Bulletin – Sunday, May 19, 2024 – Pentecost

Sunday, May 19, 2024
Pentecost

We Gather as People of Faith

Welcome

Announcements

Lighting the Christ Candle

Jesus is the light of the world! Remembering his promise that when two or three are gathered in his name, he will be there, we light this candle to welcome the presence of the risen Christ here with us today. We light this candle remember a time when the Spirit came down like flames of fire, praying that we, too may be warmed, inspired, and ignited by the dancing flames of the Spirit working in us in this time of worship, and all the days of our lives. Amen!

Call to Worship

One:   The Spirit is at work in our faith community,
All:      bringing us together in joy, comforting us in sorrow.

One:   The Spirit is discovered in our faith community,
All:      helping those bereaved, listening to those who are troubled.

One:   The Spirit is with any who are downhearted in our faith community,
All:      the voice of hope, the unseen good deed.

One:   The Spirit will not be overcome, because in our faith community,
All:      the Spirit is inspiring, the Spirit is eternal.

One:   Come, let us worship in the presence of the Spirit.

Hymn – “Oh, a Song Must Rise” (MV #142)

Oh, a song must rise for the spirit to descend
Oh, a song must rise once again
Singing out God’s praises and glory,
The faithful voices blend,
Oh, a song must rise for the spirit to descend.

From the mountains to the valleys,
From the desert to the sea,
A song must rise once again.
From the voices of our leaders,
The voice of you and me,
A song must rise for the spirit to descend.

Oh, a song must rise for the spirit to descend
Oh, a song must rise once again
Singing out God’s praises and glory,
The faithful voices blend,
Oh, a song must rise for the spirit to descend.

From poverty and riches,
From the voice of young and old,
A song must rise once again.
From the free and the imprisoned,
The timid and the bold,
A song must rise for the spirit to descend.

Oh, a song must rise for the spirit to descend
Oh, a song must rise once again
Singing out God’s praises and glory,
The faithful voices blend,
Oh, a song must rise for the spirit to descend.

From every house of worship,
In every faith and tongue,
A song must rise once again.
From the villages and cities
A new song must be sung,
A song must rise for the spirit to descend.

Oh, a song must rise for the spirit to descend
Oh, a song must rise once again
Singing out God’s praises and glory,
The faithful voices blend,
Oh, a song must rise for the spirit to descend.

Prayer of Approach and Confession

Creating God, Great Spirit, Christ of light and love, we praise you. On this day of Pentecost, open us to the gift of your Spirit and the rushing, wild joy of your presence for us. Help us to understand the language of the heart so we may speak the language of faith and hope to our world. Wind and breath: inspire us with wonder and bless us with your world. Together may we become the sacred space where your word becomes flesh as it did in Jesus, the word of life. In the silence of our hearts, we now offer to you our fears and worries, our frustrations and doubts, and all that would keep us from becoming your sacred space.

Words of Assurance

People of God, receive the Good News! God renews us with the gift of the peace that only God can give. Through God’s peace, the hurts and pains of our soul are healed. Our ability to love others is refreshed, and we will witness to others the love that is at the heart of God’s peace. Thanks be to God!

Sung Response – “Spirit of Life” (VU #381)

Spirit of Life, come unto me.
Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion.
Blow in the wind, rise in the sea; move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice.
Roots hold me close; wings set me free;
Spirit of Life, come to me, come to me.

We Respond to God’s Word

Scripture Reading:        Acts 2:1-21

¹ When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ² And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³ Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

⁵ Now there were devout Jews from every people under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶ And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷ Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” ¹² All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

¹⁴ But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Fellow Jews and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵ Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶ No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ¹⁷ ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. ¹⁸ Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. ¹⁹ And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. ²⁰ The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. ²¹ Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Scripture Reading:         John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15

²⁶ “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. ²⁷ You also are to testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

^4b “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. ⁵ But now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. ⁷ Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ about sin, because they do not believe in me; ¹⁰ about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, and you will see me no longer; ¹¹ about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church
Thanks be to God!

Hymn – “She Comes Sailing on the Wind” (VU #380)

She comes sailing on the wind, her wings flashing in the sun;
On a journey just begun, she flies on.
And in the passage of her flight, her song rings out through the night,
Full of laughter, full of light, she flies on.

Silent waters rocking on the morning of our birth,
Like an empty cradle waiting to be filled.
And from the heart of God the Spirit moved upon the earth,
Like a mother breathing life into her child.

Many were the dreamers whose eyes were given sight
When the Spirit filled their dreams with life and form.
Deserts turned to gardens, broken hearts found new delight,
And then down the ages still she flew on.

She comes sailing on the wind, her wings flashing in the sun;
On a journey just begun, she flies on.
And in the passage of her flight, her song rings out through the night,
Full of laughter, full of light, she flies on.

To a gentle girl in Galilee, a gentle breeze she came,
A whisper softly calling in the dark,
The promise of a child of peace whose reign would never end,
Mary sang the Spirit song within her heart.

Flying to the river, she waited circling high
Above the child now grown so full of grace.
As he rose up from the water, she wept down from the sky,
And she carried him away in her embrace.

She comes sailing on the wind, her wings flashing in the sun;
On a journey just begun, she flies on.
And in the passage of her flight, her song rings out through the night,
Full of laughter, full of light, she flies on.

Long after the deep darkness that fell upon the world,
After dawn returned in flame of rising sun,
The Spirit touched the earth again, again her wings unfurled,
Bringing life in wind and fire as she flew on.

She comes sailing on the wind, her wings flashing in the sun;
On a journey just begun, she flies on.
And in the passage of her flight, her song rings out through the night,
Full of laughter, full of light, she flies on.

Meditation – “Sleep in Heavenly Peace”

Anthem – “What Will We Promise?”

We are here together this day among the friends we know,
To thank the Lord for all these gifts we share.
When we’re here within this place where love and friendship grow,
We reach to one another in our prayers.

But what will we promise, what will we give for those outside these walls?
Will our hearts be open? Will we hear their call?
Will we reach beyond ourselves, as He taught us to live?
What will we promise, what will we give?

In this warm, familiar place we share the hope and dream
Living in a world of love and peace.
But the things we do each day sometimes make it seem
We have no real concern for others’ needs.

So, what will we promise, what will we give for those outside these walls?
Will our hearts be open? Will we hear their call?
Will we reach beyond ourselves, as He taught us to live?
What will we promise?
What will we promise, what will we give?

We Respond to God’s Word

Invitation to Share

Good and gracious God, just as you poured out the power of your Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, pour out your power upon these gifts and the very lives that we offer to your purposes. Our offering will now be presented.

Offering Response – “We Give You but Your Own  (VU #542)

We give you but your own, whate’er the gift may be;
All that we have is your alone, we give it gratefully.

Offering Prayer

With open hearts and open spirits, we come to you, God most holy. With all that we have and all that we are, we bring our offerings and we lift our voices in prayer and celebration that you are our all. May your Spirit fill our words. May your Spirit fill our actions. May your Spirit fill our lives. In Christ’s name, we ask these things. Amen.

Prayers of the People

One:   Loving God, we ask for the gift of your Holy Spirit to help us pray as we ought. Holy Spirit:
All:      Help us

One:   We ask for the energy and vision of your Spirit for those who are tiring in the battle against injustice and oppression: for those exhausted by the struggle with poverty and hunger. Holy Spirit:
All:      Help us

One:   We ask for the hope and comfort of your Spirit for those whose lives are overshadowed by illness or pain; for those whose lives are darkened by sorrow or bereavement. Especially those we hold dear in our hearts…Holy Spirit:
All:      Help us

One:   We ask for the peace and joy of your Spirit for those living in the shadow of war and violence; for those eaten up by guilt and anxiety and whose Christian life has become hard and dry. Holy Spirit:
All:      Help us

One:   We ask for the guidance and strength of your Spirit for those uncertain how to use their time, talents, and gifts; for those tempted to do what is wrong. Holy Spirit:
All:      Help us

 One:   We ask for the love and courage of your Spirit for those reading out to comfort the distressed; for those reaching out to others with the Good News of Christ. Holy Spirit:
All:      Help us

One:   Loving God, we ask for the assurance of your Spirit to know your presence with us in our daily lives: in our relationships; in our work and service; in our worship; in our times of joy and pain. Holy Spirit:
All:      Help us

One:   In Jesus’ name
All:      Amen

We Go Into God’s World

Hymn – “Go, Make a Difference” (MV #209)

Go make a difference. We can make a difference. Go make a difference in the world.
Go make a difference. We can make a difference. Go make a difference in the world.

We are the salt of the earth, called to let the people see the love of God for you and me.
We are the light of the world, not to be hidden but be seen. God make a difference in the world.

Go make a difference. We can make a difference. Go make a difference in the world.
Go make a difference. We can make a difference. Go make a difference in the world.

We are the hands of Christ reaching out to those in need, the face of God for all to see.
We are the spirit of hope, we are the voice of peace. Go make a difference in the world.

Go make a difference. We can make a difference. Go make a difference in the world.
Go make a difference. We can make a difference. Go make a difference in the world.

So let your love shine on, let it shine for all to see. Go make a difference in the world.
And the spirit of Christ will be with us as we go. Go make a difference in the world.

Go make a difference. We can make a difference. Go make a difference in the world.
Go make a difference. We can make a difference. Go make a difference in the world.

Benediction

Go out into the world in the power of the Holy Spirit to fulfill your high calling as disciples of Jesus Christ. Go and join Christ in the world, healing and sharing words of freedom, witnessing to the sacred in the midst of daily life.

Response – “One More Step Along the World We Go” (VU #639)

One more step along the world we go,
One more step along the world we go,
From the old things to the new,
Keep us travelling along with you:
And it’s from the old we travel to the new;
Keep us travelling along with you.

(Sources: Gathering Pentecost 1 2024 Year B, re:Worship)