Pentecost Sunday (D)

Exodus 4:1-17 OR Deuteronomy 5:1-15 (6-21) 22-33 OR 31:23-29 OR Daniel 12:1-13

Psalm 119:113-136

Matthew 10:9-23 OR Luke 12:1-12

Corinthians 11:1-12:1

       

CALL TO WORSHIP [from GREATER ATTENTION: LERW, YEAR D]
The Lord has spoken with a loud voice
from the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness!

       Who has heard the voice of the living God speaking,
       and remained alive?

Truly the Lord is holy and greatly to be feared!
Yet, just as truly, God may speak to someone and the person may still live.
       O Lord, show us your greatness and glory!
       Let us hear your voice from the fire!
The Lord has said: If only they had such a mind as this,
to fear me and to keep my commandments always,
that it might go well with them and their children forever!
       Let us draw near and hear what the Lord our God will say.
       Let us listen and do all that the Lord commands.

Pentecost (Year C)

PRAYER OF CONFESSION [from THE JOYFUL FEAST: LERW, YEAR C]

Holy and eternal God, we confess that we have failed to keep your commandments; we have been quick to surrender our dreams and visions, and slow to share in the sufferings of Christ; we are too easily bound by fear and reluctant to surrender those things in our lives that block the free flow of your mighty love. Forgive us, O God, and clear a straight path from your mouth to our hearts, that our lives might overflow with the good news of your grace that we see and know in Jesus Christ.

Penitential Rite for Pentecost (Year B)

Excerpts from When Heaven Stands Open: Liturgical Elements for Reformed Worship, Year B.

CALL TO CONFESSION

God alone has the power to breathe life into the dead, to redeem for vital service those who are otherwise lifeless due to the weighty burden of guilt and sin. This God who turns slaves into prophets, the young into visionaries, and the old into dreamers of the future glory, can be trusted with the truth about our sin.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Spirit of the Living God, we confess that change fills our hearts with sorrow, loss stirs up doubt and fear, and our memories of past unfaithfulness often make life unbearable. Yet you are more than faithful in providing for us and for all creatures under heaven. You are good to renew all things with your Holy Spirit and to give countless blessings with your open and generous hand. Forgive us, O God, for our shortsightedness, our lack of faith, our timidity. Empower us with your Holy Spirit to proclaim your good works and to do your will in all things, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ.

DECLARATION OF FORGIVENESS

Surely all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved! The God, who takes care to proclaim the gospel to all peoples in their mother tongue, has made provision for forgiveness for every believer under heaven and redemption for the whole of creation under the governance of Jesus Christ. Receive the good news, even as you receive anew the promised Holy Spirit, for in Jesus Christ we are forgiven!

More comprehensive than the Daily Lectionary

UPDATE: I see the prequel / sequel to The Spirit at Work is now available, appropriately entitled The Word at Work. It follows the same format: a one-year Bible reading plan with brief devotional commentary on selected texts. This one starts the second Sunday of Easter, but with a bit of subjective adjustment, can be taken up any time of year.

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Students have often asked me if the Daily Lectionary is not sufficiently comprehensive, but in fact its two-year reading plan does not actually cover the entire canon. Here is a source, however, that does include the whole canon in a single year. It also approaches the reading of the Psalter (three per day) in the way I have done (and recommended others do) on numerous occasions. Interestingly enough, though it spans a calendar year, it starts on Pentecost Sunday, so perhaps this would be a good time to try it. [May 28, 2014]

The Spirit at Work

Here's a new thing: a theologically meaty daily devotional that covers the whole Bible in 365 daily readings; starting mid-year (at Pentecost), it focuses in particular on what we can learn of the Holy Spirit.

UPDATE: By the same author, a prequel/sequel. Highly recommended for those who have worked  through similar devotionals (Chambers, Tozer, et al.) and are ready for a rigorous trek through the Bible. [NB: As far as I know, the author is no relation to Sarah Young of Jesus Calling.]