ⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them:  O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.  ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones:  I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.  ⁶ I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

            ⁷ So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.  ⁸ I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them.  ⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath:  Thus says the Lord God:  Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.”  ¹⁰ I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.

            ¹¹ Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel.  They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God:  I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel.  ¹³ And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.  ¹⁴ I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.”

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

Thanks be to God.

The Psalm of the Day

Psalm 104.26-34, 35b with Refrain from Songs for the Holy One

Refrain (twice):  O my soul, bless the Holy One!  Hallelujah!

²⁴ O Lord, how manifold are your works! *

            In wisdom you have made them all;

            the earth is full of your creatures.

²⁵ Yonder is the great and wide sea

with its living things too many to number, *

            creatures both small and great.

²⁶ There move the ships, and there is that Leviathan, *

            which you have made for the sport of it.

²⁷ All of them look to you *

            to give them their food in due season.

Refrain:  O my soul, bless the Holy One!  Hallelujah!

²⁸ You give it to them; they gather it; *

            you open your hand,

            and they are filled with good things.

²⁹ You hide your face, and they are terrified; *

            you take away their breath,

            and they die and return to their dust.

³⁰ You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; *

            and so you renew the face of the earth.

Refrain:  O my soul, bless the Holy One!  Hallelujah!

³¹ May your glory, O Lord, endure for ever; *

            may you rejoice in all these works;

³² you look at the earth and it trembles; *

            you touch the mountains and they smoke.

³³ I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; *

            I will praise my God while I have my being.

³⁴ May these words of mine please you; *

            I will rejoice in the Lord.

            Bless the Lord, O my soul.  Hallelujah!

Refrain:  O my soul, bless the Holy One!  Hallelujah!

The Second Reading

A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (2.1-21).

            ¹ When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.  ² 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.  ³ Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.  ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

            ⁵ Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem.  ⁶ And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.  ⁷ Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?  ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?  ⁹ Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs — in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.”  ¹² 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.”

            ¹⁴ But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.  ¹⁵ Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.  ¹⁶ No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:  ¹⁷ ‘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.  ¹⁸ Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.  ¹⁹ And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist.  ²⁰ The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.  ²¹ Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

Thanks be to God.

Hymn before the Gospel

‘Soaring Spirit, Set Us Free’ Common Praise #250

The Gospel

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John (15.26-27; 16.4b-15).

Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

            ^15.26 [Jesus said to his disciples,] “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf.  ²⁷ You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.”

            ^16.4b “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.  ⁵ But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’  ⁶ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts.  ⁷ Nevertheless I tell you the truth:  it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.  ⁸ And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement:  ⁹ about sin, because they do not believe in me; ¹⁰ about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; ¹¹ about judgement, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

            ¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  ¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.  ¹⁴ He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.  ¹⁵ All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

The Gospel of Christ.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

The Sermon

The Apostles’ Creed

Let us affirm the faith of our baptism.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.  Amen. [iii]

The Prayers of the Community

Intercessions, Petitions and Thanksgivings

The Exchange of the Peace

May the peace of the risen Christ be with you all.

And also with you.

The Holy Communion

Offertory Hymn

‘Breathe on Me, Breath of God’ Common Praise #649

The Prayer over the Gifts

Let us pray.

Blessed are you, O God, ruler of heaven and earth.

Day by day you shower us with blessings.

As you have raised us to new life in Christ,

give us glad and generous hearts,

ready to praise you and to respond to those in need,

through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.  Amen. [iv]

The Thanksgiving at the Table

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Blessed are you, gracious God,

creator of heaven and earth;

we give you thanks and praise

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

In fulfillment of your promise

you pour forth your Spirit upon us,

filling us with gifts and leading us into all truth.

You give us power to proclaim your gospel to all nations

and to serve you as a royal priesthood.

Therefore we join our voices with angels and archangels,

and with all those in whom the Spirit dwells,

to proclaim the glory of your name.

Holy, holy, holy Lord,

God of power and might. 

Heaven and earth are full of your glory. 

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest. [v]

Blessed are you, O God of the universe. 

Your mercy is everlasting

and your faithfulness endures from age to age.

Praise to you for creating the heavens and the earth. 

Praise to you for saving the earth from the waters of the flood. 

Praise to you for bringing the Israelites safely through the sea. 

Praise to you for leading your people

through the wilderness to the land of milk and honey. 

Praise to you for the words and deeds of Jesus, your anointed one. 

Praise to you for the death and resurrection of Christ. 

Praise to you for your Spirit poured out on all nations.

In the night in which he was betrayed,

our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;

broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: 

Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. 

Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again, after supper, he took the cup,

gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: 

This cup is the new covenant in my blood,

shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. 

Do this for the remembrance of me.

With this bread and cup

we remember our Lord’s Passover from death to life

as we proclaim the mystery of faith:

Christ has died. 

Christ is risen. 

Christ will come again.

O God of resurrection and new life: 

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us

and on these gifts of bread and wine. 

Bless this feast. 

Grace our table with your presence.

Come, Holy Spirit.

Reveal yourself to us in the breaking of the bread. 

Raise us up as the body of Christ for the world. 

Breathe new life into us. 

Send us forth, burning with justice, peace and love.

Come, Holy Spirit.

With the ever-blessed Virgin Mary,

blessed Joseph, blessed Faith

and your holy ones of all times and places,

with the earth and all its creatures,

with sun and moon and stars,

we praise you, O God,

blessed and holy Trinity,

now and forever.  Amen. [vi]

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours,

now and for ever.  Amen. [vii]

The Breaking of the Bread

Be known to us, Lord Jesus, in the breaking of the bread.

Be known to us, Lord Jesus, in the breaking of the bread.

The bread which we break, alleluia,

is the communion of the body of Christ.

Be known to us, Lord Jesus, in the breaking of the bread.

One body are we, alleluia,

for though many, we share one bread.

Be known to us, Lord Jesus, in the breaking of the bread. [viii]

The gifts of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

Communion

Hymn after Communion

‘Thou, Who at Thy First Eucharist’ Common Praise #57

The Sending Forth of the Community

The Prayer after Communion

Life-giving God,

in the mystery of Christ’s resurrection

you send light to conquer darkness,

water to give new life,

and the bread of life to nourish your people.

Send us forth as witnesses to your Son’s resurrection,

so that we may show your glory to all the world,

through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord.  Amen. [ix]

Glory to God,

whose power, working in us,

can do infinitely more

than we can ask or imagine. 

Glory to God from generation to generation,

in the Church and in Christ Jesus,

for ever and ever.  Amen.

Closing Hymn

‘God of Tempest, God of Whirlwind’ Evangelical Lutheran Worship #400

The Dismissal

Let us go forth in the power of the Spirit.  Alleluia, alleluia!

Thanks be to God.  Alleluia, alleluia!

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[i] ‘O Holy Spirit, by Whose Breath’, Common Praise (1998), #683 vv. 1, 2, 4, 5.

[ii] Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial Use Propers:  Maundy Thursday to Trinity Sunday Year B’ (2015), 6.

[iii] Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 105.

[iv] ‘Offering Prayer for Easter’, Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 64.

[v] Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), #525.

[vi] ‘Thanksgiving at the Table IV’, Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 111.

[vii] Songs for a Gospel People #12.

[viii] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 228.

[ix] ‘Prayer after Communion for Easter’, Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 65.