Based on Acts 2:1–21

A Pentecost Prayer Journey

Gathering and Opening

(5 minutes)

Begin with stillness. Light a candle or place a simple symbol (e.g. a bowl of water, a stone, or a feather) in the centre.

Leader may say:

“Come, Holy Spirit.
Breathe on us as we wait.
Burn in us as we listen.
Speak through us as we open our hearts.”

Pause in silence for 1–2 minutes.

Scripture and Story

(10 minutes)

Invite someone to read aloud “I Was There That Day”, slowly and reflectively.
Allow 2 minutes of silence after the reading.

Optional second reading: Acts 2:1–21 (read by a second voice, different translation).

Invite the group to listen for words or phrases that catch their attention or echos within.
Hold onto that thought or wondering

Silent Listening

(10–15 minutes)

Transition into a time of deep silence.
Guiding words before silence:
“Hold the story in your heart.
Let the wind, the fire, the voices settle within you.
Is there a word or image that stirs?
Where are you in the story?”
Allow 10 minutes of silent reflection. (You may use a timer or gentle bell to mark the end.)

Heart Sharing

(15–20 minutes)

Move gently into a time of personal sharing in a circle. Use an object to pass to the next person to speak ( like a shell or candle) or simply go around, allowing each person to speak , or pass, without interruption.

Prompting Questions (choose 1 or 2):

• What moment in the story caught your attention or stayed with you?
• I wonder where you might be “all together in one place”: waiting, unsure, open?
• What is your “native language” of faith? How do you most clearly hear or speak of God?
• What word or phrase from the silence is still echoing?

Encourage the group to listen without comment or cross-talk. Allow space between speakers.

Response and Intercession

(5–10 minutes)

Prayer Suggestions:

• Name aloud the different languages, people, and cultures you long to hear the gospel in.
• Pray for those waiting : in confusion, hope, fear, or expectation.
• Invite spontaneous breath prayers:
  “Come, Holy Spirit…”
  “Let your wind stir…”

All say together:

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21)

Closing Silence and Blessing (5 minutes)

Sit in shared silence for 2–3 minutes. Then pray this blessing aloud:
May the wind of the Spirit awaken us. May the fire of the Spirit refine us.
May the voice of the Spirit speak in and through us. May we, together, be signs of God’s power, spoken in every language of love. Amen.

Optional final words from the group:

Go around and each person may share just one word that they are carrying into the week.

Acts 2:1–21“I Was There That Day”

A Pentecost Story

I didn’t expect anything unusual that morning.

Jerusalem was busy, as it always is during the festival. People from every corner of the world had gathered.You could hear all the different languages in the streets — it sounded like music, or sometimes chaos.

I’d just bought some bread and was heading back when I heard it. A sound like wind — not a breeze, but a rushing, roaring wind.

The kind that makes you stop and look around, even when there’s no storm in sight.

People were gathering near one of the houses. I followed the noise, curious, and that’s when I saw them — a group of men and women, standing in the doorway, eyes wide, voices raised.

But here’s the strange part: they were speaking all sorts of languages. Not mumbling or shouting nonsense — I mean real, clear words.
And somehow, I heard my own language — my birth language — coming from the mouth of someone who definitely wasn’t from where I’m from.

Others around me nodded, wide-eyed. “Did you hear that?” they whispered. “That’s our language!”
There were Parthians next to Medes, folks from Egypt beside those from Rome. And everyone was saying the same thing:

“They’re talking about the power of God — and we can all understand it!”

Some people laughed.“They’ve clearly had too much wine,” one man snorted. But it wasn’t even breakfast time!
That’s when one of them — Peter, I think they called him — stepped forward. He looked like someone who had found his voice for the first time.

“Listen,” he said, loud and clear. “We’re not drunk.This is what the prophet Joel spoke about — a time when God’s Spirit would be poured out on everyone.”
He spoke about young people seeing visions, old people dreaming dreams, and even those usually forgotten being filled with God’s words.

He said the world would change.That God wasn’t far away or hidden, but right here, doing something new.
And that everyone — everyone — who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. I stood there, not sure what to say.

But deep down, I knew something had shifted. The wind had stirred more than just the air.

Something had begun.