Opening Responses

These are best interspersed with a gentle chant - a chord sequence playing quietly during the invocations. Taizé chants such as Veni Sancte Spiritus, Veni Creator Spiritus would be suitable.
 

With the power of the green leaf
unfolding to spring-time sunshine,
unfold our souls to the radiance of Your light

With the power of the life of God
made incarnate in the womb of Mary,
make in the depths of our souls
a place where the life of God can be planted.
 

With the power of  wisdom,
of understanding
and the knowledge of God,
fill our souls with awe in the presence of God.
 

With the power of counsel and of might,
empower our words and our actions
that we may be prophets for our age:
 

With the power that holds all creation in being,
hold our lives in the safety of Your wings:
 

With the power that brought divine life into the daily life of Nazareth,
bring divine life into the life of our new Pastoral Area.
 

With the power that shook the disciples out of their fear and complacency,
shake our lives free of our fears, our doubts and our uncertainties:
 

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.
Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created
and You will renew the face of the earth.

At the dawn of Time, the Spirit of God hovered over the waters,  
brooding under Her wings the newly-born universe.                       
Age upon age, Creation unfolded
and brought to birth our sun, our earth
and all that lives upon her.
And age upon age, Creation unfolded
and human beings appeared on the earth.

born of the earth, children of the stars.
made of clay yet filled with the divine breath of god.
image and likeness of our creator
stewards of earth in all its fullness.
 

At the dawn of human history,
God entered into covenant with human beings
setting His bow in the skies;
promising descendants, numerous as the stars,
to a wanderer in a desert.

god of abraham and sarah, of jacob and joseph;
god of moses and miriam, esther and ruth;
god of david and solomon and hebrew kings;
god of isaiah, jeremiah and all the prophets
god of ancient kingdoms and of people in exile
god of all ages - and our god.
 

In the fullness of time,
God sealed a New Covenant in the blood of His only Son;
so that all Creation and all peoples should come to perfection in Him.

Jesus entered our history - a human child
and lived and died as we all do.
Yet God did not let his beloved know decay
but raised him triumphant from the tomb.
in his risen body,
we see the promise of our own future glory.
 

Yet Creation still groans for fulfilment:
and human souls yearn for salvation.
Again the Spirit hovers over human hearts,
calling them to work with Her in the great work of the unfolding of Creation.

and we are witnesses to the Spirit,
disciples of jesus christ and children of god.
we are appointed as keepers of the light of the covenant,
chosen to bear the fruits of the spirit to a hungry world.
called from our generations to be light for the world.
 

© 2007 Wellspring