Call for the Holy Spirit- a bidding prayer for Pentecost

The descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and Mary at Pentecost. © Elizabeth Wang, radiantlight.org.uk

Open your hands. Take a breath. Call for the Holy Spirit.

Come, Holy Spirit
Cleansing Fire
Burn away all that is false and fruitless

Come, Holy Spirit
Guiding Fire
Light the way through our wilderness

Come, Holy Spirit
Refining Fire
Purify our words, our ways, our hearts

Come, Holy Spirit
Liberating Fire
Melt the shackles of oppression and prejudice

Come, Holy Spirit
Prophetic Fire
Rouse us to courage and action

Take a Breath

Come, Holy Spirit
Empowering Fire
Inspire your gifts in us
Send us to bless and heal the world

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Call for the Holy Spirit- a bidding prayer for Pentecost © 2023 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
You are welcome to use this work in a worship setting without asking permission. It’s always a treat to hear from you if you’re using it. Leave a comment for information and permission to publish this work in a book, blog, etc.

Call to Worship- Holy Spirit, Holy One

ONE:
People of God, Rejoice!
Our Eternal and Beautiful God is near
The One who gives us new birth by water and Spirit
The One who names us beloved
The One who delights in our very existence
Come and worship

ALL:
Holy Spirit, Holy One
Holy Spirit, Descending Dove
Alight on me that I may know your presence
Anoint me that I may know your call
Fill me that I may know your power
Guide me that I may know your path
Name me that I may know, that I know, that I know who I am
Amen

This call to worship is designed to follow the song Set a Fire by Will Reagan, CCLI Song # 5911299, © 2010 United Pursuit Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

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Holy Spirit, Holy One © 2020 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
You are welcome to use this work in a worship setting with proper attribution.
by Lisa Degrenia (www.revlisad.com)
Please contact Lisa for information and permission to publish this work in any form.

3 Timeless Prayers to the Holy Spirit

Filled by the Holy Spirit, a quilt by Lisa Ellis

Filled by the Holy Spirit, a quilt by Lisa Ellis

Come, Holy Spirit,
Fill the hearts of Your faithful
And kindle in us the fire of Your love.
Send forth Your Spirit and we shall be created.
And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit
did instruct the hearts of the faithful,
grant that by the same Holy Spirit
we may be truly wise and ever enjoy Your consolations.
​Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
~ Traditional Catholic Prayer. I first encountered this prayer on a Walk to Emmaus retreat.

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Come, my Light, and illumine my darkness.
Come, my Life, and revive me from death.
Come, my Physician, and heal my wounds.
Come, Flame of divine love, and burn up the thorns of my sins,
kindling my heart with the flame of your love.
Come, my King, sit upon the throne of my heart and reign there,
for you alone are my King and my Lord. Amen.
~ Prayer by Dimitri of Rostov. This is my favorite prayer to use during Advent. 

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Come, Holy Spirit;
send down from heaven’s height
your radiant light.

Come, lamp of every heart,
come, parent of the poor;
all gifts are yours.

Comforter beyond all comforting,
sweet unexpected guest,
sweetly refresh.

Rest in hard labour,
coolness in heavy heat,
hurt souls’ relief.

Refill the secret hearts
of your faithful,
O most blessed light.

Without your holy power
nothing can bear your light,
nothing is free from sin.

Wash all that is filthy,
water all that is parched,
heal what is hurt within.

Bend all that is rigid,
warm all that has frozen hard,
lead back the lost.

Give to your faithful ones,
who come in simple trust,
your sevenfold mystery.

Give virtue its reward,
give, in the end, salvation
and joy that has no end.
~ This is a modern translation by the Church of England of an ancient prayer, Veni Sancte Spiritus. Common Worship: Daily Prayer (c) The Archbishops’ Council 2005 by Church House Publishing

Prayer: Holy Spirit, Come Again

fire-heart-961194_960_720

Consider the Biblical stories of God as Fire. Here are a few:

  • Moses and the burning bush (Exodus 3)
  • The pillar of fire leading God’s people through the darkness and across the wilderness to the promised land (Exodus 13-14)
  • God consuming the offering in the battle between Elijah and the false prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18)
  • God companioning and rescuing Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace (Daniel 3)
  • God described as a Refiner’s Fire (Malachi 3)
  • John the Baptist’s prophecy that the Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3, Luke 3)
  • Jesus promises the Father would send the Holy Spirit (John 14-16)
  • The story of Pentecost in Acts 2

Consider our need to be filled continually with the power of the Holy Spirit.

May your life be set ablaze with the strength and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. – Lisa <><

We can be certain of one thing: transformation into God’s image and God’s purpose requires that we pass through God’s refining fire. Being made holy is not a one-time deal; it is an ongoing process that continues until we are fully reconciled with Christ at his second coming. During our lives, we experience intense trials that we can use to refine our spirits. The key idea to remember is that we pass “through” and do not remain in the fire. – Enuma Okoro, Silence and Other Invitations of Advent

God is a fire that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts. And so, if we feel in our hearts coldness, which is from the devil– for the devil is cold– then let us call upon the Lord and he will come and warm our hearts with perfect love not only for him but for our neighbor as well. And from the presence of warmth, the coldness of the hater of good will be driven away. – Seraphim of Sarov

Prayer: Holy Spirit, Come Again
Plain text is for one voice. Italics text is for all voices.

Holy Spirit, come again as cleansing fire,
Burn away all that is false and fruitless
Come Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, come again as guiding fire,
Light the way through our wilderness
Come Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, come again as refining fire,
Purifying our words, our ways, and our hearts
Come Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, come again as prophetic fire,
Rouse us to courage and action
Come Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, come again as unifying fire,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Come Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, come again as empowering fire,
Dance atop all your people, no matter the label
Inspire your gifts in us
Send us to bless and change the world.
Come Holy Spirit

We ask all this in the name of Jesus,
the One who promised to send you,
and who taught us to pray,

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.

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Prayer: Holy Spirit, Come Again © 2011, 2020 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
You are welcome to use this work in a worship setting with proper attribution.
by Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia, revlisad.com
Leave a comment for information and permission to publish this work in any form.

Be sure to also check out Purify Us by Steve Garnaas Holmes.

Earth Day: God Who Brings the Cleansing Rain (Psalm 148)

Song_of_the_Silent_Snow_by_Martina Carnesciali

Song of the Silent Snow by Martina Carnesciali

Psalm 148:7-8 NRSV
Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!

One winter, while we were living in North Carolina, it snowed. I sat for a long time in silence at our bedroom window watching the soft flakes float to the ground. It was fascinating to me. I grew up in Florida and had only seen snow a couple of times in my life. The perfect peace of that experience birthed the snow verse of this hymn. As I began to think about other natural experiences, the other verses came to be.

Today, we’ll be experiencing severe thunderstorms where I live. I’m thankful. We desperately need rain. It’s also the week of the 50th anniversary of earth day. It’s also a time of unprecedented change due to coronavirus. As I look at this text 20 years after writing it, I’m struck by how it continues to speak to my world.

How does this text connect to your experience? – Lisa <><

God Who Brings the Cleansing Rain
by Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
Meter 77.77
Suggested tune: THE CALL (United Methodist Hymnal #164)

God who brings the cleansing rain
saturate our thirsty bones
with the milk of mercy sweet
with the blood that brings us home

God who rules the fiery sun
kindle now our brittle hearts
set ablaze our tender lives
forge our ways till sin departs

God who rides the winds of change
anchor us against its wrath
set our face toward holy ends
fix our walk upon your path

God who sends the silent snows
quiet us against your breast
cover us with hope-filled wings
whisper soft your word of rest

God who steps into our time
Take away this needless fear
Turn our lives to songs of praise
Play us for your world to hear

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God Who Brings the Cleansing Rain © 2010 Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia
You are welcome to use this work in a worship setting with proper attribution. Please leave a comment for information and permission to publish this work in any form. Lisa is especially interested in collaborating with someone to set this text to music.