Prayers

Prayer of Invocation (inspired by Joel 2:28, Acts 2:17)

Move among us, Spirit,
and gather us together with you.
Take our many selves—
our lives, our loves, our ideas,
our questions, our speech, our silence—
and unite us as your people.
Give us the gifts of perception and understanding,
so that even as we dream your dreams and see your visions,
we may be able to witness to your presence
in our common life.

Amen.

~ Rev. Mary Nelson Abbott. Posted on the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways Archive.
http://www.ucc.org/worship/worship-ways/year-c/p/pentecost-sunday.html

Prayer of Invocation (inspired by Acts 2:1-4)

Come, Holy Spirit,
the one who sang a new melody as God’s Creation rose from Chaos,
who wept at the dark shadow of a cross,
and who danced early in the morning, at the opening of an empty tomb,

Come, Holy Spirit,
the one who could not be contained by wind, or flame, or breath,
the one who blesses the Church with courage, peace, and love.

Come, Holy Spirit, to us,
who gather this day with trembling hands and uncertain hearts.
Teach us to sing a new song and to dance with reckless abandon.

Here in this gathering of believers, as you did with those so long ago,
breathe on us now.

Breathe on us,
blowing away our fears and our hesitations.

Breathe on us,
transforming our hard-heartedness into passion-filled lives.

Breathe on us,
for we need peace, peace that only you can give.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

~ Rev. Nancy J, on her blog, wonderings through life and other such nonsense.
http://ruminari.wordpress.com/

Prayer: Spirit of Life

your breath of life fills the whole world
and holds all things together.
if you withdraw your breath everything turns to dust
breathe on me breath of god

you are the source of life that brings life to the world,
whole life, full life, unhindered, indestructible everlasting life
fill me with life anew

the life of your spirit which christ sends into the world
is the power of the resurrection which brings us new life
breathe on me breath of god

the sending of your spirit is the revelation
of god's indestructible affirmation of life and marvelous joy in life
fill me with life anew

jesus, where you are there is life.
where you are sick people are healed,
sad people are comforted,
marginalised people are accepted
and the demons of death are driven out
breathe on me breath of god

where your holy spirit is present there is life.
the powers and energies of eternal life are experienced.
fill me with life anew

the mission of your spirit is a movement for life
and a movement for healing
which spreads consolation and the courage to live
and raises up what wants to die.
breathe on me breath of god

we affirm and love life so much
that we protest against death
and all the powers that disseminate death.
fill me with life anew

help us to join with your comforting of the sad,
healing of the sick,
welcoming of strangers,
and forgiving of sins.
breathe on me breath of god

send your spirit so that this world should not perish but live
fill me with life anew

spirit of the new creation
break into the here and now
bringing foretastes of the age to come
when all things are made new,
and creation is set free from the powers of death
breathe on me breath of god

spirit of god renew the face of the earth
fill me with life anew

give us hearts of flesh for hearts of stone
that we may love as you would love
and do what you would do

amen

~ written by Jonny Baker, and posted JonnyBaker blog.
http://jonnybaker.blogs.com/

Prayer of Confession

O God, who sent gifts
of the Holy Spirit to those first saints,
We know you continue to send gifts to us,
even though we do not claim them.
We confess that we have not always opened our gifts.
We have often chosen to keep them packed away or buried.

Move us, by your Spirit,
to pick up our presents, that you so freely give,
to open them and to spend them lavishly
on the stewardship of your world.

We confess to you how often our thoughts and motives are confused,
both individually
and when we are together as your people,
and that this confusion has often blinded us
to your interest in our lives.

Break in on our confusion,
and astonish us anew, O God!
Our prayer is that you will claim us again
and silence within us our desire
to always have words for every occasion,
that we might hear the whisper of the wings of your Spirit dove.

In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, we pray.

Amen.

~ from the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand website.
http://presbyterian.org.nz/for-ministers/worship-resources