The Celebration of the Gospel
Day of Pentecost — June 4, 2017
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
8:15 Service
________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: In the beginning the Spirit brooded over the waters.
All: Come, Holy Spirit, come.
God formed a person from the dust from the earth and breathed into it,
and it became a living person.
Come, Holy Spirit, come.
John said, “I baptize you with water but one is coming
who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Come, Holy Spirit, come.
Jesus said, “The water that I will give will become in you a spring of water
gushing up to eternal life.
Come, Holy Spirit, come.
Jesus said of the Spirit, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.”
Come, Holy Spirit, come. Alleluia.
* SONG Loving Spirit Black hymnal # 2123
____________ We Attend to the Word__________
THE WORD IN SONG
How Can I keep from Singing Patricia Cota (Ringtones)
PRAYER
Heavenly Lover, you who are the Spirit of love, breathe in us. Create us. Fill us with your life. Fill us with your love. Fill us with the Spirit of Christ. Amen.
GOSPEL John 7.37-39
[Jesus offers the wonderful image of his Spirit as a life-giving stream that flows to us (“Come to me and drink”); this stream, by the grace of the Spirit, also flows from us to others.]
On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, Jesus cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ ” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
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SECOND READING Acts 2.1-21
[The disciples experience the Spirit so powerfully that Luke describes them as if they were on fire. They go into the streets of Jerusalem and begin talking about God’s love to people from all over the known world, in all those other people’s native languages. Peter explains the event by quoting the prophet Joel’s vision of God pouring out the Spirit on all people of every age, gender and social station.]
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 Veni Sancte Spiritu
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
[Anyone who wishes may share a prayer concern at the microphone.]
THE PRAYER OF JESUS The Lord’s Prayer Black hymnal # 2278
SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST
______ We Are Sent in Ministry to the World_____
OFFERING OUR GIFTS
How Deep the Father’s Love for Us Patricia Cota (Ringtones)
* OFFERING SONG Doxology Black hymnal #95
* PRAYER
Gracious God, we give you our lives, symbolized in these gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. May your Spirit always flow through us, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.
THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD
* SONG Spirit of the Living God Blue hymnal #393
* 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
Blessed Assurance – Phoebe Knapp, arr: Mark Hayes
______________________________________________________________
10:30 Service
________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 Alleluia Randall Thompson
* SONG
When in Our Music God Is Glorified Blue hymnal # 68 vv. 1, 2, 5
CHILDREN’S TIME
____________We Attend to the Word__________
THE WORD IN SONG
Psalm of Celebration Kevin McChesney (Bells of St. Matthew’s)
PRAYER OF THE DAY For True Singing Blue Hymnal, # 69
NEW TESTAMENT Acts 2.1-21
[The disciples are together on the day of Pentecost (a harvest festival). They experience the Spirit so powerfully that Luke describes them as if they were on fire. They go into the streets of Jerusalem and begin talking about God’s love to people from all over the known world, in all those other people’s native languages. Peter explains the event by quoting the prophet Joel’s vision of God pouring out the Spirit on all people of every age, gender and social station.]
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
HYMN SING
CALL TO PRAYER Ave Verum Corpus Imant Raminsh
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
THE PRAYER OF JESUS The Lord’s Prayer Black hymnal # 2278
SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST
SONG
Let All the World in Every Corner Sing
from “Five Mystical Songs” Ralph Vaughan Williams (Choir and Bells of St. Matthew’s)
______ We Are Sent in Ministry to the World_____
OFFERING OUR GIFTS Blessed Assurance Phoebe Knapp, arr: Mark Hayes
* OFFERING SONG Come, We That Love the Lord Blue hymnal #732 vv. 1,2
* PRAYER
Gracious God, in gratitude for all you have given us, we give our lives, symbolized in these gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. May our whole lives be a song of praise for you, in the name of Christ. Amen.
SONG Te Deum John Rutter
THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD
SONG
Soon and Very Soon
Andre Crouch/arr. Hart Morris (Bells of St. Matthew’s)
* SONG I’m Goin’ a Sing When the Spirit Says Sing Blue hymnal # 333
* THE BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH
* RESPONSE The Lord Bless you and Keep You Peter Lutkin
POSTLUDE Fanfare Jacques-Nicholas Lemmens
[During the postlude there are people ready to pray with you at the candles in the corners..]