The Celebration of the Gospel

Day of Pentecost
May 24, 2015

Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them,
and a tongue rested on each of them.
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability..
—Acts 2.3-4

________ We Gather as The Body of Christ______

GREETING
PRELUDE   Spirit Song John Wimber, arr: Mark Hayes

[As we listen to the music we quiet our minds and bodies,
listen for our hearts’ deepest desires,
and become present to the Holy One who is lovingly present for us.]

* CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: Holy Spirit, breath of Creation, wind of God, breathe in us.
All:    We open our hearts to your light and your life.
Holy Spirit, love of Christ, energy of healing, burn in us.
We open our hearts to your grace and your power.
Holy Spirit, we are One in you, and we adore you.
We open our hearts to one another and to all Creation.
We worship in thanksgiving, in joy, in love. Alleluia!

* SONG   O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing   Blue hymnal # 57, v. 1,3,4,5

(10:30) CHILDREN’S TIME

___________ We Attend to the Word___________

(10:30) THE WORD IN SONG
Resonances and Alleluias Cathy Moklebust   (The Bells of St. Matthew’s)

PRAYER OF THE DAY
God of Love, Jesus promised to send the Spirit, who would guide us in the truth. Enliven your Spirit in us, that we may hear your voice, trust your grace and embody your love in the name of Christ. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING   Romans 8.22-27
[All of Creation groans in labor pains, waiting to be set free. Though we do not really know how to pray, God (Spirit) prays in us, in ways that are beyond words.]

We know that from the beginning all of creation has been groaning in a great act of giving birth. And not only creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for our bodies to be set free, and to know we belong to God. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what they already see? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit prays in us with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what the Spirit is saying, because the Spirit speaks for us according to the will of God.
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PSALTER         paraphrased, from Psalm 104
[We celebrate God’s Creation. God breathes living beings into life. (Respiration = inspiration = in-spiriting).]

Sung Response: Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Love, you are sovereign!
How amazing are your works.
     In wisdom you have made all creatures.
They look to you, and you give them life moment by moment.
When you give, we gather. You open your hand, and we live.
When you hide from us we are dismayed.
When you take away your breath, we die and return to dust.
When you grant your breath again, we are created.
You renew the face of the earth.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praise to Love with all of my being.
Praise the Lord!
[sung] Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
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GOSPEL   from John 15.26 – 16.14
[Jesus promises to send his Spirit (“The Advocate” or “Companion”). He says “It’s good that I’m going, so that the Spirit can come.”]

Jesus said, “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from God, the Spirit of truth who comes from God, she will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.

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 her to you.

When the Spirit of truth comes, she will guide you into all the truth; for she will not speak on her own, but will speak whatever she hears, and she will declare to you the things that are to come. She will glorify me, because she will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that God has is mine. For this reason I said that God will take what is mine and declare it to you.
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SCRIPTURE READING Acts 2.1-21
[On Pentecost, a Jewish holiday, the disciples experience the power of the Spirit, as if they are on fire. They go out and begin to tell foreigners the good news of God in those people’s languages, though they are foreign tongues to the disciples. Peter explains the event in terms of Joel’s prophecy that God would pour out the Spirit on all people.

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 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. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

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

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: “People of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
“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 shall see visions,
and your old shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.
And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
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SERMON

* SONG   Spirit of God   Black hymnal #2117

* AFFIRMATION OF FAITH   St. Teresa of Avila, adapted
Christ has no body now on earth but ours,
no hands but ours, no feet but ours.
Ours are the eyes through which Christ will look out
with compassion to the world.
Ours are the feet with which Christ is to go about doing good.
Ours are the hands with which Christ will bless people now.

* SONG   Spirit of the Living God   Blue hymnal # 393

THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
[Anyone who wishes may share a prayer concern at the microphone.]

THE PRAYER OF JESUS
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.

PASSING THE PEACE

______ We Are Sent in Ministry to the World_____

OFFERING OUR GIFTS    All Glory Be To God On High — J. S. Bach

* OFFERING SONG   — Steve G-H
Gladly we praise you and bless you, Creator, O God of life.
Christ, we adore you and thank you, compassion of God, our light.
Great Holy Spirit, by you we are born from above!
Alleluia! Praise the God of blessing!
Alleluia! Bless the God of love!

* PRAYER
Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. Send us in the power of your Spirit to give language to your love, to convey to all the world the good news of your grace, in the name of Christ. Amen.

THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD

* SONG The Spirit Sends us Forth to Serve Black hymnal #2241

* THE BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH
RESPONSE   We stand and sing to our neighbors:
May the grace and peace of Christ be with you my friends.
Go and share the love of God, love that never ends.

POSTLUDE                                       8:15:  Praise To The Lord, The Almighty – arr:  Alice Jordan
10:30: Spiritual from An American Tapestry — Arnold Sherman (Bells of St. Matthew’s)

[During the postlude there are people ready to pray with you at the candles in the corners.]