Gathering Our Spirit with God's Spirit

The room has 4 prayer stations; each one has a clear plastic bowl hanging or on a stand, with water. Colors. Each has a different feel. One for each ministry area. The Spirit flows out of God and into and through all of us and we respond. LD and RD are gathering bowls and stuff to write on/make to go in bowls. 

• “Grace” by U2 plays
• A Journeyer steps up to light the lamp and another rings the bell
• Rick (E) and Leslie (L) make announcements

Worshiping with Our Children

• A Journeyer leads our children in talking about how God’s love can hold us up and help us with what we’re led to do to help God. And there’s some water in a big bowl (?) and the kids see what will float or won’t. (some objects there to try out) 

Welcome and Breathe

• Rick welcomes, has us breathe...

God’s Spirit and Our Spirit

• Clip from “Wisdom” plays
• Renee leads us in singing
• Two Journeyers read the Pentecost story from the book called Acts, or, What Jesus’ People Did

Reader One: Jesus’ people had been waiting ten days after he’d gone to heaven. He’d told them to wait for what He would do next, so they were gathered in the house in Jerusalem where they were hiding from the religious authorities. The great Festival of Pentecost began – and without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building. There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then for the Festival, devout pilgrims from all over the world. When they heard the sound, they came on the run from the Temple and where they were staying. They all found the house together. 

Reader Two: Then, like a wildfire, God’s Spirit spread through the ranks of Jesus’ followers, and they started speaking in a number of different languages, communicating with all the people who were gathering. And it was God’s Spirit that was telling them what to say! 

Reader One: The pilgrims gathered around the house heard, one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken. They were thunderstruck. They couldn't for the life of them figure out what was going on, and kept saying, "Aren't these all natives of this country? How come we're hearing them talk in our various mother tongues?” 

There were people from Parthia, and Elam, and Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia. Asians. Egyptians. Immigrants from Rome. Arabs.

Reader Two: Africans. Americans. Europeans. Black people. White people. Hispanics. Gay and straight people. People in need of good news, people who had it easy, people who were hungry and thirsty, people who had high hopes. 

Reader One: Children. Teenagers. Young adults. Middle-aged folks, and old folks. Insiders, outsiders. Businesspeople, homemakers, manual laborers, office workers, salespeople. Downtown people, farm people, suburb people.

Reader Two: The hip, the square. Conservatives and liberals. Everyone heard the message of God – because Jesus’ people were letting God’s words flow through them. 

They all were astonished – “Here are these people, who don’t know us, who don’t know our stories, and God is telling each of us Good News in exactly the way we need to hear it!”

Giving -- To Help God Do God's Work in This World  

• A Journeyer reads from the Jesus story called Luke

Jesus’ followers came to him and asked him to teach them what to ask God for. Jesus told them, “Here is what to say to God:

Heavenly Parent, you are the Source of all goodness. 

Bring about the World You Want To Happen, right now, in this moment, right here.”

• The same reader says an offering prayer
• Judi S. sings "God is a River" by Peter Mayer as the ushers pass the baskets and take them up front

Telling The Story and Our Story

• Rick talks
• Rick invites community to participate in prayer stations activity
• Recorded music plays while we do prayer station activity

Go Out to Serve with Courage and Grace

• A Journeyer has us circle up, leads us in a prayer
• The same Journeyer dismisses us
• “Grace” by U2 plays again as folks depart