Pentecost C – May 19, 2013
Worship on Pentecost Sunday – May 19, 2013
Preparing and Setting the Altar
Be present among us, Lord. Fill this place with your Spirit.
Lighting of the Christ Candle
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
As we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon our brothers and sisters so long ago, let us sing.
Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!
Psalm 104:24-34
O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great.
There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it. These all look to you to give them their food in due season;
when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works—
who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!
Mechthild of Magdeburg, a 13th century mystic nun, was known for her poetic prayers and ecstatic writing. She once wrote:
Effortlessly,
Love flows from God into man,
Like a bird
Who rivers the air
Without moving her wings.
Thus we move in His world,
One in body and soul,
Though outwardly separate in form.
As the Source strikes the note,
Humanity sings–
The Holy Spirit is our harpist,
And all strings
Which are touched in Love
Must sound.
Listening and Speaking for the Spirit
Singing
As you go from this place, hear the words of our brother the Rev. Mychal Judge, a martyr of charity in 2001, who often prayed: “Lord, take me where you want me to go, let me meet who you want me to meet, tell me what you want me to say, and keep me out of your way.” May you go where the Spirit guides, meet who the Spirit ordains, speak what the Spirit teaches, and not get in the way of God’s grace and mercy.
May the peace of 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.
Amen.