Come Holy Spirit.

One of the shortest and simplest prayers in all history.
Yet a prayer with power and breath and depth beyond measure.
For in praying Come Holy Spirit,
We invite you, God, to come to us.

We know you’re already here.
Already with us.
But we forget, sometimes.
Sometimes we go about our lives, our discipleship, our worship,
Forgetting, that Spirit, you’re with us.

So we pray,
Come Holy Spirit.

We open ourselves to your already present presence.
Come Holy Spirit.

Come and encourage us.
Come and inspire us.
Come and heal us.
Come and strengthen us.
Come and empower us.
Come and hold us.

Come, Holy Spirit.

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Originally written for an ecumenical Pentecost service in Effingham and Little Bookham, Surrey, 19th May 2024.

The prayer ‘Come Holy Spirit’ was inspired by the work of Rabanus Maurus, a 9th Century Frankish Monk, who wrote a song ‘Veni Creator Spiritus’, (Come, Creator Spirit). in the 13th Century it developed into a familair prayer across the Western Church, ‘Veni Sancte Spiritus’ (Come Holy Spirit).