2020 sees the fifth year of this global prayer movement started by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and which last year saw over 172 countries praying ‘Come Holy Spirit’ in unison. The heart of the movement is that the Holy Spirit will inspire us and equip us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those around us.
“Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.”(The Lord’s Prayer)
Why does it happen at this time of year?
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses …to the ends of the earth. When he had said this…he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight…Then they returned to Jerusalem … and were constantly devoting themselves to prayer… When the day of Pentecost had come they were all together in one place… All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit… and that day about three thousand persons were added.” (Acts 1 and 2)
Thy Kingdom Come happens from Ascension (when Jesus ascended into Heaven 40 days after the resurrection), until Pentecost (when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples). Throughout the centuries Christians have gathered during this time to pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit – and as we are learning in our Sunday sermon series, we can do nothing without the Spirit!
How can I get involved?
- Sign up to commit to pray at home for one hour of prayer here: https://www.24-7prayer.com/signup/e9d10c
This same link is going out to many churches in Burgess Hill – what better time than this to be united and praying for our villages, towns and country right now! The idea is that for the 10 days from 21-31st May we have every single hour covered in prayer, this year with people praying individually or as a household in their homes. We can have more than one person in a slot so please just choose one that works for you if it’s already taken! - Go to this link and join in one of the various Point prayer meetings on Zoom that we have happening throughout the time – there are 2 mornings ones, 2 evenings, our usual Wednesday midday communion, one for kids and families, one for youth and then a joint special prayer meetings for all the Burgess Hill churches hosted by Kings on the last day.
- Encourage others in their prayer times by using The Point Church Community Facebook page over these 10 days to post encouraging Bible verses, songs, words and pictures from your own prayer times.
How can I spend my hour in prayer?
Some of us might feel a bit daunted about the idea of how to fill the full hour slot so here John shares some great ideas to get you started:
- Download the app Lectio 365 – a brilliant app for guiding us in prayer.
- Pray for 5 people who you know that don’t know Christ yet. Ask God to enable them to come to know Him.
- Visit this link for more ideas: https://www.24-7prayer.com/helpmepray
- Download this Hour of Prayer pdf using the PRAY letters, especially during the Corona Virus.
- Go to The Point Community Facebook page to see ideas from others in our church.
For families Liz has organised some great activities to help us. This Year’s Point Kids Video is themed around The Lord’s prayer and uses the colours of the rainbow for each phrase to help children think about what they are praying and why and for who. This prayer session takes just under an hour and you will need some paper and things to write and colour with. You can either do the whole session in one go, or you might prefer to take one colour per day during the week – whatever works best for you and the children in your household! Enjoy!
Thy Kingdom Come and Missional Generation have also created a Digital Family Prayer Adventure Map and App based on the daily themes of TKC and with videos and games. More information can be found here: https://www.thykingdomcome.global/resources/digital-family-prayer-adventure-map
Let’s go for it!
Come, Holy Spirit Come!