Cover Image: The Holy Spirit Arrives by Douglas Blanchard

Land Acknowledgement:

Welcome and announcements:

Gathering Song: Wind Upon the Waters (Chalice 247)

Wind upon the waters, voice upon the deep,

Rouse your sons and daughters, wake us from our sleep,

Breathing life into all flesh, breathing love into all hearts,

Living wind upon the waters of our souls.

Blazing light of wonder, flame that pierces night,

Burst the dark asunder, fill our souls with light.

God of glory, fill the skies, make an end to hatred’s cries,

Be the blazing sun of justice in our lives.

Wind upon the waters, rains upon the sand,

Grace your childrens’ laughter, newborn by your light.

Come, O Spirit, and renew all the life that comes from you,

Send your wind upon the waters of our souls.

Call to Worship:

Adapted from materials by Ann B. Day,

One: Come! Let us gather. Let us listen. Let us share and be nourished. Let us wait as the Spirit moves in us and through us toward liberating love and justice for the whole family of Creation.

…Come! Let us gather.

Many: We are the body of Christ, Disciples, filled with the Spirit

One: Empowered by Spirit, break bread, build community, seek justice, and take holy risks for love.

Come! Let us gather.

Many: We are the body of Christ, Disciples, filled with the Spirit

One: Empowered by Spirit, while we are the diverse members of Christ’s beautiful body: varied in culture, sexuality, age, class, ability, and family shapes and sizes.

Come! Let us gather.

Many: We are the body of Christ, Disciples, filled with the Spirit

One: Come in, all are welcome, come into worship! Come with your longings, your questions, and your fears. Come with your dreams of a better day, one with dignity and safety for all!

Come! Let us gather.

Many: We are the body of Christ, Disciples, filled with the Spirit

One: Let us listen. Let us share and be nourished. Let us wait as the Spirit moves in us and through us toward liberating love and justice for the whole family of Creation. Amen.

Scripture Reading:

John 14:26-27 (First Nations Translation)

But there is one whom Creator is sending to represent me. She/They will walk beside you and be your spirit guide. She/They are the Holy Spirit, who will be your Wisdomkeeper and help you to remember all that I have told you.

I leave you now with my great peace. It is my gift to you. It is not the kind of peace the world gives. Do not let the troubles of this world fill you with fear and make your hearts fall to the ground, and do not let fear hold you back.

John 20:21-23 (First Nations Translation)

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you! In the same way Creator above has sent me, I am now sending you. He blew his breath on them and said, “You will breathe in and receive the Holy Spirit. With the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and guidance, if you release others from their bad hearts and broken ways, they are released. If you do not release them, they are not released.

Meditation: Do not be filled with troubles; Be filled with Spirit

Responsive Space:

Prayers of the People:

One: In your Loving Name

Many: Hear Our Prayer

Rainbow Christ Prayer, by Kittredge Cherry Patrick S. Cheng

Rainbow Christ, you embody all the colors of the world. Rainbows serve as bridges between different realms: heaven and earth, east and west, queer and non-queer. Inspire us to remember the values expressed in the rainbow flag of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community.

Red is for life, the root of spirit. Living and Self-Loving Christ, you are our Root. Free us from shame and grant us the grace of healthy pride so we can follow our own inner light. With the red stripe in the rainbow, we give thanks that God created us just the way we are.

Orange is for sexuality, the fire of spirit. Erotic Christ, you are our Fire, the Word made flesh. Free us from exploitation and grant us the grace of mutual relationships. With the orange stripe in the rainbow, kindle a fire of passion in us.

Yellow is for self-esteem, the core of spirit. Out Christ, you are our Core. Free us from closets of secrecy and give us the guts and grace to come out. With the yellow stripe in the rainbow, build our confidence.

Green is for love, the heart of spirit. Transgressive Outlaw Christ, you are our Heart, breaking rules out of love. In a world obsessed with purity, you touch the sick and eat with outcasts. Free us from conformity and grant us the grace of deviance. With the green stripe in the rainbow, fill our hearts with untamed compassion for all beings.

Blue is for self-expression, the voice of spirit. Liberator Christ, you are our Voice, speaking out against all forms of oppression. Free us from apathy and grant us the grace of activism. With the blue stripe in the rainbow, motivate us to call for justice.

Violet is for vision, the wisdom of spirit. Interconnected Christ, you are our Wisdom, creating and sustaining the universe. Free us from isolation and grant us the grace of interdependence. With the violet stripe in the rainbow, connect us with others and with the whole creation.

Rainbow colors come together to make one light, the crown of universal consciousness. Hybrid and All-Encompassing Christ, you are our Crown, both human and divine. Free us from rigid categories and grant us the grace of interwoven identities. With the rainbow, lead us beyond black-and-white thinking to experience the whole spectrum of life.

…Free us and enliven us to celebrate You in all genders, sexualities, and family shapes and sizes.

All: Rainbow Christ, you light up the world. You make rainbows as a promise to support all life on earth. In the rainbow space, we can see all the hidden connections between sexualities, genders and races. Like the rainbow, may we embody all the colors of the world! Amen.

Communion

Liturgy

One: God is with you.

Many: And also with you.

One: Lift up your hearts.

Many: We lift them up to God.

One: Let us give thanks to God.

Many: It is right to give God thanks and praise.

Elder’s Meditation:

Words of Institution:

A Table Poem by Rev Michelle Torigian

Loving God

Whose Divine Lungs exhaled the Spirit into our World

Your breath continues to transform our world

From the still to the stirring.

Before the earth was formed

The Spirit of God swirled through voids and shadows.

As humans were created

The air of God filled the lungs of Adam

And the soul of Eve.

This Divine Air

Continues to fill us up

When our bones are dry and spirits are sluggish.

On this day of Pentecost

When we celebrate the breath of the Spirit coming upon the disciples

We invite the Spirit mingle with this bread and this cup.

God of winds, pour out your Spirit to make this sacred meal come alive for us.

Let it awaken our sleepy hearts and lethargic souls.

May this time of eating and drinking be one

where we stir from our sadness and rise from our hopelessness.

May we begin to celebrate visions

And animate the dreams that have only been alive in our minds.

Words of Institution

Communion Song: We Are Setting the Rainbow Table

We are setting the rainbow table, we are planning a giant feast.

We are birthing a new creation for the lonely, the lost and least.

At that table will sit the weary, knowing welcome in their souls.

There is magic at that table for the broken know they are whole.

Come and sit at the rainbow table, full of colors and bathed in light.

Come and learn how the rainbow table offers grace to our rainbow lives.

Liturgy

One: We give thanks for these holy mysteries.

Many: Your glory has filled our hearts.

One: You have given yourself to us, God.

Many: Now we give ourselves to you and to all.

Benediction by  Rev. Elizabeth Dilley from UCC’s Worship Ways

Come out! Jesus commands,

And calls us from the tombs of our existence into the brightness of a new day.

Come out! Jesus cries,

And unbinds us from the chains of our past.

Come out! Jesus calls,

And entices us into a world filled with grace and possibility.

Come out! Jesus calls

And liberates us to participate in God’s eternal and universal liberating work.

So: Go out!

Into a world that needs God’s breath, God’s Spirit of love and liberation.

Go out!

Into a world that needs the Spirit of God, carried on our lips and in our loving arms.

Go out!

Into the world to live as people filled with God’s Spirit, with the Liberator’s very breath.

Go out!

And go on the breath of God’s holy wind! Amen.

Closing Song: Spirit (Chalice 249)

Refrain:

Spirit, spirit of gentleness, blow through the wilderness, calling and free.

Spirit, Spirit of restlessness, stir me from placidness, wind, wind on the sea.

You moved on the waters, you called to the deep,

Then you coaxed up the mountains from the valleys of sleep,

And over the eons you called to each thing,

“Awake from your slumbers and rise on your wings.”

REFRAIN

You sang in a stable, your cried from a hill,

Then you whispered in silence when the whole world was still,

And down in the city you called once again

When you blew through your people on the rush of the wind.

REFRAIN

You call from tomorrow, you break ancient schemes,

From the bondage of sorrow the captives dream dreams;

Our women see visions, our men clear their eyes.

With bold new decisions your people arise.

REFRAIN

Postlude/Peace: Peace by Soul Junk