Celtic Evening Prayer

A Celtic Evening Liturgy

for the Week of Prayer at

St Augustine’s

Welcome to our Celtic Evening Liturgy.  

In this last event of a busy Week of Prayer, we take time to listen for God’s heartbeat in our lives and in our city.  What has he said to us in the past few days?  What does he call us to do next?

This simple order of evening prayer allows time to listen throughout.  It is based on a liturgy used by the Iona Community in the Western Scottish Islands.  The same Saint Columb who established a monastic site where we sit this evening, took Christianity to Scotland.  From Iona, the Celtic church spearheaded mission into Northern England and across Europe.

Tonight, we pray in that living tradition of St Columb.  It is a tradition that belongs to all Christians in these islands, and which is especially significant for us in this place.

CHANT                 

The congregation repeats each line after the cantor.

Come, Holy Spirit.

Come, Holy Spirit.

Maranatha!

Come, Lord, come.

Invocation

Breath of God,

Breath of life,

Breath of deepest yearning,

Come Holy Spirit.

Comforter,

Disturber,

Interpreter,

Come, Holy Spirit.

Heavenly Friend,

Lamplighter,

Revealer of truth,

Midwife of change,

Come, Holy Spirit.

The Lord is here.

His Spirit is with us.

HYMN 325:  Be still, for the presence of the Lord, is shining all around.

Prayer                       

Let us pray.

Lord, teach us the silence of humility,

the silence of wisdom,

the silence of love,

the silence that speaks without words,

the silence of faith.

Lord, teach us to silence our own hearts and minds

that we may listen

for the movement of your Holy Spirit,

and feel your presence in the depths of our being.

A time of silence follows

Word of God           

The Word of God for the people of God.

We are listening, Lord.

A portion of scripture is read.

The Word of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

                       

A time of silence follows.

Prayer

Let us keep silence before God,

and through our minds and imaginations

offer prayers which words might not contain.

Let us pray.

In a few minutes’ silence, there is an opportunity for ‘holy play’. 

As you colour in the design provided, you might like to pray for people and situations you know of that need God’s hope.  Who needs some colour in their life?

As you colour, what can you see that you didn’t spot at first glance?  Where is the cross, the heart, the fish?

There is a time for every purpose under heaven.

A time for gratitude …

A time for what we have to lay down …

A time for what we have to pick up …

A time for confronting what we are avoiding …

A time for recognising what we hope for …

In our time, and in your time, God,

Fulfil our prayers

And let your kingdom come.

Amen.

HYMN 642   Amazing Grace      

BLESSING

Now may the Spirt of God,

who brooded over the waters

and brought us out of chaos,

find a home in our hearts

and settle our minds as we rest

that tomorrow we may wake

and live to God’s glory.

Amen.

Liturgy adapted from ‘A Wee Worship Book’ (Glasgow: Wild Goose, 1999).

Hymns from ‘Church Hymnal’, Fifth Edition (Oxford: OUP, 2003).

‘Prayer Patterns’ from ‘Multi-Sensory Worship’ by Sue Wallace (Milton Keynes: Scripture Union, 2002).