On Hoisting a Sail
Worship
Bright Intervals
40 Brief Worship Services and Meditations for Any Occasion
Object:
Greeting and Call To Worship
The Lord is in God's holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before the Lord!
Opening Prayer
We gather to celebrate the gift of your Living Presence with us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Come as wind, O God, and blow fresh power into our lives. Come as fire, O God, and burn away all that is destructive and sinful. Fill us with your Spirit, that we may live each day for Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"Holy, Holy, Holy!"
Reginald Heber, the writer of this well-known hymn, was a boyhood friend of Sir Walter Scott. He was a pastor for sixteen years in a tiny village, and it was during this pastorate that he wrote 57 hymns. "Holy, Holy, Holy" was written as a hymn of adoration and praise to the triune God. It is based on words found in Revelation 4:8, and Alfred Lord Tennyson called it the world's greatest hymn. Reginald Heber eventually became a missionary to India, but his life was cut short by a stroke and he died at the age of 43. However, most of the hymns that Heber wrote are still being sung today.
Scripture Reading
Acts 2:1-13
Meditation
Nothing seems so difficult for modern Christians to grasp as an understanding of the Holy Spirit. Yet nothing about our faith is more important! Because we live in a world where things are known by being seen or touched, the whole idea of the Living Presence of God with us at each moment is very hard to understand. A teacher working with a class of 6-year-olds was trying to tell them that Jesus is always with us. She asked the class, "How do we know Jesus is with us?" One little boy said proudly, "It's Jesus who opens the door at the supermarket!"
Let's take another look at the importance of "wind" in the Pentecost story we just read. There are three words that describe the work of God's Spirit in our lives. The first is the word "intimate." The Holy Spirit is like having God's Presence in every beat of your heart, in every impulse of your spirit, in every thought of your mind, and in every motion of your will. The Hebrew word for "spirit" also means "breath." Just as a human being needs air to breathe, so a Christian needs the Spirit of Jesus living intimately in his or her heart to walk in the way of Christ.
A second word that describes the Holy Spirit is the word "intractable." What that word means is that God's Spirit cannot be tamed, domesticated, predicted, or in any way brought under human control. The same Hebrew word for "spirit" also can be translated "wind." Jesus once said, "The wind blows where it wills and you hear the sound of it...." The Holy Spirit of God is like a powerful wind -- sometimes it comes as a gentle refreshing breeze into our lives and at other times it has the power of a tornado. As a sailor, I am very familiar with how quickly the wind can change direction. A friend brought me a saying that goes like this: "Sailing is hours of pure pleasure interrupted by moments of sheer panic."
The third word that describes the work of the Spirit is "inspiration." Anyone who writes poems or stories or even sermons knows what it is to be moved by the Spirit. Singers, painters, athletes, musicians, all experience that wondrous sense when the power of God seems to inspire us beyond the ordinary levels of human achievement.
But how do we harness the power of God's Spirit in everyday living? The disciples of Jesus were filled with the Spirit when they finally surrendered their hearts, minds, and wills to Jesus Christ. There is an old story about a boy who went sailing with his grandfather. He asked, "Grandpa, what is the wind?" The old sailor replied, "Son, I don't know much about the wind, but I do know how to hoist a sail!" We may not fully understand the Holy Spirit, but every one of us can hoist a sail and be filled with the power and the presence of God.
Closing Prayer
O God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us. Make us one family in Christ Jesus. Encourage us with hope, and inspire us to love those around us as we let your life-giving Spirit fill our lives. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Benediction
May the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with you and remain with you, both this day and always. Amen.
The Lord is in God's holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before the Lord!
Opening Prayer
We gather to celebrate the gift of your Living Presence with us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Come as wind, O God, and blow fresh power into our lives. Come as fire, O God, and burn away all that is destructive and sinful. Fill us with your Spirit, that we may live each day for Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Lord's Prayer
Special Hymn
"Holy, Holy, Holy!"
Reginald Heber, the writer of this well-known hymn, was a boyhood friend of Sir Walter Scott. He was a pastor for sixteen years in a tiny village, and it was during this pastorate that he wrote 57 hymns. "Holy, Holy, Holy" was written as a hymn of adoration and praise to the triune God. It is based on words found in Revelation 4:8, and Alfred Lord Tennyson called it the world's greatest hymn. Reginald Heber eventually became a missionary to India, but his life was cut short by a stroke and he died at the age of 43. However, most of the hymns that Heber wrote are still being sung today.
Scripture Reading
Acts 2:1-13
Meditation
Nothing seems so difficult for modern Christians to grasp as an understanding of the Holy Spirit. Yet nothing about our faith is more important! Because we live in a world where things are known by being seen or touched, the whole idea of the Living Presence of God with us at each moment is very hard to understand. A teacher working with a class of 6-year-olds was trying to tell them that Jesus is always with us. She asked the class, "How do we know Jesus is with us?" One little boy said proudly, "It's Jesus who opens the door at the supermarket!"
Let's take another look at the importance of "wind" in the Pentecost story we just read. There are three words that describe the work of God's Spirit in our lives. The first is the word "intimate." The Holy Spirit is like having God's Presence in every beat of your heart, in every impulse of your spirit, in every thought of your mind, and in every motion of your will. The Hebrew word for "spirit" also means "breath." Just as a human being needs air to breathe, so a Christian needs the Spirit of Jesus living intimately in his or her heart to walk in the way of Christ.
A second word that describes the Holy Spirit is the word "intractable." What that word means is that God's Spirit cannot be tamed, domesticated, predicted, or in any way brought under human control. The same Hebrew word for "spirit" also can be translated "wind." Jesus once said, "The wind blows where it wills and you hear the sound of it...." The Holy Spirit of God is like a powerful wind -- sometimes it comes as a gentle refreshing breeze into our lives and at other times it has the power of a tornado. As a sailor, I am very familiar with how quickly the wind can change direction. A friend brought me a saying that goes like this: "Sailing is hours of pure pleasure interrupted by moments of sheer panic."
The third word that describes the work of the Spirit is "inspiration." Anyone who writes poems or stories or even sermons knows what it is to be moved by the Spirit. Singers, painters, athletes, musicians, all experience that wondrous sense when the power of God seems to inspire us beyond the ordinary levels of human achievement.
But how do we harness the power of God's Spirit in everyday living? The disciples of Jesus were filled with the Spirit when they finally surrendered their hearts, minds, and wills to Jesus Christ. There is an old story about a boy who went sailing with his grandfather. He asked, "Grandpa, what is the wind?" The old sailor replied, "Son, I don't know much about the wind, but I do know how to hoist a sail!" We may not fully understand the Holy Spirit, but every one of us can hoist a sail and be filled with the power and the presence of God.
Closing Prayer
O God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us. Make us one family in Christ Jesus. Encourage us with hope, and inspire us to love those around us as we let your life-giving Spirit fill our lives. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Benediction
May the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with you and remain with you, both this day and always. Amen.
