Pause

Come, Holy Spirit!
Come, fill our minds with your vision.
Come, fill our souls with your passionate fire.
Come, fill our mouths with words from your tongue.
Come, fill our hearts with your unconditional love.
Come, Holy Spirit!

Listen

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.

Psalm 104:24-30

Think

Today we celebrate the Spirit’s creation that we call the Church. We celebrate that the Church has life, not because of human tribe and tongue, but because the Spirit deemed it so, because of our dependence upon the triune God for our survival, and because of our interdependence on each other to speak in ways in which all may understand and be understood.

On this joyful day of Pentecost when we celebrate the Spirit giving birth to the Church, we also celebrate that the Spirit sustains the Church. With great humility and gratitude we acknowledge that indeed the Spirit is in ultimate control of the future of the Church, not any group of people or denomination. So as you go to church today to attend the birthday party, consider what God-given gift you will bring to promote unity and joy.

Happy birthday, Church! May the Spirit grant us many, many more!

Ashley-Anne Masters

Pray

God of all things worth celebrating, thank you for calling your Church into being and for inviting us to the party. Send your Spirit to work through us to promote unity and joy. We pray in the name of the One who never leaves anyone off the invitation list. Amen

Go

Go, Holy Spirit!
Go blow away that which is destructive to ourselves and others.
Go resuscitate and breathe life into those in distress.
Go before us, leading us in the way of truth and hope.
Go, in spite of our attempts to rein you in and keep you confined.
Go, Holy Spirit!