Dear Friends, we offer this self-directed worship outline as a resource for individual, family, or small group use. It is modeled on our regular order of worship, but please adapt it freely to suit your needs and circumstances. We pray that this will be a blessing to you.

Today’s featured image is “Sorrowful Saint,” by Scott Erickson.


 

Opening Music: Phil Ochs, “The Power and The Glory”

(lyrics available here)

 

 

Gathering Words

The coming of the Spirit transforms the Christian community.

       Locked doors are opened.

       Fear is replaced by courage.

       Peace is proclaimed.

       The power to forgive sins is present.

       Those who were afraid now speak up boldly.

       Thousands hear the message in their own language.

The coming of the Spirit is reflected in our social values.

In a world of racism and xenophobia and fear of immigrants,

the Spirit speaks to people of every nation under heaven.

In a world of fear and doubt and confusion,

the Spirit inspires people to open the doors and speak out

especially about issues of justice and peace.

In a world of selfishness, competition, and control,

the Spirit gives out gifts that are shared for the benefit of all

especially those who are poor or in need.

In a world with war, violence and terrorism,

the Spirit proclaims a message of peace and reconciliation to all.

In a world of economic problems,

the Spirit reminds us that the things of the world are meant to be shared by all

and are to be used for the common good.

In a world where the environment is abused and overused,

the Spirit calls to reform how we live and to use the earth with care and love.

In a world of ideology and prejudice,

The Spirit calls us to think about things in a new way.

(source)

 

Centering Silence

Please take a moment to quietly collect your thoughts and prepare your heart(s) for worship.

 

Hymn: The Servant Song

(lyrics are in the video)

 

 

 

Minute for Mission

Sugartree Ministry Center needs donations! Here’s a list of what they’re hoping to receive, as well as details on when and where to drop your donations off:

 

 

Friendly Moment: The Quakers Who Took On PNC Bank

 

 

 

Praises and Concerns

 

Praise for the continuing joy of spiritual fellowship.

Praise for the warming weather.

Praise for the ways sacrificial love is being shown.

Praise for those who seek after righteousness.

Praise for the hope that lies within us.

Pray for those who are grieving the loss of loved ones without being able to gather.

Pray for Friends who are struggling with bitterness, especially about politics.

Pray for strength and wisdom for healthcare workers around the world.

Pray that those who help sustain us will find ways to feel renewed.

Pray that our nation will repent of the racial injustice we engage in.

Pray for our political leaders – locally, nationally, and on a global scale – that they would prioritize the peace and health of all people.

 

Congregational Prayer Focus

Jamestown Friends Meeting

 

Wider Quaker Prayer Focus

Friends Church Peace Teams

 

Personal praises and concerns can be found in our congregational email. If you would like to submit a praise or a concern, email it to julie dot rudd at wilmingtonfriendsohio dot org. All submissions will, by default, be made anonymous if shared online.

 

Prayer for Pentecost by Sister Joan Chittister

The Holy Spirit embodies the life force of the universe, the power of God, the animating energy present in all things and captured by none. On this great feast of Pentecost, the coming of the Spirit of God, I invite you to pray with me:
May the Gifts of the Holy Spirit
bring fire to the earth
so that the presence of God
may be seen
in a new light,
in new places,
in new ways.
May our own hearts
burst into flame
so that no obstacle,
no matter how great,
ever obstructs the message
of the God within each of us.
May we come to trust
the Word of God in our heart,
to speak it with courage,
to follow it faithfully
and to fan it to flame in others.
May the Jesus
who filled women
with his Holy Spirit
fill the world and the church
with new respect
for women’s power and presence.
Give me, Great God,
a sense of the Breath of Spirit
within me as I…
(State the intention
in your own life at this time
for which you are praying.)
Amen.

Offertory: Amazing Grace

If you wish to financially support the work of Wilmington Friends Meeting, please mail your donation to us at 66 N Mulberry St, Wilmington, OH 45177, use this link to donate online, or download the EasyTithe app and find us there. Or, as a way of embodying generosity, please make a donation to the religious organization or charity of your choice. Thank you for supporting holy work in the world through your hands and prayers and financial gifts.

 

Quaker Queries for All Seasons | Charity Kemper Sandstrom

Matthew 5:44-45 ~ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends his rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Query: Do I limit my blessings to those I believe deserve them, or do I scatter blessings freely as a child of Creator God?

Reading from the Hebrew Scriptures

1 Kings 19 – 2 Person Reading

1: After the events of Mt Carmel, if you remember them…

2: Two altars were built there. One to the God of Israel, and one to Baal. Two bulls were brought, and killed, and placed upon the altars. The deciding point, between these two gods, would be which one could send fire from heaven.

1: The prophets of Baal spent hours calling on the name of their lord, but no fire came down.

2: Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”

1: “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed.

2: Elijah prayed that God would be known, and that hearts in the audience would be turned back toward true worship. 

1: And with that, the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. The other altar was left unburnt. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

2: Elijah, though: he had his doubts. After this, he was in danger; Baal worshipers were out for revenge. Elijah was afraid and ran for his life.

1: As he ran into the wilderness, he came to the mountain where Israel had first received the law.

2: And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

1: He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

2: The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

1: Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

2: Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

1: He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

2: The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

1: So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.”

2: “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”

1: So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.

 

Lectio Divina: Acts 2:1-4

This week, we’re exploring the spiritual practice of lectio divina! This is a way of carefully and prayerfully reading a passage of Scripture so that the Holy Spirit can use it to speak to us. You can read about lectio divina here, or you can watch this video:

 

 

Got it? Here’s a passage to practice on: Acts 2:1-4

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

 

 

Waiting Worship

During waiting worship, we listen together for God’s voice. As a virtual participant in this service, this may mean a time of waiting worship with those gathered in your family or small group. It could also be an individual experience. These breath prayers may be helpful to you, as you wait for God’s presence. If you want an online experience, you can join the Ben Lomond Quaker Center Online Meeting.

 

Closing Music

Mahalia Jackson | Every Time I Feel The Spirit