PRAYER

ALTERNATIVE WORSHIP FOR PENTECOST

 

A – “What a state the church’s in! Look at all the bad things going on in it that we read about in the newspapers!”

B – “Nobody seems to be giving us a lead and there doesn’t seem to be anyone in charge!”

 C – “And which denomination is the right one?”

D – “Yes and look at all the terrible things that have been done in the name of Christianity throughout history!”

E – “Hang on a minute; it’s not all bad! A priest once said, ‘God must be in his church somewhere, because in spite

        of all the bad things we’ve done, we’re still here!’ That’s worth thinking about isn’t it?’”

       ALL – “H-m-m-.”   

 E – “When we think back through the history of Christianity we have to look at the whole picture! There have been   a lot of good things

        done too. Let’s think about it for a minute.”

      (Here examples may be given, e.g. education for everyone, social reformers, and eventual  abolition of slavery, prison reform and

         the founding of various charities.)

A – “That was often the initiative of one or a group of Christians, not the church itself!”

E – “Hold on a minute, the ‘church’ is made up of individuals, that’s why it’s a mixture of  good and bad and that is also why sometimes, we

        get it wrong!  Studying history helps us to understand why things are the way they are, and why people  behave the way they do and

       we should be able to learn from our mistakes.”

B – “Huh! We never learn! They say history repeats itself and that’s pretty clear!”

E – “You are so cynical!

        If we look at both the old and the New Testament and throughout church history there are many stories  when people and situations

        are changed for the better.”  (Relate or act out stories to illustrate.)

E – The Bible teaches us that one of the main problems we go wrong is because we rely too  much on ourselves instead of God!”

C – “How can we rely on God! He’s not here telling us what to do!”

E – “That’s where you are wrong! He’s with us in His Holy Spirit!”

D – “Oh yes, I haven’t seen Him!”

E – “I bet you have but you didn’t realise it.”

D – “What do you mean? I haven’t had any spooky visitors!”

E – “Just as it is important to study history to learn about who we are and where we’ve  come from, it is important to look back over our

        own personal histories. When we do this, we can start to understand why we react to certain situations and why we behave in certain

        ways. We too can learn from our mistakes.  Some people use their backgrounds, as an excuse for bad behaviour but that shouldn’t be. It’s up

      to us whether we let the past control us or not.”

A – “That’s easy to say!”

B – “Well then, where is this Holy Spirit! If He was helping the people in the Bible, where is He today? How do we know He’s still around?”

E – “Sometimes it is only with hindsight that we can see what the Holy Spirit has been up to in our lives. He may work through good or

        bad situations.  Let me give you an example.”

    (Here relate or act out the story of an individual who has made a difference after being  changed by the Holy Spirit working through  him/her.)

E – “Things go wrong when we think we can live Christian lives without talking to God in  prayer and seeking His will for us. We’ll never get

         it right if we rely on ourselves. It’s no good blaming God for the things that are wrong! If we want things to change there’s only

        one  place to start!”

 C - “Where’s that? There so much that’s wrong!”

E –“Then let the Holy Spirit begin to put things right, beginning here now, with you and with me!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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