Document
(resources adapted from the Pentecost Prayer in Jerusalem):
Come, Spirit of Peace:
A Global Day of Prayer for Just Peace in the Holy Land
Please go to the bottom of this page to download the pdf.
(music included here reflects the original service in Jerusalem – other choices appropriate to the context could be made. The Pentecost theme need not be lost – we can call on the Spirit to come to our aid at any time, just as we call on the Spirit to bring peace and unity)
Light letter parts are said by one person.
Bold letter parts are said by the congregation.
Welcome
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Heavenly King, Comforter, the Spirit of truth,
present in all places and filling all things;
treasury of good things and giver of life,
come and dwell in us and purify us from every stain,
and of your goodness save us.
Come, Holy Spirit, true light.
Come, hidden mystery.
Come, treasure without a name.
Come, happiness without end.
Come, awaited of all those who are to be saved.
Come, O invisible one.
Come, beloved name, everywhere repeated.
Come, my breath and my life.
Come, consolation of my poor soul.
Come, my joy, my glory, without end. (St. Simeon the New Theologian)
♪ Pentecost Troparion
(sung 3x. After the third time singing “O Lover of mankind,” sing the final ending.)
Opening responses
From east and west, south and north,
from seashores and mountaintops,
from green valleys and barren lands,
from cities and villages,
God has gathered us in this place.
From many cultures and backgrounds,
speaking in various languages,
living in different stages of life,
we believe that through baptism we are united with Christ.
Coming with varied thoughts and feelings,
thanksgiving and lament,
assurance and repentance,
joy in the Gospel and sorrow for division,
we celebrate the new life given through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Believing in God’s promise,
keeping our hearts burning with love and expectations,
we rejoice in the coming of the Spirit,
the dawn of the promised age, the fulfilment of hope!
♪ Wa wa wa Ememimo
Lament
Give us a voice
and we will cry out.
We will raise our voices to sing
Our feet will dance
Wherever there are signs of life around us.
Give us a voice
and we will sob.
Weeping with your world,
like a child holding a broken treasure,
a child that will not be comforted:
weeping at the divisions and separations of churches and our communities;
weeping at misused powers that oppress others and destroy the earth;
weeping at the brokenness of our lives;
weeping with those who lost their loved ones because of wars and conflicts;
weeping with refugees and displaced people;
weeping with the abused and unloved children and youth;
weeping with those who are discriminated against;
weeping with the hungry and the thirsty as they search for a just peace.
♪ Ya rabba ssalami Palestine
Give us a voice to name truth
and expose falsehood;
to encourage the downhearted
and confront the powers.
Give us a voice that speaks with passion
and a voice full of compassion.
A voice that is gentle
and a voice that knows when to be angry.
When there is no word to convey our grief and anger,
and when we cannot pray,
help us to believe
that the Spirit groans with us and intercedes for us.
♪ Ya rabba ssalami
Give us a voice,
and we will proclaim the living Christ.
Voices buried deep will shout out.
Voices that have been submerged will emerge.
Voices that have never been heard will be raised.
Even stones will cry out.
We hear the words of the Spirit of Christ whispering to us.
(Several voices.)
Keep the dream alive.
Watch and wait.
One day I will return.
One day justice will flow like a river.
And I will establish peace for you.
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
♪ Refrain: Send forth your Spirit
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.
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.
♪ Refrain: Send forth your Spirit
May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in all these 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 the Lord,
in whom I rejoice.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord!
♪ Refrain: Send forth your Spirit
Bible reading – (reading of the day)
♪ Come, Holy Spirit come
Gospel Reading – (gospel reading for the day)
A prayer for the unity of Christians
God of hope,
who fulfilled the promises of Easter
by sending your Holy Spirit to the Church,
and opening to all people
the way of eternal life,
pour your power upon your children
in the Holy Land:
Jews, Christians and Muslims,
Palestinians and Israelis.
Seeking a just peace, we turn to you.
Let hatred be turned into love,
fear to trust,
despair to hope,
oppression to freedom.
Let what is broken be healed,
teach us ways to live in equality.
For in the light of Easter
you have given us a vision of shalom and salaam,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
(Most Rev. Dr Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden)
♪ We are one in the Spirit (stanzas 1 and 2)
Prayers of intercession
L: In peace let us pray to the Lord:
♪ Response: Ya Rab urham (repeat after each paragraph)
Arabic Orthodox
L: For the peace and loving kindness of God toward humanity
and the salvation of our souls,
let us pray to the Lord.
For peace in the whole world and unity among all the holy churches of God;
for all those responsible for our churches and communities, for all brothers and sisters in Christ, and for every Christian afflicted and weary, in need of God’s mercies and help,
let us pray to the Lord.
For Jerusalem, every city and town, and every country
for those who dwell in them in faith and in reverence of God,
and for their peace and security,
let us pray to the Lord.
For the people of Israel and Palestine,
and all people living in the midst of conflicts and wars,
that they might know the peace that is your gift and your will,
for all who work for a just peace,
let us pray to the Lord.
For those who bear fruit and do good work in God’s holy churches,
for those who remember the poor, the widows, the orphans, the strangers,
the refugees and the needy;
and for those who have charged us to remember them in our prayers,
let us pray to the Lord.
For us in this place and all Christians throughout the world,
who have been united in one Spirit and called to live in unity,
may the Holy Spirit empower us to commit ourselves
to seeking and showing the unity of the body of Christ
and with our gifts to care for one another in the bond of peace.
For our prayer, that it may be heard and be well accepted by God
and that God’s mercies and compassion be sent to us,
let us pray to the Lord.
Glory to you, O Christ our God and our hope, Glory to you.
May Christ, our true God, have mercy on us and save us,
for he is good and loves humankind.
All: Amen.
Let us say the Lord’s prayer in our own language with a strong, confident voice.
The Lord’s Prayer (in many languages)
♪ We are one in the Spirit (stanzas 3 and 4)
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem”… (Ps 122:6)
O God, we pray for the peace and unity of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. We lament 50 years of occupation and the weary toll it has taken on our people. We yearn for the day when the children of Abraham will live together in harmony in your holy city and the whole region.
May your Spirit invigorate and embolden us as we search for peace, for we know now that it will not be easily achieved. Peace will not come without our prayers and our witness.
These long years of occupation remind us of the prophetic words of Frederick Douglass: “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” Like our brother in Christ, Frederick, may we have the courage to face the living of these days that we may insist on freedom and equality, even as our words and actions are falsely distorted by those who seek to cling to privilege and power.
We know, O Lord, that we seek your will and not our own. We know, O Lord, that we desire for Jews, Christians and Muslims to live together, and nothing less. We seek for Jerusalem to be a shared city, we long for the refugees to return home, and for prisoners to be set free.
Give us strength and wisdom and courage to proclaim a just peace. May we be faithful servants of God and willing partners of all who share our desire for your reign of love, peace and justice. (Mr Jim Winkler, president and general secretary, National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, adapted)
Sending and blessing
We are sent to lead a life worthy of the calling to which we have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-2)
Spirit of God who birthed creation into being:
Endow us with compassion, hope and courage
for your people in Jerusalem.
Holy Spirit, open our hearts’ eyes and ears,
To pursue their course of justice and peace.
We make this prayer confident that you will hear our cry,
Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer. Amen
(Most Rev. Dr Thabo Cecil Makgoba, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town )
May God bless us with life forever;
may Christ Jesus breathe his Spirit and peace into us;
may the Holy Spirit kindle our hearts with love and undying hope;
and may the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, preserve us in unity
and help us to discover joy in walking together as part of Christ’s body.
Amen.
Sharing peace
Song of peace
♪ La paz del Señor
